Senior Chief Instructor: Jim Moore
Jim's first formal training in martial arts was in 1971 in Baytown, Texas at a storefront dojang run by a black belt student of Kim Soo, founder of the Cha Yon Ryu system.
After a short time Jim dropped out in order to pursue a career in music. Within a year or so the desire to continue training became too strong, and he enrolled at the Black Belt Academy in Houston. The music scene did not turn out to be all it seemed, and in 1974 Jim moved to Nacogdoches to finish college at Stephen F. Austin State University. While still in school he began training in Moo Duk Kwan under John Chu, but upon graduation, his training was interrupted by his new work schedule.
Around 1980 he was able to return to training and eventually earned a first degree black belt in the Moo Duk Kwan system and a second degree black belt from the World Tae Kwon Do Federation. At this point his training was brought to a halt by a serious back injury.
It was not until 1997 that Jim met Professor Joe Lansdale while conferring about an upcoming television commercial for Lansdale's Self Defense Systems. With that first meeting it became obvious that Professor Lansdale offered a depth of skill and knowledge that Jim could not resist. Despite reservations about the condition of his back, Jim signed up for classes and has never regretted it. He has since received a 4th degree black belt in Shen Chuan Martial Science and a first degree black belt in Combat Hapkido.