I've been training with a lot of different guys lately, including hitting some classes at my old karate school. Last night I went in and hit their fitness class, their beginner class, and their Black Belt class. The instructor at this school has started working with Mr. Zach Whitson and learning his Counterpoint Tactical System and bringing some of that material back in to his regular kenpo classes. So last night in Black Belt class we worked on some CTS drills.
Basically, what we did was take simple kenpo techniques and build them in to an interactive flow with a resisting opponent. Delayed Sword, Raining Claw, Snapping Twig, and Crossing Talon. Generally speaking you'd feed the opponent an attack that would initiate the flow and then you'd go back and forth with strikes and checks. Pretty interesting stuff. Then we'd start adding in stance transitions and footwork and start moving around the room striking and blocking our opponent in combination.
I liked it. It wasn't really anything conceptually different from some things I'd worked on before, I was doing drills like this with techniques ten years ago, but here they seem to have built an entire system around this concept and then layered it with the FMA weapons work. Of course I've only seen a small portion of the material, but it seemed effective and intelligent.
It actually reminded me a lot of what I've been doing with the 5.0 system with another guy I'm training with. The karate is the same, if you know kenpo you understand what they're doing, but there are some really useful drills and training approaches that I can use to improve my own practice. Both systems seem to have taken the basic kenpo motion and adjusted it to a different training method. With 5.0 the techniques seem to have been adapted to be trained against a skilled combat sports athlete, and with CTS the techniques seem to have been adapted to be trained against a semi-live opponent with interactivity and weapons. But if you took a picture of the students practicing the material you'd look at it and say, "yep, that's kenpo."
I've never met Mr. Whitson. By all accounts he's a great guy, a class act, and a truly knowledgeable martial artist. Like when I first saw 5.0 it was immediately apparent to me that a great deal of thought had gone in to developing this approach. I like it, and I'll definitely use some of what I've learned in my own training and with my own students. I'm looking forward to learning more.
In the end, it seems like another great way to teach beginners karate. And even those of us who've been doing this for a while will probably pick up something interesting from working with it. I did. If you get a chance, check it out.
So what's your understanding of what an "uppercut" is? To me, it's an upward punch typically targeting the chin. The question is what would you call a palm up punch to the midsection? In my terminology, that's a "reverse hand punch" because it finished palm up and is more horizontal, even though it may have a slight upward slant. What's your take? This is based on the TOM, Raining Claw, where I found most of the descriptions called the palm up strike the midsection an "uppercut".
Just to muddy the waters, there is an application in my system where an uppercut will impact the midsection, but it's more of a glancing blow that continues up through the chin.
I've been kind of bummed about this forum lately. It seems like we've had a lot more threads about how much other people suck at karate than we have had threads about what we can do to get better. That makes me sad. And when the forum starts getting like that, I usually back off the internet and double down on the mat. I've had several other people contact me to express their frustration at the tenor of the threads lately as well. Long term I'm not concerned, I've been on the internet for a while. It comes and goes. I don't think this will ever be like that other place. We'll get back to having more constructive discussions again. But lately I've been spending a lot more time in the dojo than on KenpoTalk.
I think that's good for me anyway. I enjoy the mental study of our practice and traditions and I think it's an important part of what we do. I've learned a lot from the discussions I've engaged in on this site and from many of the contributors here. Probably all the contributors here. I enjoy the conflict of ideas. I find it stimulating and challenging and it has definitely forced me to be better at karate. I just don't like running people down. That's not what I believe karate's supposed to be about. We're all trying to get better, we shouldn't make fun of people who haven't gotten as far as we have yet. Regardless of age or rank or lineage, we're all supposed to be helping up the people beneath us. I'm not pulling anybody's card here. It's just how I feel. In one way, karate's about brotherhood and sharing and knowledge and growth, not castigation.
But more than anything else, karate is supposed to be about doing.
