Sioux Legacy Martial Arts
ABOUT US
We take pride in being family-friendly and having both parents and children train with our experienced instructors. Students are able to train hands-on within a fun, safe learning environment while building lifelong skills and friendships. Martial arts classes are unique compared to traditional extracurricular activities and normal gym training. We develop ourselves through a mind-body-spirit paradigm to reach a higher level of individual performance and sustained excellence while simultaneously building both independence, teamwork, discipline and value of good sportsmanship.
Meet Our Instructor
Here at Sioux Legacy Martial Arts, our Certified Instructor is the secret to our student success. Our instructor has a rich background in martial arts and is eager to train the next generation of martial artists.
Russel Knoeppel
I have been training in martial arts for over 20 years and am currently a Certified Instructor and 5th Degree within the American Taekwondo Association (ATA) which is the nation's largest martial arts organization. I have been teaching family members of all ages for over 8 years under the mentorship of my instructor, 9th Degree and Grand Master Larry Hoover. I have also been training extensively in Jeff Speakman's Kenpo 5.0 fighting system and seek to remain on the cutting edge of martial arts while sharing my expertise with the community. A s the owner of Sioux Legacy Martial Arts, my mission is to continue a legacy of teaching the fundamental values and life skills vital for personal, professional growth, and development through martial arts.
What Is Jeff Speakman's Kenpo 5.0?
American Kenpo version 5.0 is the hybrid of the last generation version of American Kenpo taught directly from Senior Grand Master Ed Parker to Jeff Speakman and ground fighting brought into the equation by Mr. Speakman. Mr. Speakman created Kenpo answers to defending against an opponent with these skills in the street.
It is modifying the existing 4.0 system while remaining completely within the combat models and thinking of American Kenpo to address this increasing and prevalent void in the Kenpo world. By keeping within these models of Kenpo we have been able to develop a system combining the best of these two worlds to give our students the maximum ability to deal with the very real possibilities of becoming involved in these kinds of altercations.
In addition it allows us to continue to develop ourselves within the mind-body-spirit paradigm of a true martial spirit to reach a higher level of individual performance and sustained excellence and therefore strengthening the group as a whole.
WHY KENPO OVER TRADITIONAL SPORTS?
Traditional sports, such as basketball, football and baseball, offer the benefits of physical fitness, teamwork, discipline and teach the value of fair play. All of these are important and can help shape the personality and future of our children but what many people do not know is that kenpo karate training offers all the same benefits and much more.
A Kenpo karate student also learns respect, self-esteem, and self discipline. Students are taught to respect their parents, adults, teachers and above all themselves. Students are taught respect by referring to adults and upper ranked students as Sir or Mam. Students are required to come to class in a clean and kept uniform. By requiring a clean uniform the student learns to take pride in his or her appearance. Self-esteem is also gained through the confidence a student finds in themselves as their strength and abilities grow. There is a great deal of self worth in knowing that if you work hard and do your best that you can accomplish and handle anything that comes your way.
In addition, to the lessons learned, our instructors take an active role in the student's education and home life. Unlike teachers and coaches in other sports, we welcome parents to come in and talk to us about the child's study and work habits and offer any assistance we can. Often times, we will help and offer assistance in correcting behavioral problems that parents may have difficulty handling.
We also reward students for doing well, for example students who maintain grades of A's and B's in school are given a patch that they may wear and display proudly on their uniform that recognizes their academic achievements. Those who do not perform well face being demoted or having to do rigorous exercises. We invite you to watch and even take a class so that you may see for yourselves what the world of martial arts has to offer.
KENPO 5.0 ORIGIN
"I want you to always remember that Kenpo will always be the art of perpetual change...if you remember this then the art will never become obsolete." - "The ignorant refuse to study and the intelligent never stop." – Supreme Grand Master Ed Parker
That is one of Supreme Grand Master Ed Parker's last quotes. He was inspired decades ago to examine his Kung Fu critically and insightfully to create American Kenpo as we know it today. Clearly, his desire was that we should resist the temptation to become set in our ways by saying "Ed Parker said..." The essence of the art of Kenpo 5.0 is not just foundation. In this spirit, the effort was completed to respond to the challenge of moving the art of Kenpo to the next level, and that is the heart of 5.0 system.
