I started training in Kenpo on 11/22/20. I can't say if it works or not yet. I am very out of shape truck driver. Body of a god(Buda). I'm doing it to improve myself. My balance and mobility have improved greatly over the past 2 months. Earn my yellow belt yesterday. (2/9/21) im here for life.
Dedication bro. So your big. Cardio is key. We need to take care of our temple. Not preaching, just saying. Stick with it. Your success is in your hands bro. I'm here to. Help. Lol. God bless
My favorite Kenpo joke...how many Kenpoists does it take to screw in a lightbulb? 100 1 to screw in the bulb and 99 to say that's not how Mr. Parker showed them.
I love the language analogy. When I was teaching Kung Fu, I broke down the curriculum into different portions. The first was just "Basics," the kicks, punches, and stances. When people would criticize, I always told them that if Kung Fu was a new language, the Basics were the alphabet. Sure, you never sit down and recite the ABC's as a part of an actual conversation, but without them you're never going to write a book or even a letter.
Ed Parker referred to them as the Alphabet of motion, then sentences of motion. He structured it this way, I just look at it slightly differently. What he called the ABC's I think of as words. He considered a "Front Kick" a letter of the alphabet. I think it's a word made of letters (part of the foot kicked with, pointing toes back, chambering leg...I would consider the letters that make the word).
I like how in what I do, we learn reactions and go with it because it teaches what to look for when in combat and also every sequence isn't repeated but will be done again in the future without realizing it. Nobody knows what's going to happen in a fight and how it's going to go down. Sport fighting isn't life or death but I respect it because of their workouts that I think traditional and reality should incorporate into their particular style or system and they could do damage still in a fight especially if the other guy knows nothing and only nothing because I've seen MMA guys get beaten bad by a tough street fighter who is just violent and violence wins each and every time in the real world.
I was bullied in school, small kid . My dad sent me to a Ed Parker’s dojo in Salem OR. ( this was the late 70’s) The foundations and confidence it gave me was immeasurable. They taught me how to take some really hard hits and have confidence in my skill set . A fight I got into afterword didn’t use a set combination I had been taught , but a stitched together combination of soft tissue strikes that ended the fight and ended up getting me a week of detention. Unfortunately my dad had to transfer jobs and I had to leave before I could get my green belt . Much of what you learn with kenpo early on is conceptual and that probably frustrates people looking for that let’s go to ground mma experience. It’s funny, before mma became big we were blasted for not using enough kicks , so kenpo has always had its detractors . I’ve since studied a few other styles , jujitsu and shotokan, as well as classes in the army , but feel like my kenpo foundation taught me more about controlling your battle space, strike placement, and proper reaction to threat .
13 years after leaving my hometown kenpo dojo, in the self defense part of a judo belt test, they told me to react to attackers and include a throw; I reacted with kenpo sentences. They were like, Holy crap, we’re all friends here.
Had almost the exact opposite situation play out at a Shuri Te Karate school I was just starting out in. They were doing a self-defense drill against a wild haymaker, looked pretty cool. It was my turn and I didn't know the sequence. They knew I had BJJ experience and told me to do what I would do. I asked if my partner knew how to fall. Got him with a neat little sweep sequence that left me mounted on top and ready for ground and pound. They were like "whoa whoa whoa! Show me that again." It was pretty rad.
From So FL. As a personal student of Mr Parker for over 10 years and as a fighting Coach along with Joe Lewis, I will say that he didn't care how great your technique demo's were. It was about your actual fighting and sparring abilities. He felt competition is what advances an art. Too many Scholars, not enough Warriors. Salute.
I've heard your name mentioned many times over the last few decades Mr. Elmore. Master Sean Kelley is my "big" brother and I was lucky enough to witness SGM Parker and Master Lewis during this time you speak of (I was only a teenager)
i was a student of frank trejo here in Pasadena ca, at Ed Parker Kenpo Studio...i would of love to see someone tell frank trejo Kenpo does not work back in the day..lol..he was also one good boxer..he showed me kenpo moves with boxing and made it work in street fighting..R.I.P frank..
Yes, sparring is key. 7th degree Kenpo black belt Fred Ettish found out the hard way, in the early UFCs, that sparring is needed. To his credit, Fred Ettish incorporated sparring in his Kenpo.
@@tone-np2mf Damn, he was awesome, did a few seminars with him, also had a beer with him in early 90's, he was with Planas, and Wedlake. The guy was a badass, great teacher, and funny as hell also. Rest in peace Mr Trejo.🙏
I have taught Kenpo for fifty years. I have used it several times in my life to defend myself. I have black belts in Tracy and American Kenpo. I like American Kenpo better and I teach that. Kenpo works! I am 5'2", slim and small skeletal system. I teach only fifty ground techniques that will get you off the ground right away. Do not wrestle on the ground---it's dangerous ! I only teach privately now; I never teach kids. To learn and improve and effective moves, as an instructor, only teach adults. I am still very limber and the reason for that is because of American Kenpo self defense moves . Practice Kenpo techs and when your old, you will still be very limber and fast. Sifu Puyallup, WA
I studied Hapkido for 13 years and was always taught to respect and learn from other styles. Ed Parkers name was spoken with major respect and reverence in our school. He was "the real deal", as my master said. Much respect to you for this honest and clarifying explanation. The American Kenpo school in my hometown is run by Master Roger Fife and I've found him to be an exemplary example of what a true martial artist should be.
I took Hapkido, and it has about a hundred “wrist-grab” techniques. You know, the grab my wrist scenario. How can you possibly apply this in a real fight? “Can you grab my wrist?” Lol
I used to take shotokan karate as a kid. Im 30 years old now and looking for a martial arts class again. There seems to be a kenpo school in my area and I am excited to get started after I recover from surgery
Being a Kenpo teacher myself,Most of the material and strikes used in our self-defense have been practically effective for me it’s just at the sequence and series of the flow may be different
@ZYX74 what I like about kenpo is it's rich in combinations. To make it more effective in the streets is all about adapting or modifying the techniques taught in dojo. The opponent of course won't just stand there and let you hit him. You can add a punch or a kick supposed to be used by an opponent-one or more. This means modifying or varying a technique.
Great explanation of the principles of Ed Parker's Kenpo. In my style, my sensei incorporated elements of Kajukenbo to our self-defense drills. And since both Kenpo and Kajukenbo branch from the same root, I see a lot of similarities to what we used to do. Funny thing, the Kajukenbo grab arts, rotations (punch defenses), club and knife defenses that my sensei added were not part of my core style -- it was something he added on his own. But they weren't actually accurate Kajukenbo techniques -- which I discovered when researching that art on RUclips.
"Does Kenpo suck?" Answer: nope, I've used such methods to protect myself - no I didn't use 20 techniques, I only needed a few, sometimes only 1 technique. On/Off I grew up with real violence and I learned to enjoy it! My motto is: "adapt or die" - Kenpo/Kempo (all systems) constantly adapt. I'm gonna tell you right now: anything can work if you have that mentality: "I'm gonna just wreck anyone who tries me" - it's really that simple. Much respect to you Mr. Dan! 👊🥋
I did kenpo and it works for those who train to protect themselves and love ones. And yes from like 50 techniques, about 5 will take out the individual out of the fight
Like Bruce Lee said,"Be Like Water" & "There is no opponent" Perfect words to live by if you're a fighter, MMA, kick boxer etc. I totally agree with you guys. I took KENPO when I was about 13 or 14 years old and I loved it! Our instructor taught us the basics and then he instructed us to forget the basics of KENPO. It was quite puzzling. He told us to forget the basics because now he is going to teach us how to fight. REALLY FIGHT. So, we basically learned how to weave KENPO into street fighting. Those of us that already knew how to fight struggled at little at first, but in the end it all came together.
@@mrmachine5632Like I often say: it's not the style, it's the practitioner. I spent a great deal of my time pressure testing and sparring, when someone got violent with me, I trashed them - so no it wasn't a waste of my time. My training payed off and that's all that matters - it works for me and I don't give a rat's ass about your opinion of Kenpo.
I am 50 years old and stopped Shaolin Kempo after 34 years in 2018. The sad reason is because my teacher who is my father, passed away in 2017. He was also inspired by Shorinji kempo. My father's background as being a street fighter and been a bouncer he learned us how become dynamically by moving and being attacked with only more than one punch. It is certainly effective from a self defense aspect. Repeating a lot stores the techniques unconsciously. But training for the unexpected is impossible .The best kickboxers, may thai en MMA fighters do have a traditional martial art background. One cannot distinguish the martial art styles in all style semi contact tournament. Even the shaolin kempo tournaments allow ground fights. Hundred days after my father passed away, our talented student became world champion in Lissabon in 2017 Shaolin kempo. About fourty years ago, sometimes he got called by the police that his students had to apply it. So, what do you think ? But what a disrespect a lot of BJJ students express to the traditional arts on RUclips.
I saw a video of Fred Villari teeping a person's hip to get them off balance. I good finisher would be to use a muay thai roundhouse kick to break a person's knee after a teep to the hip. I think most martial arts are classified as traditional by the way. Some modern martial arts are really lousy because they steal techniques from traditional martial arts and basically teach the same material, but in a lousy manner due to rehash and not being highly ranked in traditional martial arts. Some martial artist took some blocking techniques from muay thai and designed a system based on these techniques; however, he isn't very good at muay thai.
I study Mugai Ryu one of the oldest styles listed as a Kenpo. Akido Judo jujitsu kenjitsu iaijitsu is all 1 system. My uncle studied under ed parker but my father studied under William Cheung... I can't say I know American Kenpo but I do know Koryu Kenpo and I would say that Speakman's Kenpo is legit.
It does make a big difference, if you can control a zone, even for a second, it creates a lot of opportunity. If you can cancel their height, their weight is usually too far forward or lower and they won't be able to kick from that position. If you're able to cancel their width, they aren't able to hit you with their rear hand (at least for that moment). If you can toggle between them you can do some serious damage. Of course though, it's not as easy as just saying it...doing it is another story. I did a Kenpo tech sitting down once...at a Karate tournament ironically, a guy what was with our group watching kept trying to start something and was on the bleacher in front of me. He kept reaching back at me and at one point he got my shirt. From my sitting position I pinned his hand and used the armbar taught in Crossing Talon (what you see me demonstrating in the video), and he lurched forward towards the bleacher (he used his rear hand to stop his face from hitting the surface). He tried to sit up, I wouldn't let him, he tried to spin on me to use his other hand...I wouldn't let him. At that moment I controlled both his height and width. I only let him up when he agreed to knock it off and that was the end of that.
@@ArtofOneDojo that’s pretty cool. Interesting how different arts place emphasis on different concepts. I think it would be cool to hear more about these types of concepts from different martial arts.
