Introducing the world’s newest 10th Degree Black Belt

Throughout the world of martial arts, there remains a very diminutive percentage of trainers and instructors who become elite.

Here in Seguin, a sliver of that percentage now includes Grandmaster Dick Strom – the world’s newest 10th Dan (degree). The Chinese character for the word Dan means step or stage and refers to one’s rank or level of expertise, knowledge, and seniority. The 10th-degree black belt is the highest rank achievable, with only about 20 true, accredited 10th degrees in Texas alone.

“This title is very seldom seen outside the Asian community,” Strom said. “It is very rare for many people to ever achieve this level of degree. It takes time, commitment and above all, a dedication to giving back to the community. To my knowledge, there are no certified and accredited 10th Dans in TKD (Tae Kwon Do) in this area or any area near the San Antonio or Austin area as well. There are some in Dallas and Houston but not many. This is a very rare degree or Dan of level Black Belt to get to. This is a 10th Dan Black Belt in Taekwondo and I was also awarded my own style by AKaTo and Jhoon Rheen. Little towns like Seguin will never usually have any level of 5th Dan or higher in any martial arts in their community but I love Seguin, so I stayed and continue to stay — (passing) on my knowledge and helping our community and surrounding area.”

In martial arts, many styles, ranks, and belt colors symbolize the different levels of proficiency in the artistry – making the ultimate stripe of his belt a momentous occasion.

For years, Strom has shared his talents as the owner and operator of Strom’s Black Belt Academy in Seguin. In fact, this year, he celebrates 50 years of learning karate while in the military and 48 years of opening his first karate school.

Throughout those decades, he has happily welcomed hundreds upon hundreds of young and old students into his doors.

It is said that the 10th Dan belt is reserved for individuals who have given a lifetime to the furtherance of martial arts and who have demonstrated a lifetime of significant achievement.

“When you are a marital artist like I am, you are kind of like the jack of all trades,” Strom said. “You are a counselor. You are an educator. You are whatever comes in the hat so as far as the community is concerned school wise, I have counselors, principals that contact me if they have my students and they are in trouble. They’ll contact me right when my students are there sitting in the office and say ‘hey, can you talk to him? He is not behaving.’ I’ve actually gone to the school and sat in one of the high school teacher’s classes because she was telling me she doesn’t know what was wrong with her class and she was one of my black belts and I said ‘sure, I’ll come sit in your class.’ So, we got that fixed. I was teaching at Saegert, a child program working with kids (at risk). Well, when I was done with that class, every one of those kids had improved their grades. They all stayed in school, especially on days of karate. They didn’t miss any days because they couldn’t come to karate class if they did. So, it psychologically helped all those kids at the middle school age.”

Strom’s career has not only taken him across the globe but has also allowed him to maintain local leadership of providing his skills to reputable folks in the community. Various professions, including law enforcement, from police to the FBI, have all tapped into his expertise.

“This martial art, as taught only here, can help everyone in every aspect of their lives and their children,” Strom said. “This martial arts, as taught here at Strom’s is very unique and is for everyone. This is a way of life. It is not a sport. The Olympics and tournaments could look like sports, but they are just training tools for life. Martial arts as taught here can accomplish so many things in people’s lives as well as their children.”

Not only is Strom a master in the discipline, but he has been dubbed a pioneer in helping to integrate and embrace martial arts programming throughout the state and the country – breaking barriers and allowing schools like his to belong to elite, prestigious martial arts organizations. After having been initially under the instruction of Master O.K. Hyung Kim while in Illinois, Strom was forced to find a new instructor when his job relocated him to Texas. That’s when he said he experienced a rarity and was able to pair up with internationally recognized martial artist and Grand Master Keith Yates, 10th Dan of Richardson, Texas.