This system is one of perpetual change, not for the sake of change alone, but rather change that propels the system forward at every salient point in time. The goal of the Kenpo 5.0 system is to remain on the cutting edge of martial arts and lead the world into the next decade. Since the Kenpo family brought their system to the United States over 50 years ago, the international MMA emphasis of martial arts, has grown exponentially and improved in everything that is out there was born. This reality became overwhelmingly obvious in a very short period of time. So, for both self serving reasons, and to address the changing world of the art, we took the challenge and created the Kenpo 5.0 system. The 5.0 fighter competition events.
In creating new Kenpo techniques to enable the practitioner to accommodate the idea of defending themselves on the ground we had to learn the essential nature of how that art works. We had to understand how a ground fighter would likely move once on the ground. Only at that juncture could we begin to create Kenpo defenses from those positions. Once that was determined then the arduous task of taking that mountain of information and fighting and how to place that seamlessly into the Kenpo system began. Once again, Ed Parker's work within the web method of fighting was our compass and touchstone. The result was a series of new and improved techniques of how the Kenpo practitioner could deal with this new environment of fighting techniques that evolved into the technique syllabus now called "combat models".
Subsequently, as the techniques were being developed in the combat lab that would be included that would be necessary to address Supreme Grand Master Ed Parker's vision, there was something in the air, but no one else was ready to take on the task. The result of this re-examination is an attempt at an evolved Kenpo system that if properly instructed will put the practitioner in the enviable position of feeling equally comfortable on the ground or standing up.
As a group we currently find ourselves in an era of mixed martial arts. The emphasis of fighting on the ground has grown exponentially in the last 20 years. The need to address this change in the emphasis of fighting was clear. The Kenpo 5.0 practitioner will be those who were practitioners of the art and students of GM Ed Parker were very opposed to this sweeping and admittedly controversial change. And, of course, the slings and arrows of outrageous criticism began from the self serving members of the religious right wing. This was only exceeded by the guidance and support of the people in the art whom I was close to during that transition. I remain close to them to this day. Ironically, having dealt with the negativity from the time "The Perfect Weapon" was released through today, I am reminded of one of my favorite sayings:
"It is with the heart of intention that I dedicate myself to achieving and to help the next generation of practitioners to achieve this goal in support of my Kenpo 5.0 family. Know that you are welcome to participate in any way as long as it is with a good spirit and an open mind. Please take the time to look at the system and reach out to our Kenpo 5.0 family that is now present in 15 countries."
"I hold that the meaningfulness of life can be measured in one's accomplishments in the common good." This is the spirit and intent we all live by, and now on the other side of cancer, I can say without hesitation that the road ahead is clear and our commitment resolute and understood by anyone or anything. It is the love and connection of our Kenpo 5.0 family that drives me, and will continue to do so for all my remaining days on this earth. To this end I dedicate myself.
Jeff Speakman
What Is Songahm Taekwondo?
"Martial art" is a broad encompassing phrase that embodies many styles of physical discipline. From real life combat fighting to elaborate performance, there are many applications that demonstrate the way of this art. The uniqueness of ATA is that the founder, Eternal Grand Master H.U. Lee, created his own style, known as Songahm Taekwondo. Today, Songahm Taekwondo is the world's largest centrally administered martial art. Songahm Taekwondo is for every age, every ability, and every gender, making it universally accessible.
This system of teaching and training is unique in the martial arts community. During the early years, ATA used the Channg-hun style of forms. Although this style is widely acceptable, Eternal Grand Master felt it did not truly represent the spirit of Taekwondo—particularly the strength and beauty of the kicking techniques.
Today, with Songahm forms, students are part of a fully integrated curriculum. Every move that a student learns reinforces everything else. It creates a foundation. The forms contain all, or nearly all, of the techniques a student is expected to know at each rank. Additionally, one-step sparring segments complement the forms and create patterns that lead logically into the next succeeding rank.
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