TKD vs. Kenpo

[Han-Mi]

Both styles are completely opposite of each other, so I thought it would be fun to talk about them as a vs. thread. I personally have trained with a friend of my instructor who is a 3rd dan Kenpo instructor and his students, it's a great way to improve your hands. They also get some good range training from it. anyway, a couple questions.

1. Which would you prefer to be well learned in if you could only choose one?
2. Which do you think would win if the fighters were equally good in their own respective arts?
3. Ever heard of the MAists from the two arts having a rivalry with each other throughout the 80's?(my instructor talks about this all the time)

What do y'all think?

 

[phlaw]

1. Which would you prefer to be well learned in if you could only choose one?
2. Which do you think would win if the fighters were equally good in their own respective arts?
3. Ever heard of the MAists from the two arts having a rivalry with each other throughout the 80's?(my instructor talks about this all the time)

What do y'all think?

1. Not sure, I have trained in both, and like them both.

2. Depends on the fighter, not the art. It also depends on what type of TKD, I would probably put a well trained traditional TKD against a Kenpo artist and I think it would be a great fight.

3. No

 

[MJS]

Both styles are completely opposite of each other, so I thought it would be fun to talk about them as a vs. thread. I personally have trained with a friend of my instructor who is a 3rd dan Kenpo instructor and his students, it's a great way to improve your hands. They also get some good range training from it. anyway, a couple questions.

1. Which would you prefer to be well learned in if you could only choose one?

I guess my opinion is gonna be bias, because I've done Kenpo for the past 17yrs. and I'm more than happy with it.

2. Which do you think would win if the fighters were equally good in their own respective arts?

I would think that it would depend on the person, but again, I gotta go with Kenpo.

3. Ever heard of the MAists from the two arts having a rivalry with each other throughout the 80's?(my instructor talks about this all the time)

Nope

Mike

 

[terryl965]

I'll stay with traditional TKD,2nd if they are equal it would most likely be the fasater of the two for speed always wins, 3rd it was'nt the 80's so much as the seventies,people ego's would drive them to challenge anybody and everybody to prove there manhood...GOD BLESS AMERICA

 

[Brother John]

Sorry bro...
but isn't "This art Vs. That art" a little tired of a question?
A: It doesn't matter.
B: It's the Heart of the artist, not the art of the artist that matters.
C: Train in what you want to train in, it just doesn't matter so long as it's a reputable art/system and a good instructor and YOU work hard.




Now that I've preached, let me add this:
I trained in Tae Kwan Do Moo Duk Kwan for over 5 years and had a blast doing it. I did very well at tournaments and such with it. Good memories.

Now I've trained in American Kenpo for over that same amount of time.
So I feel a tad bit qualified to say this:
Kenpo will be more likely to prepare the student for a real physical altercation in which he/she must fight for their life.
BUT: Don't underestimate a TKD student!!! The day you do is the day you sample the taste of their Nike's!!!

Your Brother
John
PS: Interestingly enough, it was my TKD instructor who first turned me on to Kenpo! He loved it and sought out instruction in it whenever he could.

 

[Nightingale]

I've trained in both TKD and Kenpo.

I think it would depend on the quality of the MAist, and whether it was sport or traditional TKD. Both Kenpo and TKD have their strong points.

 

[Zepp]

Both styles are completely opposite of each other,...

Han-Mi, this is your first incorrect assumption right here.

 

[TigerWoman]

I've trained in both TKD and Kenpo.

I think it would depend on the quality of the MAist, and whether it was sport or traditional TKD. Both Kenpo and TKD have their strong points.

I would have to agree. Both Kenpo and TKD are completely different. How hard is it to use both together? This has intrigued me since I got on this forum. But I don't have access to a school to find out. I also agree with Terry. We in TKD are trained in alot of repetition, sprint type exercises, for speed. We also train for hard hitting - breaking, makiwara. But Kenpo people are probably cunning in looking for those openings... On the other hand a well trained TKD fighter...just thinking about my master/instructor who went to nationals and won his division. Haven't seen anybody close to his ability, in either strength, speed or cunning. He knows alot of juijitsu too. Not that this is a my master is better thing...I just think that if the right people match up like in nationals, it would be interesting but possibly bloody... TW

 

[DeLamar.J]

Both styles are completely opposite of each other, so I thought it would be fun to talk about them as a vs. thread. I personally have trained with a friend of my instructor who is a 3rd dan Kenpo instructor and his students, it's a great way to improve your hands. They also get some good range training from it. anyway, a couple questions.

