Roy D. Kurban is a 9th degree American

Taekwondo Taekwondo (; ; ) is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving primarily kicking techniques and punching. "Taekwondo" can be translated as ''tae'' ("strike with foot"), ''kwon'' ("strike with hand"), and ''do'' ("the art or way"). In ad ...

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...

grandmaster and former

Karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...

national competitor. He lives in

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. Considered to be one of the greatest competitors of all time.

Biography

Roy Kurban began martial arts training in 1965, studying

under Allen Steen, Larry Caster,

Skipper Mullins Lewis Ray "Skipper" Mullins (April 25, 1946 - May 15, 2020) was an American martial arts fighter who has been described as ''"the greatest kicker in the history of the U.S. karate scene"''. Biography Mullins was born and raised in Dallas, Te ...

, Jerry Wiseman, Phillip Ola, and Dennis Dorris. He also trained in Isshin-ryū Karate with Ed Johnson. He earned his

first degree ''First Degree'' was a 9-part drama series made by BBC Wales which aired in 2002. The series followed the lives, trials and tribulations of students in the fictional Bay College, one of several hi-tech media schools owned and run by an enigmati ...

black belt in 1968 in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

. As a member of the United States 8th Army in stationed in

Seoul, Korea Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

in 1970, he trained for a full year under Won Chik Park. While there, he took first place in the Yong San All-American TKD Championship in Seoul, Korea. During the 1970s, he was a formidable competitor, winning 127 national and international competitions, including 80 first-place trophies and grand championships. He was ranked among the top seven U.S. fighters of the decade by ''

Black Belt Magazine ''Black Belt'' is an American magazine covering martial arts and combat sports. The magazine is based in Hollywood, California, and is one of the oldest titles dedicated to martial arts in the United States. History and profile The magazine was ...

''. In 1973, Kurban established his own martial school, the American Black Belt Academy, in

Arlington, Texas Arlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and is a principal c ...

. That same year, he was voted "Best All-around Karate Man in the U.S." by ''Professional Karate Magazine''. It was during this time that he introduced Jin-Song Chung to the United States, a former champion competitor and instructor whom he had met in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

during his Army enlistment. (Chung later opened his own martial arts school in North

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

and went on to become a grandmaster.) During the 1980s, he made a name for himself as a

peace officer A law enforcement officer (LEO), or police officer or peace officer in North American English, is a public-sector or private-sector employee whose duties primarily involve the enforcement of laws, protecting life & property, keeping the peace, ...

instructor throughout the

North Texas North Texas is a term used primarily by residents of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex to refer to a geographic area of Texas, generally considered to include the area south of Oklahoma, east of Abilene, Texas, Abilene, west of Paris, Texas, Par ...

region, and established an accredited Taekwondo course for the

physical education Physical education is an academic subject taught in schools worldwide, encompassing Primary education, primary, Secondary education, secondary, and sometimes tertiary education. It is often referred to as Phys. Ed. or PE, and in the United Stat ...

department of the

University of Texas at Arlington The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA or UT Arlington) is a public research university in Arlington, Texas, United States. It is the second oldest university in the University of Texas System and was founded in 1895. It was in the Texas A& ...

in 1982, which is still operational. From 1991 to 2006, Kurban served as Justice of the Peace in North Texas. He is one of the few Americans to receive a Master Instructor certification from the

World Taekwondo Federation World Taekwondo, formerly the World Taekwondo Federation, is an international federation governing the sport of Taekwondo and Para Taekwondo. WT is a member of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF). The World Taek ...

. He remains active in the Texas martial arts community, conducting seminars and hosting competitions. .

Rank promotions

Kurban earned the following black belts in Karate and Taekwondo: * 1968 — 1st degree in

* 1970 — 2nd degree at the

Jidokwan Jidokwan is one of the original nine schools of the modern Korean martial arts that became Taekwondo and was founded in what is now South Korea at the end of World War II. Its name translates as "School of Wisdom". The Jidokwan in Korea still ...

headquarters in

* 1972 — 3rd degree in

from Allen Steen * 1975 — 4th degree in

Odessa, Texas Odessa () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Ector County, Texas, Ector County with portions extending into Midland County, Texas, Midland County. Odessa's population was 114,428 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 ...

from Hee Deok Park, through the Korea

Moo Duk Kwan Moo Duk Kwan is the name of a martial art organization founded by Hwang Kee in South Korea in 1945. Licensed Moo Duk Kwan schools teach Soo Bahk Do, formerly Tang Soo Do (and earlier 'Hwa Soo Do'). 'Moo Duk Kwan' translates as "School of Martial ...

Association * 1980 — 5th degree and Master Instructor Certificate in

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...

from the

, under Grandmaster Won Chik Park * 1986 — 6th degree from the

and Ji Do Kwan Association, under Grandmaster Won Chik Park * 1986 — 6th degree certification in

Chung Do Kwan Chung Do Kwan, created by Won Kuk Lee in 1944, is one of the first of nine schools or '' kwan'' teaching Tang Soo Do. Later, the school began to teach what came to be known as taekwondo. This style of Tang Soo Do is known for its overall pow ...

Taekwondo in

under Larry Caster * 1994 — 7th degree from Grandmaster Won Chik Park through the Ji Do Kwan and

* 2005 — 8th degree and title of "Grandmaster" by Grandmaster Won Chik Park, president of the United States Taekwondo Grandmaster Society (USTGS) * 2014 — 9th degree from Grandmaster Won Chik Park, president of the United States Taekwondo Grandmaster Society (USTGS)

Awards

* Ambassador of Taekwondo Award, 2010, U.S. Taekwondo Grandmasters Society (USTGS)

Published works

* * * * * , a memoir of Won Chik Park (introduction by Roy D. Kurban).

References

External links

roydkurban.com
official web site
Autobiographical information
at roydkurban.com
YouTube.com
videos excerpts of Roy Kurban from ''New Gladiators'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Kurban, Roy American male taekwondo practitioners Martial arts school founders Living people People from Palo Pinto County, Texas Year of birth missing (living people)