by Kate Sanchez
Roosevelt Review
Steve Blakeley Interview

Steve Blakeley, owner of Eastern New Mexico Taekwon-Do, has practiced Taekwon-Do for about 48 years. Something that is now one of his greatest passions, started out because of the young man’s small size and kids picking on him in high school, yet quickly became something he loved to do, for physical fitness and a means for self-defense. Although he was born in Morton, Blakeley moved to Portales at age two and has lived there since, opening Taekwondo operations all around the area. Today, he has school in Portales, Clovis, Roswell, Bovina, and Amarillo, with approximately 150 students total.

For those who are unfamiliar with Taekwon-Do, Blakeley gives an explanation as, “Taekwon-Do is a martial art that originated in Korea. It is a combination of TaeKian, an ancient art, and Karate. It has more types of kicks than karate but is similar in most ways. It is a young martial art compared to most it was developed in 1950.”

In 2017, Blakeley was promoted to the ranch of 8th degree black belt, with only one other rank being above him. His International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) certificate reads “USA 1010”, meaning Blakeley is the 10th highest black belt in the USA in ITF. He also holds that rank in the Yom Chi Taekwon-Do Association YCTA which is a national organization which he helped create. In February of 2017, some of Blakeley’s students held a promotion dinner and ceremony at the Yam Theatre to honor their teacher in his rank promotion. “it was a special day,” he says, “There were masters from all over the United States that came in for it and we had a special dinner…it was great!” Additionally, Blakeley says he’s had the privilege to work out with the founder of Taekwondo on several occasions.

Master Blakeley has published four books on Taekwon-Do, two of which are currently used by the Yom Chi Taekwon-Do Association. These are the “Colored Belt Handbook” and the “Black Belt Handbook” describing the test requirements used by the YCTA. Master Blakeley’s third book is “Taekwon-Do Customs and Etiquette”. His fourth book published in April of 2010 is “Taekwon-Do Instructor to Entrepreneur”.

Apart from Taekwondo, Blakeley has a drafting business where he draws house plans for people. His dad was a contractor, so Blakeley says it’s something he’s done since he was very young and started out drawing for his dad. Prior to that, Blakeley held the position of Director of Printing Services at ENMU for 25 years. He also enjoys pickleball and likes to fish and hunt in his spare time.

 

For More About Steve Blakeley and Taekwon-Do CLICK HERE