# Jeff speakman



## Headhunter (Apr 15, 2018)

So I've been researching different kenpo guys and I was looking up speakman and I see a lot of hate towards him from other kenpo guys I don't understand why. He seems like a decent guy and I very much like his kenpo 5.0 taking ed parkers kenpo and adding grappling offence and defence into his system as well as more stuff on how to deal with a boxer type attack as opposed to just a thugs attack. I believe what he's doing is what kenpo should be doing and ed Parker wanted kenpo to do to keep evolving with the times something a lot of practitioners don't do. If I had kenpo 5.0 in my area I'd absolutely do it.

Maybe that's why he's so unpopular the fact that he dared make changes to the kenpo style but yeah I was shocked looking around in sites like kenpo talk with how much hate he gets. In lee wedlakes book lessons with ed Parker he states that he didn't want to promote Jeff to black belt and argued with ed Parker over it...


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## Flying Crane (Apr 15, 2018)

Headhunter said:


> So I've been researching different kenpo guys and I was looking up speakman and I see a lot of hate towards him from other kenpo guys I don't understand why. He seems like a decent guy and I very much like his kenpo 5.0 taking ed parkers kenpo and adding grappling offence and defence into his system as well as more stuff on how to deal with a boxer type attack as opposed to just a thugs attack. I believe what he's doing is what kenpo should be doing and ed Parker wanted kenpo to do to keep evolving with the times something a lot of practitioners don't do. If I had kenpo 5.0 in my area I'd absolutely do it.
> 
> Maybe that's why he's so unpopular the fact that he dared make changes to the kenpo style but yeah I was shocked looking around in sites like kenpo talk with how much hate he gets. In lee wedlakes book lessons with ed Parker he states that he didn't want to promote Jeff to black belt and argued with ed Parker over it...


I don’t have any personal animosity toward him, I don’t know him at all. 

I did attend one of his seminars once, and I was thoroughly unimpressed with what he showed us that day.  The material struck me as completely divorced from reality.

The other thing that was a turn off for me was that it seemed to me he was on a mission to build an empire, but he didn’t want to just teach quality stuff and let his reputation grow naturally through doing good work.  Instead, it seemed like he was trying to actively recruit, and build his empire without doing the good work necessary.


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## watching (Aug 25, 2018)

Headhunter said:


> So I've been researching different kenpo guys and I was looking up speakman and I see a lot of hate towards him from other kenpo guys I don't understand why. He seems like a decent guy and I very much like his kenpo 5.0 taking ed parkers kenpo and adding grappling offence and defence into his system as well as more stuff on how to deal with a boxer type attack as opposed to just a thugs attack. I believe what he's doing is what kenpo should be doing and ed Parker wanted kenpo to do to keep evolving with the times something a lot of practitioners don't do. If I had kenpo 5.0 in my area I'd absolutely do it.
> 
> Maybe that's why he's so unpopular the fact that he dared make changes to the kenpo style but yeah I was shocked looking around in sites like kenpo talk with how much hate he gets. In lee wedlakes book lessons with ed Parker he states that he didn't want to promote Jeff to black belt and argued with ed Parker over it...


I'm learning kenpo 5.0 right now and I'll say that to me, it seems very grounded in reality. Much of what Speakman altered or added to Parker's system was through collaboration with people like Trevor Shermon, who hold advanced degrees and specialize in areas like ground fighting or weapons fighting. It wasn't like Speakman just tore up the Parker system on his own one day just to rebrand it and start a franchise. From what I've heard about him and seen in interviews, he is a genuine and passionate martial artist. Anyway, I enjoy kenpo 5.0.


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## Flying Crane (Aug 25, 2018)

watching said:


> I'm learning kenpo 5.0 right now and I'll say that to me, it seems very grounded in reality. Much of what Speakman altered or added to Parker's system was through collaboration with people like Trevor Shermon, who hold advanced degrees and specialize in areas like ground fighting or weapons fighting. It wasn't like Speakman just tore up the Parker system on his own one day just to rebrand it and start a franchise. From what I've heard about him and seen in interviews, he is a genuine and passionate martial artist. Anyway, I enjoy kenpo 5.0.


Does the system still include knife defenses that include taking the knife away from the attacker and them systematically dismembering him?  That will get you arrested...


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## MetalBoar (Aug 25, 2018)

Flying Crane said:


> Does the system still include knife defenses that include taking the knife away from the attacker and them systematically dismembering him?  That will get you arrested...


Assuming it doesn't get you killed...


(To be fair, I've never seen Mr. Speakman's knife disarms so I don't know what he's doing but I've seen a lot more really dangerous knife disarms than good ones)


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## watching (Aug 25, 2018)

Flying Crane said:


> Does the system still include knife defenses that include taking the knife away from the attacker and them systematically dismembering him?  That will get you arrested...


lol I'm honestly not sure, I haven't reached that level in the training yet.


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## watching (Aug 25, 2018)

Also, if I did find myself threatened by someone with a knife, I'd rather know how to disarm and subdue them and answer for it later than be cut to shreds.


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## Flying Crane (Aug 25, 2018)

watching said:


> Also, if I did find myself threatened by someone with a knife, I'd rather know how to disarm and subdue them and answer for it later than be cut to shreds.


If you successfully defend yourself against a knife-weilding attacker, there is a pretty good chance it will include the bad guy getting cut, perhaps even dying from his wounds.  You may be able to justify that and claim self-defense.

However, if the coroner examining the body notes that numerous vital spots have been stabbed, several major arteries or veins have been severed, and whole muscle bodies have been flayed from the limbs, while you yourself are showing little to no injury, you will be prosecuted.

Those are the kinds of techniques he was teaching.


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## jks9199 (Aug 25, 2018)

watching said:


> Also, if I did find myself threatened by someone with a knife, I'd rather know how to disarm and subdue them and answer for it later than be cut to shreds.


If you find yourself unarmed against someone with a knife -- running is the best option.  Doing something to stop them fast so you can run away is a second best option.  Trying to disarm and then run away is third best.  Disarming and subduing them is a bad idea, unless your job is to subdue and arrest them, and you have the means to do so on you.

In fact, in any self defense scenario, if you're looking to "subdue" -- you better be carrying cuffs and have legal authority to detain and arrest.


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