The State of American Kenpo

[Not Important]

I haven't been on a forum in well over a year, but those that have been around a while know who I am.

I am very concerned about the state of American Kenpo, just based on the information that is constantly posted. Nothing of a true learning nature.

I still read other forums from time to time and love seeing the posts about techniques and forms. The sad thing this forces me to see is the complete lack of understanding of the basics.

I would like to see a discussion on the basics of yellow belt. Make it real though, and remember Mr. Parker's quote: "Motion without meaning has no purpose."

 

[Cthulhu]

Actually, some time back, Gou was trying to put up yellow belt techniques, but the response wasn't so hot.

Seeing that there are now more kenpo people on the board (American, IKCA, Tracey, and whatnot), maybe he should try again?

Cthulhu

 

[GouRonin]

Like many things in life, if you want to see some advancement you yourself have to take the first initial steps to make it happen and guide it along it's way.

If you wish to see more posts on the basics and forms and techniques you will have to start. It is not enough to have the idea, sometimes you have to pull people in the direction you want.

I look forward to your nuture of this thread.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

The earlier posts are still available too. Perhaps dust them off and pick up the earlier threads again?

:asian:

 

[Nate_Hoopes]

my first two techniques for yellow belt made me fall in love with it, Especialy "Fang of the Cobra" a technique against a two handed front choke. The opponet grabs you around the neck, Take your left arm and swing it over his two arms grabbing his left hand WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY doing a spear hand to the throat (swinging the arm over is mostly just a misdirection tatic, something for him to look at so he dosent notice the spearhand heading straight for his throat) next a left claw to the eye, then a right claw to the eye, grab the opponet behind the head and pull them into a knee to the face/groin/stomach/, then stomp down onto the instep of his foot and follow it all up with an elbow smash to the head. that was the technique that really opened my eyes to kenpo, showing me it can be very effective. I am due to test for my purple belt next week, but still if someone started choking i think i would "go fang of the cobra on em"

 

[Rob_Broad]

Aww yes a classic Tracy technique. One of the hidden principles in this techniques is the placement of the hands after the claws to the eyes, is to make a "V" with the finger tips of your two hands behind the attackers neck. most people garb the head to pull it down, but that can trigger an involuntary reflex for the head to move backward. By making a "V" so the finger tips touch just below their neck, this isolates the muscles so that the neck remains loose during the pull, knee to the groin,causing a whiplash effect.

 

[Kirk]

hehehe ..it's funny .. I've only been training for a few months, and
I've heard "while simultaneously" a BUNCH of times LOL.

I have a question about short form 1. For yellow belt, we had to
do short form 1 right side only. Now for orange, we'll have to
do right side, AND left side. In doing right side only, the directions
were 12 o'clock, 3 o'clock, 9 o'clock, 6 o'clock, and then back to
12. When doing left side .. are the directions the same, or
is it 12, 9, 3 , 6, 12??? Also ... are you supposed to vision an
attacker while doing forms, or focus on strict execution of the
block/strike/kick and stance?

 

[Rob_Broad]

You are correct the left side of Short Form 1 is 12:00, 3:00, 9:00, 6:00 and back to 12:00. I always visualize attackers when doing my forms.

 

[Nate_Hoopes]

You havent seen anything yet kirk, you hear "while simultaneuously" more and more often everyweek in training (well at least this is how it appears to me) more and more techniques im learning now include the simultaneous movement concept, I dont know if youve gotten into simultaneous strikes yet, (the first techs i used only used simultaneous movement as a part of misdirection) if you haven't wait till your sifu shows them to you, try to block 2 punches at the same time, not that easy to do.

 

[Not Important]

This is what I'm talking about.

I love the questions about Short One.

I am going to start a new strand about the form.

 

[Rob_Broad]

I think we as students are responsible for the state of American Kenpo. We always say how this pioneer did this or that, and how these guys splintered away and did this. We all, myself included are too easily apt to point the fingers at a different group. Instead we should be extending a hand in friendship to bridge the differences.

