The first 3 times Kenpo made you said WOW...

[ikenpo]

It's easy enough to tell about the first time you saw or felt someone do some thing in Kenpo and it made you say wow, but tell us (briefly) about the first 3 times.

Here are mine...

1) In 1987, as a white belt I saw Mr. Schmidt do a Kenpo demo at the NCKKA annual banquet. About 10 people came running in from the back and surrounded him and it was my first look at a demo with multiple people getting worked over....Back then he was bigger then life to me and I was like WOW!!!

2) The first time I saw Mr. Parker move on tape. He was sitting and explaining a principle and then broke into an inward block and a few other hand movements and I was like...WOW!!! Then I rewound it and looked at it again to see if I saw what I thought I saw....

3) In 1999 when I got to hang with Mr. C. We were in my room in the Ritz Carlton in Phx and I asked him about the video I saw and how SGM could move so fast. I asked him to show me. It was the first time I saw and felt the RIP face to face...WOW!!!


My meeting with Dr. Chapel and the first time I saw Paul Mills on video tape get honorable mention...they came later, but the feeling was still WOW!!!!

jb:asian:

 

[Kirk]

KEWL JB! Great tales! So far, my wows have been when
learning a tech, and how brutal some of them are. Then after
Huk's seminar, big wow there! That's about it so far. Mr Parker
Jr's this saturday, maybe I'll get another one!

 

[Scott Bonner]

My first seminar time with Mr. Planas was a "wow" moment as well. And maybe my second and third.

 

[pineapple head]

My taster session with Mr. Grihault 2 years ago , after 5 minutes that was my fisrt WOW of Kenpo.
Still 'WOWING' today.

 

[jfarnsworth]

1. Mid May 1994, I saw my first kenpo class and made the transition about 2 weeks later from previous instructor to new one.

2. Oct. 2000, my first seminar with Mr. Planas that ended up being 7hrs. long and we covered only 6 techniques and I decided I barely knew kenpo.

3. April 2002, My first seminar with Mr. Conatser then I really found out that I knew even less about the kenpo system & actually wanted to leave my belt behind. (chuckle)

Well that's it in a nutshell (I guess).
Jason Farnsworth

 

[satans.barber]

I think the first time was probably on my very first lesson, me and Dave crept though the door in our jogging bottoms and sneaked away to one end of the hall, and were unsure of what to expect. Some of the higher belts were working over a few techniques and I think we both realised we'd found something special, and weren't going to be stood in neat lines punching thin air all night...

Second time was probably the first time Phil came up for a grading and seminar. At the seminar, after working with us for 50 minutes or so, he and Glen (my sensei) demonstrated a lot of higher belt techniques at full speed, and then slower with explanations. That was the first time I'd seen two senior belts (I think Glen was a 1st Dan and Phil a 5th Dan at that time) showing kenpo the way it should be, rather than the way we could do it as we were just starting out.

The last time was probably when I watched Paul Mills in that little inwards block video at the AKKI site...

(http://www.akki.com/_videos/vidclip280/mov00280.mpg)

...I realised that the proper application of principles, coupled with very little actual exertion can still lead to a devastating effect.

Ian.

 

[Goldendragon7]

It was my very first lesson...... I was so excited about learning this stuff that I could hardly stand it. (seems so silly now but back then I was really excited)

The second time was when I finally hit a guy with a reverse punch at the Long Beach Internationals, I said WOW I did it.... Yo Adrian!

Last I can remember was breaking a 2" x 4" x 8' with an inward strike, man that was a difficult break I said ....... never again.:rofl:

:asian:

 

[Seig]

1.) The first time I saw Long 4 done.
2.) The day I first picked up I.I. Vol 1
3.) Every day

 

[brianhunter]

I havent been around that long so my experiences might not be as exciting.......


The first was when my brother made me watch this "Perfect Weapon" movie and told me that they actually teach that stuff at a school.

My second would be walking in to a class one night and seeing Tom Kelly doing a technique and being amazed at his speed for being a mountain of a man.

