May 8, 2017

Meet Robert Kingi of Kingi’s Kajukenbo in Inglewood

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Robert Kingi.

Robert, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I began training the moment I was able to take my first steps. I had the privilege to train under my Dad, Mom, Brothers & Sister as well all of the other outstanding black belts along the way. I, along with my family spent much of my days on the mat. I received my Jr. Black Belt in 1992 at the age of 10, the youngest Black Belt in the history of Kingi’s Kajukenbo. I then continued my training while juggling high school basketball and earned my 1st Degree Black Belt in 1998 at the age of 16. In my early 20’s I, like my father, took up some boxing. I trained briefly at Wild Card Boxing Gym in Hollywood, CA under the tutelage of Freddy Roach. I then set out to compete on the national tournament circuit being sponsored by several teams along the way. In March of 2010, I took over Kingi’s Kajukenbo, finally taking the position I had been groomed for all my life.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has taken a lot of discipline and hard work to get where I am today. Our system of Kajukenbo is not an easy one to endure by any stretch of the imagination. But, it is in my blood, it is a part of who I am. So that part was easy in a sense. The struggles came when I was handed the reigns to take over the family business. I had no idea how tough it was to run a martial arts studio. I was working a full-time job during the day and teaching in the afternoons/evenings. The school was not growing and I felt like I was giving the students my leftovers. I took the leap of faith in August 2010, quit my job and dedicated all of my time and attention to Kingi’s Kajukenbo.

There were some growing pains along the way, but I had lots of great ideas and aspirations for the school, many of which I am still working on to this day. Overall though, with the strong support I had from my wife and family, I was able to adjust quickly and we have continued to be a staple in the community for over 36 years.

Please tell us about Kingi’s Kajukenbo.
A staple in the community since 1981, Kingi’s Kajukenbo has been cultivating empowerment in its students and participants by reaching out through martial arts, education, and mentoring. With our history of training, achievements, knowledge and wisdom passed down over the years, we have been able to effectively relate that expertise and understanding to students of all ages, skill levels and backgrounds.

At our school, you will learn Forms (Katas), Self-Defense Techniques, Point Sparring (Sport Karate), & Street Fighting. We teach and deal with reality and practicality in our training. We will supply you with the knowledge to defend yourself in virtually any situation and at the same time, provide you the life skills needed to achieve your highest goals. We have produced many World Champions, along with students who now play in the NBA, NFL, NCAA and even some who work in the White House.

I am most proud of the fact that we have been and always will be a family run school that has served the community for over 36 years.

We are all one big family at our school. It’s not just a karate school, we are “OHANA.” It is not uncommon to find us all socializing after class, laughing, telling jokes, and just having a good time. Our school is like a second home to many. We have annual Summer Picnics, Halloween parties, and our annual Gala/Christmas Party is one of our biggest events of the year. We travel to competitions and take trips and vacations together. When we train, we work together, not against each other; we train hard, but at the same time, we all have fun! Our students don’t only view us as a martial arts school, but as a FAMILY.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
There aren’t many things I would change, because through all of the challenges and adversity, it helped create this amazing dynamic that we have today. But, one thing I wish we had done in the past was to buy a building, preferably with parking! We have for one reason or another, almost never had parking at our locations. Thankfully our students don’t complain about having to park all over the neighborhood, but I would love to be able to reward them with a location that has our own parking lot. 🙂

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