 

[arnisador]

Originally posted by Rob_Broad
I think we as students are responsible for the state of American Kenpo. We always say how this pioneer did this or that, and how these guys splintered away and did this. We all, myself included are too easily apt to point the fingers at a different group. Instead we should be extending a hand in friendship to bridge the differences.

Is there a diagram somewhere that shows just how things splintered after Mr. Parker's death and who the current major players are? I know that the split after his death was an unpleasant issue but I didn't follow it as I was never a kenpo practitioner. Is there a chart or summary somewhere of what happened? And has all the dust settled at this point?

 

[GouRonin]

I doubt it ever will. People now "co-exist" for the most part.

 

[Rob_Broad]

I don't know if we have learned to co-exist I think we have just learned to endure each other. Although I have seen some amazing steps forward I have seen a few egos set us back decades.

 

[Kirk]

From what I've listened to from experienced kenpoists, it comes
across to me that a lot of the first tier of Parker's kenpoits have
different theories for it all. Like Chapel, and his emphasis on
nerve strikes, Tatum with his emphasis on speed, Huk with his
emphasis on power, etc. Am I wrong?

 

[jaybacca72]

what you learned from Mr.Parker depended on what he thought you needed. Kenpo was his science project and we are all his guinea pigs still today ie some will run the wheel and keep up,others go into the corner and eat and then there is gou who just tries to mate haha!!!!!!!!!!!
later
jay

 

[Not Important]

I wouldn't say that Mr. Planas is big on power, or that Dr. Chapel is big on nerve strikes, or that Mr. Tatum is big on speed.

More or less from watching all of them and having done techniques on two of the three, and having two of the three perform techniques on me.

Mr. Tatum is a fluid dynamic user of motion. Mr. Planas seems to try and make people concentrate on power, and utilize thrusting strikes, but that doesn't make power. Finally Dr. Chapel, dosen't seem to focus on nerve strikes rathr than he is more concerned about the positioning of the body and the strikes for multiple reasons, of which the nerve strikes get the most attention.

Let me pose this, what seperates the good from the great?

The answer is what really generates power!

 

[Kirk]

I was relaying merely what I heard. I couldn't possibly reply
at this point in my Journey. I do know that I would consider
MY instructor great, for the way he relates information, for
his patience in teaching, for so, so many reasons. The others,
those already termed as 'great' ... I reserve my opinion until
much, much later.

 

[GouRonin]

It's a dirty job but someone has to do it.

 

[Sandor]

Originally posted by Kirk
hehehe ..it's funny .. I've only been training for a few months, and
I've heard "while simultaneously" a BUNCH of times LOL.

I have a question about short form 1. For yellow belt, we had to
do short form 1 right side only. Now for orange, we'll have to
do right side, AND left side. In doing right side only, the directions
were 12 o'clock, 3 o'clock, 9 o'clock, 6 o'clock, and then back to
12. When doing left side .. are the directions the same, or
is it 12, 9, 3 , 6, 12??? Also ... are you supposed to vision an
attacker while doing forms, or focus on strict execution of the
block/strike/kick and stance?

The second half is a mirror image of the first. Some people even call a complete short one 'blocking set'. I prefer to just call it short one and prevent the confusion at test time that occurs when the students are asked for blocking set and half do short one while the other half executes start block. When I teach the form I always do both sides and provide this explanation about mirrors;

In a mirror the image you see inverts left and right, you move your right and you see the image move a left. However, front and back movement never change in a mirror. You move forward so does the image. You move back and the image once again reciprocates by moving back.

For your last question I'll post a quote from Master Planas that may help you a bit;

"If you practice a given form a thousand times you will be able to imagine the attackers as you execute the movement. If you practice the form another thousand times you will see the opponent there along with the attacks. If you practice the form yet another thousand times I will see your attackers there as I watch you do the form."

Just a few thoughts. Hope this helps

Peace,
Sandor