My Third would be actually learning delayed sword it was great! I finally had some Kenpo of my own that nobody could take away from me

 

[tonbo]

My three "WOW" moments:

1) My first lesson, taught by a 4th Black. I was completely amazed at what I saw, and was hooked from there on out.

2) When I put myself into perspective in the art: I had just gotten my green belt, and was doing some student instructing. In a moment of self-doubt, I went and watched some white belts in class, and was amazed how far I had come. Then I watched a Black Belt class a few nights later, and was even MORE amazed at how far I still had to go.....

3) Every class period, demo, seminar, and practice session (impromptu or planned) since my first class. There has never been a *one* of those that I haven't walked out with something new, no matter how small.

I would actually add a fourth:

4) Any time one of the advanced Black Belts I talk to shows me something new or corrects something I am doing. I see the application, and it never fails to amaze.

Pretty much, I think that it's a simple math equation:

Kenpo = "WOW".....

Peace--

 

[donald]

1st one was observing brown belt test as an yellow belt. Watching my instructors just exploding into their techs, and through the ukes.

2nd one was the first time I watched Mr.Tatum on tape,
(Walls of Defense) going through a self defense demo on two of his instructors.

3rd one was at a seminar featuring Mr.Palanzo in about "86".
I was amazed at not only his command of the art, but his self deprecating attitude. He truly impressed me.

Salute :asian:

 

[satans.barber]

Originally posted by Goldendragon7



Last I can remember was breaking a 2" x 4" x 8' with an inward strike, man that was a difficult break I said ....... never again.:rofl:

Dennis, you're mad! I'm surprised you didn't break your hand!

Respect for going thought it though!

Ian.

 

[Goldendragon7]

it wasn't my hand but right forarm. Inward Block. I nearly did break my arm. The person swinging the board tilted it a bit on the first pass so the edge of the board hit my arm..... it cracked but didn't totally break..... the second attempt broke it.

My entire forarm was "BLACK" for 2 weeks.

thats why.......... never again....... too close for comfort.... but when you are young and dumb....... hee hee you do silly things.

:asian:

 

[Quinn-child]

Heh, okay.
1) My first one had to be at one of my very first lessons after I got my yellow stripe, when my instructor was showing us a blue belt technique, and he showed us how it worked and he did it with all this flow and it looked absolutely perfect.
2) My second Wow was probably when my instructor was telling my mother, two friends of ours and me about the seminar Mr. Parker is holding tomorrow (Saturday June 29) and he showed us a takedown that involved a pressure point. I was down on the ground before I knew it and it made the left side of my body numb for three minutes.
:shrug:
I'm still waiting for the third, though there are lots of things I could put for my third. I'm hoping one will show up tomorrow

Oos -
Quinn

 

[OZman]

Mine were these.

1) The first time I saw Mr. Parker blew my mind he was big, he was tall, and he was FAST, and he hit very, very hard, with such small movements. I kept thinking, there's no way it should hurt this much. I had a hand print on my chest the next day.

2) The first time I took lessons from Dennis Conatser was an unintentional lesson, I sparred Mr. C when he was in Australia. I am very short with very stocky legs, and few have been able to disrupt my center of gravity, I was sparring away and holding my own, (so I thought), a couple of seconds later; I was looking up at him from the floor thinking "Where did that come from". For a second I actually thought I had fallen over my own feet, a thought that was dispelled quickly by reality.

3) I had always heard that Kenpo was a slap art. I was working out with Mr. Speakman and he performed Leaping Crane, and was trying to be nice and slapped me across the kidney......WOW is the edited version of what came out of my mouth, last time I ever let anyone say Kenpo is just a slap art.

All privileges, all amazing, all painful.

