Conversations with Maurice Gomez

Today we’d like to introduce you to Maurice Gomez.

Hi Maurice, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve been in martial arts since I was a child and have always had a passion for it growing up as a kid as well as going into my adult years. I have studied American Kenpo Karate as my foundational art for 44 years, but during that time, I have also had the pleasure of doing other styles or arts like Red Dragon Karate, Boxing, Muay Thai Kickboxing as well as Filipino Martial Arts. I currently hold a 4th Degree black belt in Ed Parker’s American Kenpo Karate as well as a 3rd Degree Black belt in the Jeff Speakman Kenpo 5.0 system. I also have various ranks in other styles as well as an NBL amateur fight record of 36-1-1. I’m a current licensed IKF Muay Thai Coach training some amazing fighters right now.

I always consider myself a student and always learning. I have trained with some very notable instructors and coaches over that years and am blessed to have the honor of passing down their teachings that were taught to me, down to my students. I have ran a few schools over the years, mostly small ones out of the garage of my home, more recently, one in Montebello, CA. The current school I am running now that started in my Montebello home garage was founded in 2021, we outgrew the garage and opened at a new location in 2023. This east LA location has been one of the first successful commercial schools that I have opened. Here we offer American Kenpo Karate, Muay Thai Kickboxing as well as a Fitness Kickboxing class. In addition, we also offer courses for Law Enforcment & Security personnel as well as an amazing Women’s Self Defense Pink Belt Program.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Things weren’t always smooth from a business aspect. There were a lot of obstacles along the way. When I started the school in the garage of my home, it wasn’t meant to grow as big as it became. Spacing issues became a challenge; weather was a challenge as times. When it rained or was too hot from the summer heat caused us to either have to cancel classes or we had to resort to using virtual training using methods like Zoom or WebEx.

As we grew more, the challenges grew more. For one, not creating too much of a nuisance for neighbors or setting off flags to the city for running classes out of my home. Since I was in a residential area, it was creating alot of exposure. Time availability was also an issue as well…as I realized the path to grow the school, caused a need for more classes and class times, but time was not something that came easy for me. Aside from running the school, I also work full time as well as being a family man and wanting to be there for my spouse and kids. I know running a business requires alot of dedication and effort…but I also didn’t want to sacrifice my time away from my family either.

I knew that moving to a commercial location would be the next thing to do if we were to continue to grow and survive, but the requirements by our city was very difficult and the permits needed were extremely expensive. It made it almost impossible to find a suitable location close to my home. So having to scout a location that allowed us to run our school was hard at first without moving away too far. My concern was student retention when we moved but also to find a place that looked good, was in a good location and was something that was affordable for us to move into. It was definitely a process with a lot of obstacles, but we made it and are doing well.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I currently work in the Information Technology field. I have also worked in law enforcement as a self-defense trainer primarily for the Los Angeles Police Department’s training division. I assisted with their use of force training as well as their LETAC (law enforcement tactical application courses). I currently hold two degrees, a BS in Computer Science as well as a BA in Forensic Psychology and Pre-Law.

What were you like growing up?
I have always been known to be the silent kid growing up. I was quiet (introverted) that knew a lot and had a lot to say, but was always careful about when I’d say things and in front of whom I say things to. I’d say that this still holds true to this day. However, growing up, I’d say that I was pretty imaginative, destructive in a positive way. I’d take things apart just to see how things work OR to figure out how to fix them. I loved to explore, ride around on my bike or skateboard and try to find the coolest routes to ride downhills. I guess this passed on with my martial arts as well. Always dissecting things so I can get a deeper understanding of them. I love martial arts, so I was always practicing something or training for a competition. I was very competitive….I didn’t like to lose. I was always a good sport and practiced good sportsmanship at all times…but I always had that mindset that I was going to do everything possible to win or come in 1st in everything I was doing. This mindset carried on with me in pretty much everything I did in life. Sports, work, school, everything. I always wanted to be the best.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mgmartialarts.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/mgomezmartialarts
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/MGOMEZMARTIALARTS
• Yelp: www.yelp.com/biz/mg-martial-arts-fitness-and-muay-thai-los-angeles
• Other: www.mgempowerment.com

Image Credits
Chris Hori Photography