@@ArtofOneDojo the only time I ever had to use kenpo was in college. I was at a frat party and a guy got too handsy. He pushed me down and I was flat on my back, but somehow the second half of Hooking Wings came out and I whacked his nose, elbowed his chin, and clawed his eyes while his hands were "busy". It stunned him enough for me to push him off and get away. I'd like to think I broke his nose, but I never saw him again. I was only a purple belt at the time too. Great video!
@@christophervelez1561 Part of the problem is that you wont likely hear anything about that as most systems or "other martial Arts" don't really "teach" this concept/principle as such. The traditional arts are "mimicry" based and rely on years and years of training to become proficient enough to then attempt to look at any principles. Not meant to be a rant or dis on any system or art, just the facts.
I only got up to a 2nd degree orange belt as a teen in the 90s but even then we had classes where a random student would attack you and you had to defend in any way you could think of.
I remember Keith Hackney in the 2nd UFC fight were he fought Emmanuel Yarborough a 660lb sumo wrestler and his Kenpo strikes not only knocked him down and knocked his teeth out. And I believe that Royce Gracie stated that when Hackney punched him it was one of the hardest strikes he ever felt. Kenpo works..
...where he lost to a *much* smaller bjj practitioner. It works, but its not the most efficient or effective way to fight imo. Ive studied both arts. Said with love lol
@@TheRealLazyEntrepreneur kenpo techniques incorporate so well with judo because it teaches to attack your opponents attacks defensively. That gives opportunity to grab your attacker and use their aggression against them. Much like Bruce Lee once said, to be like water......
I’m starting Kenpo Karate classes again this week! I’ve previously have dabbled into Kenpo but I never made it as far as a purple belt, because quite honestly I don’t think I had the motivation as a kid as much as I do now 😂. I’m super excited to start again and I definitely plan to perceiver more this time around!
I’m a rookie to Kenpo. But loving it so far. Our sensei does a good job of showing us what if scenarios. I love the way you say it’s a sentence that makes sense
I've been training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for 17 years and got my black belt in 2014. There is a Kenpo studio just a few minutes walk from my BJJ gym so I decided to give it a shot. That was 6 months ago and I'm still doing it. I'm still very much a beginner but I'm enjoying the training and I'm glad I decided to beginning cross training in Kenpo.
I like how Kenpo encourages students to think in "what if?" scenarios. The first martial art I took didn't encourage that and I think that stunted my growth as a fighter for a while.
@@echofoxtrotwhiskey1595 i don't know why you think no one gets knocked out with one punch. I know a few that have, if you keep thinking it can't happen you just might find out you're wrong.
@Hold Fast 1. I’m never trying to deliberately knock out my training partners. 2. All you have to do is look at punches thrown vs knockouts to realize that throwing a one punch knockout in isolation is statistically improbable.
Great to see the clip of Mr. Mitchell in there. Trained with him for years and learned so much. Currently training BJJ to round out my ground fighting self-defense, but the principles of kenpo still apply and I still work my forms and techniques. Great content!!
@@paulz4667 agreed and if someone doesn't know or has not lived a lifestyle of art, then one should know better since it takes years to master an art. The respect should be mutual. It can make one look foolosh when one doesn't know.
I've been an Ed Parker's Kenpo practitioner since 1978. Teaching the art was always beneficial to me as well as the students. I learn anything useful I can from other martial arts. Be well ✌🏻
You pretty much summed it up well. I'm a 3rd Dan in TKD and I've been involved with some Kenpo in the past and am currently back in a Kenpo school to broaden my knowledge. My experience has shown me what you're saying to be true. The technique line has it's purpose, to make you think and react and use what you know and can combine to be effective. In the real world you shouldn't be trying to hit someone 20 times and then walk away. You end it as quickly and as efficiently as possible, so as to save energy and get the heck out of the hot spot ASAP. I'm not doing 5 strikes if 3 gets me the distance I need to me and mine out of there. If 1 works then even better. And the same can really be said for any school, spin kicks look cool in the movies and they're fun and effective in tournaments, but the reality is that it's a good way to set yourself up for disaster.
@@CorporaMedicina have you won any legitimate fights? Have you created a style? And of course you’ll say you have won fights, which I don’t believe whatsoever
@@Dogger1230 so if Nico wins a fight, he wins the argument? where are you going with this? Kempo has always been niche and has never shown any real-world or exposure as other sports has, why?
disagree. if you're talking karate, that honor should go to actual karate practitioners such as Gichin Funakoshi (the one who brought Shotokan to Japan), Chojun Miyagi (founder of Goju Ryu), Mas Oyama (founder of Kyokushin), or Motobu Choki (founder of Motobu Ryu which stemmed Wado Ryu). i genuinely do not see the correlation between American Kenpo and Karate.
Undoubtedly Ed Parker's Kempo is one of the most complete catalog of martial arts principles! To the point of almost being overly complicated, but that said it's all there for MMA. Strikes punches hammer fists, elbows, kicks, knees, sweeps, throws, grappling locks and holds, ground and pound, you name it. That said if someone started out in kempo it would be a great stepping stone to any martial art or combat sport, or since most people will actually never need to use it in a real self defense situation or actual fight.
Absolutely! If you've got a good handle of Kenpo, at all levels, any efforts in MMA will be better off for it. I've studied primarily Okinawan forms (Shodan rank in Uechi-Ryu) and a blue belt in Shotokan, as well as about a year of Kung Fu, and Kenpo will definitely be my final home. It has everything you could ever need from the traditional Asian martial arts.
Kempo is awesome. I don’t practice it myself but I incorporate several elements into my own practice. For example: 1. Parker’s understanding of power generation. Such as torque and marriage of gravity. Super important for all striking arts. Marriage of gravity (also known as falling steps) is what keeps me from bouncing off of people when I strike. 2. In Parker’s first book (Law of the Fist and Empty Hand) he shows how movements usually associated with blocking can actually be used as strikes. The common maxium is “there are no blocks.” 3. Larry Tatum’s kempo videos are extremely comprehensive (although somewhat dated). They helped me fix very basic kicks and body mechanics that I didn’t realize sucked. 4. The knife self defense expert James Keating trained under Ed Parker. Most knife training available in the USA has been touched by Keating in some way. Thus Parker influenced the real world self defense crowd as well. 5. The self defense techniques are composed of fundamental martial arts motions. So it’s cool to see how different styles approach and build on these same movements. For example: five swords in bagua is a combination of the single palm change with phoenix spreads its wings. In Arnis five swords is essentially heaven six sinawali. Research kempo guys.
I have trained with Larry Tatum and his application of principles in real time is unreal. People who trained directly with Mr. Parker just move differently
So basically, when you're taught back breaker, two snakes, or even leap of death, what you're being taught is no different than learning a 1-2-3 in boxing. You learn the pattern, then you learn how to "see" the fight as different variables kick in, then you finally learn to "adapt" your combination. THAT'S how you use kenpo and THAT'S why it works
@@tjl4688 is a jab or reverse punch not also a technique used in kenpo? Is not a front or roundhouse kick as well? Or even a side kick? The flow of the fight changes and you adapt. And kenpo has adapted. Now the technique sequences theoretically can be used in sparring should someone decide to use them. Is not a side step into a punch combination not the same as say....the beginning of dance of death
My favorite Ed Parker quote (paraphrased) is “Every punch can be a block or a grab and every step can be a kick or a trip”. He was challenging students to consider variations. It’s one of the reasons I like kenpo. Video request: talk about Bruce Tegner? His books were a staple when I was young and dinosaurs walked the Earth.
Recently earned my Yellow Belt in Kara-Ho Kempo. This is the channel that got me back into martial arts and started a fascination with Kempo. So keep up the great work, it makes a difference.
I love how you explain the different ways that a missed movement or not being accurate leads to different moves you can use and make your own in a fight. Love all the kenpo moves mr. Dan! Have you ever collaborated with jeff speakman and or met him?
A very good synopsis of our marital art... The video of Mr. Parker is my personal favorite and I often reference it for students. I see by your videos you workout with mutual friends and when I get to Florida soon, I hope we can get together and exchange ideas... thanks for the video.
I have found after 40 years that folks who think forms don't teach fighting, either don't understand their forms or they fight completely differently than what is taught in their forms. And by the way everybody does forms, it's just a matter of how long the form is. Even if it is one technique that is thrown repeatedly into a bag, you are still doing a form.
Even BJJ drills, repetition of escapes and reversals done over and over are pretty much the same concept as a Kenpo tech or form. It teaches the flow and how the moves work in combination. Isn't always going to happen that exact way each time but if you are learning the flow and transition then you are learning the same general idea.
@@ArtofOneDojo yes, because actually making something work against another human body is comparable to daydreaming in empty space...or should we call what you do dancing without a partner? someone turn on "I got the power!" Art of McDojo is going to bust a move!
@@WagonWheeI If you're not practicing against another person then it's not a good school. That's regardless of the art. It's clear you haven't been inside a real Kenpo school. Go to 5.0 school and tell me if the hits feel like daydreaming.
I know that's going to be a lot of questions.. what Mr Dan is doing is fantastic not only with this site but also with his training he is being crossed trained other martial arts that is important for every person that does classify their sales as a martial artist... this is to inform you and to let you know that different martial arts can work together you do not have to have the standard template for everything... my martial arts Journey started when I was 8 years old Japanese Wado ryu karate combination of karate and jiu-jitsu.. my instructor close down his school when I got my first degree black belt and went back to Tokyo graduated from Vanderbilt University with this degree in architectural engineering I discovered Kenpo Karate Ed parker system. I was 11 years old I fell in love with the system after two years they closed up and went to Vegas they was former bodyguards for Elvis Presley..I started Okinawan shorin.ryu karate I have been involved in that for 23 years now also daito.ryu aiki.jujitsu..tenjin shinto ryu jutsu and kito ryu jujitsu. And kodokan Judo.. I'm a graduate of the United States Naval Academy so I had to take up boxing is called regimentals enjoyed that so much it's also introduced to the Filipino Martial Arts Academy I started teaching well I was a student at the Academy Okinawan shorin.ryu karate..in have been in to and have ranking the the following system.. of Okinawan uechi ryu karate and isshin ryu karate..korean hwarang do and hapikido...Chinese hung gar for 6 years..Chinese san soo ... which is simply street fighting ..wing chun for 5 years now and still studying. And chin na ... I was trained by the gurkhas of Nepal boar bando..in the Filipino sayoc kali. And Pekiti tirsa kali.. panan.data.. which means fighting with weapons of opportunity..Panantukan.. which is Filipino dirty boxing.. and a Filipino tribe kalang.dumog..and sun.kwaun. when I was stationed in Indonesia I got into pentchak silat.. Russian combat sambo..muay.boran.. being at the Wingate institution in Tel Aviv I got introduced to Israeli Commando Krav Maga..and lotar.system and kapap... anybody can learn traditional martial arts if you just want to Now Grant you my life depended on knowing different thing.. please explore other martial arts to add to your toolbox
Anyone making comments regarding the fast hands or any other techniques saying they won't work, are not even worth explaining to. They are not seasoned martial artists. And their lame opinion of "that coreographed move won't work on the street" would apply to EVERY martial art🙄. But this post is a good explanation anyway.
