Hagerstown's Mr. Miyagi: 'Mr. Jimmy' shares passion for martial arts for three decades

The martial arts accomplishments of James C. Smith II — better known locally as "Mr. Jimmy" — are staggering.

Smith, 52, a life-long Hagerstown resident and owner of White Tiger Martial Arts, recently earned his 9th Dan (degree) Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do, Hapkido and American Style Karate. He's a member of the World and United States Martial Arts Halls of Fame.

It's even more remarkable considering what Smith endured many years ago.

"A drunk driver hit him head-on when he was 21," said wife Marcia D. Watters, herself a 7th Dan Black Belt who has trained for 20 years and handles most of the White Tiger administrative duties. "He flatlined several times. When he woke up, he was told he'd never walk again.

"Martial arts was what he used as his physical therapy."

A lifetime of martial arts training

Martial arts is Smith's life-long passion.

"My dad got me into it. I started when I was 3 or 4 years old," Smith said. "I started boxing, and I was a small guy and I didn't like the boxing because my face didn't like it too much. You can understand why. I got more into kickboxing and I've been doing that ever since.

"It kept me off the streets. I grew up real poor without having much. I had an option to get involved in this or to get in trouble, and I went this way."

Smith played other sports, such as baseball and football, in his childhood.

"I didn't do very good at that, though I loved it," he said. "With martial arts, it was all me, and if I failed, it was my fault. There was no one else I could rely on."

Smith has honed his craft in a number of different disciplines. He's one of only a few hundred people in the United States to earn a 9th Dan Black Belt.

"Even though you're a ninth degree, you never stop learning," he said. "We put our pants on like everybody else. We just have a little more knowledge and respect for things."

Making martial arts a career

After using his martial arts training to rehab from his accident, he started teaching while working other jobs.

"I worked construction for Oliver Homes and Callas Contractors growing up, then worked for Callas for a lot of years and it got slow," Smith said. "I could have had an opportunity to do law enforcement, and I really enjoyed construction, but martial arts has always been my thing and my life. It's always been a part of me. It's a way I can give back to the community.

"I was teaching at another facility and I kind of wanted to do my own thing," he said. "I believe martial arts shouldn't be about the money, it should be about what you can do for the community. Me and my other instructors had a difference of opinion and that's when I started White Tiger."

Smith and Watters took the leap and opened White Tiger Martial Arts in June of 2009.

"For me, it was a dream," Smith said. "When I started White Tiger, I didn't take any loans, it was all out of my bank account. We took our kids' college fund and said, 'We're going to try this, and if it fails, it fails.' I didn't believe it was going to fail.

"The first year, it worked better than I thought. People just kept coming. Has there ever been hard moments? Sure. But you keep pushing forward and when you see other people achieving, it makes it all worthwhile."

In a sense, Smith is a real-life version of Mr. Miyagi.

"Six days a week, about 70 hours a week, I train or teach," he said.

"I'm just awfully proud of him. He's so dedicated to what he does," Watters said. "I watched him struggle to find a place to do martial arts and give back. Now he has his own school."

The rewards of teaching

Smith prefers talking about the students he has trained, and the successes they have achieved, far more than he does about his own accomplishments.

"As a kid, I fell in love with the martial arts. But teaching, when you hear people say, 'You can't do this, you can't do that,' when people told me I couldn't do it, I always tried to be better and after a while I fell in love with it. If you can teach it, explain it and see what people get out of it, that's the big difference to me, so when I started teaching more at a young age, my eyes started opening up more and those dreams started becoming more of a passion."

Marquita Polhill's son, Johnny, age 12, has trained at White Tiger for six years and is a 3rd Dan Black Belt.

"(Smith) has helped him build confidence, how to multitask and how to teach and be comfortable speaking," Polhill said. "It's been awesome to see his growth since he was 6. It's magical."

"I feel like I've grown a lot. He's pushed me through a lot of stuff and I have achieved a lot of stuff," Johnny said. "I didn't think I would get this far, but I always believed in myself. I can see myself pushing other people to be their best and helping others through the tough times."

Jennifer Fraley's daughter Kamden, age 8, also trains at White Tiger: "It's built her confidence a lot. He's really good and patient with her," Fraley said. "I've known Jimmy for a long time, we grew up together, so when she said she wanted to do it, this was the only school I'd take her to."

Jonathan Cole and son Holden train together, Holden for about a year and Cole for just over four months. "He's very welcoming, very disciplined," Cole said of Smith. "He does very well with the kids building confidence and self-esteem through repetition. It's been great to practice together and spend more time together. We've put together some sparring pads in the basement to continue training at home."

Martial arts is for everyone

All are welcome at White Tiger, including those with disabilities or other handicaps.

"There are children and adults who come in, and maybe their right arm doesn't work or they have a brain injury," Watters said. "He loves helping anyone. He wants to see every student achieve all he or she can be."

"I deal with a lot of different kids, a lot of different people," Smith said. "I deal with a lot of autistic kids, which I don't believe in saying they're autistic, I just believe in saying they see things different. Some of these kids, the baseball team doesn't give them a chance, the soccer team doesn't give them a chance … but you take time to explain to that kid something a little bit different, they get it.

"When you see kids achieving things that others are saying, 'Nah, they can't do this,' I don't see that, I just see what's inside. You just have to bring it out, and by teaching people you see it come out more and more and it makes a big difference in them.

"It's never been about my life, it's about other people's lives, seeing what they can do and passing on the knowledge. I want to teach martial arts and touch the community for the better. I want to do good for someone else."

For more information on Smith and White Tiger Martial Arts, visit www.whitetigerkaratemaryland.com.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Mr. Jimmy of Hagerstown White Tiger Martial Arts shares love of sport