Grand Master Jeff Smith is a 10th Degree Black Belt and the Chief of Instruction for Mile High Karate, responsible for instructor training, Black Belt testing and development, and curriculum oversight. A Jhoon Rhee Black Belt, he won the Professional Karate Association (PKA) World Light-Heavyweight Championship on September 14, 1974, and is one of the best-known fighters of American karate’s first professional era.
Championship career
- September 14, 1974 — won the PKA World Light-Heavyweight title at the Los Angeles Sports Arena, defeating Wally Slocki.
- October 1, 1975 — defeated Karriem Allah at the Capital Centre near Washington, DC, on the closed-circuit card for Ali vs. Frazier, the “Thrilla in Manila.”
- Coached the World Champion United States Karate Team and the Junior National Team.
- Member of the Black Belt Hall of Fame; first recipient of the Bruce Lee Award, selected by Mrs. Bruce Lee and Karate magazine; named by Washingtonian magazine as one of Washington’s top athletes.
- Appeared on ABC’s Wide World of Entertainment, The Champions, Showtime, ESPN and pay-per-view events.
With Mile High Karate
Jeff Smith and Stephen Oliver trained together at the Jhoon Rhee Institute headquarters in Washington, DC, in 1976 and again in the summer of 1978, when Oliver tested for his Black Belt before Jhoon Rhee and the Institute’s Black Belt staff, Smith among them. Smith later promoted Oliver to 7th Degree (2001), 8th Degree (2006, with Grand Master Joe Corley), 9th Degree (with Bill Wallace, Pat Burleson and Joe Corley) and 10th Degree (April 2026).
As Chief of Instruction he leads instructor training, Black Belt testing and development, and ongoing curriculum development for Mile High Karate. He is co-author, with Stephen Oliver, of Extraordinary Teaching.
Service
Smith performed at the White House for the “Kick Drugs Out of America” campaign and for Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Great American Workout with the President’s Council on Physical Fitness, and has taught “Just Say No” seminars in public schools. He officiates at major tournaments, coaches teams internationally and has provided television commentary for ESPN and pay-per-view karate events.