“I ended up finding Grand Master Keith Yates who was attained with the Southwest Tae Kwon Do Association (SDA) and everybody who was in his organization was like his black belt,” he added. “They started with him. They were promoted through him but there was no outsiders like another school or anything. Back in the early 90s, I called him up and he goes ‘no, we don’t let people in the organization. They are all from us that way we know what kind of person they are, all that kind of stuff.’ I said, ‘well, if you give me a shot, I would like to prove myself and what my school could do and my student. So, he said, ‘well come up to Dallas, work out with us, see what it is about, and we will come down there, and see what your atmosphere is, see what the feels of your students are, go through a couple of tests with you and then, we will let you know from there.’ He says ‘more than likely not. We feel safe the way we are.’ Then, a year and a half later, he came to me and said, ‘you know what? We are going to let you in. So, we are the very first ones that got into AKATO or SDA at the time. We were the very first ones he let into his organization.”

For years, Strom locally has been synonymous with martial arts. He says landing in Seguin was among the best decisions that he could have ever made and reflects on that journey ever since.

“I started Strom’s Black Belt Academy in Seguin in 1986 in the hotel across from the Nolte bank, now the Wells Fargo bank downtown on River Street,” he said. “When I was working for Schubert Distributing, Roger and Davis were both students of mine when we were in the building across from the then Nolte bank, now the Wells Fargo bank.

We were located in the ballroom, when the Baenzigers’ came to me and said I needed a bigger location and offered to redo the place above the S&H green stamps store to my specification for a new martial arts school in Seguin, at no cost to me because they saw how the style I taught could benefit the entire community so we moved there and then the school just grew. At the (same) time, I still had a school in Uvalde. When I moved over here permanently, I turned the school in Uvalde over to my first ever Black Belt Albert Salazar.”

The school took off along with Strom’s Black Belt Academy across Texas, the country and eventually, internationally. In 1966, he moved the school because they outgrew their original spot before later moving to the current location in October of 2022.

Although martial arts techniques may date back to ancient times, they are still just as relevant in the modern world. And now, that he has attained the ultimate promotion in black belt, Strom says he looks forward to utilizing those skills by extending that knowledge in more innovative ways.

“One of our students, Dr. Kristin York is in the process of writing a book on how Taekwondo (TKD) – especially — can help in all areas especially trauma and mental challenges, anxiety, depression, paranoia, self-defense, and so much more,” Strom said. “I’ve already written two books. One is how to train kids and keep them motivated through martial arts training. The other is a student manual, how to run a school and how to operate a school and how to teach. A lot of people think you can get your black belt and you can be a teacher. You can’t. A martial arts instructor is basically an entertainer. So, if I don’t make it entertaining, they don’t stay. So, one of my goals is to help Dr. York and she’s a second-degree black belt – I want to help her and finish writing that book on how martial arts can help the people who have mental issues – that have schizophrenia, and DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder) and two personalities, ADHD, bipolar, any kind of mental disorders – martial arts as trained here though not just any kind of martial arts that is fly by night thing but the way we do it can help and that’s one of the reasons she started because she is one of those people and it helped her immensely by the training that we do and the work that we put into our students. I spent three weeks, three hours a day just with her and she said I did more for her than the people, the counselors and the psychiatrists have done for 20 years because I don’t have to go by the book. I go by my own book of how to handle different situations.”

This latest feat is also not stopping him from growing what he sowed so many years ago. He says his focus now remains on growing the family at his new location. He says although he is not quite ready to leave his students anytime soon, he knows that his personal future includes some relaxation, traveling and enjoying it with special company.

In the end, perhaps the most significant part of this milestone for Strom is the date of his promotion, June 19, 2023, which now prominently reads on his office wall certificate.

“My oldest son died Jan. 2, 2022, and his birthday was June 19, so my instructor Grand Master Keith Yates asked me what date I wanted on the certificate and even though I was promoted before that date, I said I wanted that date to honor my son,” he said.

This 10th degree is more than others could ever fathom and a testament to a life of dedication, teaching, focus, honor, and self-discipline.

Strom says never in his wildest dreams did he ever feel that he would reach this pivotal point in his life. He says mixed martial arts is not a career nor a sport. He says it’s a way of living and combating towards all things good.

And so, while the rest of the world leans on iconic martial artists such as Chuck Norris, dubbed the patron saint of roundhouse kicks, the community of Seguin now stands tall alongside its very own elite martial arts legend.