Total Martial Arts Center-A Jeff Speakman Kenpo 5.0 Training Facility

08/24/2026

📣📣📣📣Exciting news coming from Grandmaster Speakman this week! 💥💥💥💥

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/chefjoegatto/lost-echoes-the-movie

08/20/2026

Check the background!

https://tumbleweedsmag.com/more-than-a-belt/ This is such a great article. Thank you Gollihar Family for taking the time for this and for believing in our program.

08/09/2026

Jeff Speakman: The Martial Arts Master Hollywood Traded for Keanu Reeves

Long before he was positioned as Hollywood’s next breakout martial artist, Jeff Speakman was a kid waiting for the bus at 5:30 AM in the freezing Chicago winter just to make it to training. Inspired by the 1970s TV series Kung Fu, he fell head over heels for martial arts—eventually selling his car to move to California and track down Ed Parker, the legendary founder of American Kenpo.

In 1991, Speakman starred in The Perfect Weapon, a cult hit that delivered the most authentic cinematic display of rapid-fire Kenpo ever put on screen. Paramount Pictures immediately groomed him to be their answer to Jean-Claude Van Damme and Steven Seagal.

Then, studio politics altered his entire path:

A sudden change in executive leadership at Paramount canceled Speakman's multi-picture contract.

A project developed for him was sold without his knowledge. That film hit theaters in 1994 as Speed—with Keanu Reeves stepping into the lead role and skyrocketing to A-list superstardom.

Rather than chasing Hollywood validation, Speakman shifted his focus back to his true passion: mastering and teaching American Kenpo.

In 2013, Speakman faced his toughest fight off-screen when he was diagnosed with throat cancer. After enduring grueling treatments and beating the disease, he shared a powerful perspective on what truly matters:

"It was a coin toss whether I would survive or not. Life is very short, even in the best of circumstances. Don't make your life about the pursuit of money, possessions, and social media clicks. It has been, is, and always will be the content of your character that matters."

In July 2022, at age 63, Speakman was awarded his 10th degree Black Belt (10th Dan)—the highest possible rank in American Kenpo Karate.

Hollywood may have missed out on an action icon, but the martial arts world gained a true, lifelong master.

07/14/2026

For the third year in a row, Total Martials Arts Center has ranked in the top 3 for Favorite Martial Arts Studio in the KC Star's Kansas City Favorites Contest.

We want to thank all of our students, families, friends and staff for their support!

We wouldn't be able to help our students and share the positive values of Kenpo 5.0 and BJJ without your support!

https://www.kansascityfavorites.com/listing/2026/martial-arts-studio

07/09/2026

Congratulations to our two new Advanced 1st Degree Brown Belts!

It’s amazing watching these kids grow and develop.