Mel Steiner is a Martial Arts instructor and competitor with a 9th Dan in TaeKwon-Do. Among his many accomplishments he is listed on Who’s Who in American Martial Arts, and also included in Marquis’ Who’s Who in the South and Southeast. Grandmaster Steiner is a Certified International Instructor, as well as a Certified International Umpire.
In 1989, he was inducted into the International Karate Hall of Fame. In 1994, he was one of only five in the U.S. to be recognized by the International Taekwon Do Federation as “Outstanding Instructor”
Grandmaster Steiner began his Martial Arts training in 1969 and began teaching in 1974. He opened Chi Taekwon Do school in 1981. His articles “Condition the Hand the Eastern Way”, “Martial Co-Ops, The New Wave” “China in Search of Roots”, “How to Measure Stances” and others have appeared in the Tae Kwon Do Times Magazine.
Accomplishments
- 1969 - White Belt
- 1974 - B.A. from Florida International University
- 1981 - Opened TKD commercial school.
- 1984 - 1st to demonstrate TKD at the Honan Shaolin Temple in China
- 1986 - Promoted to 4th Degree #A-4-102
- 1988 - Certified as ITF International Instructor #419
- 1989 - Promoted to 5th Degree #A-5-37
- 1994 - Promoted to 6th Degree #A-6-21
- 1999 - Promoted to 7th Degree Master #A-7-14
- 2001- Feature cover Taekwon-Do Times Magazine
- 2003 - Promoted to 8th Degree Master ICTF #1
- 2007 - Promoted to 9th Degree- Grandmaster
- I.T.F. school plaque #301
- Class “B” I.T.F. National Umpire #281
- Class “A” I.T.F. International Umpire #542
- Re-established I.T.F. governing body in Jamaica, Colombia, Venezuela & Nicaragua
- Hosted the 5th I.T.F. Instructors Course in the U.S., #35, taught by the founder of Taekwon Do - Gen. Choi Hong- Hi, in 1991
- Hosted the 1st ever I.T.F. Instructors course taught by a non-Asian Grandmaster C.E. Sereff - 9th Dan
- Participated in thirteen I.T.F. International Instructors Courses and taught two
- One of only five in the US ever to be awarded “Outstanding Instructor Award” by the I.T.F. in 1995
- One of only five in the U.S.A to be awarded “I.T.F Outstanding Instructor”, 1994
- Met with Nicaraguan President Chamorro to promote Taekwon-Do in the Army and public schools
- Designed, published, copyrighted a unique method of measuring stances
- Inducted into the “International Karate Hall of Fame”
- First President of Organizacion Chi Taekwon-Do Venezuela and U.S.A.
International Instructor courses
- 1988-Canada #10
- 1995-California #90
- 1999-Australia#CS13
- 1990-Colorado #23
- 1996-Miami #CS1 hosted by GM Steiner
- 1991-Miami #35 hosted by GM Steiner
- 1998-Jamaica #148
- 1999-Canada #158
- 1994-Texas #68
- 1999-Colorado #153
- 2001-Jamaica #184
United States Taekwon-Do Federation 1985-1999
Grandmaster C.E. Sereff
- U.S.T.F school plaque #2
- 1st Florida State Director
- 1st Region 9 Director-Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee, North/South Carolina
- 1st Ambassador At Large- Caribbean and Latin America
- One of five U.S.T.F. Vice Presidents
- Established 1st Student Insurance Program
- Created 1st Procedure Manual
- Contributed in fashioning 1st U.S.T.F Constitution
- 3rd Recipient of the U.S.T.F. “Loyalty Award”
International Taekwon-Do Federation (Grandmaster Choi, Jung Hwa)
- 2001-2003 member school
- Taught 2 Instructors Courses
- Taekwondo Times Magazine
- 2001-feature cover and article
International Ch’ang Hon Taekwon-Do Federation (I.C.T.F)
- 2003- 1st elected Executive Vice-President under President GM Kong, Young Il and Honorary President GM Nam, Tae Hi
- 2003- Promoted to 8th Dan #1 by GM Nam/GM Kong Chairman of the Technical Committee
- 2006-Second elected I.C.T.F. President
- 2007- Promoted to 9th Dan #1-1028
International Taekwon-Do Federation(I.T.F. HQ Korea)
- 2014-member #US-100745
- 2014-recognized 9th Dan Grandmaster #100745-9
- 2016-appointed Chairman of Special Needs Committee and designed the first “Special Needs Teaching Guide”
Designed, published and copyrighted a unique method titled,
“How To Measure Stances”
- Inducted into the “International Karate Hall of Fame”
- Included in “Who’s Who in the South and Southwest”
- Included in “Who’s Who in American Martial Arts”
- First President of Chi Taekwon-Do USA
- First President Organizacion Chi Taekwon-Do, Venezuela
