Have you used a technique in a real life situation?

[PlatinumPi4u]

Have you had to use a Kenpo technique in a real life situation? Tell us the story and which technique it was!

 

[dubljay]

I have used bits and pieces of techniques, but never a whole technique. The simple reason for this is that the techniques in the ideal phase just do not work in real life (at least for me I suppose) the situations I have encountered were far from ideal phase.

 

[Kembudo-Kai Kempoka]

Obscure Wing, like clockwork. Was bouncing in a restraunt/club in Newport Beach, CA: local well-to-do for dinner, replaced by college drunks (mostly) at night. I'm informing one guy he has to leave; he sets his right palm on my chest to push me back into his friend who is standing behind me. The friend places his hand on my shoulder in a side shoulder grab, and has his right prepped with a beer bottle ready to konk me a good one. Caught it out the corner of my eye, let the push happen, slid back and hit: rear elbow, back hammerfist to the nuts, and obscure back elbow to the jaw. Odd, and potentially bad thing hapened. His head came forward as I had expected it might, but further. Instead of nailing him under the jaw, my trajectory was more up & back than just up, and I caught him in the adam's apple. Kinduva sinking feeling, watching a guy go into laryngeal spasms, wondering if you just committed your last act as a free man.

Also got Parting Wings off on a big angry drunk guy playing with loaded guns around a campsite. He was increasnig in his belligerence; I decided to calm him down, and he gave a good 2-hand push. This was one of my greatest experiential lessons about how we fight like we train. I'd been doing speed drills on PW, laying into my training partners chest instead of the more lethal targets for safety's sake. So under pressure, what do I do? All the strikes in PW, right into the chest. Not a clear kenpo victory by any stretch. I did, however, manage to knock him backwards into the fire. Backpeddling out of flames was enough of an impression for him to decide to calm down, albeit with a little more verbal abuse. He later confided to a friend that he had several large bruises on his body from where I hit him. I take that as the consolation prize.

I've had some interesting contrasts in my expereinces. Some where things have gone off without a hitch, and smoe where I couldn't buy a win for a million dollars. The biggest difference I notice in retrospect is in how "justifiable" my actions were. When defending myself or someone else against iminent threat, everything goes smooth as silk. When I have to trump up in my mind enough reason to take some action, it's like my unconscious says, "Nope; not on my shift" and makes me trip over my feet, and all sorts of silly stuff.

Regards,

Dave

 

[Simon Curran]

Great stories Dave, would've liked to have seen the Obscure Wing one...

 

[Simon Curran]

Just thought, not exactly a real life situation, but one of the technicians at work shoved me once and I went into a modified Glancing Salute (modified in that I didn't really follow through with the knee strike and just used the elbow to push)

 

[PlatinumPi4u]

ya whenever im in a situation where i know i may be in positition to utilize a technique i always think to myself... "wait.. i may seriously hurt this person.. this isnt truely life or death..." and i find my self holding back.... he who hesitates... as the saying goes... but also the big picture plays a part... both ways.. the law doesnt recognize 'self defense' but at the same time if its your life or his, best believe i will hold my own.

 

[Casey_Sutherland]

I was recently in a bar altercation where I was prevoked and chose the higher road to walk away (mostly because of my intoxication). I walk away and he comes back for more, stepping behind me with his left hand on my right shouder and says the words "whenever you are ready I will be waiting outside to kick your butt* (not actual words). Instead of waiting I called his bluff in an instant and unloaded part of short form 2, the section that comes after the low block and palm strike. I cat with my right leg, left inward checking block followed by a right block with a left half knuckle. it was awesome

 

[ParkerKenpoDetective]

Never a full technique. The closest I ever got was a picture perfect mirror-image first move from Conquering Shield a few years ago when I was almost mugged at gunpoint outside a bank. It was one of those situations that you warned against, over and over again. It was 11:30 PM in a not-so-nice neighborhood and I needed money so I went to my bank which was the only building on a service road between two major roads. How many times have we been told to avoid possibly dangerous situations and areas? "Aw, it's friday night and I need beer money". The one friggin time!

