Triad's History

Johnny Lee Smith began studying the martial arts in 1979 at the “Silent Fury Karate Institute” in Decatur, Alabama. His instructors were Jimmy Webster and Jamie Hooper. Bobby Robinson ran the school but is not considered one of Johnny Lee Smith’s teachers. Silent Fury was actually a Tae Kwon Do school where Webster and Hooper only taught part time. They had both been actively studying another art, Tang Soo Do, under Young Ju Lee in Huntsville, Alabama. Later in 1981, Webster and Hooper left Silent Fury and started Southeastern Tang Soo Do Studio in association with Young Ju Lee’s Master Lee’s Martial Arts College. Due to numerous disagreements between Master Lee and Jimmy Webster, Webster and Hooper broke all ties with Lee and became an independent school. In that same time frame Johnny Lee Smith started his tournament career. His first tournament was hosted by Robert Coley in Cullman, AL. at Cullman High School gymnasium in 1981. Many tournament championships would follow.

 In July of 1983 during the Presidential campaign of Ronald Reagan, Johnny along with several other members of his martial arts school, got to perform in front of the President at the Spirit of America Festival held at Point Mallard Park in Decatur, Alabama. As the other kids went by the President like zombies, Johnny felt the need to show the President some respect so just ten feet away from the President, Johnny stopped and saluted Mr. Reagan. President Reagan returned the salute with a huge smile. On June 23, 1984, Johnny received his 1st Dan Black Belt in Tang Soo Do from Jimmy Webster from whom he later earned his 2nd and 3rd Dan Black Belts.

In 1988, while in College at the University of North Alabama in Florence, Johnny befriended a fellow 3rd Dan Black Belt named Carlton A. Tucker who was an Army recruiter. Tucker would come to the University’s dormitories and try to recruit young men and women for the Army. Johnny and Tucker became sparring partners and would train together two to three times a week. Tucker was a student of Kobayashi Shorin Ryu 8th Dan Kyoshi Frank Hargrove from Hampton, Virginia. Later Johnny went to Virginia and studied directly with Kyoshi Hargrove and, on July 3, 1994, Hargrove promoted Johnny to 4th Dan Black Belt in Kobayashi Shorin Ryu. Johnny also learned Ryukyu Kobudo from Kyoshi Hargrove.

In 1989, after having to drop out of College due to financial difficulty, Johnny started teaching Tang Soo Do at the Cullman Athletic Club for his teacher Jimmy Webster. On May 15, 1991, Johnny moved out of the athletic club and rented a building on hwy. 31 in Cullman where he would teach for the next eleven years and produce many martial arts champions and Black Belts.  

Johnny began training in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu (BJJ) in 1993. He has trained in BJJ with Marcio Simas, Rigan Machado, Carlos Machado and the great Rickson Gracie. Johnny received his BJJ Black Belt  June 21, 2002 from Carlos Machado - cousin to Rickson Gracie. In 2005 Johnny was promoted to 2nd Degree Black Belt in BJJ by Carlos Machado. Johnny was the first person from the State of Alabama to be promoted to Black Belt, 2nd degree black belt, and 3rd degree black belt in BJJ. Triad Martial Arts was the first martial arts school in the State of Alabama to be home to multiple BJJ Black Belts. In October of 2009 Johnny was promoted to 3rd degree black belt in BJJ by Carlos Machado.  Rickson Gracie has been to Alabama on multiple occasions to teach at the Triad Martial Arts Academy in Cullman. BJJ legend Carlos Machado has also visited Triad Martial Arts Academy on multiple occasions. 

In 1994 Johnny won the Battle of Atlanta the largest tournament in the United States, the Bluegrass Nationals, and the Texas Challenge karate tournaments. It was his wins at these tournaments that caught the eye of the director/fight choreographer Pat Johnson. Johnson was the fight choreographer for all three Karate Kid films, all Ninja Turtle films, worked with Jacky Chan, Bruce Lee, and was the karate instructor for Steve McQueen, Bob Barker, Scott Baccula, Liaam Neeson, and many others. Johnson chose Johnny to star in the upcoming television series on Fox named “WMAC MASTERS”. Johnny would play himself Johnny Lee Smith “Tiger Claw” with a twist of make-believe. The show was about martial arts champions competing for the top prize. The “Dragon Star”. The show was filmed in 1995 and 1996, ran for two years and was largely successful.

Late in 1994, due philosophical and ideological differences between Johnny and his teachers, Johnny decided to go his own way and become independent. It was a hard decision for such a dedicated traditionalist, but it was one that had to be made. In January of 1996 Johnny established the Triad Martial Arts Academy. Triad Martial Arts is Johnny Lee Smith’s own style of martial arts. It is a culmination of his lifetime dedication to and study of Tang Soo Do, Shorin Ryu, Ryukyu Kobudo and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. The word Triad means a collection of three things. Triad Martial Arts is Karate-do, Kobudo, and Jiu-jitsu. If you are a student of Johnny Lee Smith, your style of Martial Art is Triad. Triad Karate-do, Triad Kobudo, and Triad Jiu-jitsu. This system has roots in Japan, Korea, Brazil, and the USA.

Triad Martial Arts Student Creed
I will develop myself in a positive manner and avoid anything that could reduce my mental growth or physical health. I will develop self-discipline in order to bring out the best in myself and others. I will use common  sense before self-defense and never be abusive or offensive. This is a Black Belt school, we are dedicated, we are motivated, we are on a quest to be our best.