Legacy Taekwondo

This April 2026 is the 40 year anniversary of the taekwondo school. I am very proud of this accomplishment and I continue to teach one night a week at Dan Kinney Center. I opened the school in April of 1986 as an extension of Martial Arts Center owned by the legendary Ike Stafford. For over four decades Legacy Taekwondo and its affiliate schools have been the paradigm of excellence in traditional martial art training here in the Ozarks. Over the years the school has primarily existed at St. John’s Fitness Center and The Meyer Center, but we have had other satellite schools like Second Baptist, and Nixa Community Center.
Legacy Taekwondo is a name I chose years ago to represent General Choi’s legacy, and a name that overreaches all of these locations.

Having been heavily involved in the beautiful and intricate discipline of Taekwondo for over five decades I believe that I might be able to speak intelligently about the discipline of traditional martial arts. Having established that fact, I still consider myself a student of taekwondo with a “white belt mind” that is diligently exploring the depths of this lifetime endeavor.

The true legacy of our school is in preserving the “old school” methodology of training, testing, and competition. In a world where it’s all too common to relax standards in the name of generating revenues… where average is good enough, Legacy Taekwondo has long been recognized as a bastion of upholding the principles, attitudes, and training techniques of ITF Taekwondo. Our ethos has always embodied the true value and essence of this traditional martial art as it was presented to the world in the 1950’s. We are proponents of a discipline that will serve you with lifetime attributes of mental and physical fitness, confidence, integrity, and deadly skills of self-defense.

Our students focus on the benefits of a daily traditional training regimen, yet at the same time we have students that venture into the realm of competition and are usually very successful when they compete. I would never want to give the impression that I am against sport karate events and in fact competed heavily for well over a decade during the 1980’s and 90’s. Legacy Taekwondo has hosted 28 youth tournaments over the years to raise funds to serve individuals and organizations in our community who were in need.

I take this opportunity to sincerely thank the hundreds of students, instructors, friends, parents, and family members who have supported this endeavor during these many years. It took a huge amount of support to have classes, testings, tournaments, and demonstrations. The names are too numerous to mention here.
You might find yourself in one of the pics I am attaching here!

This message is straight from my heart. I do not use AI and AI could not have communicated my deepest gratitude felt in this matter.

Most of all I give credit to God who put me on this journey and used the martial arts to put a wayward son back on the right path.

The art of taekwondo will survive for as long as individuals require methods for self defense, living right, staying healthy, building self-confidence, and serving the community.

I conclude with a quote I have always remembered from the late great Mr Ike Stafford :

“Traditional martial arts are for your whole life. They are patterns to live by, a focal point in life.”

Warm regards to all of you my brothers and sisters.

Chuck Mercer

legacytkd.weebly.com

My instructor Ike Stafford, the Sabumnim, passed away at the age of 74 on Feb 20, 2024.
For over 5 decades Ike led the true example of bushido, living the lifestyle of a true warrior. Teaching classes every night, training, running, and competing, he had a huge influence in my life as a martial artist. Ike was the cornerstone of the early martial art scene in Springfield, and is a legend among the august and elite martial artists of this area.

I began training nightly with Ike in 1977 while he was still affiliated with the ACTA, and he mentored me when I started my own school in 1986.
Classes under Ike were hard, physically demanding, and always ended with “spirited “ sparring.
Ike always led by example and night after night worked harder than any of us on the dojang floor… it was inspiring and motivational, and I have always strived as an instructor to have the same atmosphere in all the classes I teach.
He will be missed by many and his legacy will live on for decades.

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/legacyremembers/ike-stafford-obituary?id=54497158&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=obitsharebeta

We lost a true warrior today, and heaven gained a beautiful angel.

With heavy heavy hearts we learned that Josie passed last night due to complications of a bone marrow transplant procedure. Josie is the true essence of indomitable spirit as she fought this long and hard fight with courage, perseverance, and positivity. She will be greatly missed.

If you could take a minute and say a prayer for this grieving family we so greatly would appreciate it. Frank Orellana