Master Keith Cooke Hirabayashi is the owner and head instructor of Champions Martial Arts and Fitness in Brentwood, CA. Mr. Cooke holds a 5th degree black belt in karate, is a 5-time World Martial Arts Grand Champion and was named Competitor of the Year in 1983, 1985 and 1986. Inside Kung Fu magazine inducted him into their hall of fame and ranked him #7 of the “Top 30 Masters of the Last 30 Years”. Black Belt Magazine named him in the top 100 “Most Influential Martial Artists of the Last Century” and inducted him into their Hall of Fame.
In 1994 Mr. Cooke opened Champions Martial Arts and Fitness. For over 20 years, he has dedicated his time to sharing his knowledge about health and fitness with his students. He has taught martial arts to hundreds of kids and adults and has succeeded in creating dozens of accomplished 1st and 2nd degree black belts. Many of his students began their journey with Mr. Cooke as Little Dragons and trained with him through their college years. He is proud of his students and enjoys watching them grow into confident, strong, and dedicated individuals.
Keith has trained many film and television actors including:
- Rosa Salazar, Alita Battle Angel
- Zoe Saldana, Avatar
- Djimon Hounsou, various roles
- Amanda Peete, Saving Silverman
- Shannon Lee (Bruce Lee’s Daughter)
- Michael Biehn, for various action movies
- Chris Farley
- James Cameron, director
IMDB resume
He has also taught karate to the families of many notable people including Steven Spielberg, Norman Lear, Barry Levinson, and more.
One of our students, Ernesto Matamoros, won 3 Olympic gold medals in the Beijing 2008 games, which is notable since Wushu is the national sport of China. We're looking forward to when karate is included in the next Olympic games in Japan.
Fred Weintraub, producer of Enter the Dragon, noted that “Keith Cooke’s feet are as fast as Bruce Lee’s hands.”
Mr. Cooke also has a passion for fitness. His high-energy adult fitness classes are designed to burn fat and build muscle while focusing on core strength, flexibility and cardiovascular health. Mr. Cooke has trained and prepared several movie stars for their roles and has personally starred in films such as Mortal Kombat, Beverly Hills Ninja, Heatseeker, Born to Ride, China O’Brien, King of the Kickboxers, and more.
Contact Master Keith Cooke Hirabayashi.
King of the Kick Boxers
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