Jeff Speakman

[Headhunter]

so just seen this posted on Facebook that Jeff speakman will be testing for his kenpo 10th Dan.

This may not mean much to anyone outside of kenpo. Now I'm pretty much done with formal kenpo. I practice it by myself but I don't train it with anyone. Maybe I'll go help teach a class or run a grading if a friend asks.

But though I've never met Jeff speakman he's one of the few seniors in kenpo I have respect for.

He did a few movies back in the 90s but since then he's developed his own version of kenpo. One that's more focused on actual combat and sparring and has incorporated ground fighting into his system. To me he's one of the only seniors who's updated kenpo and tried to keep it relevant and not just regurgitating ed parkers books to everyone.

The man also battled throat cancer at one stage.

But I've just learnt this today which makes me respect the man so much more. He's tested for every single Dan rank he's had, most kenpo guys after 4th Dan never test again they're just presented it. But speakman has refused to do that and has insisted on testing every single time even when he doesn't have to. That more than anything makes me respect the hell out of him. He's not a young man anymore and has battled cancer he could easily just allow himself to be given a 10th but nope he still wants to be on the mats and actually do the test. That to me is how it should be. None of this getting presented stuff. You want to be promoted you should be on the mat and prove your good enough. So all respect in the world to speakman and it should show every other person hoping to get presented a rank but won't test making excuses about health or injuries or age. If a older guy who's survived cancer can test for a belt then so can anyone else.

It's such a shame there's none of his 5.0 kenpo in my area because I would train it and would love to meet the man one day.

 

[Buka]

I’m a fan of him as well. And I love the fact he wants an actual test.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

Is this a 10th dan in kenpo 5.0 or in epak?

Either way I'd respect him for it. If in 5.0, for not autogiving himself a 10th dan (which he absolutely could do) that he did not feel he earned. If in epak, for continuing the style, training and getting tested even after creating his own.

He's definitely a rarity in the kenpo world, that's for sure.

 

[Headhunter]

Is this a 10th dan in kenpo 5.0 or in epak?

Either way I'd respect him for it. If in 5.0, for not autogiving himself a 10th dan (which he absolutely could do) that he did not feel he earned. If in epak, for continuing the style, training and getting tested even after creating his own.

He's definitely a rarity in the kenpo world, that's for sure.

It's funny because a place I used to train at there was a 4th who hated speakman and didn't like anyone to even bring his name up in conversation. He never met the guy but apparently doesn't like what he's done for kenpo in his words. Very because this guy in question is about 10 stone overweight refuses to spar and has wanted to be promoted without testing since his second Dan....go figure.

Also don't think Lee wedlake likes him. In one of his books wedlake speaks about a grading him and ed Parker did where speakman was grading for one of his blacks. Parker was saying how great speakman was and how he was the future and wedlake replied in his own words "do we still have to promote him?" Then he said speakman had holes in his gi which wedlake saw as disrespectful.....which I thought was a bit weird. Then he goes on to say how him and Parker argued about how should be promoted and wedlake disagreed with parkers decisions.

That whole part of the book felt like he was crapping on speakman. But it's no surprise to me knowing what I know of the kenpo community that someone who dared to try and evolve the system gets a lot of hate from seniors because that's how petty and insecure a lot of them are.

 

[Headhunter]

I’m a fan of him as well. And I love the fact he wants an actual test.

I personally think that's how it should be done for everyone. None of this just presenting them crap. I've seen enough times an instructor travels down to see a guy he hasn't seen in 10 years then gives him a 8th Dan or whatever.

People say oh but by that age they're older and got injuries so they can't test,,..rubbish. If you're injured then work around it. I've got injuries I still train hard almost every day and if you physically can't test then you don't get the rank simple as that. All that it's an excuse from these obese grandmasters to not put the work in on their fitness

 

[Flying Crane]

I met Mr. Speakman once, more than a decade ago. I attended a seminar with him. He seemed like a nice fellow and probably a very capable martial artist. I wasn’t terribly impressed with what he presented in the seminar, nor with his overall approach to building his following, but given that this was over a decade ago, perhaps my observations are no longer relevant.

Given that his system is his own, he (I believe) designs his own tests and decides when he is ready to test, he really is giving himself the rank. He just goes through the exercise and gets some friendly folks in the kenpo community to oversee it. Is that better than simply slapping on the belt? I suppose so, at least it is done very publicly and at least in theory the testing panel could fail him. I don’t know if they ever would, but at least it’s possible.

Regarding what Mr. Wedlake said in his book (which I have not read, I am going on the statements made in the above post), it seems to me that there is a lot of insecurity in the kenpo world. Folks who are (probably) solid and capable in their own right can’t seem to just feel confident in their own work. Instead they are always looking over their own shoulders because everyone else is claiming legitimacy and thereby insinuating that others are not legitimate. So everyone seems to need to justify their legitimacy. It’s too bad. People ought to just do what they do and stop worrying about what others are doing. Different is different. Different is not automatically better, nor automatically worse.

These are my observations, as an ex-kenpo fellow who has found a different path.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

I met Mr. Speakman once, more than a decade ago. I attended a seminar with him. He seemed like a nice fellow and probably a very capable martial artist. I wasn’t terribly impressed with what he presented in the seminar, nor with his overall approach to building his following, but given that this was over a decade ago, perhaps my observations are no longer relevant.

Given that his system is his own, he (I believe) designs his own tests and decides when he is ready to test, he really is giving himself the rank. He just goes through the exercise and gets some friendly folks in the kenpo community to oversee it. Is that better than simply slapping on the belt? I suppose so, at least it is done very publicly and at least in theory the testing panel could fail him. I don’t know if they ever would, but at least it’s possible.

Regarding what Mr. Wedlake said in his book (which I have not read, I am going on the statements made in the above post), it seems to me that there is a lot of insecurity in the kenpo world. Folks who are (probably) solid and capable in their own right can’t seem to just feel confident in their own work. Instead they are always looking over their own shoulders because everyone else is claiming legitimacy and thereby insinuating that others are not legitimate. So everyone seems to need to justify their legitimacy. It’s too bad. People ought to just do what they do and stop worrying about what others are doing. Different is different. Different is not automatically better, nor automatically worse.

These are my observations, as an ex-kenpo fellow who has found a different path.

If he does, as I said, I’m still impressed he did not just give himself 10th dan when he created the system.

And if his tests are public, that’s a form of quality control, as it sets a precedence for what future tests in that system will be. And proves to current students that he is still actively training, depending on the rigorousness of the test.

 

[Flying Crane]

If he does, as I said, I’m still impressed he did not just give himself 10th dan when he created the system.

And if his tests are public, that’s a form of quality control, as it sets a precedence for what future tests in that system will be. And proves to current students that he is still actively training, depending on the rigorousness of the test.

Sure, I think it’s meaningful and probably positive on balance. Im not sure it is as meaningful as some believe it is. But that’s my take on it.