I have a general question regarding Kenpo...

A

Aleem

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Hi, I'm Aleem and I'm very new to the martial arts (I'm 19... is that too late to start?)

Currently I've started WingTsun... I was looking for something which I could use to defend myself against street-agressors and that kind of thing. However, as I'm only new to everything, I'm looking to find what other styles are about, where the emphases lie, and whether they rely on strength, strikes, whether they are long-range, short-range, whether they address take-downs, any grappling etc.

I guess what I want to know is... what is Kenpo? This might sound really stupid... I would have extensively researched this on the net, only that my net-browser is so messed up that I can only open a hand-ful of sites, this being one of them.

A description of what Kenpo looks like maybe, its strengths, whether its a striking art, a very brief history etc. would be greatly appreciated.

Sorry if my questions are very general and ignorant. As I say, I'm very new to everything and am throwing questions around so that I can be better informed for the future. For some reason my net browser also doesn't allow me to easily search past posts, so if I'm asking over-asked questions, my apologies.

Thanks in advance for any help,

Takecare,

Aleem

p.s. One more thing - Other WingTsunners obviously claim to WingTsun's effectiveness etc. What I don't want is to be training in an art and spending my student budget on something that won't produce results... if I train hard and train well, CAN WingTsun improve my self-defense skills and give me a greater chance of surviving something like an aggressor? Oh, and I have a knee-injury (torn cartlidge) so I was wondering what kind of strain Kenpo places on a person's legs, specifically the knees!

Thanks very much!
 

michaeledward

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Welcome ... I started my training at 36 years old. So, don't worry about your age.

Regardless of the style you choose to learn, you will probably be dealing with opponents that have two hands and two feet ... and ... you will probably be defending yourself with two hands and two feet. There are really only so many ways you can work with these tools.

One of the nice things about Ed Parkers' American Kenpo, is that his methodology includes quite a bit of 'tailoring' to your body style, and that of your attacker. This would include working with your knee injury in a way to reduce the stresses it may encounter.

I would think that, regardless of which Martial Art you choose to learn, within 6 months, you will have enough knowledge to defeat 95% of the aggressors you might encounter. And you can probably train for the next 95 years before you can defeat the last 5% of aggressors.

Find a trainer you are comfortable with ... check out his credentials ...and have fun.

Welcome.

Mike
Welcome ... and good luck.
 

kenpo tiger

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Started martial arts at age 43; began kenpo at age 47. Wish I'd begun when you are. Careful with your knees in any martial art, especially those with low stances.
 

Colin_Linz

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I started Shorinji Kempo when I was 30. I had done other arts, including another style of Kempo.

Shorinji Kempo took my interest because of its techniques and interesting philosophy. There are three main areas of physical study, these are Goho (strikes and blocks), Juho (throws, locks, pins, chokes) and Seiho (massage, joint manipulation and pressure point use for the improvement of health). Its is a little hard to describe how it looks as our Goho is quite different from Karate and the Juho, while superficially resembling Aikido is different. Try these two links to view Shorinji Kempo in action, or the two links in my signature block for further information.
http://www.shorinji-kempo.org/
http://www.suginoharyu.com/html/video/kempo.htm
 

MA-Caver

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Aleem said:
Hi, I'm Aleem and I'm very new to the martial arts (I'm 19... is that too late to start?)

p.s. One more thing - Other WingTsunners obviously claim to WingTsun's effectiveness etc. What I don't want is to be training in an art and spending my student budget on something that won't produce results... if I train hard and train well, CAN WingTsun improve my self-defense skills and give me a greater chance of surviving something like an aggressor? Oh, and I have a knee-injury (torn cartlidge) so I was wondering what kind of strain Kenpo places on a person's legs, specifically the knees!

Thanks very much!

Welcome to MT Aleem.
It is NEVER too late to start Martial Arts.

I'm not wholly qualified to speak for Kenpo arts, but it is an art I've considered taking on top of my other experiences. My base is Wing Chun/Tsun but I've dabbled in enough arts to taste a little of each.
Kenpo is a "hard-art", meaning it relies on strikes, kicks and etc. It is a good self-defense art as well as a deep spiritual martial art.
What is it that you want to do to your attacker/antagonist? Beat the living crap out of them for messing with you or yours? Subdue/reduce them to where you can get away? Or somewhere in between? Answers to these questions may help you in your decision. As well as what do you as Aleem want to get out of your Martial Arts experience? Inner growth? Spiritual enlightenment? Personal achievement, knowledge? More confidence? Tell these to your potential instructor the answers you find within yourself to these and many other questions. This will help the instructor know exactly what you want/expect from them and know if what they teach is what you are looking for.