I love the idea of SGM Parker of tailoring the art. I'm a disabled veteran and new to American kenpo although I've doing martial arts since age 11. Thank you for re introducing the art to me.
I was taught..you learn the self defense techniques to learn how to fight...not to learn how to fight with the techniques. Or to quote Bruce Lee...learn the technique, become the technique and dissolve the technique. That really applies to almost everything we learn.
Mixed with my study of Aikido, Kenpo has helped me through my life of confrontations. I am 71 and first met Mr. Parker at Tracy's in Menlo Park in 1966 when I was a senior in high school. I'll never forget EVERYTHING he said. It was amazing. So I can comfortably say that at my age, what I was taught has worked very well for me. I have never lost a battle, never received a bad blow, and have delivered my share and walked away. Thank you Mr. Parker!
I'm jealous. I wish I had the opportunity to meet him. He passed away in 90 and I started training in 93. I had JUST learned who he was but his death was still fresh so his name still had a lot of presence in the schools.
Ed Parker was a creative leader in the martial arts world, and one to be fully appreciated. Even though thousands of years have passed with known great martial teachers, it is very nice to see that this could still happen in our lifetime with him and a couple of others. Haven’t really seen anyone emerge as of late but I have hopes it will once again happen. Hopefully in my lifetime.
The issue I have with a lot of the multiple strike stuff they do is that the target always stands still, when the point seems to be learning to flow and chain techniques together it seems strange that the target doesn't move or try to counter mid flow.
@Jake Collins This is it, I agree that drilling is good but until someone's moving.and trying to counter then it's pointless if you can't adjust. I can kick fairly hard on a stationary heavy bag but landingnon a moving target with the same accuracy and power is so much harder. This is where feints and setups come in, as I say I like the chaining techniques so you can go from one to the other to the other but they need more realism as the person gets more adept.
@Jake Collins I couldn't agree with you more, part of it is the more physical aspect of the training is hard work and involves getting bruised up and knocked about a bit. There's nothing wrong with them teaching concepts but without trying to apply them to a resisting person it's about as effective as someone trying to learn to drive just from a book.
@@ArtofOneDojo nice i watched a few of his dvds online seems like a nice guy , there's only one thing that that i don't get about 10dan kenpo. i thought ed parker was the only one that could have that rank
@@darknoob1894 ahhh...THAT is a source of heavy politics within the system, and there's more involved to it than I even know. When I first started back in 1993, that WAS the idea...Mr. Parker had passed 3 years prior and the idea was no one would go above 9 in his honor. I don't even know the full story but I have heard snippets of instructors that promoted themselves to 10th (even skipping ranks) because if they didn't do it first, someone else would. Also, some got their black belt belt in Kenpo and then "branched off" and took Kenpo, added a handful of their own techniques and called it a new system and granted themselves Grandmaster and put on a 10 degree belt...despite having 5 years or so in the arts. I don't know specifics but I've heard a lot of stories like this and honestly it goes against what the martial arts are supposed to be teaching. That being said, there ARE some 10th degrees that I fully believe embody the rank. Mr. Tatum is one, Grandmaster Michael Robert Pick, and several others I feel DO represent the rank.
I thank you for this video. I trained for about 8 years under Mr. Jim Mitchel, beginning in the early 80's. I smiled WIDELY, as I saw him in the opening of this video. I stopped my Kenpo training after I had moved in 1987, away from the San Diego area. This was primarily due to lack of QUALIFIED instruction. Other "kempo" schools and instruction didn't meet my expectations, as a 2nd Degree Black. My estimation is that they had self promoted themselves because their knowledge seemed to stop at about Green Belt. I experienced this at, probably, 5 or 6 different schools. My biggest takeaway from Kenpo, is that it teaches one to USE WHAT WORKS FOR YOU!!! Like Mr. Parker used to say, "You can't teach a one armed man a left-right combination." But I've come to learn that if that same man knows a "pinning check"; can execute a "stance change" from standing to a "wide kneel", while simultaneously delivering an "outward sword hand" strike...he may be okay.
You are an excellent teacher and presentor. I admire your honest critic of your style. It would be an honor to train under you. Keep up the good work. You sparked an interest in me learn more about Kenpo. Thank you, Sir.
Hi, I've really enjoyed your video. I'm a kenpoist from long ago and stopped training because of university. After a few attempts to practice another martial arts I was aware of possible kenpo limitations and thought that I've lost a ton of effort learning some sort of ineffective martial art and decided to make my own way by learning Judo, BJJ and Aikido. BUT I've recently contacted my favorite kenpo instructor and realized I didn't fully understood the style and there is no boundaries at all. Kenpo teaches self defense by concepts and templates, right as you mentioned the actual defenses are not designed to be copied but to be learned and analyzed. After all, it was pretty much like any other discipline, you have to make your own path that fit to you. Now I'm just about to apply for the 3rd Kyu and ready to keep going with this thought in mind. Kenpo is a style and the dojo is a place, whatever I take from those is up to me, and nothing stops me from learning from other sources if I feel I need to. Judging kenpo by MMA fights is like judging a hammer by his inability to cut like a saw.
Having learned some Kenpo at an early age, but mostly focused on Kung-Fu and some Judo, the way you break it down just seems like the common sense way to teach *any* martial art. Well done, you!
Kempo does work for self defense, people don’t understand timing, distance, applications and concepts. The techniques are designed to teach those things. A boxer does not just throw punches. They have training drills. Kempo techniques are training drills.people should not criticize what they don’t understand and call themselves a black belt.
He trained in a place called The Pit, I believe they're Hawaiian Kempo. Also as much as everyone loves Chuck Liddell, I would never recommend fighting like he did. The guy was tough, but he took way to much punishment in his fights and relied on his chin and power.
@@echofoxtrotwhiskey1595 The concept is the same with different curriculum from preference... both systems create efficient masters... they also both had the same original beginning: James Mitose
@@elo1031 More along the lines of William Chow. Mr. Parker and Mr. Adriano were classmates together under Chow and both branched off from there and did their own thing. They are different branches of the same tree :)
Dude I support you 100% I don’t do kenpo but I think if it were to come to it you could hold your own. I’ve seen so many videos of people talking crap about kenpo aikido and some other arts. I personally trained karate, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and wrestled in high school. One art I think I want to do is aikido and I don’t care what anyone says.
I say create and flow. This was a good description and best I’ve seen in Kenpo, your ARE the art the style is showing efficient options. The rest is up to you . Love that you sir are still adapting creating years later. Peace.
The simplistic reasons of why kenpo "sucks" can be applied to literally every martial art, or even every sport. One could say, "basketball sucks because a defender won't just stand there and let you shoot." Well duh, it's called practice, and mastering the speed and mechanics of the movement. I like kenpo because it's sophisticated.
I gotta disagree man, there is plenty of proof of the combat effectiveness of other sports like boxing, kickboxing etc. Having said that as an art and for choreography and for fun kenpo is great. But for self defence, the opportunity cost of all that time spent on techniques is where the art falls down - for instance in kickboxing that time is spent drilling combinations. Having said that the sparring element can be quite good (when I did kenpo we used to do hard sparring).
@@trevanhatch8717 I do agree kenpo can have some great elements for self defence. When I did Kenpo we used to do some great continuous hard sparring (which, while not very good for your brain - I'd regularly have lumps and sometimes would fall asleep in school the next day 🤣). However, I personally feel that less emphasis on the techniques (or maybe having less of them, idk) and more on padwork would make it more effective. I think continuous sparring in competition would also be good (rather than pointsparring). P.s. thanks for your civil reply 😀 I'm glad we can have different opinions but have a nice discussion about it.
I (and eventually my father and two siblings) studied American Kenpo YEARS ago in Central Massachusetts and while I've thankfully never had to practice in real life, the discipline and thought patterns involved had a lasting impact on how I act and see the world. Seriously considering getting back in.
Ever since I was a kid I was fascinated by Kenpo but never was able to train it. And with the BJJ/NHB/MMA revolution of the late 90’s and 2000’s, a lot of the ‘traditional arts’ called karate were seriously overlooked. But now as an older man, I’d really like to give Kenpo a try and supplement is with actual self-defense Grappling rather than sport BJJ…
Amazing video! I've been watching a lot of your videos to brush up on the Art of Kenpo and fill in my lack of understanding when it comes to history and the different lineages! I'm about 2 months away from testing for my first degree black belt in Chinese Kenpo Karate, which my sensei derived from the Tracy School of Kenpo. Thank you for making such awesome and informative videos! Your work and contribution to the martial arts world is appreciated and noted in the day and age of the internet for sure! 🙏🏻
Grandmaster Ip Man, once said that real Kung fu isn’t pretty and neat, it’s ugly and effective. In boxing and jui-jitsu you drill techniques against a cooperative partner and you take your time to make sure it’s as technically perfect as possible. Because when it’s time to do it for real against a live opponent, i.e. an uncooperative partner, the technique may not be pretty and perfect but it will be effective, and that is the end goal. I saw in an interview where William Zabka aka Johnny Lawrence, said that Pat Morita once gave him some Mr. Miyagi like advice. He told him when he’s rehearsing he’s gotta give it 110%, that way when the cameras are rolling it’s like bread and butter! I think a very similar mentality applies to martial arts training. Practice technique to be perfect and a continuous flow with no pauses or stutter steps. That way when it counts or “the cameras are rolling, it’s like bread and butter.”
Thank you. I have my green belt in Kempo. I found that everything I learned did not translate into real life situations (e.g. , I mentored former students I taught as a teacher in North Richmond, CA. )There was a local street gang recruiting fellow students. There was shooting/killing throughout the city. I was often dead tired due to working 2-3 jobs. When confronted with bad situations I would think about protecting my mentees, but forget all of the punching attacks/grab arts/katas to possibly use -should the multiple groups of men in the neighborhood turn hostile. I want to look into taking Tim Larkin’s Target Focus Training live in Las Vegas in 2024. Your video helps me rethink what to do in bad situations .
I have a friend who’s a Kickboxing champion of the 80’s and has his own Boxing, Muay Thai, Kickboxing, & MMA Gym. When my 2nd daughter was born I asked which is best for me to get my daughters into when they’re ready. Without a doubt he said Kenpo. At age 55+ he had to defend himself of 3 mid 20’s guys and he said his Kenpo training was the one that saved his life. He was in his robe & slippers. So now, I will sign up my daughters to Kenpo soon! Maybe myself & my wife as well.
