The Martial Arts Kid

Robbie Oakes (played by Jansen Panettiere) is a Cleveland high schooler who, after the loss of his mother, finds himself in frequent trouble with the law. When his grandmother reaches her limit, Robbie moves to Cocoa Beach, Florida to live with his aunt Cindy and uncle Glen. On his first night in town, he sneaks out to a convenience store and encounters a girl named Rina, seen in a car with her boyfriend Bo (played by Matthew Ziff). Bo harasses and punches him, setting a tense tone for Robbie’s arrival.

At school the next day, the harassment continues as Bo needles him and shoves him into the girls’ restroom. During lunch, Robbie meets his first friend, Lenny (played by [Brandon Taylor Russell]), who suggests Robbie learn self-defense. Cindy invites him to lunch at a restaurant, where they’re confronted by a thug; when Robbie falters, Cindy steps in and uses martial arts to stop the threat. The police arrive, and Robbie asks Cindy where she learned her skills, sparking curiosity about martial arts in his new environment.

The following day, Robbie starts training at the Space Coast Dojo, run by Glen (played by [Don Wilson]). Glen takes Robbie under his wing, guiding him through discipline and practice. A trip to a local bike shop with Glen reveals that the shop owner is a man connected to Rina, deepening Robbie’s ties to the community. On his first bike ride, Robbie encounters another dojo, Dojo Extreme, where he meets Coach Laurent Kaine (played by [T.J. Storm]). Unlike Glen, Kaine believes martial arts are for winning and destroying opponents, a philosophy that clashes with Glen’s more balanced approach. Robbie discovers that Bo is a student of Kaine’s and ultimately leaves Dojo Extreme, choosing to stay with Glen’s mentorship.

As Robbie grows closer to Glen and Cindy, he lands a job at the bike shop, with the condition that he can try to win over Rina away from Bo. When Bo finds Robbie one day, he launches another verbal attack, but this time Robbie stands his ground. Worried about the escalating tension, Glen confronts Kaine, who explains that Bo’s father has substantial influence in town, limiting what he can do to intervene.

During a Halloween party, Robbie confesses his feelings for Rina, who has been stood up by Bo. The next day, at Space Coast Dojo, Rina reciprocates, and the two begin a relationship, much to Bo’s disappointment. Meanwhile, Lenny is harassed by a trio of goons on the beach, only to be rescued by Cindy, who brings him to the dojo and asks Robbie to teach him martial arts. At Dojo Extreme, Kaine’s obsession with his own style strains his relationship with Nika (played by [Natasha Blasick]), who grows upset and turns to a newcomer, Derek, to challenge Kaine. Kaine’s method—“assess, assert, and dismember”—leads to Derek suffering a broken leg, after which he apologizes to Nika.

When Rina calls to say Bo has harmed her, Robbie erupts in fury and gathers Bo’s friends to demand his whereabouts. A viral video captures Robbie in a fierce confrontation with Dojo Extreme, spreading quickly online. Robbie heads back to the dojo, where he and Bo face off in a cage match while Glen, Cindy, Lenny, and members of Space Coast Dojo arrive to help. The tension escalates when a member of Dojo Extreme pulls a gun; Cindy intervenes and deescalates, declaring the rumble over. Glen chases Kaine into a baseball cage, and a brutal brawl ensues with baseballs and later bats flying. Glen ultimately defeats Laurent Kaine, delivering a hard truth that everyone has something to learn.

In the wake of the fight, the community begins to heal. Two weeks later, Glen, Cindy, Katie (the couple’s daughter), Robbie, Rina, and Lenny enjoy a day at the beach, all under the wary gaze of Frank Whitlaw (played by [Chuck Zito]), Bo’s father, who watches from afar and vows to get even with the Space Coast Dojo. The story closes on a note of unfinished business and the sense that the characters’ journeys toward understanding and restraint have only just begun.

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 06:46