I stepped out of the ATM booth (didn't go to the drive-up ATM because a guy had been robbing cars there over the past couple months) and a guy stepped out in front of me with a Taurus 357 revolver, hammer down, pointed at my chest. He told me to give him my money and ATM card, using a very colorful mixture of nasty words. What exactly is it about the "F" word that makes people think it'll paralyze me with fear? I told the guy I only had six bucks on me and less than that on the card but he insisted, so I told him I'd have to lower my hands because they were in my side pocket of cargo pants. He got impaitent and pressed the barrel of the gun against my chest and I stepped up with my left foot, being REALLY sure to turn my body, secured the gun with my right hand and plowed my left arm through his elbow. It was one of the most sickening noises I have ever heard. It seemed to bother him more than it bothered me because he let go of the gun and dropped fast. I was setting up to follow through with a take down, seeing as how I had control of the gun, but his own desire to get to the ground beat me and I ended up just stepping over him.
I quickly turned around and pointed the gun, still with the hammer down, at him and said, probably in a voice that was louder than called for, that he should stay put. Then I called the cops and did my best to remain calm while talking to the dispatcher, which isn't easy because they ask each question six times. When the cops finally did get there (they said the response time was 41 seconds but I swear it was closer to 7 months) I was the first one cuffed, of course.
Luckily, this all happened just outside the ATM booth which had a security camera inside. So we only had to wait about five hours for the bank manager to wake up and get the video and play it for the cops. But even with that video, it still took about 10 months of legal red tape to get all of that resolved. Self-defense is probably the hardest thing to prove.


I wouldn't think that too many techniques would work perfectly start to finish, unless you lucked out and everything worked just right. That would be a great moment.

 

[cloak13]

I have used techniques before in different situations. One that sticks out in my mind the most was from when a nice guy who just had too much to drink wanted to start something at a party. I'll skip all the setup but it came down to he threw a punch to the face then shot on the legs. I couldn't step back so i slipped the punch, seeing the shot I fired off a shortened version of the AKKI technique Rising Thunder. Shortened because the first shot knocked the dude out.

He woke up a few minutes later and instantly left the party. Not a great heroic story, but one that illustrates a couple important points.
1. The punch might not be the attack
2. Enviroment will directly impact what technique can be used

Things to keep in mind for if any of you ever have to use a technique.

Tim Kulp
Westminster, MD

 

[PlatinumPi4u]

I learned a technique for someone putting a gun to your body.. step into a horse stance, simultaniously do an outward block and an outward prary with the other hand.. this will take some practice and wont make too much sense unless you are using props, but if done correctly you will be able to point the gun away from you and take it into posession... try it out!

 

[MJS]

I learned a technique for someone putting a gun to your body.. step into a horse stance, simultaniously do an outward block and an outward prary with the other hand.. this will take some practice and wont make too much sense unless you are using props, but if done correctly you will be able to point the gun away from you and take it into posession... try it out!

Perhaps you could give a little more detail to this tech., as it seems like there is no control over the weapon or moving the body out of the line of fire.

Mike

 

[Dark Kenpo Lord]

Never a full technique. The closest I ever got was a picture perfect mirror-image first move from Conquering Shield a few years ago when I was almost mugged at gunpoint outside a bank. It was one of those situations that you warned against, over and over again. It was 11:30 PM in a not-so-nice neighborhood and I needed money so I went to my bank which was the only building on a service road between two major roads. How many times have we been told to avoid possibly dangerous situations and areas? "Aw, it's friday night and I need beer money". The one friggin time!

I stepped out of the ATM booth (didn't go to the drive-up ATM because a guy had been robbing cars there over the past couple months) and a guy stepped out in front of me with a Taurus 357 revolver, hammer down, pointed at my chest. He told me to give him my money and ATM card, using a very colorful mixture of nasty words. What exactly is it about the "F" word that makes people think it'll paralyze me with fear? I told the guy I only had six bucks on me and less than that on the card but he insisted, so I told him I'd have to lower my hands because they were in my side pocket of cargo pants. He got impaitent and pressed the barrel of the gun against my chest and I stepped up with my left foot, being REALLY sure to turn my body, secured the gun with my right hand and plowed my left arm through his elbow. It was one of the most sickening noises I have ever heard. It seemed to bother him more than it bothered me because he let go of the gun and dropped fast. I was setting up to follow through with a take down, seeing as how I had control of the gun, but his own desire to get to the ground beat me and I ended up just stepping over him.
I quickly turned around and pointed the gun, still with the hammer down, at him and said, probably in a voice that was louder than called for, that he should stay put. Then I called the cops and did my best to remain calm while talking to the dispatcher, which isn't easy because they ask each question six times. When the cops finally did get there (they said the response time was 41 seconds but I swear it was closer to 7 months) I was the first one cuffed, of course.
Luckily, this all happened just outside the ATM booth which had a security camera inside. So we only had to wait about five hours for the bank manager to wake up and get the video and play it for the cops. But even with that video, it still took about 10 months of legal red tape to get all of that resolved. Self-defense is probably the hardest thing to prove.