So that's what I've been focused on. I spent some time this morning working on my spontaneous flow, shadowboxing empty hand strikes, kicks, grapples, takedowns, stomps, everything. Interspersed with body weight exercises such as planks and squats. I finished with some forms work to cool down. Last night I ran all the material I teach White through Black. The day before I warmed up with 800 basics and then practiced 18 sets and 12 forms. I'm trying to focus on being in the dojo, doing the karate, and building my skill. Because I believe that is the path. Not bickering on the internet about who's doing handswords wrong. Doing things wrong is part of learning to do them right. Anybody who's getting off the couch and doing karate has my support, at least as far as that goes.
I'm going to go back to the dojo. I have plans to have some instructors over later this week, I'm picking up some classes at a local school, and I've got several more training sessions planned in Kenpo 5.0. If you don't see me around here much in the near future, it's because I'm on the training room floor. I'm looking forward to sharing what I learn.
Found this and thought it was a very interesting and thought provoking term, created by a rather controversial practitioner. So what do you think? Does he make sense, or is he full of it? Forget the source, and examine what he has to say.
"KenpoPhobia"
A term coined by American Kenpo Senior Professor Clyde T. OBriant. This term is directly related to attitudes of American Kenpoists where they deny the very essence of the art they choose to practice. It is manifested by fear, usually from the idea of being ostracized by their instructors, orgs., or peers for their views. The ones suffering from this affliction generally disregard any information which seems contradictory to their current thoughts, or their instructors thoughts on the issue. Even when given ample opportunity to expose themselves to this information in the interest of contrast (good/bad), they will choose not to. Excuses range from:
1. These are not my instructors views therefore they can never be mine.
2 . These are Strawman arguments with no physical reality.
3. Kenpo really can't be that simple, "or that complex."
4 . Why is this material not in any videotapes or in Infinite Insights?
5. I have an adequate instructor that Im happy with and am learning everything I need to learn about American Kenpo. I do not need or want the information others may have.
6. There are only 10 Master Key techniques or variations of them so I dont need or want the information you have.
7. Theres no point learning this information, it wont make MY KENPO any better.
8. Kenpo doesnt have the elements of MMA so I must crosstrain outside of Kenpo.
9. The Kenpo techniques simply do not work so I must create my own in order to make it function.
These excuses listed above are the most common arguments and is indicative of the state of EPAK today (2007)
Mr. Parker was a genius when it came to martial arts. He found, changed, expounded, and refined the information he garnered through many sources and created American Kenpo. The one element that most people forget or have never thought of is what was Mr. Parkers intention of his art?
Mr. Parker had many students with a commercial studio. He eventually got so big he had to expand and delegate the responsibility of school ownership and franchises to others. The dilemma he faced was massive, who was the best person to manage his schools? Those that undertook this task had to have many facets, the major ones included:
1. Were they technically proficient and knowledgeable of his art?
2. Could they teach the information?
3. Could they manage the studio in an effective way?
4. Were they good people, ie., law abiding, non drug users, non pedophiles, stalkers, or rapists, etc.?
5. Were they loyal?
6. Did they have good people skills to attract business and money?
7. How do you rank them?
These questions inevitably create compromises that will/would directly affect the entire art around the world. These compromises eventually lead to mediocrity, and each successive generation suffers the same dilemma of compromise. Now, three to five generations of these compromises are becoming the downfall of what I know as American Kenpo.
The following quote is taken form the book "American Desperado" by Jon Roberts and Evan Wright. Mr. Robert's AKA "The Cocaine Cowboy" is an infamous criminal who worked as an enforcer for a well known crime family. His description of the use of a baseball bat in a fight speaks for itself.
"You don't swing for the fences when you fight with a bat. I approach you carrying my bat pointed down so it matches my leg. You might not even notice it. When I come close, I bring my bat up, grip it in both hands, and swing it low at your knee. I'f I hit your knee with any force, I will put you on the ground. I don't care if your a guy that weighs 400 pounds. A bat to the knee will drop Superman, and when you're on the ground I own you..
