Today we’d like to introduce you to Maurice Gomez.
Hi Maurice, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
My martial art story goes in all sorts of different directions. I started martial arts as a child and have been blessed to be able to have instructors who have taught me not just martial arts, but important life skills as well. I knew as a child that I’d one day like to be a martial arts instructor and to give back and pass down my knowledge to those that look to me for training. In my adult years is when I really took things very seriously by really taking the time to understand and study martial arts, specifically, the primary art that I train in, Kenpo Karate. When I was younger, it was all about physical training. As I got older, I really wanted to learn beyond the physical layer and to understand the mental and spiritual layers as well. I had the opportunities to continue training with some of the best martial artists in the world and align myself with a great lineage of black belts. I started teaching out of my home in a garage in Monrovia, CA. I taught there for a few years until I had an opportunity to open a commercial school in Duarte, CA around 2012. With problems with the building and eventually the building being sold, we were forced to close our doors.
I eventually started teaching again out of the garage of my home, which lasted for about a year or so eventually teaming up with a colleague of mine who owned a school in Duarte, CA where we shared time together and I started to teach from there. During this time is when I also started offering Free Women’s Self Defense Workshops, I also taught courses for law enforcement and security personnel. In 2014, I also landed a role with the LAPD teaching defense tactics in their LETAC (law enforcement tactical application course)
When the first wave of COVID started happening, then the pandemic started which resulted in business shutdown for non-essential businesses, etc. I stopped teaching for almost a year thinking about what I was going to do next. Then in May of 2021, I decided to revive garage training again and I converted part of my home into a martial arts school here in the City of Montebello. Here is when things really took off for me as a martial arts school owner/instructor. We have over 75 members in our home school here and we are still growing. I see us moving into a commercial space in the next year for sure. I also just launched a Pink Belt Program, which is a program for women’s self-defense.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
As a martial arts instructor, it certainly has not been a smooth road. Had a lot of bumps along the way consisting of either finding a space to teach classes or financial reasons. At one point, I always seemed to have to pay to teach martial arts. I always felt bad for wanting to charge people for lessons and therefore I didn’t charge at all or charged very little. I don’t think that people took advantage of that, but I also felt that although I had a lot to offer, people didn’t see value in “free”. So, I recently started to change my mindset to ensure that I charge what my knowledge is worth and be able to grow in the way that I had always envisioned.
I also had problems with help. Trying to accomplish all the goals I wanted for a school was tough to do alone. I had very little help. Nowadays, I have my older sons to help and have a much better support system with friends and family. Also being part of the Jeff Speakman Kenpo 5.0 Organization. We’re one of the largest kenpo organizations in the world and we all look out after each other. This organization has been the biggest support system and family that I am so proud to be part of.
We’ve been impressed with Jeff Speakman Kenpo 5.0 Montebello, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My school is Gomez Martial arts, which is a franchise school of Jeff Speakman Kenpo 5.0. Jeff Speakman is the Grandmaster of our System called Kenpo 5.0. His teacher was Edmund K. Parker Sr. who was the founder and creator of American Kenpo Karate.
My school is a fun, safe & clean martial arts studio offering classes in Jeff Speakman’s Kenpo 5.0 Karate & Fitness Kickboxing. We also offer specialty workshops in Women’s Self Defense, Security & Law Enforcement self-defense, and Filipino Martial Arts. We’re home-based, but people have grown to love what we have built here.
We specialize in teaching martial arts, but I like to view our school as an empowerment-building school. I know that I am one of the best in the industry so when students come here, they should know that the education they receive here in top-notch. I see our school as an Ivy league school like Harvard compared to a community college. Most importantly, I tell people all the time that our school is more than just a martial art school. When they join here, they’re not just joining a martial art school, they’re joining a family.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
People know me as being in IT, which is my main profession. But because of my work in Self-Defense, Women’s Self-Defense as well as Law Enforcment training, I’m actually getting ready to wrap up a degree from Southern New Hampshire University in Forensic Psychology and Criminal Justice. I have less than a year left. I hold a lot of lectures and don’t advertise my educational background much but all of my research is scholarly based and backed with education in the field. I’m not just a martial arts instructor who teaches based on theory and no “real world” experience.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jeffspeakmanmontebello.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeffspeakmanmontebello
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JSK50MONTEBELLO/