1. Which would you prefer to be well learned in if you could only choose one?
2. Which do you think would win if the fighters were equally good in their own respective arts?
3. Ever heard of the MAists from the two arts having a rivalry with each other throughout the 80's?(my instructor talks about this all the time)

What do y'all think?

From what I have seen from both Kenpo and TKD, a good Kenpo fighter would destroy and equally good TKD fighter IMO. Because Kenpo is just way more practical, if your talking about real fighting and not point fighting. Every good Kenpo fighter I have known are VERY good with there hands. And alot of people may not agree, but hand techniques are surperior over kicks. They are faster, less risky, able to knock a person out in a single blow just as kicks are, you can throw 5, 6, or 7 punch combinations effectively. Kicks have there place! and are also very deadly. But you have to keep someone at the proper distance to use them. It is also very hard to prevent a skilled puncher from closing the gap, seems almost impossible sometimes, although its not.
Its hard to answer a question like this because a TKD fighter could have a better strategy and mindset for the fight and prevail over a kenpo fighter. But saying for instance they are both equally skilled in there arts and neither have surperior strategy or expierience, I would say the techniques of Kenpo are more practical and would win the fight. The TKD fighter would have surpeirior kicks no doubt, but he better have some knowledge of how to defend against someone punching at there face at what seems to be lightning fast. A Kenpo artist would close the gap, shut down the kicking abillity of the TKD fighter, and pummel them with hand techniques. :boxing:

 

[Nightingale]

I couldn't integrate the two and completely abandoned what I learned in TKD in favor of kenpo. I'll still throw in a flashy kick or two in my katas every so often, but that's pretty much it.

 

[Zepp]

Ya know, at least in the CMA forum, they had the sense to ask about what kind of tactics and techniques you would use, instead of just asking another "who would win" or "which is better" question. This is part of what I posted there:

...you're still falling into that same old trap of assumptions about how a TKDist fights. Not all of us train at McDojo's or train for the Olympics and nothing else. (Though at times I know it seems like it.)

Let me say that a competent TKDist can strike with mutiple surfaces of each of his limbs from all ranges. That includes in close, and on the ground. He also knows how to break out of simple (at least) grabs and holds, as well as how to not get grabbed effectively in the first place. He's not going to throw kicks to the head while his opponent is in a position to take advantage of his raised leg. If he does kick high, it'll likely be when his opponent can't see it, or at least, isn't expecting any kind of kick above the belt. (If you're a female TKDist, please read the above paragraph as though he = she.)

 

[Michael Billings]

Done both, 3 years of TKD right before starting Kenpo ... 25 years ago. Guess that answers it for me. But I do not dis TKD, as it has a lot to offer in terms of balance, power, focus, flexibility, etc. The curriculum is just a lot more limited than Kenpo, not necessarily a bad thing ... just a thing.

-Michael

 

[kenpo tiger]

I've trained in both. As to which is better, have to agree with Brother John once again. You get from it what you put into it.

I think a good fighter is one who thinks and applies all of his skills where best suited. KT

 

[satans.barber]

From my own experience, TKD is primarly legs based, and hence legs range (super long, long and medium range) and Kenpo is primarily (though less biased than TKD) hands range, which is medium, short and super short range.

I am a kenpoist and I know kenpoists who have foughts TKD'ers. They simply closed the distance while the first impractically flashy kick was being executed and annihilated them with hands. Members of our club have been disqualified from open MA fights (in this case Kenpo vs TKD) for basically battering the TKD fighters!

In all honesty, I see TKD as a sport, not a defence art. That's fine, it's valid, it's fun, it's a martial art, it has history and kudos and I@m not discounting it ... but against an fast striking art that's designed to drop an opponent in as little time as possible, my £5 is on kenpo every time.

I am, of course, completely biased

Live and let live,

Ian.

 

[jfarnsworth]

I would have to agree. Both Kenpo and TKD are completely different

Yes, somewhat but eventually we all go back to the same basics.