I made a comment on your last Kempo video about how complicated it seems etc but payed respect to all the kempo universe and I will say OSU to you all. Steven WB Thompson ufc( kempo) Chuck Liddell UFC HOF (kempo) say no more. A lot of narrow minded people criticise other martial arts a true martial artist is open minded,humble, polite and respectful 1st and foremost. How good you are is secondary to how good a person you are
I trained Shaolin Kempo for probably seven years and after stopping and moving to another city found myself wanting to train again. I ended up in Houston's Chinatown training Chen Tai Chi ( the oldest and most obviously martial of tai chi traditions). Once I started learning applications and chin na in the short form, I started recognizing many of the same martial techniques from Kempo. Many of the controls and locks are the same... just done in a softer, more circular way. Proof positive to me that nothing was lost in the transition from China/Okinawa/Japan...through Hawaii and to the States.
There is a reason why Kempo dominated the 90s. They gave you a toolbox and allowed you to create your own proverbial CVT transmission. It gives you the means to switch gears fluidly with a non compliant opponent.
I am a martial artist, my main arts are Pencak Silat and Escrima. I agree with Mr Parker’s take on lessons being applicable, when they become applicable, in other words, you don’t determine your movements or your strikes, your opponent does, period. In Silat we have Djuru’s which are basically “Katas” or “forms” and we piece them together in a “Kembangan” which means “flower dance” to demonstrate from what I understand is piece it all together and make it all one motion or movement. Bruce Lee”s JKD is broken down simply as this, absorb what is useful, and discard what is not. The question is, you don’t know what will work in a fight until you learn what doesn’t work in a real fight, in sparring you can easily see everything you have learned go out the window in seconds, that’s why part of the reason why Kenpo, Silat, Wing Chun, TKD, ect, won’t work in the UFC, the short answer is because the techniques are designed to end the fight, not prolong the fight, IE sport vs real life.The other half of what Bruce would say is ALL, not some or half, but ALL, martial arts have their place and functionality. Kenpo like any other art is functional, it only works if you work it, if you don’t train it, learn it, do it bad, then you can begin to do it right,The Master has failed more times than the student. OSS. 😎
From my experience, my instructors always told me the ideal phase would never work in the street. Just like you are explaining, we formulate based on muscle memory built from repetitive training. This was proven effective during my time working in the prison system...which was definitely more sketchy than the street.
Kenpo fascinates me and it has potential to be truly effective for what it was intended for: genuine close quarters self defense. I think the real problem, with both kenpo instructors and students, is they focus way too much on "gently demonstrating" the techniques on each other. If you practice doing all of your techniques gently against a willing opponent, then that's what you'll be good at. The issue is that it's hard to practice full force eye gouges and groin rips on a willing opponent, you end up without many friends to train with. That's why MMA fighters always seem to come out on top. They ruled out the most deadly strikes and then practice what was left full force. So, that's what they are really damn good at. If you could somehow reach that level of training with Kenpo, which heavily includes maiming techniques in defense, I think the result would be a brutally efficient warrior. But I'm not about to ask my sparing partner to volunteer their eyes for my practice session, so we often lack that unstoppable nature that MMA fighters have.
the gracies already proved this wrong, early in their careers they challenged these "masters" to fights and allowed groin and eye gouges... these "masters" still lost.
@@jaymay7957 You can always pick anecdotal evidence that supports your claim. Chinese and Japanese martial arts developed because they were effective in their time. Yes, a skilled grappler can tangle up someone who is not skilled in dealing with a grappler. It proves nothing. Grappling can be extremely effective as can strikes and there is ample evidence to prove both. Saying that one "master" can defeat another "master" is useless. It's like saying ranch is better than blue cheese.
@@jorgehamel8250There's definitely value in hard sparing, no doubt at all. But I happen to really enjoy point fighting both because it's a fun sport and because I can go to work without a screwed up face the next day.
No kempo schools here but I do remember doing a snap punch to the nose in Muay Thai. They were saying what kind of punch is that. I think every art can learn from each other. Take bite size chunks and make it your own.
most of my fighting arts is concept of traditional kenpo techniques and trust me dude thanks to kenpo, I've been successful in all my fight (sparring, tournaments, AND STREET SELF DEFENSE). However we all have our own different ways to fight you have your way what's effective and I have mine. May you have blessed day
I've watched hours and hours of kempo videos and no one has ever explained the system or what they were actually doing. Thanks for the explanation. I can very much understand what you're saying and it went from silly slap fighting to something very useful in my mind now.
I know nothing about Kenpo except what I saw in the Pink Panther, which had Ed Parker as 'Mr Cho,' and Jeff Speakman's character in 'the Perfect Weapon.' And. I've seen a bunch of Speakman's 5.0 clips. If you don't love the visual of Kenpo, you're not into martial arts. And if you watch the 5.0 clips closely, there is the subtle stuff that is advanced and has a direct connection to arts like tai chi and wing chun. So. When they do the 'spam' 20 attack on someone, they have subtle body contact with the opponent. THAT is not only going to work, it's advanced ability to SEE possibilities in combat. If you watch boxing, some of them move well, some of them are stalkers. George Foreman was the epic boxer of 'doom' because he was a 'pusher.' If you can 'push' subtly in combat, you're doing tai chi. The opponent does not know you're touching them in a fight if it's gentle, so you can actually keep them in one place by subtle pressure/manipulation. If you can 'control' the attacker, it just means you 'slow.' But it's the opposite of a 'push' because you let them 'in.' People think 'control' means STOP. STOPPING is not good, because it only exists in movies when they catch the haymaker 4 inches from their face. So. Any art that trains touching to gain an advantage like Speakman's kenpo is maybe not going to work for even an advanced kenpo dude, BUT it's not a pie in the sky. It will lead a person who is really smart and dedicated to a kind of confidence that you cannot get from arts that rely on space/spacing and striking. Confidence comes from a wider range of possibilities, so like NOT to fight is one of them.
Depends on the application. The backfist I find to be extremely useful in sparring to snap out a quick and wicked strike and let's me set up follow through combinations. So for outward snapping strikes I prefer the backfist...the hammerfist is EXCELLENT for dropping gravitational strikes.
My uncle is a 6th degree black belt. Haven't heard from him in years but I do remember a story of him in 1986 killing a man in competition. He just said everything changed after that. The man was a in insane physical shape and the last time I ever got the opportunity to see any of his sparring was against his son in 2008ish. I really enjoyed learning about Kenpo and you are right, most people only see the basics. Great refresh, thank you!
I haven't practiced American Kenpo in years. I miss it and think of it often. I actually had a dream last night that I was late for my kenpo class and knew that my instructor would be upset with me. In reality, my instructors were great and I was NEVER late. What was that all about? Boy was I stressed 😇
kempo...you really have to be able to dream a lot to think it will work...maybe by the time we have kempo 8.0 people will realize...nah, go back to sleep
I started training in Kenpo on 11/22/20. I can't say if it works or not yet. I am very out of shape truck driver. Body of a god(Buda). I'm doing it to improve myself. My balance and mobility have improved greatly over the past 2 months. Earn my yellow belt yesterday. (2/9/21) im here for life.
Congratulations Sir! Keep up your journey.
Awesome start! Keep it up!
Congratulations on achieving your yellow belt. It's been 7 months, have you gone green yet?
Dedication bro. So your big. Cardio is key. We need to take care of our temple. Not preaching, just saying. Stick with it. Your success is in your hands bro. I'm here to. Help. Lol. God bless
Don't listen to people bro., learn kampo and basic boxing skills and you will be more fine.
Anything after that you should learn a little judo .
Only if it's not my lineage............
Hey Grandmaster!!!
My favorite Kenpo joke...how many Kenpoists does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
100
1 to screw in the bulb and 99 to say that's not how Mr. Parker showed them.
Hey Grandmaster, been trying to contact you about being guest on my podcast.
Grand Master Jesse, you are here... 😀✌️✌️✌️
Exactly
I love the language analogy. When I was teaching Kung Fu, I broke down the curriculum into different portions. The first was just "Basics," the kicks, punches, and stances. When people would criticize, I always told them that if Kung Fu was a new language, the Basics were the alphabet. Sure, you never sit down and recite the ABC's as a part of an actual conversation, but without them you're never going to write a book or even a letter.
Ed Parker referred to them as the Alphabet of motion, then sentences of motion. He structured it this way, I just look at it slightly differently. What he called the ABC's I think of as words. He considered a "Front Kick" a letter of the alphabet. I think it's a word made of letters (part of the foot kicked with, pointing toes back, chambering leg...I would consider the letters that make the word).
My first martial arts instructor put it this way . They are teaching me fundamentals
Sorry- With teaching me the fundamentals and moves, they are providing me tools. It's up to me how to apply it in real world.
I like how in what I do, we learn reactions and go with it because it teaches what to look for when in combat and also every sequence isn't repeated but will be done again in the future without realizing it.
Nobody knows what's going to happen in a fight and how it's going to go down. Sport fighting isn't life or death but I respect it because of their workouts that I think traditional and reality should incorporate into their particular style or system and they could do damage still in a fight especially if the other guy knows nothing and only nothing because I've seen MMA guys get beaten bad by a tough street fighter who is just violent and violence wins each and every time in the real world.
@@ArtofOneDojo Your Delayed Sword is almost the same as Hicho No Kata from Bujinkan
I was bullied in school, small kid . My dad sent me to a Ed Parker’s dojo in Salem OR. ( this was the late 70’s) The foundations and confidence it gave me was immeasurable. They taught me how to take some really hard hits and have confidence in my skill set . A fight I got into afterword didn’t use a set combination I had been taught , but a stitched together combination of soft tissue strikes that ended the fight and ended up getting me a week of detention. Unfortunately my dad had to transfer jobs and I had to leave before I could get my green belt . Much of what you learn with kenpo early on is conceptual and that probably frustrates people looking for that let’s go to ground mma experience. It’s funny, before mma became big we were blasted for not using enough kicks , so kenpo has always had its detractors . I’ve since studied a few other styles , jujitsu and shotokan, as well as classes in the army , but feel like my kenpo foundation taught me more about controlling your battle space, strike placement, and proper reaction to threat .
13 years after leaving my hometown kenpo dojo, in the self defense part of a judo belt test, they told me to react to attackers and include a throw; I reacted with kenpo sentences. They were like, Holy crap, we’re all friends here.
To feel is to believe?! Lol
Nice!
then you woke up
That's because they also teach you strike combos that are effective in a fight.
Had almost the exact opposite situation play out at a Shuri Te Karate school I was just starting out in. They were doing a self-defense drill against a wild haymaker, looked pretty cool. It was my turn and I didn't know the sequence. They knew I had BJJ experience and told me to do what I would do. I asked if my partner knew how to fall. Got him with a neat little sweep sequence that left me mounted on top and ready for ground and pound. They were like "whoa whoa whoa! Show me that again." It was pretty rad.
This was very helpful on helping me understand kempo thank you very much and well done!
Sensei Mr.Dan. my love for kenpo will never change people are allowed to think what they wish but I love this style...
Have a friend of my brother who learned Kenpo. Came in VERY useful laying out a triple threat
From So FL. As a personal student of Mr Parker for over 10 years and as a fighting Coach along with Joe Lewis, I will say that he didn't care how great your technique demo's were. It was about your actual fighting and sparring abilities. He felt competition is what advances an art. Too many Scholars, not enough Warriors. Salute.
