Improving Your Kenpo

[MJS]

What are some things that you feel are important for improving your Kenpo? I'm not necessarily talking about taking up another art, but more along the lines of looking at the material you have, and finding ways to improve it for yourself.

I'll start. There are many things that we can do, but to throw a few out:

Digging deeper into your techniques. Its one thing to be able to run thru a technique or kata, but its another thing to really have a solid understanding of what you're doing.

Understanding the basics. Footwork and stance work are a few things that come to mind here. Without those all of your material will crumble under you. Your stances are your foundation IMO, so without that, everything else, such as power, will most likely be lost.

So..what does everyone else think makes their Kenpo better? Looking forward to a good discussion.

 

[Big Don]

Basics: If your basics are bad, your techniques will be worse.
Grafting: Knowing how to mix your basics up will help in understanding techniques you know and aid in learning new techniques
The single biggest and most important thing for improvement: Practice If you don't do it A LOT, you aren't doing it enough.
Mat time is also crucial. If you only practice alone, you could do something wrong and not notice, even a small error, once reinforced by hours of practice, will be hard to correct, having others around helps.
Ask questions! The only stupid question is one that is unasked.

 

[Matt]

What are some things that you feel are important for improving your Kenpo? I'm not necessarily talking about taking up another art, but more along the lines of looking at the material you have, and finding ways to improve it for yourself.

I'll start. There are many things that we can do, but to throw a few out:

Digging deeper into your techniques. Its one thing to be able to run thru a technique or kata, but its another thing to really have a solid understanding of what you're doing.

Understanding the basics. Footwork and stance work are a few things that come to mind here. Without those all of your material will crumble under you. Your stances are your foundation IMO, so without that, everything else, such as power, will most likely be lost.

So..what does everyone else think makes their Kenpo better? Looking forward to a good discussion.

Great question - I think this is the kind of thing that forums (fora?) like this could be really good at facilitating due to the breadth and depth of experience here.

I'll break my list into things that I've done lately, and things I wish I did.

Lately:
1. Go to graduate school to become certified as a Physical Education teacher. Biomechanics and A&P are your friend. This may not be convenient for most. It sure wasn't for convenient for me.

2. Stop cluttering my brain with 1.7 gazillion responses to a right hand step through punch.

3. Break everything I have down with an eye for structure, body mechanics, and relative position to the opponent.

4. Research the root arts and compare and contrast the techniques with the movements of my forms to enhance the bunkai.

5. Apply everything. Develop a sequence that brings me (and my students) along a path that moves away from 'punch and stand there' to a wildly unruly style of attack that continues after you've started your technique. Resistance isn't futile, it's essential.

What I wish I did:

1. Start steps 1-5 above sooner.

2. Go back in time and never point spar. If I was a football coach and trained my team to get near the endzone, and to kick field goals just outside the uprights, and drilled it over and over again, punishing my team if they entered the endzone or kicked a field goal, my career would be largely unsuccessful against other teams that actually played football. If I was training a fighter and taught him/her to stop every time they got a good shot in I would...uh...never mind.


There's lot's more, but this is a start.

 

[14 Kempo]

There's some very good stuff here already. Let me add just a thought or two of things that I try to do ...

Pick one technique, combo/kempo, any portion of any form, grab a partner, ask them to come at you in various ways.

I put them in a fighting stance and ask them to throw jabs, crosses, hooks, uppercuts, both right and left handed ... slowly mind you ... and I try to work the technique to see what works and what doesn't; where I need to adjust my strikes, targets, footwork, etc. Basically making a mental note on what works and what just plain doesn't work. I then have them start grabbing in various ways; wrist, cross-wrist, lapel, double-arm, etc. Again, does it work? Can I make it work, while sticking to the basic concepts and theories of the original movement?

This seemingly works for me. I have been doing this only recently in my career and I believe it has helped me in many ways. First, to understand not to stop. Mistakes will be made, but don't stop, never stop until completion. Secondly, finding what it is our predecessors may have been trying to teach us with the prescribed movements.

Anyway, just a thought or two. Hopefully you all will find it at least interesting, if not helpful.

 

[Matt]

There's some very good stuff here already. Let me add just a thought or two of things that I try to do ...

Pick one technique, combo/kempo, any portion of any form, grab a partner, ask them to come at you in various ways.

