Sensei Bob [0] began his martial arts studies at the age of 10 in Hays, Ks. under the instruction of Mr.Terry Barlow in the style of Jiu Jitsu as well as being a Golden Gloves/amateur boxer. Since the humble beginnings in a small town he emerged as one of the most sought after martial arts coaches and instructors in the country.
Sensei Bob has received Hall of Fame inductions, countless awards,and recognitions nationally and internationally. However; that is not what he likes to talk about. The Sensei always enjoys talking about the successes of his students and their accomplishments. Whether it be in competition, in the school room or in community involvement.
Sensei Bob has a diverse educational background with an M.S. in Public Administration and Guidance and Counseling. He served as a Governors Appointee to the Kansas Sentencing Commission (2 terms) an Executive Director for Community Corrections and the Official Martial Arts Instructor for the Kansas City Chiefs, just to mention a few.
Sensei Bob holds rank and has trained and instructs many styles of martial arts including Jiu Jitsu, Karate-Do, Tae Kwon Do Ji Do Kwan, Okinawan Go Ju Ryu, American Go Ju Ryu, American Kick Boxing, & Okinawan Kobudo. These styles have been blended together and instructed in our system to form Sen Shu Do Ryu, Sensei Bobs own unique style.
Sensei Bob has traveled the globe training, competing and studying the martial arts. He is a 6 time former World Champion in kata, point sparring, continuous sparring and creative forms. Over his career he has trained with martial arts legends like Mike Stone, coached dozens of world champions and coached 6 world championship teams.
Sensei Bob is a self defense and tactical defensive expert. He has trained law enforcement officers, probation and parole officers, SCAT and SWAT team members, future FBI agents, military personnel and of course hundreds of school safety programs. He and his wife Jill developed and wrote the TAKE Defense module which teaches thousands of females nationwide.
Sensei Bob oversees the AKT (American Karate & Tae Kwon Do Council) and several franchise schools in the U.S. He is Vice Proesident of AmeriKick for the midwest region. Sensei Bob beleives " you cannot achieve anything without the help of others", he received his first black belt in 1976 from Bill Robinson in Albuquerque NM and then several others along the way. He pays great tribute to some of those instrumental people like: Bruce Hayden, Dave Breault & Mike Stone.
Sensei Jarrett [0] Sensei Jarrett grew up on the karate floor. He began attending classes at the age of 2 and competed in his first tournament at the age of 4.
Sensei Jarrett is a 6 time World Weapons, Forms and Sparring Champion. By the time Jarrett turned the age of 18 he had competed in more than 400 local, regional and national tournaments gaining a reputation as a top rated competitor.
Sensei Jarrett has a long list of accolades, hall of fame inductions and unprecedented accomplishments. He is a team member of Team IDC, one of the nations top competition teams.
Jarrett is a student at Rockhurst University majoring in history and pre-law and is a honor student at the University.
Sensei Jill [0] Sensei Jill Leiker began martial arts training in 1982, attaining her black belt in 1986. Her interest in the art was sparked when she attended a self defense class, much like the one you are attending.
Over the years Sensei Jill, as she is known to her students, has encouraged the study of the art through class instruction and seminar training dealing with topics of assault and rape. She believes that simple, but effective techniques can be taught to anyone and should be a part of our life lessons. For the last 13 years Jill has served both nationally and internationally as a chief referee and rules arbitrator for the largest sport karate league in the world. Her professional style, fair interpretations and extensive knowledge make her one of the most sought after officials in the sport today. She is the only person to be recognized twice as the National Black Belt League's Women of the Year and was the recipient of the Diamond Achievement Award recognizing her contributions to the sport both in and out of competition.
She has coached and co-coached sport karate teams at the national and international level that have garnered more world titles to date than any other team, making her part of sport karate history. Jill has been a recreation professional for 18 years and currently serves as a Recreation Specialist for Johnson County Park and Recreation District.
She holds a degrees in Human Resource Management and Leadership Studies Jill is married to Sensei Bob (mentioned above) and has two sons Jason Leiker 3rd Degree Black Belt and Jarrett Leiker 4th. Degree Black Belt making martial arts truly a family affair.
Sensei Mike [0] Sensei Mike Manning is a 3rd Degree Black Belt and Instructor in our Overland Park facility. He is a multi-talented instructor and has trained well over 18 years. He is a 3 time WSKF world champion and self defense expert.
Sensei Gary [0] Sensei Gary Landess is a 2nd Degree Black Belt and instructor with over 15 years experience. Sensei Gary instructs adults and also instructs many of our boot camp classes. He was formerly with our Wisconsin school and instructed there.
Sensei Eric [0] Sensei Eric Coleman is a 2nd Degree Black Belt with over 10 years expereince and instructs our morning martial arts classes. He is very active in our school and provides scholarships continually for children who wish to go to tournaments.
Sensei Kent [0] Sensei Kent Bumgarner is a 1st Degree Black Belt with over 7 years experience. Kent is a multi-talented instructor that works with adults and children. Kent has two sons in the martial arts here at our school. Kent can usually be found at the front desk where he is the enrollment coordinator.
Sensei Soren [0] Sensei Soren is a 1st Degree Black Belt who has trained for over 10 years. He is a high school junior who assists Sensei Jarrett in all our youth classes. Soren travels to many tournaments locally as well as nationally and excels in many aspects of competition. Sorens father Chris is a black belt as well as his sister Lydia.
Listed here are black belts who were promoted and passed the necessary requirements and probationary period to be qualified as a legitimate black belt at the time of theiir exam.