I've heard your name mentioned many times over the last few decades Mr. Elmore. Master Sean Kelley is my "big" brother and I was lucky enough to witness SGM Parker and Master Lewis during this time you speak of (I was only a teenager)
i was a student of frank trejo here in Pasadena ca, at Ed Parker Kenpo Studio...i would of love to see someone tell frank trejo Kenpo does not work back in the day..lol..he was also one good boxer..he showed me kenpo moves with boxing and made it work in street fighting..R.I.P frank..
Yes, sparring is key. 7th degree Kenpo black belt Fred Ettish found out the hard way, in the early UFCs, that sparring is needed. To his credit, Fred Ettish incorporated sparring in his Kenpo.
@@tone-np2mf Damn, he was awesome, did a few seminars with him, also had a beer with him in early 90's, he was with Planas, and Wedlake. The guy was a badass, great teacher, and funny as hell also. Rest in peace Mr Trejo.🙏
Nice to see a video that helps give a little insight to an awesome art i studied years ago really miss it ,its great to to add to your training
I have taught Kenpo for fifty years. I have used it several times in my life to defend myself. I have black belts in Tracy and American Kenpo. I like American Kenpo better and I teach that. Kenpo works! I am 5'2", slim and small skeletal system. I teach only fifty ground techniques that will get you off the ground right away. Do not wrestle on the ground---it's dangerous !
I only teach privately now; I never teach kids. To learn and improve and effective moves, as an instructor, only teach adults.
I am still very limber and the reason for that is because of American Kenpo self defense moves . Practice Kenpo techs and when your old, you will still be very limber and fast.
Sifu
Puyallup, WA
oooh look at you...well aren't you so special and full of yourself.
I would have liked to learn from you sir.
I studied Hapkido for 13 years and was always taught to respect and learn from other styles. Ed Parkers name was spoken with major respect and reverence in our school. He was "the real deal", as my master said. Much respect to you for this honest and clarifying explanation. The American Kenpo school in my hometown is run by Master Roger Fife and I've found him to be an exemplary example of what a true martial artist should be.
A true martial artist needs to be able to fight, thats all
@@mrmachine5632 tell them bro cause these people can't fight ed parker got his ass kicked in the streets Bruce Lee told you that i bitch
I took Hapkido, and it has about a hundred “wrist-grab” techniques. You know, the grab my wrist scenario. How can you possibly apply this in a real fight? “Can you grab my wrist?” Lol
I used to take shotokan karate as a kid. Im 30 years old now and looking for a martial arts class again. There seems to be a kenpo school in my area and I am excited to get started after I recover from surgery
Being a Kenpo teacher myself,Most of the material and strikes used in our self-defense have been practically effective for me it’s just at the sequence and series of the flow may be different
these kempo stories should begin with "Once upon a time..."
@ZYX74 what I like about kenpo is it's rich in combinations. To make it more effective in the streets is all about adapting or modifying the techniques taught in dojo. The opponent of course won't just stand there and let you hit him. You can add a punch or a kick supposed to be used by an opponent-one or more. This means modifying or varying a technique.
I am a Kyokushin Karateka, but I am absolutely fascinated by other styles of Martial Arts. Thank you for your sincerity displaying these arts.
If you get “Kenpo-kicked” in the knee hard enough, you won’t be questioning the effectiveness of Kenpo. I promise you.
Truth.
If kenpo is full contact then hell yeah! much more practical than point fighting
Lmfaooo when I was a little kid in karate class this older/tall kid kicked me and completely knocked the wind out of me. I’ll never forget it 😅
Great explanation of the principles of Ed Parker's Kenpo. In my style, my sensei incorporated elements of Kajukenbo to our self-defense drills. And since both Kenpo and Kajukenbo branch from the same root, I see a lot of similarities to what we used to do. Funny thing, the Kajukenbo grab arts, rotations (punch defenses), club and knife defenses that my sensei added were not part of my core style -- it was something he added on his own. But they weren't actually accurate Kajukenbo techniques -- which I discovered when researching that art on RUclips.
That's interesting, and a great example of why martial arts have so many branches and variations!
"Does Kenpo suck?"
Answer: nope, I've used such methods to protect myself - no I didn't use 20 techniques, I only needed a few, sometimes only 1 technique. On/Off I grew up with real violence and I learned to enjoy it! My motto is: "adapt or die" - Kenpo/Kempo (all systems) constantly adapt.
I'm gonna tell you right now: anything can work if you have that mentality: "I'm gonna just wreck anyone who tries me" - it's really that simple.
Much respect to you Mr. Dan! 👊🥋
I did kenpo and it works for those who train to protect themselves and love ones.
And yes from like 50 techniques, about 5 will take out the individual out of the fight
Like Bruce Lee said,"Be Like Water" & "There is no opponent" Perfect words to live by if you're a fighter, MMA, kick boxer etc.
I totally agree with you guys. I took KENPO when I was about 13 or 14 years old and I loved it! Our instructor taught us the basics and then he instructed us to forget the basics of KENPO. It was quite puzzling. He told us to forget the basics because now he is going to teach us how to fight. REALLY FIGHT. So, we basically learned how to weave KENPO into street fighting. Those of us that already knew how to fight struggled at little at first, but in the end it all came together.
did you need to study kata and 5 step sparring for years to use those moves that worked? no. 90% of kenpo is a waste of time learning dance moves
@@dimetime99 bruce can piss off too, that guy never proved he could fight.
@@mrmachine5632Like I often say: it's not the style, it's the practitioner. I spent a great deal of my time pressure testing and sparring, when someone got violent with me, I trashed them - so no it wasn't a waste of my time. My training payed off and that's all that matters - it works for me and I don't give a rat's ass about your opinion of Kenpo.
I am 50 years old and stopped Shaolin Kempo after 34 years in 2018. The sad reason is because my teacher who is my father, passed away in 2017. He was also inspired by Shorinji kempo. My father's background as being a street fighter and been a bouncer he learned us how become dynamically by moving and being attacked with only more than one punch. It is certainly effective from a self defense aspect. Repeating a lot stores the techniques unconsciously. But training for the unexpected is impossible .The best kickboxers, may thai en MMA fighters do have a traditional martial art background. One cannot distinguish the martial art styles in all style semi contact tournament. Even the shaolin kempo tournaments allow ground fights. Hundred days after my father passed away, our talented student became world champion in Lissabon in 2017 Shaolin kempo. About fourty years ago, sometimes he got called by the police that his students had to apply it. So, what do you think ? But what a disrespect a lot of BJJ students express to the traditional arts on RUclips.
There's Kempo then there's Kenpo. This video was based on Ed Parkers American Kenpo.
I saw a video of Fred Villari teeping a person's hip to get them off balance. I good finisher would be to use a muay thai roundhouse kick to break a person's knee after a teep to the hip. I think most martial arts are classified as traditional by the way. Some modern martial arts are really lousy because they steal techniques from traditional martial arts and basically teach the same material, but in a lousy manner due to rehash and not being highly ranked in traditional martial arts. Some martial artist took some blocking techniques from muay thai and designed a system based on these techniques; however, he isn't very good at muay thai.
@@steveconway4653 Kempo and Kenpo from American are all related because they are branches of James Mitose's version of kempo.
I study Mugai Ryu one of the oldest styles listed as a Kenpo. Akido Judo jujitsu kenjitsu iaijitsu is all 1 system. My uncle studied under ed parker but my father studied under William Cheung... I can't say I know American Kenpo but I do know Koryu Kenpo and I would say that Speakman's Kenpo is legit.
In all honesty that was a super cool breakdown. Coming from the BJJ world I’m not as familiar with striking but I like this idea of canceling a zone.
It does make a big difference, if you can control a zone, even for a second, it creates a lot of opportunity. If you can cancel their height, their weight is usually too far forward or lower and they won't be able to kick from that position. If you're able to cancel their width, they aren't able to hit you with their rear hand (at least for that moment). If you can toggle between them you can do some serious damage. Of course though, it's not as easy as just saying it...doing it is another story.
I did a Kenpo tech sitting down once...at a Karate tournament ironically, a guy what was with our group watching kept trying to start something and was on the bleacher in front of me. He kept reaching back at me and at one point he got my shirt. From my sitting position I pinned his hand and used the armbar taught in Crossing Talon (what you see me demonstrating in the video), and he lurched forward towards the bleacher (he used his rear hand to stop his face from hitting the surface).
He tried to sit up, I wouldn't let him, he tried to spin on me to use his other hand...I wouldn't let him. At that moment I controlled both his height and width. I only let him up when he agreed to knock it off and that was the end of that.
@@ArtofOneDojo that’s pretty cool. Interesting how different arts place emphasis on different concepts. I think it would be cool to hear more about these types of concepts from different martial arts.
@@ArtofOneDojo the only time I ever had to use kenpo was in college. I was at a frat party and a guy got too handsy. He pushed me down and I was flat on my back, but somehow the second half of Hooking Wings came out and I whacked his nose, elbowed his chin, and clawed his eyes while his hands were "busy". It stunned him enough for me to push him off and get away. I'd like to think I broke his nose, but I never saw him again. I was only a purple belt at the time too.
Great video!
@@gypsygirl6010 Nice work! He's lucky he didn't get the first half, too.
@@christophervelez1561 Part of the problem is that you wont likely hear anything about that as most systems or "other martial Arts" don't really "teach" this concept/principle as such. The traditional arts are "mimicry" based and rely on years and years of training to become proficient enough to then attempt to look at any principles. Not meant to be a rant or dis on any system or art, just the facts.
I only got up to a 2nd degree orange belt as a teen in the 90s but even then we had classes where a random student would attack you and you had to defend in any way you could think of.
I remember Keith Hackney in the 2nd UFC fight were he fought Emmanuel Yarborough a 660lb sumo wrestler and his Kenpo strikes not only knocked him down and knocked his teeth out. And I believe that Royce Gracie stated that when Hackney punched him it was one of the hardest strikes he ever felt. Kenpo works..
Then broke his foot and hand and still went on to the next fight
@@mungrus you are correct he did do that.
...where he lost to a *much* smaller bjj practitioner. It works, but its not the most efficient or effective way to fight imo. Ive studied both arts. Said with love lol
@@MrWeaverwa That’s why you combine kenpo as extra tools to combine with BJJ :)
@@TheRealLazyEntrepreneur kenpo techniques incorporate so well with judo because it teaches to attack your opponents attacks defensively. That gives opportunity to grab your attacker and use their aggression against them.
Much like Bruce Lee once said, to be like water......
I’m starting Kenpo Karate classes again this week! I’ve previously have dabbled into Kenpo but I never made it as far as a purple belt, because quite honestly I don’t think I had the motivation as a kid as much as I do now 😂. I’m super excited to start again and I definitely plan to perceiver more this time around!