I wouldn't think that too many techniques would work perfectly start to finish, unless you lucked out and everything worked just right. That would be a great moment.

Why did you call the cops? Just curious as I would've just got my cash and left with a nice Taurus 357.

Interesting that you noted how the Hammer was down, not many people differentiate the auto to revolver and/or lack of hammer, good awareness on your part.

Incidentally, you mentioned you did the mirror image of Conquering Shield, you did a version of Glancing Salute normally from what it sounds like.

DarK LorD

 

[Dark Kenpo Lord]

2. Enviroment will directly impact what technique can be used


Tim Kulp
Westminster, MD

Interesting Tim, I've been spouting that line for years and everyone wants to argue about the 8 considerations. Oh well, I did say Environment and Target Availability.

DarK Lord

 

[ParkerKenpoDetective]

Why did you call the cops? Just curious as I would've just got my cash and left with a nice Taurus 357.

Interesting that you noted how the Hammer was down, not many people differentiate the auto to revolver and/or lack of hammer, good awareness on your part.

LOL....you know, that is one of those split-second decisions. I have spent plenty of time since then thinking about how much easier it would have been to leave with my money and my brand new gun. Would HE have called the cops on me later on? Very likely not, so I probably could have gotten away with it. But I guess it was reflex. Maybe I was a little scared that there were more, too. The image of cops as bringers of light and defense was still engraved in my mind so perhaps I was calling in some backup. Either way, I do indeed wish I would have gathered myself and cooly walked away while tucking the gun into my backpocket, kicking a rolling tumbleweed from my path. But I didn't.


Same to you on the hammer, Dark Lord. Not many people catch why I include that part. Being a revolver, with it's hammer down, it still could have fired from that position but it would have taken a little longer than if it had been cocked back. I only defended myself in that situation because it was down and I knew that I could torque my body out of the barrel's L.O.S. before that hammer could come back and forward again. Had that guy been more than two feet away, or had the hammer been back, I wouldn't have tried it. So very good awareness on your part, Dark Lord, for catching that as well.

 

[PlatinumPi4u]

Perhaps you could give a little more detail to this tech., as it seems like there is no control over the weapon or moving the body out of the line of fire.

Mike

Hey Mike

For this "outward block & outward parrie" technique to work properly, you do need to step INTO a horse as you are doing the block/parrie, moving your body out of the line of fire, and taking control of the weapon. Practice it a few times with a partner and a mock gun, and see if it will work for you!

also, when i was playing with this technique with one of my marine homies, he was holding on to the gun very tite, another variable that you might want to keep in mind when you are experimenting with this.

 

[MJS]

Hey Mike

For this "outward block & outward parrie" technique to work properly, you do need to step INTO a horse as you are doing the block/parrie, moving your body out of the line of fire, and taking control of the weapon. Practice it a few times with a partner and a mock gun, and see if it will work for you!

also, when i was playing with this technique with one of my marine homies, he was holding on to the gun very tite, another variable that you might want to keep in mind when you are experimenting with this.

Thanks for the clarification! :ultracool

Mike

 

[evenflow1121]

Just one time, and it was The Sleeper.

 

[Bill Lear]

Obscure Claws, Mace of Aggression, and Checking the Storm.

:asian:

 

[distalero]

Have you had to use a Kenpo technique in a real life situation? Tell us the story and which technique it was!

The only one I like telling about is a little different from others described here: back in the day, after warming up, we practiced falling (backwards, forwards, diving rolls, etc). It payed off. One day, years later, I found myself walking in an Old Town section of my city, where the streets/curbs aren't code, are more "creative". I wasn't paying as much attention as I should have, misjudged, tripped and fell. In that split second, halfway to a big blue forehead and a bloody nose I realized I could tuck, roll on a shoulder, come up in a neutral bow and cover, which I did perfectly. Good for me and my ego: there were about 15, 20 tourists standing around. Also good for me: I was my own opponent and STILL came out ok.

 

[swiftpete]

Also good for me: I was my own opponent and STILL came out ok.

That made me laugh out loud!
Wonder if they thought you were showing off...?!