Grandmaster James Toney

 

 

James B. Toney began his martial arts career in 1964 with Allen R. Steen at the Texas Instruments Athletic Center in Dallas.  After earning the rank of brown belt, he assisted Mr. Steen and his other black belt instructors such as Fred Wren in several Dallas area classes.

 

Mr. Toney received his black belt ranking in Chung Do Kwan Tae Kwon Do in April of 1968

from Mr. Steen and Mr. Jhoon Rhee.  He also earned a black belt in Moo Duk Kwan from Mr. Ahn Ye Mo in 1968.  Currently he holds the 10th degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and an 8th degree in Dai Ni Goju Ryu.  He also holds the “Shihan” title for North America for the Kokusai Dai Ni Goju Ryu Kyokai.

 

Competing for 12 years, Mr. Toney was the Texas State Black Belt Champion in 1969 (at the age of 40, in a day when almost all competitors were in their twenties).

 

Grandmaster Toney’s real fame and reputation comes from his prowess as a teacher.  For almost twenty years he traveled the metropolitan area from Plano to Oak Cliff teaching eight classes a week.  He established martial arts programs in several YMCA’s as well as at the University of Texas at Dallas.  He has trained many state and national champions and many of his students have gone on to establish themselves as master instructors.  A majority of the black belts coming from “Texas Karate” during the late 1960’s and throughout the 1970’s were privileged to call Mr. Toney “sensei.” 

 

Grandmaster Toney has served on the original board of Mr. Steen’s Southwest Karate Black Belt Association and as a past Chairman of the Texas Black Belt Commission.

 

A retired research geologist, Mr. Toney is currently the “senior member” of the “High Dan Board” of the American Karate Black Belt Association, Chin Sook Hage Kwan.  In that position he travels internationally sitting on promotional boards as well as giving lectures.  He also still considers himself a student and actively trains in a wide variety of styles such as Aikido, Torite, laido and Kobudo.

 

Grandmaster Toney is certainly one of the pioneers of the martial arts in Texas and in the United States.

HALL OF FAME