American Kenpo not a complete art?

[watching]

When I was visiting kenpo schools last year, one that I visited had an instructor who taught a variety of systems. He said he taught Parker kenpo (turns out this was untrue) though he did teach the katas. Anyway, in talking with him he told me American kenpo is not a "complete" martial art because it fails to teach spiritual aspects of MA such as, moderation, living healthy, meditation, and things like that. In his opinion, it was all focused on the physical side of training and not on the spiritual side. He even when as far as to say most kenpo black belts are "adrenaline junkies" or alcoholics/drug users.
Needless to say, I didn't go back for a second lesson. But I am curious, is his perspective of American kenpo and kenpoists shared by a majority of the traditional MA world?

 

[jobo]

When I was visiting kenpo schools last year, one that I visited had an instructor who taught a variety of systems. He said he taught Parker kenpo (turns out this was untrue) though he did teach the katas. Anyway, in talking with him he told me American kenpo is not a "complete" martial art because it fails to teach spiritual aspects of MA such as, moderation, living healthy, meditation, and things like that. In his opinion, it was all focused on the physical side of training and not on the spiritual side. He even when as far as to say most kenpo black belts are "adrenaline junkies" or alcoholics/drug users.
Needless to say, I didn't go back for a second lesson. But I am curious, is his perspective of American kenpo and kenpoists shared by a majority of the traditional MA world?

ma, tend to reflect. The culture that created them, so American kenpo, is likely to reflect being loud, boastful and drinking beer,, just,saying

 

[Headhunter]

Don't know don't care. I don't do martial arts to be spiritual or to meditate I do martial arts for the physical side and I don't drink or do drugs so there we go

 

[Buka]

Sounds like a guy I have no desire to be around. Except for maybe sparring. Just because.

 

[Headhunter]

Sounds like a guy I have no desire to be around. Except for maybe sparring. Just because.

Show him that physical side and show how much an adrenaline junkie/ alcoholic/ drug addict you are lol

 

[Flying Crane]

The guy is an idiot.

 

[Headhunter]

The guy is an idiot.

Yeah I mean the guy claims to teach kenpo but then says all kenpo guys are alcoholics and drug addicts etc...is he trying to admit to something

 

[Xue Sheng]

 

[CrazedChris]

Sounds very arrogant, I wouldn't want to be in his class.

 

[drop bear]

I think people have a few strange ideas about how the spiritual side of martial arts manifests.

It isn't all contemplation and reading quotes with pictures of wolves.

 

[pdg]

The spiritual side suits some people, others not so much.

But to claim:

in talking with him he told me American kenpo is not a "complete" martial art because it fails to teach spiritual aspects of MA such as, moderation, living healthy, meditation, and things like that.

is a bit arrogant - like saying that people are incapable of making those decisions without his guidance.

Just about any art can be as complete or incomplete as you choose to make it.

 

[watching]

The spiritual side suits some people, others not so much.

But to claim:



is a bit arrogant - like saying that people are incapable of making those decisions without his guidance.

Just about any art can be as complete or incomplete as you choose to make it.

I agree. I find certain aspects of my training spiritual even if I'm not in the mountains meditating or whatever lol

 

[Flying Crane]

There is no such thing as “complete” in the martial arts. It means whatever you want it to mean.

And the presence of absence of a spiritual aspect is absolutely the very last trait for which I would judge completeness.

 

[Martial D]

ma, tend to reflect. The culture that created them, so American kenpo, is likely to reflect being loud, boastful and drinking beer,, just,saying

You say that like you've never been to an English pub during a football match.

 

[Tames D]

ma, tend to reflect. The culture that created them, so American kenpo, is likely to reflect being loud, boastful and drinking beer,, just,saying

You left out the Buffet Line

 

[oldwarrior]

When I was visiting kenpo schools last year, one that I visited had an instructor who taught a variety of systems. He said he taught Parker kenpo (turns out this was untrue) though he did teach the katas. Anyway, in talking with him he told me American kenpo is not a "complete" martial art because it fails to teach spiritual aspects of MA such as, moderation, living healthy, meditation, and things like that. In his opinion, it was all focused on the physical side of training and not on the spiritual side. He even when as far as to say most kenpo black belts are "adrenaline junkies" or alcoholics/drug users.
Needless to say, I didn't go back for a second lesson. But I am curious, is his perspective of American kenpo and kenpoists shared by a majority of the traditional MA world?

What is it you are looking for from MA ...That is a question you have to ask yourself first before any one else

Complete systems ...that could take a lifetime to learn...the spiritual side that depends on your own mind set and how and what you wish to take ...if you are thinking on the lines of the japanese arts for example (and this may start of muck fight lol) then there is a difference between the art and the way (jutsu and do ) but (not being cheeky) if you wish to understand the spiritual elements then you are going to have to look to Zen, Shinto, Confucianism etc and that may go against or not sit easy on you (just saying)

 

[arnisador]

That's an odd criticism! A given instructor (or student) may want to provide (or receive) that from their martial arts experience, but 'complete' usually refers to whether the art provides a range of solutions for a broad range of potential self-defense situations.

 

[Xue Sheng]

A lot of folks get a bit mixed up on this, I see it all the time in Chinese marital arts. They envision a Taoist or a Shaolin Monk doing martial arts and do not understand that the martial arts of it is not necessarily the same as the spiritual aspects, moderation, living healthy, meditation that you see them do and/or why they do it.. But you also get into translation errors in CMA as well with this sort of thing. A martial art does not and is not complete because there is a spiritual side taught.

It can also simply be arrogance and trying to sound like a wise fortune cookie master too. Of course this also begs the question what makes him think he is qualified to teach this sort of thing

 

[Headhunter]

Another thing is yeah there probably is alcoholics and drug addicts in kenpo but there's probably all that in other styles to. Heck look at a recent bjj tournament the guys were doing drugs just before they got on the mat to compete and just look at one episode of the ultimate fighter to see how much some mma guys drink. Im not saying that as a negative to those styles but just saying there's those types in every single style. Heck even Mr miyagi got drunk on numerous occasions lol okay that's a joke but truthfully even Bruce lee was a drug user

 

[Flying Crane]

A lot of folks get a bit mixed up on this, I see it all the time in Chinese marital arts. They envision a Taoist or a Shaolin Monk doing martial arts and do not understand that the martial arts of it is not necessarily the same as the spiritual aspects, moderation, living healthy, meditation that you see them do and/or why they do it.. But you also get into translation errors in CMA as well with this sort of thing. A martial art does not and is not complete because there is a spiritual side taught.

It can also simply be arrogance and trying to sound like a wise fortune cookie master too. Of course this also begs the question what makes him think he is qualified to teach this sort of thing

Well ok, I will adjust my earlier comments. Xue-Fu is the ONLY truly complete martial art that exists, anywhere.

But that goes without sayin’. So I didn’t say it.

Now that I’ve got that off my chest, you may all return to your regularly scheduled programming.