CELEBRATE OUR 49TH YEAR!—Join us on Saturday, April 5th, at the Richardson Texas YMCA. Featuring seminars on knife defense, combat applications of kata, and the "OG" Okinawan Karate. Of course, we will also present our AKATO Student of the Year awards from each school as well as the "Tenets" awards. We'll also have special demonstrations.
KEITH YATES MARKS 40+ YEARS AT THE YMCA—Mr. Yates actually started teaching at the Town North YMCA as a brown belt assistant instructor in 1967. He was the head instructor at Allen Steen's Texas Karate Institute on Hillcrest Avenue in Dallas for many years and when Steen retired in 1976, Mr. Yates began teaching at various locations around North Texas including SMU, several dance studios and recreation centers until he became the martial arts teacher at the Richardson YMCA in 1982. He would also teach at the Garland Y, at Richland College, and at the Cooper Aerobics Institute. He oversaw other YMCA classes at the Lake Highlands Y and the Plano Y. Now after all these decades of service to the YMCA he is retiring from his regular classes in Richardson. TO BE CLEAR, he will continue to teach the black belt weapons classes in Dallas and the Tai Chi classes in McKinney (and, of course special seminars) but the Richardson Y held a retirement celebration on Saturday, April 20, 2024, with almost 70 people in attendance including many of his early black belts. Congratulations on decades of service to the Y.
YATES INDUCTED INTO TKD HALL OF FAME
In the summer of 2022, AKATO president Keith D. Yates was inducted into the "Official Tae Kwon Do Hall of Fame" in New York City. This honor is reserved for a select few individuals who have impacted the art worldwide. Past inductees include Chuck Norris, Jhoon Rhee, and Allen Steen. See photo on the Gallery page.
NEW "BLACK BELT LEGACY" BOOK
Mr. Yates' book, "Out of the Dojo: A Black Belt Legacy," is available on Amazon. Historical photos, articles from Mr. Yates, and profiles of over 150 black belts he has trained over the last 5 plus decades. Click HERE.
YOUTUBE
Check out Keith Yates' YouTube page for the patterns for American Tae Kwon Do. You'll also find several other videos on Kobudo patterns, history, philosophy and training. For example, here's James Trimmel doing the form for yellow belt.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1WcGVuIcFo
MORE BOOKS—Don't forget Mr. Yates's other books, Christianity and the Martial Arts, Martial Arts ABCs, and Sensei Sayings are also available exclusively on Amazon.
KEITH YATES MARKS 40+ YEARS AT THE YMCA—Mr. Yates actually started teaching at the Town North YMCA as a brown belt assistant instructor in 1967. He was the head instructor at Allen Steen's Texas Karate Institute on Hillcrest Avenue in Dallas for many years and when Steen retired in 1976, Mr. Yates began teaching at various locations around North Texas including SMU, several dance studios and recreation centers until he became the martial arts teacher at the Richardson YMCA in 1982. He would also teach at the Garland Y, at Richland College, and at the Cooper Aerobics Institute. He oversaw other YMCA classes at the Lake Highlands Y and the Plano Y. Now after all these decades of service to the YMCA he is retiring from his regular classes in Richardson. TO BE CLEAR, he will continue to teach the black belt weapons classes in Dallas and the Tai Chi classes in McKinney (and, of course special seminars) but the Richardson Y held a retirement celebration on Saturday, April 20, 2024, with almost 70 people in attendance including many of his early black belts. Congratulations on decades of service to the Y.
YATES INDUCTED INTO TKD HALL OF FAME
In the summer of 2022, AKATO president Keith D. Yates was inducted into the "Official Tae Kwon Do Hall of Fame" in New York City. This honor is reserved for a select few individuals who have impacted the art worldwide. Past inductees include Chuck Norris, Jhoon Rhee, and Allen Steen. See photo on the Gallery page.
NEW "BLACK BELT LEGACY" BOOK
Mr. Yates' book, "Out of the Dojo: A Black Belt Legacy," is available on Amazon. Historical photos, articles from Mr. Yates, and profiles of over 150 black belts he has trained over the last 5 plus decades. Click HERE.
YOUTUBE
Check out Keith Yates' YouTube page for the patterns for American Tae Kwon Do. You'll also find several other videos on Kobudo patterns, history, philosophy and training. For example, here's James Trimmel doing the form for yellow belt.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1WcGVuIcFo
MORE BOOKS—Don't forget Mr. Yates's other books, Christianity and the Martial Arts, Martial Arts ABCs, and Sensei Sayings are also available exclusively on Amazon.