 

[Kirk]

Originally posted by Quinn-child

Heh, okay.
1) My first one had to be at one of my very first lessons after I got my yellow stripe, when my instructor was showing us a blue belt technique, and he showed us how it worked and he did it with all this flow and it looked absolutely perfect.
2) My second Wow was probably when my instructor was telling my mother, two friends of ours and me about the seminar Mr. Parker is holding tomorrow (Saturday June 29) and he showed us a takedown that involved a pressure point. I was down on the ground before I knew it and it made the left side of my body numb for three minutes.
:shrug:
I'm still waiting for the third, though there are lots of things I could put for my third. I'm hoping one will show up tomorrow

Oos -
Quinn

Quinn, introduce yourself tomorrow ... I'll be the largest orange
belt there

 

[Kalicombat]

My first Wow from kenpo came when I saw the Kenpo Crest on a store front in Corpus Christi and made a U turn so I could get in there as fast as I could. I saw Mr. Greg Hilderbrand going over yellow belt techniques, full tilt, and was amazed at what I saw.

My second wow came when I attended Mr. Duffy's Spirit camp in 1999 and got to meet Mr. C for the first time. That camp was a great experience, I got to meet a great friend you all know as JBKENPO, Mr. C, and alot of other kenpo seniors.

My third WOW came when I attended Mr. C's IKKO camp in April of this year. I saw kenpo the way Mr. C teaches it. I met alot of great people, OZman, Jason Farnsworth, D Shell, and some of Mr. C's students. Actually, I said WOW a bunch of times that weekend.

Gary Catherman, Kenpoist.

 

[Chronuss]

My first "wow" was meeting Sensei Seigel at my girlfriend's house. The man was...quite large, and from Karen(girlfriend) telling me he was in Martial Arts, I was like "whoa." She had told him I was studying Tae Kwon Do and that gave him a deer-in-headlights gaze, I guess he was thinking "fresh meat." He and I got to talking and eventually he started showing me some things. He said "Come here Mr. Stewart, I'm going to show you the basics that an orange belt would know." He told me to grab his shirt collar, and me being the easily persauded fool I was did so. Sensei then proceeded to put me into the first hand position and I thought my arm was going to fly off; then I was the one with the deer-in-headlights gaze. Wow number one. Wow number two came about two seconds later when he transitioned into the second hand position. This one felt like he was going to rip my arm off at the shoulder and conk me over my head with it. There weren't actually three wows, but five, he did all five positions on my young dumb:cuss:. That was almost two and half years ago, now the wow's come every tuesday and thursday when we go down the line and I come to Sensei and spar him, counting how many times my head woulda flown off or how many times there would have been a dimpled Chad(had to use the pun) or a Kool Aid man sized hole in the wall.

 

[Quinn-child]

I think I might've seen you, Kirk, but I can't be sure. I'm so sorry, I just saw this post five minutes ago. I'm sorry, I would've loved to meet you. I was an orange belt with Mr Billings's Austin group, if that helps any. Sorry again, dude! Maybe next time

Oos - :asian:
Quinn

 

[kenpo3631]

1. The first time I ever met Mr. Parker...It was at a seminar in Saugus, MA. I was about 15, just a yellow belt at the time. He was demonstrating Lone Kimono and he asked for a volunteer to demonstrate with him. Someone who had just learned the technique. Out of all the people there he picked me! We did the technique, it was awe inspiring....

2. Was in 1989 in my home town of New Bedford. I was a green belt and Mr. Parker was covering "grafting". Well as he was walking around the room while we we were working out, I kinda free-lanced on the technique with "Flashing Mace". Well...as my looping backnuckle was coming up to strike my opponent I caught a glimpse of Mr. Parker...he had been watching me the whole time! I just froze... He smiled at me and gave me a nod, as if to approve of what I was doing. I still feel great everytime I think about that night...

3. When I first called Mr. Wedlake to do a seminar at my studio. I introduced my self by saying "You probably don't remember me but my name is Lance Soares, you sat on my testing board last year" and before I could say anything else, he says "Yeah I remember you, you were the guy doing all the extensions" (that is a story in itself) Well when he came up for the seminar he told everyone in attendance that I was the "shining star" of the test and that he was glad to be at my school to teach. Coming from a first generation student of Mr. Parker was something to be proud of.:asian: