I understand obviously I would pick the great teacher, I just wanted to make sure I won't get taught some style that's made up or not yet proven.
Nah, barring some really unlikely circumstances, if you're instructor claims to be teach Krav, he's teaching krav. If he claims to be teaching a form of kenpo, he's teaching that form of kenpo. The question is how well he himself understands the art and how good of a teacher he is.
Another question I have is does the Kenpo styles tiger,crane,snake,dragon all part of the Kenpo style as a whole? Or do people try to specialize in one of those styles? I really like how Kenpo is adaptable and I wish to learn tiger and crane style.. Anyways thanks for the help again guys!
So first, not all kenpo styles have animals. AFAIK it's only the ones with chinese influence, like SKK (shaolin kempo karate) that do...in SKK I learned them, in japanese kenpo I did not. If anything, the five animals are more of a chinese thing than a kenpo thing.
Second: Similarly to how different teachers may teach a subject differently, different MA instructors will teach the material differently.
From my own experience, we did not focus on the animals at all for a very long time. I knew that they existed, and various combinations and kempos were related to differing animals, but that was all that I was taught. My instructors placed a much larger focus on getting the technique right than on the philosophy of the animals. Shortly after I reached black belt, and I don't know if this was due to my rank or a change in the head instructor, the advanced classes changed focus. Rather than focusing on technique, my sensei had us think about the various animals, went over in more detail how each one behaved, and had us figure out for ourselves which ones we generally use (for instance, I'm primarily a mixture of leopard and snake, since I tend to focus on being fast, overly aggressive, and precise). After a couple weeks of slowly incorporating them, he started stating that we are working on x animal today, and have us work on techniques, combinations, and kempos that derive or make use of that animal. We'd spend most of the class working on those techniques, along with discussing the animal, and how they could be useful if we have a style that does not include that animal (I can still use crane based techniques, even though I in no way incorporate the crane in my own fighting style).
That is how I learned the five animals. I thought it was a great way, and if I ever teach with the intent of teaching to that level, I would go about it the same way. That said, I am sure that other sensei's teach the same curriculum differently, and probably incorporate the philosophy aspect a lot earlier on, so it depends.
Also, if you're interest in kenpo is purely based on the animals, I would actually suggest trying to find a southern kung fu teacher, unless SKK is readily available near you.
For those curious, here are the five animals and their attributes in SKK
Shaolin Kempo Karate 5 Animals-Martial Arts-Shepherdsville, Ky