I put them in a fighting stance and ask them to throw jabs, crosses, hooks, uppercuts, both right and left handed ... slowly mind you ... and I try to work the technique to see what works and what doesn't; where I need to adjust my strikes, targets, footwork, etc. Basically making a mental note on what works and what just plain doesn't work. I then have them start grabbing in various ways; wrist, cross-wrist, lapel, double-arm, etc. Again, does it work? Can I make it work, while sticking to the basic concepts and theories of the original movement?

This seemingly works for me. I have been doing this only recently in my career and I believe it has helped me in many ways. First, to understand not to stop. Mistakes will be made, but don't stop, never stop until completion. Secondly, finding what it is our predecessors may have been trying to teach us with the prescribed movements.

Anyway, just a thought or two. Hopefully you all will find it at least interesting, if not helpful.

I agree wholeheartedly and actually spend a lot of time in class doing this very thing. Even if it doesn't work for a given technique, you've learned:

1. That it doesn't work (it's a lot better to find that out while practicing in the dojo than some other time).
and
2. Hopefully, why it doesn't work.

A lot can be learned from a failed technique.

 

[marlon]

What are some things that you feel are important for improving your Kenpo? I'm not necessarily talking about taking up another art, but more along the lines of looking at the material you have, and finding ways to improve it for yourself.

I'll start. There are many things that we can do, but to throw a few out:

Digging deeper into your techniques. Its one thing to be able to run thru a technique or kata, but its another thing to really have a solid understanding of what you're doing.

Understanding the basics. Footwork and stance work are a few things that come to mind here. Without those all of your material will crumble under you. Your stances are your foundation IMO, so without that, everything else, such as power, will most likely be lost.

So..what does everyone else think makes their Kenpo better? Looking forward to a good discussion.

Great question. The first thing is to get hungry, almost to the point of obsession (a controlled obsession if you will). Then focus on body alignment, positioning( vis a vis ones self and in relation to the other), breath and timing / coordination) sound like how i was taught to use my forms). Work the depth of your techniques and forms and make it work slow. Ed Parker jr said, if you can't do it slow, then you can't do it"...i liked that very much. Having fun is important...and vital is banging things out with a partner who wants to help you get better by not making it easy for you at all. Lastly find your own words to understand the lessons of kempo, question it, recognize other peoples criticisms of kempo and legitimately find answers to those criticisms NO MATTER WHAT THAT MEANS (at least for yourself), find your own understanding, lest it forever remain, someone else's art. GROW

respectfully,
Marlon

 

[marlon]

Matt? " Never point spar"....i love you , man!!!!

marlon

 

[Matt]

Matt? " Never point spar"....i love you , man!!!!

marlon

Man -I remember our shodan test, seeing you coming with crossover side kicks, and thinking, " I'm just too tired to get out of the way". Thud.

Sparring = good.

Point sparring = bad.

Good times!

Matt

 

[LawDog]

* Make sure that all of your basics and material head into one combined focal point.
* Practice your basics,
1) In the air, this will help develop full extension and will develop a fast retraction,
2) Against a bag or strike board, this will help develop impacting focus and will develop impact penetration.
* Advanced techniques are nothing more than basic moves combined. If you have a problem with an advanced move you should break down the advanced technique into it's basic components. Practice these basic components seperatly then put it back together.
* All of your material should reflect the way that you actually spar / fight. Many train by using material that shows one way of fighting than spar another way.
Just a few from my point of view.
:supcool:

 

[marlon]

[* All of your material should reflect the way that you actually spar / fight. Many train by using material that shows one way of fighting than spar another way.
Just a few from my point of view.
:supcool:[/quote]

I like this and forms should also reflect the way you would actually fight. Shihan Ingargiola teaches this way. I do this will all forms except the pinans. I keep the traditional way for them..no real good reason why except that they are not really kempo forms...

respectfully,
Marlon

 

[Touch Of Death]

What are some things that you feel are important for improving your Kenpo? I'm not necessarily talking about taking up another art, but more along the lines of looking at the material you have, and finding ways to improve it for yourself.

I'll start. There are many things that we can do, but to throw a few out:

Digging deeper into your techniques. Its one thing to be able to run thru a technique or kata, but its another thing to really have a solid understanding of what you're doing.

Understanding the basics. Footwork and stance work are a few things that come to mind here. Without those all of your material will crumble under you. Your stances are your foundation IMO, so without that, everything else, such as power, will most likely be lost.

So..what does everyone else think makes their Kenpo better? Looking forward to a good discussion.

An increase in the study of directional harmony.
Sean

 

[Touch Of Death]

Man -I remember our shodan test, seeing you coming with crossover side kicks, and thinking, " I'm just too tired to get out of the way". Thud.

