Harker Heights MMA Instructor Inducted into Hall of Fame

Martial Arts are a lot of fun. Over the years several of my family members have tried their hand at one version or another, and everyone has enjoyed the experience. Watching my nephew William earn his black belt was so much fun and meeting and learning more about his instructors was always interesting.

It takes a special person to lead these classes and to teach the art to a new student. It's nice to see some of the experts in this field earn some recognition. Especially when they are part of the community you live in!

Grandmaster Jimm McMurray is one of those special instructors. He is the founder and director of the House of Discipline Martial Arts Group and has been an MMA instructor since 1975.

Jimm McMurray recently sat down with Drake Lawson with News 10 KWTX, and explained, "I first got started when I was 12 years old in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The instructor asked me if I had five dollars to take the lesson, I said 'no' because in those days five dollars was a lot of money."

Instead, McMurray offered to work on cleaning up the facility in exchange for the lesson. This was the beginning of a road that would take him to a 9th-degree
black belt, and helping organize the United Taekwondo Military System and Moo Hap Sool Hapkido Society. Both are currently taught in Afghanistan, Canada, Germany, Iraq, Japan, Panama, and here in the U.S.

It was his service in Vietnam that had McMurray more involved with martial arts than ever before. He told News 10 he relied on his martial arts training to survive during his tours of duty in Southeast Asia and that on more than one occasion, he had to use his martial arts skills to defend himself.

McMurray would serve in Vietnam as a Special Forces Green Beret and U.S. Ranger Combat Instructor during two tours in Vietnam with the 5th Special Forces Group. The man is not only a lethal MMA fighter, but he's also a sniper and is classified as an expert in unarmed self-defense.

It's people like this who become so good at something that the rest of us are super lucky when they decide they want to teach the skill to others. By 1980, McMurray decided to start teaching MMA. Life then brought him to Fort Hood and he opened the House of Discipline Martial Arts Group. He credits the kids in his classes as helping him move on from the war. Their warmth and friendship specifically. McMurray said "The kids actually saved me."

Over the next 30 years, McMurray would join the Korean Martial Arts Masters Hall of Fame, the Action Martial Arts Hall of Honors, and the International Martial Arts Hall of Fame in London just this year.

Training children for the last three decades, he would also be inducted to the Korean Martial Arts Masters Hall of Fame, the Action Martial Arts Hall of Honors, and most recently inducted in the International Martial Arts Hall of Fame in London this year. What an amazing accomplishment!

McMurray told News 10 he doesn't operate the school to make money, he says he does it to help build character and build up our children. Jimm says he doesn't have any plans to wrap up his career anytime soon. He said, "I can never stop the kids keep me young".

What an amazing man. Kind of makes you want to go get a uniform and line up for the next class just to be around this kind of individual. We can't thank McMurray enough for his service and for what he does to build up our kids right here in Killeen, Harker Heights, and Central Texas. Thank you for your service Jimm!