A Black karate master from Kansas City will represent the U.S. at a world kickboxing tournament

Lifelong martial artist David Muhammad has used a background in karate to launch his kickboxing practice onto the global stage. The two disciplines have fed his thirst for competitive combat, and helped him build a diverse community in south Kansas City.
David Muhammad has been involved in the martial arts world for more than three decades. He credits his father, Rudolph Muhammad, for his growth from student to skilled fighter to karate instructor.

“I started martial arts, officially, when I was 3 years old,” Muhammad said. “So that's all I really knew, is coming up to the school on Saturday mornings, getting up early and helping set up for classes — that was just what we did.”

Today, Muhammad is a sixth-degree black belt in the Chung Do Kwan school of taekwondo and Shotokan style of karate. He’s also studied Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai for many years, and is the head instructor of Integrity Martial Arts Academy, off Red Bridge and Holmes roads.

“We have the longest-running Black-owned martial arts school in Kansas City,” he said, tracing the dojo’s history back more than 30 years. It was formerly known as Kwanzaa Martial Arts Academy.