The Lessons of a Lifetime in Martial Arts Grand Master 10th Degree Black Belt Jim Butin

For more than six decades, Grandmaster Jim Butin has experienced martial arts from nearly every side — as a competitor, instructor, school owner, author, mentor and historian.

Jim began his martial arts training in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1965 at the age of 16 under legendary pioneer J. Pat Burleson. That beginning placed him in the heart of an extraordinary era in American martial arts and brought him into contact with many of the people who helped shape the sport.

After earning his Black Belt in 1968, Jim became a successful tournament competitor during what became known as the “Blood and Guts” era of Texas karate. Over the years, he earned more than 150 awards and four national titles.

In 1973, Jim represented the United States at the first World Taekwondo Championships in Seoul, Korea, where the U.S. team earned the silver medal. The following year, he traveled through Europe as a member of the legendary 1974 U.S. Karate Dream Team, alongside Joe Lewis, Bill Wallace, Jeff Smith and Howard Jackson. The team went undefeated.

But competition is only part of Jim's story.

For 47 years, he operated a successful martial arts school, teaching generations of students that martial arts is about far more than learning how to fight. It is about confidence, discipline, perseverance, strategy, character — and learning how to handle the challenges that happen beyond the dojo.

Today, Jim continues to preserve and share the history and lessons of American martial arts through his books, videos, articles and work with the World Martial Arts Ranking Association and Sport Karate Museum.

Beyond the Fighting is where those stories and lessons come together — lessons from a lifetime in martial arts, and lessons for life beyond the fighting.