How hard is it to use both together?

I wanted to respond to your post and not the originator of the thread. This comment lies within the individual M.A.ist. As many a people have said before you'll leave the art long before it'll leave you. If anyone has ever seen me fight personally they'll tell you that my style closely resembles that of a TKD fighter. This is what was taught to me from my very first class. I did not abandon my kicking style or my ability to kick. However I do not practice the kicking aspect anywhere near as much as I used to. Some of the nonesense kicks I've definately left behind yrs. ago in favor of my personal fav's. I was only in TKD for close to 5.5 years and left to pursue the kenpo system after viewing only 1 1hr. Kenpo lesson. It's been 10yrs. & I haven't looked back since. :asian:

This has intrigued me since I got on this forum. But I don't have access to a school to find out. I also agree with Terry. We in TKD are trained in alot of repetition, sprint type exercises, for speed. We also train for hard hitting - breaking, makiwara. But Kenpo people are probably cunning in looking for those openings...

I think I may have answered in the above paragraph.

 

[TigerWoman]

From what I have seen from both Kenpo and TKD, a good Kenpo fighter would destroy and equally good TKD fighter IMO. Because Kenpo is just way more practical, if your talking about real fighting and not point fighting. Every good Kenpo fighter I have known are VERY good with there hands. And alot of people may not agree, but hand techniques are surperior over kicks. They are faster, less risky, able to knock a person out in a single blow just as kicks are, you can throw 5, 6, or 7 punch combinations effectively. Kicks have there place! and are also very deadly. But you have to keep someone at the proper distance to use them. It is also very hard to prevent a skilled puncher from closing the gap, seems almost impossible sometimes, although its not.
Its hard to answer a question like this because a TKD fighter could have a better strategy and mindset for the fight and prevail over a kenpo fighter. But saying for instance they are both equally skilled in there arts and neither have surperior strategy or expierience, I would say the techniques of Kenpo are more practical and would win the fight. The TKD fighter would have surpeirior kicks no doubt, but he better have some knowledge of how to defend against someone punching at there face at what seems to be lightning fast. A Kenpo artist would close the gap, shut down the kicking abillity of the TKD fighter, and pummel them with hand techniques. :boxing:

I had to disagree with you on some points. We don't do ANY point sparring in our school during class. Distance is not needed to do a crescent or round kick to the head. We do a lot of hand techniques which include punching, knife, elbow strikes, knee, etc depending on how deadly you want to go. We are not necessarily offensive, many are more defensive fighters. The Kenpo artist would have to come in somehow, and the TKDo'ers legs would stop that. (unless he or she is unusually short ) TW

 

[Nightingale]

we seem to have quite a few kenpoists who started with TKD and then moved to kenpo as their main art. are there any TKDers who started with kenpo and then switched to TKD as their primary art?

 

[Rob Broad]

In the late 80's or early 90's there was a good article in one of TKD magazines about how Kenpo compliments TKD and helps round out the practioner.

 

[jfarnsworth]

we seem to have quite a few kenpoists who started with TKD and then moved to kenpo as their main art. are there any TKDers who started with kenpo and then switched to TKD as their primary art?

Probably some but not very many would be my guess. :asian:

 

[rmcrobertson]

Well...other things being roughly equal (time in training, height, weight, age, condition, etc.), the TKD fella would get their head handed to them.

The notion that TKD kicks would easily keep somebody in kenpo away...well, a few years back, I saw a Dodger game in which a pitcher tried a jump roundhouse kick to keep away an angry first baseman.

The kicker ended up on his face, with the first baseman cross-checking his shoulders and seriously considering a punch to the base of the skull...from which he backed off, good for him.

Among the reasons this would happen is that there doesn't seem to be anything in TKD that isn't in kenpo, and a great deal in kenpo that isn't in TKD. It does indeed make a difference what art you study...but then again, anybody in the right mind would rather have a good TKD teacher than a poor kenpo teacher.

Of course, if you had a really crappy kenpo student vs. a really crappy TKD student, who knows. And then too, one of the funniest things I ever saw in movies was the scene in, "Perfect Weapon," in which Jeff Speakman takes out James Lew....as if.