Royce Young

Grandmaster Royce Young

10th Dan

AKBBA High Dan Board


Grandmaster Young is another Texas Karate pioneer and serves the High Dan Board as its Vice-Chairman. He is one of the earliest students of the pioneer TEXINS karate club, begun by Allen Steen at the Texas Instruments plant in Dallas, Texas. He is, also, a Charter Member of the old Southwest Karate Black Belt Association and the original American Karate Black Belt Association.


 Royce Young was born in Memphis, Texas on February 25, 1938. He was a Golden Gloves Champion when still in high school. While working at Texas Instruments, he attended the first karate demonstration Allen Steen gave there. He signed up for classes in the Texins gym. That was in 1964. Royce received his Black Belt in Taekwondo Chung Do Kwan from Mr. Steen in 1969. In 1970 he became the Chief Instructor of the TEXINS Karate Club and still teaches six classes a week there. It was from the roots of this legendary club that the Allen Steen Texas Karate Institute empire grew.


 Grandmaster Young has placed in and won in many tournaments against some of the best competitors in fighting and forms. His self-defense demonstrations have been the highlight of numerous tournaments. He still competes and wins in the Seniors Divisions.


 He has taught many state and national male and female champions in kata, point, and full-contact matches, with some rated multiple years as Regional and U.S. Top-Ten Black Belts; including a 4-years running U.S. Karate Championships 1st place winner. Several of his students have gone on to become karate school owners and teachers.


 The TEXINS Karate Club is, now, one of the oldest continuously operating karate schools in the United States at the same location, as of 1999, for 36 years. Grandmaster Young holds the seniority on the board for the longest continuous tenure in teaching as Head Instructor of that club for 31+ years. Royce teaches martial arts full time at his TEXINS club and at special self defense courses offered through Texas Instruments and Dallas area public schools. His instruction ability is phenomenal, and he is in great demand as a teacher and demonstrator. He has been teaching Smart Defense seminars and Stranger Danger classes. Recently, he added kickboxing classes to his curriculum.  In addition he has served the Association as Vice-Chairman of the High Dan Board since 1997.  He is an inductee into the Texas Martial Arts Hall of Fame as part of the  year 2000 induction class.


 Grandmaster Young, unquestionably another U.S. and Texas Karate pioneer, continues to train some of the finest Black Belt practitioners and teachers in Texas at this unique and long tenured Karate Club. Grandmaster Young was promoted to 10th Dan in December of 2001 upon nomination from Grandmaster Allen Steen, Grandmaster James Toney, and Grandmaster Keith Yates, and by vote of the High Dan Board