What you put in to anything in your life is what you're going to get out of it.
The cost/value is decided only by you the learner/practicioner. Both Kenpo and Wing Tsun/Chun will be worth the hard-earn student dollars you spend. The results however, as with all things are up to you.
The quality of the instructors as well will provide enrichment to whatever art you choose to study. Investigate throughly and take an opportunty to talk to the students of the school you are looking at. Talk to those of varying rank/belts so you can get a better idea and a more broader viewpoint than just say from two or three people.

Good Luck with your endeavors.
 

Dark Kenpo Lord

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MACaver said:
Welcome to MT Aleem.
It is NEVER too late to start Martial Arts.

I'm not wholly qualified to speak for Kenpo arts, but it is an art I've considered taking on top of my other experiences. My base is Wing Chun/Tsun but I've dabbled in enough arts to taste a little of each.
Kenpo is a "hard-art", meaning it relies on strikes, kicks and etc. It is a good self-defense art as well as a deep spiritual martial art.

What you put in to anything in your life is what you're going to get out of it.
The cost/value is decided only by you the learner/practicioner. Both Kenpo and Wing Tsun/Chun will be worth the hard-earn student dollars you spend. The results however, as with all things are up to you.
The quality of the instructors as well will provide enrichment to whatever art you choose to study. Investigate throughly and take an opportunty to talk to the students of the school you are looking at. Talk to those of varying rank/belts so you can get a better idea and a more broader viewpoint than just say from two or three people.

Good Luck with your endeavors.
I would disagree with you to say Kenpo is a "Hard Art". It has elements of both hard and soft, whether you've seen them or not is only your interpretation of it, or what you're getting from your instructor/s.

DarK LorD
 

Colin_Linz

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MACaver said:
Welcome to MT Aleem.
It is NEVER too late to start Martial Arts.

I'm not wholly qualified to speak for Kenpo arts, but it is an art I've considered taking on top of my other experiences. My base is Wing Chun/Tsun but I've dabbled in enough arts to taste a little of each.
Kenpo is a "hard-art", meaning it relies on strikes, kicks and etc. It is a good self-defense art as well as a deep spiritual martial art.
Sorry, I will also have to disagree. I can only speak about Shorinji Kempo, but the use of both hard and soft techniques are one of it's main characteristics.
 

Dark Kenpo Lord

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Colin_Linz said:
Sorry, I will also have to disagree. I can only speak about Shorinji Kempo, but the use of both hard and soft techniques are one of it's main characteristics.
Please, be sure you're specific when referencing in the future. If you only speak of Shorinji Kempo, I would take your word for it as I know nothing of it. My forte is primarily EPAK, of which I happen to know a great deal, which is a combination of hard and soft.

DarK LorD
 

Colin_Linz

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Dark Kenpo Lord said:
Please, be sure you're specific when referencing in the future. If you only speak of Shorinji Kempo, I would take your word for it as I know nothing of it. My forte is primarily EPAK, of which I happen to know a great deal, which is a combination of hard and soft.

DarK LorD
I thought I was specific; I posted in support of your claim that Kempo was both soft and hard. I specifically said that my response was to do with Shorinji Kempo because it broadened the claim that there is soft and hard components across a range of styles of Kempo.
 

Dark Kenpo Lord

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Colin_Linz said:
I thought I was specific; I posted in support of your claim that Kempo was both soft and hard. I specifically said that my response was to do with Shorinji Kempo because it broadened the claim that there is soft and hard components across a range of styles of Kempo.
OH Duh, sorry dude, wasn't paying attention (a case of cranial rectitis), my bad and good call on your part.

DarK LorD
 

Goldendragon7

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Dark Kenpo Lord said:
I would disagree with you to say Kenpo is a "Hard Art". It has elements of both hard and soft, whether you've seen them or not is only your interpretation of it, or what you're getting from your instructor/s.
DarK LorD
Colin, I also have to agree with DKL on this subject.... Kenpo can go either way depending on what "your" definition of HARD & SOFT is and the way in which you are taught this fine art, there are infact many mis-interpretations of these words.

:asian:
 

Colin_Linz

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Goldendragon7 said:
Colin, I also have to agree with DKL on this subject.... Kenpo can go either way depending on what "your" definition of HARD & SOFT is and the way in which you are taught this fine art, there are infact many mis-interpretations of these words.

:asian:
Good, we all agree.
 

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