I’ve Trained More Than 3,000 Black Belts. At 80, I’m Still Teaching.
Alex Dunlap says martial arts was never just about fighting — it was a way to teach generations of young people discipline, confidence, and purpose.
Raised in a family of nine, Alex Dunlap, 80, has turned lessons from his parents, military service, and martial arts training into a lifetime of mentorship and service.
This account has been condensed and edited for clarity.
I come from humble beginnings. My parents raised nine kids, and we didn’t have much, but my mother and father did their best. We moved from Arkansas to Gary, Indiana, when I was 4 years old. From an early age, I learned to treat people the way I wanted to be treated, to be honest about what I could and couldn’t do, and to carry myself with pride.
The Civil Rights Era also shaped me. When Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, it felt like a shadow fell over the city. Those experiences taught me that young people needed more than discipline, values, guidance, and hope.
Martial arts eventually gave me a platform to teach those lessons. My instructors shaped who I became. Master Jimmy Jones in Chicago humbled me by making me go backward in rank so I could properly learn the fundamentals. Later, my military experience and training in Korea under Master Kim opened my eyes even more. I realized martial arts wasn’t just about kicks and punches; it was about discipline, respect, obedience to parents, and how you carry yourself in life.
I started teaching in local places like Hatcher Pavilion and Brunswick. Back then, many families couldn’t afford classes, so I often taught for free or charged just enough for gas money — maybe three or five dollars. I never taught for the money because I always had jobs. I taught because kids needed structure, guidance, and something positive to belong to. On Fridays, I’d even let kids come play basketball just so they had somewhere safe to be.
Over time, the program grew beyond anything I imagined. I traveled all over the country with my students, sometimes competing in more than 30 states. That exposure opened doors for a lot of kids who had never left Gary before. Today, when schools regularly travel for sports and competitions, I think back to those early years when we were doing the same thing to broaden young people’s horizons.
Community support made it all possible. I never did it alone. Parents, friends, mentors, and even police officers stepped in to help us. People donated money for flights, hotel rooms, uniforms, and tournament expenses whenever we needed it. Folks like Sonny McGee stood behind the programs and helped the kids however they could.
As the years passed, I trained more than 3,000 black belts and helped establish about 18 schools around the country, including programs in places like Arkansas and St. Louis. I still travel today to support schools and tournaments, even though I can’t move around as easily as I once did.
Along the way, I met a lot of people and experienced things I never expected growing up in Gary. I competed across the country, crossed paths with people like Chuck Norris, and even had small extra roles in a couple of movies. My students and I built relationships everywhere we went.
My family has also been a blessing. My wife used to write profiles about my work and was one of my biggest supporters. My daughters went on to meaningful careers, including education, and my son found success in the medical contract business. Seeing them succeed made me proud because everything we worked for was about creating opportunities for the next generation.
I’ve also been fortunate to receive awards and recognition over the years. Some of my memorabilia is in the Gary Public Library, and newspapers like the Crusader helped tell our story. But more than the recognition, I’m proud of the impact. Gary has produced so much talent from musicians, athletes, activists, and leaders, yet too often young people here weren’t fully supported until they left home and found success elsewhere.
I’ve had health scares, including a minor heart attack, but I’m grateful to still be here and still teaching. I believe there’s more work left for me to do.
When I look back, my life has really been about giving back what was given to me: using martial arts to teach life lessons, helping young people see opportunities beyond their neighborhoods, and building something positive with the support of the community. I’m proud of the legacy my students and I helped create, and I still believe Gary’s best asset has always been its people.