I’m a rookie to Kenpo. But loving it so far. Our sensei does a good job of showing us what if scenarios. I love the way you say it’s a sentence that makes sense
I've been training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for 17 years and got my black belt in 2014. There is a Kenpo studio just a few minutes walk from my BJJ gym so I decided to give it a shot. That was 6 months ago and I'm still doing it. I'm still very much a beginner but I'm enjoying the training and I'm glad I decided to beginning cross training in Kenpo.
I like how Kenpo encourages students to think in "what if?" scenarios. The first martial art I took didn't encourage that and I think that stunted my growth as a fighter for a while.
Regular sparring does that. No one goes down with one punch, so you have to keep intelligently attacking.
@@echofoxtrotwhiskey1595 i don't know why you think no one gets knocked out with one punch. I know a few that have, if you keep thinking it can't happen you just might find out you're wrong.
@@phillyblunt8473 It can happen, but it’s not reliable.
@Hold Fast Lol, try 6’1 210
@Hold Fast 1. I’m never trying to deliberately knock out my training partners. 2. All you have to do is look at punches thrown vs knockouts to realize that throwing a one punch knockout in isolation is statistically improbable.
Thank you for this. Jefff Speakman has a Kenpo school here. Was on the the edge about whether I wanted to give a try or not.
Great to see the clip of Mr. Mitchell in there. Trained with him for years and learned so much. Currently training BJJ to round out my ground fighting self-defense, but the principles of kenpo still apply and I still work my forms and techniques. Great content!!
There is no ultimate martial arts. A true martial artist lives the lifestyle and does not bash other arts.
Plus not every city has every martial art, accessibility is big factor
@@paulz4667 agreed and if someone doesn't know or has not lived a lifestyle of art, then one should know better since it takes years to master an art. The respect should be mutual. It can make one look foolosh when one doesn't know.
I've been an Ed Parker's Kenpo practitioner since 1978. Teaching the art was always beneficial to me as well as the students. I learn anything useful I can from other martial arts.
Be well ✌🏻
Ed Parker = Grand Master Bowman.
MMA is ultimate, for any single martial art I agree but there are ones that are better
You pretty much summed it up well. I'm a 3rd Dan in TKD and I've been involved with some Kenpo in the past and am currently back in a Kenpo school to broaden my knowledge. My experience has shown me what you're saying to be true. The technique line has it's purpose, to make you think and react and use what you know and can combine to be effective. In the real world you shouldn't be trying to hit someone 20 times and then walk away. You end it as quickly and as efficiently as possible, so as to save energy and get the heck out of the hot spot ASAP. I'm not doing 5 strikes if 3 gets me the distance I need to me and mine out of there. If 1 works then even better. And the same can really be said for any school, spin kicks look cool in the movies and they're fun and effective in tournaments, but the reality is that it's a good way to set yourself up for disaster.
Take My Doe only has 26 different moves, and is a watered down version of Shotkan
Ed Parker is and always will be the King of Karate, The Ultimate Scholar and Genius
Has he won any fights ? does Kempo have any champions ?
@@CorporaMedicina have you won any legitimate fights? Have you created a style?
And of course you’ll say you have won fights, which I don’t believe whatsoever
@@Dogger1230 so if Nico wins a fight, he wins the argument? where are you going with this? Kempo has always been niche and has never shown any real-world or exposure as other sports has, why?
@@Dogger1230 won 2, lost 1..I quit after that loss. That was almost 30 years ago. Once you get KOed a lot of things get a lot clearer...
disagree. if you're talking karate, that honor should go to actual karate practitioners such as Gichin Funakoshi (the one who brought Shotokan to Japan), Chojun Miyagi (founder of Goju Ryu), Mas Oyama (founder of Kyokushin), or Motobu Choki (founder of Motobu Ryu which stemmed Wado Ryu). i genuinely do not see the correlation between American Kenpo and Karate.
Undoubtedly Ed Parker's Kempo is one of the most complete catalog of martial arts principles! To the point of almost being overly complicated, but that said it's all there for MMA. Strikes punches hammer fists, elbows, kicks, knees, sweeps, throws, grappling locks and holds, ground and pound, you name it. That said if someone started out in kempo it would be a great stepping stone to any martial art or combat sport, or since most people will actually never need to use it in a real self defense situation or actual fight.
Absolutely! If you've got a good handle of Kenpo, at all levels, any efforts in MMA will be better off for it. I've studied primarily Okinawan forms (Shodan rank in Uechi-Ryu) and a blue belt in Shotokan, as well as about a year of Kung Fu, and Kenpo will definitely be my final home. It has everything you could ever need from the traditional Asian martial arts.
Ed Parkers KeNpo with an n.
Kempo is awesome. I don’t practice it myself but I incorporate several elements into my own practice. For example:
1. Parker’s understanding of power generation. Such as torque and marriage of gravity. Super important for all striking arts. Marriage of gravity (also known as falling steps) is what keeps me from bouncing off of people when I strike.
2. In Parker’s first book (Law of the Fist and Empty Hand) he shows how movements usually associated with blocking can actually be used as strikes. The common maxium is “there are no blocks.”
3. Larry Tatum’s kempo videos are extremely comprehensive (although somewhat dated). They helped me fix very basic kicks and body mechanics that I didn’t realize sucked.
4. The knife self defense expert James Keating trained under Ed Parker. Most knife training available in the USA has been touched by Keating in some way. Thus Parker influenced the real world self defense crowd as well.
5. The self defense techniques are composed of fundamental martial arts motions. So it’s cool to see how different styles approach and build on these same movements. For example: five swords in bagua is a combination of the single palm change with phoenix spreads its wings. In Arnis five swords is essentially heaven six sinawali.
Research kempo guys.
I have trained with Larry Tatum and his application of principles in real time is unreal. People who trained directly with Mr. Parker just move differently
Kenpo taught me to improvise and adapt
@Sprache, Kommunikation, Kampfkunst it's always good to try your stuff out against other styles. I had trouble with bjj, hung gar, wing chun.
@@akmil02 which is why we added BBJ and wing Chung to our repertoire and seminars
if you did improvise and adapt, you took up another martial art...lol
@@WagonWheeI primarily, bjj, but I'm always gonna use Kenpo as a starting point
Yeah thats just the right answer
So basically, when you're taught back breaker, two snakes, or even leap of death, what you're being taught is no different than learning a 1-2-3 in boxing. You learn the pattern, then you learn how to "see" the fight as different variables kick in, then you finally learn to "adapt" your combination. THAT'S how you use kenpo and THAT'S why it works
But that is the problem outsiders like myself see - your combinations don't seem to work when people spar or fight for real.
@@tjl4688 is a jab or reverse punch not also a technique used in kenpo? Is not a front or roundhouse kick as well? Or even a side kick? The flow of the fight changes and you adapt. And kenpo has adapted. Now the technique sequences theoretically can be used in sparring should someone decide to use them. Is not a side step into a punch combination not the same as say....the beginning of dance of death
My favorite Ed Parker quote (paraphrased) is “Every punch can be a block or a grab and every step can be a kick or a trip”. He was challenging students to consider variations. It’s one of the reasons I like kenpo.
Video request: talk about Bruce Tegner? His books were a staple when I was young and dinosaurs walked the Earth.
Ed certainly took the air out of the move. Extremely efficient and continuously striking.
Karate (Freestyle) modern
“Absorb what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own.” Bruce Lee
Elvis Karate moves...
Yes. That is what most martial arts use as a mantra
that's not modern karate thats for really traditional traditional martial arts as karate.
But a lot of people doesn't understand martial arts
A beautiful video to add to the collective consciousness of our Art sir, thank you.
Thank you, and I love your avatar :D
@@ArtofOneDojo
i love your avatar???
the kempo symbol was stolen from some lady's knitting class...lol
@@WagonWheeI You can laugh but I'm wondering if you even know it's name without googling it.
Kenpo is dangerous shit and not to be underestimated at any time.
I've trained in it for 24 years. I love it.
Recently earned my Yellow Belt in Kara-Ho Kempo. This is the channel that got me back into martial arts and started a fascination with Kempo. So keep up the great work, it makes a difference.
Awesome! I'm so happy to hear that. Keep up the training!
Great video. The explanation is the clearest I have heard on the subject matter. Thank you for your excellence in what you do!
I love how you explain the different ways that a missed movement or not being accurate leads to different moves you can use and make your own in a fight. Love all the kenpo moves mr. Dan! Have you ever collaborated with jeff speakman and or met him?
I met him a couple of times, my second instructor was one of his students and we were s Speakman Kenpo school for a couple of years.
A very good synopsis of our marital art... The video of Mr. Parker is my personal favorite and I often reference it for students. I see by your videos you workout with mutual friends and when I get to Florida soon, I hope we can get together and exchange ideas... thanks for the video.
I have found after 40 years that folks who think forms don't teach fighting, either don't understand their forms or they fight completely differently than what is taught in their forms. And by the way everybody does forms, it's just a matter of how long the form is. Even if it is one technique that is thrown repeatedly into a bag, you are still doing a form.
Even BJJ drills, repetition of escapes and reversals done over and over are pretty much the same concept as a Kenpo tech or form. It teaches the flow and how the moves work in combination. Isn't always going to happen that exact way each time but if you are learning the flow and transition then you are learning the same general idea.
@@ArtofOneDojo
yes, because actually making something work against another human body is comparable to daydreaming in empty space...or should we call what you do dancing without a partner? someone turn on "I got the power!" Art of McDojo is going to bust a move!
@@WagonWheeI If you're not practicing against another person then it's not a good school. That's regardless of the art. It's clear you haven't been inside a real Kenpo school. Go to 5.0 school and tell me if the hits feel like daydreaming.
Excellent Video Sir. Thank you for posting this!!! I really enjoy all of your videos. Have a great day.
I know that's going to be a lot of questions.. what Mr Dan is doing is fantastic not only with this site but also with his training he is being crossed trained other martial arts that is important for every person that does classify their sales as a martial artist... this is to inform you and to let you know that different martial arts can work together you do not have to have the standard template for everything... my martial arts Journey started when I was 8 years old Japanese Wado ryu karate combination of karate and jiu-jitsu.. my instructor close down his school when I got my first degree black belt and went back to Tokyo graduated from Vanderbilt University with this degree in architectural engineering I discovered Kenpo Karate Ed parker system. I was 11 years old I fell in love with the system after two years they closed up and went to Vegas they was former bodyguards for Elvis Presley..I started Okinawan shorin.ryu karate I have been involved in that for 23 years now also daito.ryu aiki.jujitsu..tenjin shinto ryu jutsu and kito ryu jujitsu. And kodokan Judo.. I'm a graduate of the United States Naval Academy so I had to take up boxing is called regimentals enjoyed that so much it's also introduced to the Filipino Martial Arts Academy I started teaching well I was a student at the Academy Okinawan shorin.ryu karate..in have been in to and have ranking the the following system.. of Okinawan uechi ryu karate and isshin ryu karate..korean hwarang do and hapikido...Chinese hung gar for 6 years..Chinese san soo ... which is simply street fighting ..wing chun for 5 years now and still studying. And chin na ... I was trained by the gurkhas of Nepal boar bando..in the Filipino sayoc kali. And Pekiti tirsa kali.. panan.data.. which means fighting with weapons of opportunity..Panantukan.. which is Filipino dirty boxing.. and a Filipino tribe kalang.dumog..and sun.kwaun. when I was stationed in Indonesia I got into pentchak silat.. Russian combat sambo..muay.boran.. being at the Wingate institution in Tel Aviv I got introduced to Israeli Commando Krav Maga..and lotar.system and kapap... anybody can learn traditional martial arts if you just want to Now Grant you my life depended on knowing different thing.. please explore other martial arts to add to your toolbox
Anyone making comments regarding the fast hands or any other techniques saying they won't work, are not even worth explaining to. They are not seasoned martial artists. And their lame opinion of "that coreographed move won't work on the street" would apply to EVERY martial art🙄. But this post is a good explanation anyway.