Sparring = good.

Point sparring = bad.

Good times!

Matt

Point sparring may be overdone, but its an important ingredient.
Sean

 

[stickarts]

Never stop asking questions. Always have someone with more experience than yourself as a mentor.

 

[RevIV]

Hahaha, sorry marlon, im just teasing a little here since we do the same system, but our pinans are soooo Kempo... the angles and slight movements of the pinans may resemble the Heiens, but they themselves have been modified like the kata's to represent the system. A karate guy would look at some of the forms and ask why they were so flowy?(is that a word).. But on a real side, i 100% agree that we should fight the way we train.
Jesse

 

[Matt]

Point sparring may be overdone, but its an important ingredient.
Sean

I disagree. I think sparring is crucial, but from everything I've learned about fighting, about behavior, about motor learning, and physical education, point sparring is at best a useless but entertaining game of tag.

I do spar, and did point spar, and it took quite a bit of 'retraining' to get past it. That doesn't mean you need to brawl aimlessly, but successful transfer of skills needs a much better approximation than 'tag'.

 

[LawDog]

point sparring is at best a useless but entertaining game of tag.

I agree

 

[LawDog]

Matt: point sparring is at best a useless but entertaining game of tag[/B].

I agree

 

[marlon]

Hahaha, sorry marlon, im just teasing a little here since we do the same system, but our pinans are soooo Kempo... the angles and slight movements of the pinans may resemble the Heiens, but they themselves have been modified like the kata's to represent the system. A karate guy would look at some of the forms and ask why they were so flowy?(is that a word).. But on a real side, i 100% agree that we should fight the way we train.
Jesse

Jesse, you are absolutely right about our pinans. A friend of mine who owns a kyokushin school did not recognize our pinans at first, and some of my students had a hard time recognizing his movements as pinans. His movements are much more crisp / staccato yet with a flow of thier own. Very hard power movement oriented. However, i did note that his applications reflected mostly hard power moves whereas i can easily find the hard power moves but also much much more flow attacks and much more joint locks and chokes and grabs that i can use in the context of fighting and not just demonstrating. He is a very good martial artist and very dedicated to his chosen art...it is just vey different from kempo and self defense.

Respectfully,
Marlon

 

[MJS]

There's some very good stuff here already. Let me add just a thought or two of things that I try to do ...

Pick one technique, combo/kempo, any portion of any form, grab a partner, ask them to come at you in various ways.

I put them in a fighting stance and ask them to throw jabs, crosses, hooks, uppercuts, both right and left handed ... slowly mind you ... and I try to work the technique to see what works and what doesn't; where I need to adjust my strikes, targets, footwork, etc. Basically making a mental note on what works and what just plain doesn't work. I then have them start grabbing in various ways; wrist, cross-wrist, lapel, double-arm, etc. Again, does it work? Can I make it work, while sticking to the basic concepts and theories of the original movement?

This seemingly works for me. I have been doing this only recently in my career and I believe it has helped me in many ways. First, to understand not to stop. Mistakes will be made, but don't stop, never stop until completion. Secondly, finding what it is our predecessors may have been trying to teach us with the prescribed movements.

Anyway, just a thought or two. Hopefully you all will find it at least interesting, if not helpful.

Great idea!!! Its always good IMO, to throw in a variety of things in your training. That way, we won't be so programmed to do things just one way. This forces us to react.

 

[MJS]

Great question. The first thing is to get hungry, almost to the point of obsession (a controlled obsession if you will). Then focus on body alignment, positioning( vis a vis ones self and in relation to the other), breath and timing / coordination) sound like how i was taught to use my forms). Work the depth of your techniques and forms and make it work slow. Ed Parker jr said, if you can't do it slow, then you can't do it"...i liked that very much. Having fun is important...and vital is banging things out with a partner who wants to help you get better by not making it easy for you at all. Lastly find your own words to understand the lessons of kempo, question it, recognize other peoples criticisms of kempo and legitimately find answers to those criticisms NO MATTER WHAT THAT MEANS (at least for yourself), find your own understanding, lest it forever remain, someone else's art. GROW

respectfully,
Marlon

Great points about the body position and alignment. Its amazing how fast your technique will go south if those things are not included. I also like your suggestion of working with someone who doesnt take it easy on you. Nothing irks me more, than when I work with someone and they never offer up any resistance. Sure its one thing to go slow in the beginning, but after a while, things need to be picked up a bit.