giving kenpo one last go

[Headhunter]

So as people know I've not had great experiences in kenpo lately. I've been training at a club for a year but honestly it's not a nice place for a number of reasons. One the training is just to slow. They spend most of the lesson talking to us about techniques rather than practicing them and frankly it's boring. Tonight we spent the first half an hour talking and it's an hour class...I love kenpo I truly do but it just seems none of the clubs in my area are suitable for me. I can talk for ages about martial arts outside class but when I'm on the floor I want to train. Obviously you have to stop and talk a little bit but not these excessive amounts.

Anyway I've looked around and found a club run by an 8th Dan who's been around for years and had good competition success. I hope it works out but if not I'm going to retire from kenpo because I've had to many disappointments in it.ill continue to train myself but if this class doesn't work I won't be going to anymore classes.

 

[watching]

Sorry to hear that. I hope you like the new place

 

[oftheherd1]

So as people know I've not had great experiences in kenpo lately. I've been training at a club for a year but honestly it's not a nice place for a number of reasons. One the training is just to slow. They spend most of the lesson talking to us about techniques rather than practicing them and frankly it's boring. Tonight we spent the first half an hour talking and it's an hour class...I love kenpo I truly do but it just seems none of the clubs in my area are suitable for me. I can talk for ages about martial arts outside class but when I'm on the floor I want to train. Obviously you have to stop and talk a little bit but not these excessive amounts.

Anyway I've looked around and found a club run by an 8th Dan who's been around for years and had good competition success. I hope it works out but if not I'm going to retire from kenpo because I've had to many disappointments in it.ill continue to train myself but if this class doesn't work I won't be going to anymore classes.

I have read on MT that a lot of students and instructors think there is value to being taught things about techniques. That wasn't done in the TKD or the Hapkido I studied. What is talked about in your school? It may be that some people need verbal explanations more that practical practice. If those people are in teaching positions, naturally they will think others are the same. Some brief explanations are often useful, at least in my experience. Especially in grappling. You may think you have a technique down pat, but being shown some slight difference in foot placement or hand placement may make the technique 'flow' better and be harder to defend against.

Good luck. It would be a shame to waste all the past time and learning.

 

[punisher73]

Knowing a little bit about kenpo, because of its unique terminology and concepts that SGM Parker created. Many fall into the trap of "paralysis by analysis" that SGM Parker talked about. The problem with many "westerners" is that we think we can understand a technique mentally and by dissecting it and analyzing it etc. We forget that the body has its own kind of intuition that can only come from physical practice. It is during the physical practice that we have those "ah ha" moments of understanding and see other uses for a technique.

 

[_Simon_]

Ah go for it son! Hope it works out , good on ya for looking around to find what suits

 

[Headhunter]

I have read on MT that a lot of students and instructors think there is value to being taught things about techniques. That wasn't done in the TKD or the Hapkido I studied. What is talked about in your school? It may be that some people need verbal explanations more that practical practice. If those people are in teaching positions, naturally they will think others are the same. Some brief explanations are often useful, at least in my experience. Especially in grappling. You may think you have a technique down pat, but being shown some slight difference in foot placement or hand placement may make the technique 'flow' better and be harder to defend against.

Good luck. It would be a shame to waste all the past time and learning.

I have no problem having certain things spoken about but when they spend 20 minutes explaining a basic fighting stance that's just ridiculous and boring. I'm there to train not spend half the class listening to w guys lecture

 

[Headhunter]

Knowing a little bit about kenpo, because of its unique terminology and concepts that SGM Parker created. Many fall into the trap of "paralysis by analysis" that SGM Parker talked about. The problem with many "westerners" is that we think we can understand a technique mentally and by dissecting it and analyzing it etc. We forget that the body has its own kind of intuition that can only come from physical practice. It is during the physical practice that we have those "ah ha" moments of understanding and see other uses for a technique.

Kenpos meant to be a self defence system. That's what it's always been labelled as but a lot of them are turning away from that and acting like it all has to be perfect. Well no in a real fight I won't use the perfect stance or the perfect kick or punch. What needs training is the muscle memory and yeah of course try to make it as good as possible but comes from practice not from getting lectured at

 

[Headhunter]

Thing is I know my stances aren't great. They never will be my feet have always stuck out at weird angles so some stances I physically can't do properly. I know I won't be winning any form competitions but I also know I can hit hard and I can move fast and I'm in good shape. Honestly I've found the ones who talk the most are the ones who can't actually get on the floor and actually move well so they have to talk. There's one guy who's a third Dan and honestly he's the worst for this. He always talks about oh in sparring this will happen or try this in sparring. Thing is that club hasn't sparred in about 5 years and that instructor himself hasn't sparred in about 10 years