I love the idea of SGM Parker of tailoring the art. I'm a disabled veteran and new to American kenpo although I've doing martial arts since age 11. Thank you for re introducing the art to me.
Even though I study a different art, I enjoy your channel. I respect your view on martial arts in general, not just Kenpo.
A great video about a great martial art :) Many thanks :)
I'm interested in Kenpo and am starting to look around for a dojo. Do you by chance assist people in finding good dojos in their area? Thanks.
I was taught..you learn the self defense techniques to learn how to fight...not to learn how to fight with the techniques. Or to quote Bruce Lee...learn the technique, become the technique and dissolve the technique. That really applies to almost everything we learn.
Exactly!
Mixed with my study of Aikido, Kenpo has helped me through my life of confrontations. I am 71 and first met Mr. Parker at Tracy's in Menlo Park in 1966 when I was a senior in high school. I'll never forget EVERYTHING he said. It was amazing. So I can comfortably say that at my age, what I was taught has worked very well for me. I have never lost a battle, never received a bad blow, and have delivered my share and walked away. Thank you Mr. Parker!
I'm jealous. I wish I had the opportunity to meet him. He passed away in 90 and I started training in 93. I had JUST learned who he was but his death was still fresh so his name still had a lot of presence in the schools.
I'm an American Kenpo practitioner and I enjoyed this video very much! Nice to see a 5th that knows what hes talking about.
Mini katas. Great way to describe it. Katas and self defense moves are all just exercises to help you fight.
Ed Parker was a creative leader in the martial arts world, and one to be fully appreciated. Even though thousands of years have passed with known great martial teachers, it is very nice to see that this could still happen in our lifetime with him and a couple of others. Haven’t really seen anyone emerge as of late but
I have hopes it will once again happen. Hopefully in my lifetime.
The issue I have with a lot of the multiple strike stuff they do is that the target always stands still, when the point seems to be learning to flow and chain techniques together it seems strange that the target doesn't move or try to counter mid flow.
@Jake Collins This is it, I agree that drilling is good but until someone's moving.and trying to counter then it's pointless if you can't adjust.
I can kick fairly hard on a stationary heavy bag but landingnon a moving target with the same accuracy and power is so much harder.
This is where feints and setups come in, as I say I like the chaining techniques so you can go from one to the other to the other but they need more realism as the person gets more adept.
@Jake Collins I couldn't agree with you more, part of it is the more physical aspect of the training is hard work and involves getting bruised up and knocked about a bit.
There's nothing wrong with them teaching concepts but without trying to apply them to a resisting person it's about as effective as someone trying to learn to drive just from a book.
great video ive seen one move start and go into another, like ed parker said about the universal pattern is crazy
The universal pattern is insane and by itself could be a career study. Especially when you see it in full dimension.
@@ArtofOneDojo does larry tatum still tech kenpo ?
@@darknoob1894 As far as I understand he still does, at least seminars.
@@ArtofOneDojo nice i watched a few of his dvds online seems like a nice guy , there's only one thing that that i don't get about 10dan kenpo. i thought ed parker was the only one that could have that rank
@@darknoob1894 ahhh...THAT is a source of heavy politics within the system, and there's more involved to it than I even know. When I first started back in 1993, that WAS the idea...Mr. Parker had passed 3 years prior and the idea was no one would go above 9 in his honor. I don't even know the full story but I have heard snippets of instructors that promoted themselves to 10th (even skipping ranks) because if they didn't do it first, someone else would.
Also, some got their black belt belt in Kenpo and then "branched off" and took Kenpo, added a handful of their own techniques and called it a new system and granted themselves Grandmaster and put on a 10 degree belt...despite having 5 years or so in the arts.
I don't know specifics but I've heard a lot of stories like this and honestly it goes against what the martial arts are supposed to be teaching.
That being said, there ARE some 10th degrees that I fully believe embody the rank. Mr. Tatum is one, Grandmaster Michael Robert Pick, and several others I feel DO represent the rank.
I thank you for this video. I trained for about 8 years under Mr. Jim Mitchel, beginning in the early 80's. I smiled WIDELY, as I saw him in the opening of this video. I stopped my Kenpo training after I had moved in 1987, away from the San Diego area. This was primarily due to lack of QUALIFIED instruction. Other "kempo" schools and instruction didn't meet my expectations, as a 2nd Degree Black. My estimation is that they had self promoted themselves because their knowledge seemed to stop at about Green Belt. I experienced this at, probably, 5 or 6 different schools.
My biggest takeaway from Kenpo, is that it teaches one to USE WHAT WORKS FOR YOU!!! Like Mr. Parker used to say, "You can't teach a one armed man a left-right combination." But I've come to learn that if that same man knows a "pinning check"; can execute a "stance change" from standing to a "wide kneel", while simultaneously delivering an "outward sword hand" strike...he may be okay.
Watch Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson to see how he uses Kenpo/Kempo basics in the UFC in MMA.
You are an excellent teacher and presentor. I admire your honest critic of your style. It would be an honor to train under you. Keep up the good work. You sparked an interest in me learn more about Kenpo. Thank you, Sir.
I absolutely love the way you break down and explain everything sir! Please keep doing what you are doing 🙏🏼🙏🏼
Hi, I've really enjoyed your video. I'm a kenpoist from long ago and stopped training because of university. After a few attempts to practice another martial arts I was aware of possible kenpo limitations and thought that I've lost a ton of effort learning some sort of ineffective martial art and decided to make my own way by learning Judo, BJJ and Aikido. BUT I've recently contacted my favorite kenpo instructor and realized I didn't fully understood the style and there is no boundaries at all. Kenpo teaches self defense by concepts and templates, right as you mentioned the actual defenses are not designed to be copied but to be learned and analyzed. After all, it was pretty much like any other discipline, you have to make your own path that fit to you. Now I'm just about to apply for the 3rd Kyu and ready to keep going with this thought in mind. Kenpo is a style and the dojo is a place, whatever I take from those is up to me, and nothing stops me from learning from other sources if I feel I need to. Judging kenpo by MMA fights is like judging a hammer by his inability to cut like a saw.
Thank you for sharing this and I'm glad that you got back into it and good job so far!
Having learned some Kenpo at an early age, but mostly focused on Kung-Fu and some Judo, the way you break it down just seems like the common sense way to teach *any* martial art. Well done, you!
Kempo does work for self defense, people don’t understand timing, distance, applications and concepts. The techniques are designed to teach those things. A boxer does not just throw punches. They have training drills. Kempo techniques are training drills.people should not criticize what they don’t understand and call themselves a black belt.
Chuck Lidell has a Kempo base. 'Nuff said.
yes, Lidell is prob the best example of a kenpo based UFC fighter. thank goodness for Wonderboy who is still representing.
He trained in a place called The Pit, I believe they're Hawaiian Kempo. Also as much as everyone loves Chuck Liddell, I would never recommend fighting like he did. The guy was tough, but he took way to much punishment in his fights and relied on his chin and power.
Hawaiian Kemp’s and Ed Parker’s Kenpo aren’t quite the same though
@@echofoxtrotwhiskey1595 The concept is the same with different curriculum from preference... both systems create efficient masters... they also both had the same original beginning: James Mitose
@@elo1031 More along the lines of William Chow. Mr. Parker and Mr. Adriano were classmates together under Chow and both branched off from there and did their own thing. They are different branches of the same tree :)
Very well done sir.
Teaching American Kenpo is my passion. Decades later, the discoveries never end.
Dude I support you 100% I don’t do kenpo but I think if it were to come to it you could hold your own. I’ve seen so many videos of people talking crap about kenpo aikido and some other arts. I personally trained karate, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and wrestled in high school. One art I think I want to do is aikido and I don’t care what anyone says.
I love a lot Kajukenbo did you have a video about this?
Hi! Not yet but we hope to!
@@ArtofOneDojo Eυχαριστω Thank you
When i saw episode in show fight Quest about Kajukenbo i said this i nice Greetings From Greece
I love my kenpo and you did a fine job explaining.
I say create and flow. This was a good description and best I’ve seen in Kenpo, your ARE the art the style is showing efficient options. The rest is up to you . Love that you sir are still adapting creating years later. Peace.
The simplistic reasons of why kenpo "sucks" can be applied to literally every martial art, or even every sport.
One could say, "basketball sucks because a defender won't just stand there and let you shoot."
Well duh, it's called practice, and mastering the speed and mechanics of the movement.
I like kenpo because it's sophisticated.
I gotta disagree man, there is plenty of proof of the combat effectiveness of other sports like boxing, kickboxing etc. Having said that as an art and for choreography and for fun kenpo is great. But for self defence, the opportunity cost of all that time spent on techniques is where the art falls down - for instance in kickboxing that time is spent drilling combinations. Having said that the sparring element can be quite good (when I did kenpo we used to do hard sparring).
@@Ottepeg89 but kenpo also fosters combat training. It's not just choreography. I also don't consider boxing a martial art, but a sport.
@@trevanhatch8717 I do agree kenpo can have some great elements for self defence. When I did Kenpo we used to do some great continuous hard sparring (which, while not very good for your brain - I'd regularly have lumps and sometimes would fall asleep in school the next day 🤣). However, I personally feel that less emphasis on the techniques (or maybe having less of them, idk) and more on padwork would make it more effective. I think continuous sparring in competition would also be good (rather than pointsparring). P.s. thanks for your civil reply 😀 I'm glad we can have different opinions but have a nice discussion about it.
I (and eventually my father and two siblings) studied American Kenpo YEARS ago in Central Massachusetts and while I've thankfully never had to practice in real life, the discipline and thought patterns involved had a lasting impact on how I act and see the world. Seriously considering getting back in.
"If you do not understand the art, you will not understand the martial"
i like that
if you dont fight there is no martial...just art.
This is the best explanation of Kempo I've ever heard. And thank you for showing the opposite of Delay Sword.