When you're bat-fighting, as sonn as you get your guy on the ground, you need to reverse your grip on the bat. Put your strong hand near the end of the handle and your weaker hand below it. Point the bat like you're grinding herbs in a mortar and pestle. You're going to pump the bat up and down on the person underneath it. Focus on taking out the knees, elbows, and hands."
.
Later on he added...
'If you don't have a bat no matter what the other guy is doing focus on his weak points. Take his legs by kiicking his kness. Take his eyes by sticking him with your fingers or something sharp like a broken bottle. Work on his shins. When I kick people in the balls I use my shinbones."
There was more written of course but you have the gist of it. If you consider that in a life and death situation that you must follow the "rules" such advice is not for you. If you insist on acting like a "gentlemen" be aware that this is how a professional hit man ca and will work on you. I know that Ras is very aware of these issues but I'm sure to some of you this is a revelation that requires a "extreme makeover" in your training for the street.
Where is kenpo going? Are the "pioneers" fading into the sunset and taking the heart and soul of kenpo with them or are the "new bloods" the wave of the future where almost any technique from any sport can become kenpo?
Would the legendary warriors of old the K.S. Chow , Mitose and Ed Parker to name a few be thoroughly blown away and intimidated by the upcoming MMA and BJJ raising stars or would they incorporate their ideas into a new "super kenpo" which is unlike what the world has ever seen?
Are the best days of kenpo in front or behind us?/
After doing a thorough investigation (well best of my ability) I have decided to try out the Larry Tatum Home Study Course to see if all of the negative views match up with what is presented. Now I know..In order to practice true Kenpo you need to attend a proper school and work with an instructor. This is very much clear and I couldn't agree with you more. The problem is the school I formally attended does not exist anymore and the schools that I have contacted either offer A) limited hours or B) teach to a bunch of adolescents who do not take the art seriously.
Now I know what you are saying..How can you take this art seriously if you don't even try the schools in your area. Well my newly found friends I can tell you the schools I have contacted were not serious about contacting me back (because they didn't) or do not exist anymore. There is a school that teaches Hawaiin Kenpo very close and the instructor was very nice and extremely knowledgeable (unfortunately I run into limited time constraints for the adult classes) plus I want to practice American Kenpo.
So here we are in a vicious cycle once again lol. Now to my credit I can say I have achieved the rank of Orange belt, so I do have a past with the basics as well as short form 1. If anyone is interested I will be posting my progress, which will hopefully not be preceded with too much negativity. I also intend on going to seminars and if the Home Study Course continues eventually testing in Master Tatum's School for higher ranks (No promises since I have a lot to re-learn).
Any thoughts, mostly positive comments, and helpful remarks would be appreciated. Once again I know how 99% of you feel regarding the Home Study Course, but in my opinion being able to study at your own pace, time, and having access to such a bad ass forum will definitely work to my advantage.
With some of the talk about the short form requirements (short 4 - short 6) as of late. I thought I would do a little fun research. I, to be honest, don't think there's much use for anything more than a short form 4 (again just my own opinion) but is insightful to go off on your own to research your own made up forms or possibly an interpretation of a short 5 or 6. The main reason I say a form 4 is that it's the meat of our system. Lots of information & as it has been said before, a good tournament form. Regardless on my research I came across a website of a gentleman the requires much much more. I will copy/paste the 7th degree requirements here. Before anyone thinks I'm bashing or making fun, I am not. Just posting out there for others to see who may not have come across his site. Also, I like the head instructor. I have learned a form from him. So again, I'm not bashing or trying to provoke any ill feelings.
Hopefully this copy/paste function will work. This is a unique set of requirements, thought was obviously put into it. On the tecnique portion there is the old yellow techniques, & also the halfway isolation in long 3. Noticed too a technique from form 4 on there. The rest, I'm not sure of. My guess, they are techniques probably taken out of form 8.
