Masters Hall of Fame Inducts Dr. Grant Patrick Smith at 2014 Awards Banquet

Long Beach, CA – Dr. Grant Patrick Smith, a 7th Dan in Hapkido, was inducted into the Masters Hall of Fame at the association’s annual Awards Banquet on August 1, 2014, at the Hyatt Regency Long Beach. This year the banquet was held in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the Long Beach Internationals, a premier karate championship founded by legendary American Kenpo Grandmaster Ed Parker. A consummate professional in the martial arts, Dr. Smith also holds a 5th Dan in Tae Kwan Do and the rank of Guro in Pekiti Tirsia Kali, a style of Filipino martial arts.

“Train the heart and all else follows.” Dr. Grant Patrick Smith

Dr. Smith began his martial arts career at the age of 10 in Modesto, Calif., under Master David Spinella of the Modesto Society of Self Defense. He later studied Hapkido under Grandmaster Mark Tierney in Stockton, Calif., and Tae Kwan do under Grandmaster D.K. Shin in San Francisco, where he was also a full-time instructor. His instructor for Pekiti Tirsia Kali, Tuhon Rommel Tortal, was a nephew of Grand Tuhon Leo T. Gaje, Jr., who is considered the Keeper of the Pekiti-Tirsia Kali System.

A lifelong athlete, Dr. Smith, who has a chiropractic practice in Fountain Hills, Ariz., toured for many years as a professional racquetball player, retiring after his brother’s death in 2004. He then became involved in triathlon competition and was a two-time Ironman and a Team USA member from 2009 to 2010. It was during this time that he was convinced to open his own martial arts studio.

Today Master Grant Smith heads the Fountain Hills Martial Arts Studio where he and his fellow instructors help young martial artists to develop the self-discipline that will bring out the best they have to offer. In addition to teaching Tae Kwan Do and Hapkido, Master Smith is a certified Kali 4 Kids instructor and an Advanced Level Pekiti Tirsha Kali Combat Instructor. In 2010 Master Smith was named President of the Yun Moo Kwan Korean Martial Arts Schools, which had been founded by Grandmaster Tierney in 1974.

Master Smith is a member of the World Taekwondo Federation and the Asia Pacific Confederation Pekiti Tirsia Kali. He has been inducted into five martial arts halls of fame and is proud to be honored by the Masters Hall of Fame. Master Smith’s life has been the embodiment of his motto: “Train the heart and all else follows.”

To learn more about Master Grant Smith and the Fountain Hills Marital Arts Studio, visit their website at www.fountainhillsmartialarts.com. For more information about Yun Moo Kwan Korean Martial Arts Schools, visit www.yunmookwan.com.

The Masters Hall of Fame was founded in 1999 and is recognized as one of the premier Martial Arts events on the West Coast. The association recognizes exceptional Martial Arts Leaders and Legends through induction into the Masters Hall of Fame. For more information on the Masters Hall of Fame, visit the website at http://www.mastershalloffame.org. For media information contact Kamatoy Media

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