Ever since I was a kid I was fascinated by Kenpo but never was able to train it. And with the BJJ/NHB/MMA revolution of the late 90’s and 2000’s, a lot of the ‘traditional arts’ called karate were seriously overlooked. But now as an older man, I’d really like to give Kenpo a try and supplement is with actual self-defense Grappling rather than sport BJJ…
Amazing Combo
Amazing video! I've been watching a lot of your videos to brush up on the Art of Kenpo and fill in my lack of understanding when it comes to history and the different lineages! I'm about 2 months away from testing for my first degree black belt in Chinese Kenpo Karate, which my sensei derived from the Tracy School of Kenpo. Thank you for making such awesome and informative videos! Your work and contribution to the martial arts world is appreciated and noted in the day and age of the internet for sure! 🙏🏻
Grandmaster Ip Man, once said that real Kung fu isn’t pretty and neat, it’s ugly and effective. In boxing and jui-jitsu you drill techniques against a cooperative partner and you take your time to make sure it’s as technically perfect as possible. Because when it’s time to do it for real against a live opponent, i.e. an uncooperative partner, the technique may not be pretty and perfect but it will be effective, and that is the end goal.
I saw in an interview where William Zabka aka Johnny Lawrence, said that Pat Morita once gave him some Mr. Miyagi like advice. He told him when he’s rehearsing he’s gotta give it 110%, that way when the cameras are rolling it’s like bread and butter! I think a very similar mentality applies to martial arts training. Practice technique to be perfect and a continuous flow with no pauses or stutter steps. That way when it counts or “the cameras are rolling, it’s like bread and butter.”
Perfectly stated.
.....if you can execute technique perfectly while doing it slowly, it will be easy to achieve when going full speed.
Thank you. I have my green belt in Kempo. I found that everything I learned did not translate into real life situations (e.g. , I mentored former students I taught as a teacher in North Richmond, CA. )There was a local street gang recruiting fellow students. There was shooting/killing throughout the city. I was often dead tired due to working 2-3 jobs. When confronted with bad situations I would think about protecting my mentees, but forget all of the punching attacks/grab arts/katas to possibly use -should the multiple groups of men in the neighborhood turn hostile. I want to look into taking Tim Larkin’s Target Focus Training live in Las Vegas in 2024. Your video helps me rethink what to do in bad situations .
One of my favorite anime/manga characters, King, from the Holyland manga is a Kenpo user. I was immediately sold and love Kenpo.
I have a friend who’s a Kickboxing champion of the 80’s and has his own Boxing, Muay Thai, Kickboxing, & MMA Gym. When my 2nd daughter was born I asked which is best for me to get my daughters into when they’re ready. Without a doubt he said Kenpo. At age 55+ he had to defend himself of 3 mid 20’s guys and he said his Kenpo training was the one that saved his life. He was in his robe & slippers. So now, I will sign up my daughters to Kenpo soon! Maybe myself & my wife as well.
I made a comment on your last Kempo video about how complicated it seems etc but payed respect to all the kempo universe and I will say OSU to you all. Steven WB Thompson ufc( kempo) Chuck Liddell UFC HOF (kempo) say no more. A lot of narrow minded people criticise other martial arts a true martial artist is open minded,humble, polite and respectful 1st and foremost. How good you are is secondary to how good a person you are
I trained Shaolin Kempo for probably seven years and after stopping and moving to another city found myself wanting to train again. I ended up in Houston's Chinatown training Chen Tai Chi ( the oldest and most obviously martial of tai chi traditions). Once I started learning applications and chin na in the short form, I started recognizing many of the same martial techniques from Kempo. Many of the controls and locks are the same... just done in a softer, more circular way. Proof positive to me that nothing was lost in the transition from China/Okinawa/Japan...through Hawaii and to the States.
There is a reason why Kempo dominated the 90s. They gave you a toolbox and allowed you to create your own proverbial CVT transmission. It gives you the means to switch gears fluidly with a non compliant opponent.
Looking good Dan! This was a good action/demo video! I really dig these demo style videos that you are doing. 👍
I am a martial artist, my main arts are Pencak Silat and Escrima. I agree with Mr Parker’s take on lessons being applicable, when they become applicable, in other words, you don’t determine your movements or your strikes, your opponent does, period. In Silat we have Djuru’s which are basically “Katas” or “forms” and we piece them together in a “Kembangan” which means “flower dance” to demonstrate from what I understand is piece it all together and make it all one motion or movement. Bruce Lee”s JKD is broken down simply as this, absorb what is useful, and discard what is not. The question is, you don’t know what will work in a fight until you learn what doesn’t work in a real fight, in sparring you can easily see everything you have learned go out the window in seconds, that’s why part of the reason why Kenpo, Silat, Wing Chun, TKD, ect, won’t work in the UFC, the short answer is because the techniques are designed to end the fight, not prolong the fight, IE sport vs real life.The other half of what Bruce would say is ALL, not some or half, but ALL, martial arts have their place and functionality. Kenpo like any other art is functional, it only works if you work it, if you don’t train it, learn it, do it bad, then you can begin to do it right,The Master has failed more times than the student. OSS. 😎
From my experience, my instructors always told me the ideal phase would never work in the street. Just like you are explaining, we formulate based on muscle memory built from repetitive training. This was proven effective during my time working in the prison system...which was definitely more sketchy than the street.
Kenpo works better in the street than in a ring.
Great video. The subject matter discussed happens beyond kempo. Keep Charging!
Dan...you do everything for not just kempo...for all martial arts....congratulations on your endeavors xxxxxx
Kenpo fascinates me and it has potential to be truly effective for what it was intended for: genuine close quarters self defense. I think the real problem, with both kenpo instructors and students, is they focus way too much on "gently demonstrating" the techniques on each other. If you practice doing all of your techniques gently against a willing opponent, then that's what you'll be good at. The issue is that it's hard to practice full force eye gouges and groin rips on a willing opponent, you end up without many friends to train with. That's why MMA fighters always seem to come out on top. They ruled out the most deadly strikes and then practice what was left full force. So, that's what they are really damn good at. If you could somehow reach that level of training with Kenpo, which heavily includes maiming techniques in defense, I think the result would be a brutally efficient warrior. But I'm not about to ask my sparing partner to volunteer their eyes for my practice session, so we often lack that unstoppable nature that MMA fighters have.
the gracies already proved this wrong, early in their careers they challenged these "masters" to fights and allowed groin and eye gouges... these "masters" still lost.
My sensei had us full contact spar to alleviate that. Didnt believe in point sparring because of what you said
@@jaymay7957 You can always pick anecdotal evidence that supports your claim. Chinese and Japanese martial arts developed because they were effective in their time. Yes, a skilled grappler can tangle up someone who is not skilled in dealing with a grappler. It proves nothing. Grappling can be extremely effective as can strikes and there is ample evidence to prove both. Saying that one "master" can defeat another "master" is useless. It's like saying ranch is better than blue cheese.
@@jorgehamel8250There's definitely value in hard sparing, no doubt at all. But I happen to really enjoy point fighting both because it's a fun sport and because I can go to work without a screwed up face the next day.
No kempo schools here but I do remember doing a snap punch to the nose in Muay Thai. They were saying what kind of punch is that. I think every art can learn from each other. Take bite size chunks and make it your own.
You’re a good ambassador of this art
most of my fighting arts is concept of traditional kenpo techniques and trust me dude thanks to kenpo, I've been successful in all my fight (sparring, tournaments, AND STREET SELF DEFENSE). However we all have our own different ways to fight you have your way what's effective and I have mine. May you have blessed day
Back in the blood and guts era of sport karate, kenpo (or kempo, depending on how it is spelt) players were very proficient.
I have heard many people talk about the anxiety at tournaments back in the 70s and 80s when the guys in the black gis would show up :)
Yeah I remember walking into a tournament with that black gi on. People just kinda stepped a side.
@@ArtofOneDojo Cobra Kai!
Cobra Kai is Tang Soo Do...
I've watched hours and hours of kempo videos and no one has ever explained the system or what they were actually doing. Thanks for the explanation. I can very much understand what you're saying and it went from silly slap fighting to something very useful in my mind now.
Memorize the techniques
Break it down
Put it back together the way you need for the purpose you need
If you need it add some "spice"
or just feather your hair like larry tatum...kempo guys should get their belts along side their happy meals...cause it's all mcdojo fun!
I know nothing about Kenpo except what I saw in the Pink Panther, which had Ed Parker as 'Mr Cho,' and Jeff Speakman's character in 'the Perfect Weapon.' And. I've seen a bunch of Speakman's 5.0 clips. If you don't love the visual of Kenpo, you're not into martial arts. And if you watch the 5.0 clips closely, there is the subtle stuff that is advanced and has a direct connection to arts like tai chi and wing chun. So. When they do the 'spam' 20 attack on someone, they have subtle body contact with the opponent. THAT is not only going to work, it's advanced ability to SEE possibilities in combat. If you watch boxing, some of them move well, some of them are stalkers. George Foreman was the epic boxer of 'doom' because he was a 'pusher.' If you can 'push' subtly in combat, you're doing tai chi. The opponent does not know you're touching them in a fight if it's gentle, so you can actually keep them in one place by subtle pressure/manipulation. If you can 'control' the attacker, it just means you 'slow.' But it's the opposite of a 'push' because you let them 'in.' People think 'control' means STOP. STOPPING is not good, because it only exists in movies when they catch the haymaker 4 inches from their face. So. Any art that trains touching to gain an advantage like Speakman's kenpo is maybe not going to work for even an advanced kenpo dude, BUT it's not a pie in the sky. It will lead a person who is really smart and dedicated to a kind of confidence that you cannot get from arts that rely on space/spacing and striking. Confidence comes from a wider range of possibilities, so like NOT to fight is one of them.
I prefer the Hammer Strike to the Backfist. Less likely to break your hand, imo.
Depends on the application. The backfist I find to be extremely useful in sparring to snap out a quick and wicked strike and let's me set up follow through combinations. So for outward snapping strikes I prefer the backfist...the hammerfist is EXCELLENT for dropping gravitational strikes.
Backfist is a good distraction strike, if you bear in mind it's limitations.
Me to.
My uncle is a 6th degree black belt. Haven't heard from him in years but I do remember a story of him in 1986 killing a man in competition. He just said everything changed after that. The man was a in insane physical shape and the last time I ever got the opportunity to see any of his sparring was against his son in 2008ish. I really enjoyed learning about Kenpo and you are right, most people only see the basics. Great refresh, thank you!
I haven't practiced American Kenpo in years. I miss it and think of it often.
I actually had a dream last night that I was late for my kenpo class and knew that my instructor would be upset with me. In reality, my instructors were great and I was NEVER late. What was that all about? Boy was I stressed 😇
kempo...you really have to be able to dream a lot to think it will work...maybe by the time we have kempo 8.0 people will realize...nah, go back to sleep
Having had exactly one Okinawa Kempo lesson I can confirm not only does it not suck, you will use muscles you never knew you had.