V
vincefuess
Guest
A few years back I was competing in my first tournament as a black belt in the Open Kenpo Forms division. When we lined up, I noticed I was the only guy competing who wasn't at least a 3rd degree (real confidence builder)! Luckily I went first, so I was finished as soon as I started... alas I am straying...
It came down to a tie-breaker, resulting in three tied decisions on three different forms by these two Kajukenbo stylists before the judges met to make a decision. These guys blew me away. It was great to see forms from an art I have little exposure to, performed by artists of that caliber at that intensity, and no less than five different forms performed to boot (as best I could tell)!
My question is, where were these forms originated from? They seemed harder and more linear than American Kenpo forms- but seemed to be also highly complex in their content. I didn't recognize them from traditional Okinawan/ Japanese arts, though they were performed with that type of intensity- hard, gi popping power strikes delivered to kill. I also saw elements of the Chinese arts in the transitions, flowing and liquid- more so than in the forms of the aforementioned arts.
It was worth coming in last place in that division to sit that close and watch martial artists performing the way those guys did.
It came down to a tie-breaker, resulting in three tied decisions on three different forms by these two Kajukenbo stylists before the judges met to make a decision. These guys blew me away. It was great to see forms from an art I have little exposure to, performed by artists of that caliber at that intensity, and no less than five different forms performed to boot (as best I could tell)!
My question is, where were these forms originated from? They seemed harder and more linear than American Kenpo forms- but seemed to be also highly complex in their content. I didn't recognize them from traditional Okinawan/ Japanese arts, though they were performed with that type of intensity- hard, gi popping power strikes delivered to kill. I also saw elements of the Chinese arts in the transitions, flowing and liquid- more so than in the forms of the aforementioned arts.
It was worth coming in last place in that division to sit that close and watch martial artists performing the way those guys did.
