# How do you pitch kenpo to those who haven't heard of it?



## shima (Nov 1, 2018)

I'm always curious how others pitch kenpo to those who have never heard of it in our modern day where there are so many styles out there. For me I use my experience in different styles and compare and contrast it to traditional Japanese karate and tae kwon do since I have the personal experience from those. I always emphasize with shaolin kenpo (Castro branch) that our katas are what differentiate it more than anything else to me, because I tell them you'll never learn a kata just for the sake of practicing a series of moves without knowing why. Kenpo is the heart of the "why" question and every kata will be taught with attacks. 

What's your pitch to differentiate? I'm just curious


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## CB Jones (Nov 1, 2018)

shima said:


> our katas are what differentiate it more than anything else to me, because I tell them you'll never learn a kata just for the sake of practicing a series of moves without knowing why. Kenpo is the heart of the "why" question and every kata will be taught with attacks.
> 
> What's your pitch to differentiate? I'm just curious



But that’s not exclusive to just Kenpo....many other styles including karate and TKD teach the reasoning behind each move through bunkai.

Or are you saying that every time you do kata it’s with attackers?


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## _Simon_ (Nov 2, 2018)

I still have NO idea what kempo/kenpo is.

I am NOT even joking! A martial art yes but I have no clue what it's about or what differentiates it XD


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## Monkey Turned Wolf (Nov 2, 2018)

Depends on the kenpo/kempo. So many different types of arts use it that the different types are signifcantly different. The bunkai thing you referred to, to me, depends more on the school than the style.

As for how i pitch it...i dont. If someone asks,  and they know stuff about MA i explain to people its a hybrid self-defense system that has a foundation of karate, with a CMA philosophy, and use of (minimal) judo for self defense. If they ask and they dont know anything about MA, ill say its kickboxing with elbows.

Most of the time though, i dont say anything. I dont even call it kempo, ill just call it karate. People understand that word, and it saves trying to explain it over and over


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## hoshin1600 (Nov 3, 2018)

why do you have to "pitch" what you do??
get on the floor and train.  if your good, your ability will be obvious and your reputation will be known.  people today dont give a rats buttocks what style you do.... but you better be good at it.


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## JowGaWolf (Nov 3, 2018)

I'm the worst sales pitch for Jow Ga  unless you want to actually learn how to use it. lol,, which isn't many people


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## Deleted member 39746 (Nov 30, 2018)

Im onto all of your schemes. 







And i second i dont overly know what it is.


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## Kung Fu Wang (Dec 1, 2018)

One day a Kenpo instructor walked into my school, He said, "I teach dragon, tiger, leopard, snake, and crane. What do you teach?"

I know they have tiger and crane form. I don't know they have forms for dragon, leopard, and snake.


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## Monkey Turned Wolf (Dec 1, 2018)

Kung Fu Wang said:


> One day a Kenpo instructor walked into my school, He said, "I teach dragon, tiger, leopard, snake, and crane. What do you teach?"
> 
> I know they have tiger and crane form. I don't know they have forms for dragon, leopard, and snake.


In my original style at least, we learn each of the five as having separate movements/fighting styles, and learning how to combine/flow through the styles is the important thing. Bit different then the traditional learn each style. I believe after black belt though, there is a specific form for each animal, but that may have been school specific, and i never bothered learning any of them (outside of eagle claw, which oddly wasnt one of the animals)


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## RavenDarkfellow (Feb 25, 2019)

My pitch:

Kenpo is for people who want to learn how to end a fight as efficiently as possible.  If you're not interested in sparring, you just want to survive a street encounter, Kenpo is for you.

Source: I am informed by nearly 16 years of practising a variety of arts, as well as about 15 years of sales experience.


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## Martial D (Feb 25, 2019)

RavenDarkfellow said:


> My pitch:
> 
> Kenpo is for people who want to learn how to end a fight as efficiently as possible.  If you're not interested in sparring, you just want to survive a street encounter, Kenpo is for you.
> 
> Source: I am informed by nearly 16 years of practising a variety of arts, as well as about 15 years of sales experience.


Would you not say that sparring would, at least in some small way, help you to survive a street encounter?

Sure, fighting in that case is usually the worst option, but should fighting be the option you are forced to choose would not an alive understanding of timing and distance be important?


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## Gerry Seymour (Feb 26, 2019)

Martial D said:


> Would you not say that sparring would, at least in some small way, help you to survive a street encounter?
> 
> Sure, fighting in that case is usually the worst option, but should fighting be the option you are forced to choose would not an alive understanding of timing and distance be important?


That's my view, MD. I added sparring back into my curriculum (it was prominent in NGA in the past, and has become less so), and moved it more to the fore. There's a lot to be learned and honed through sparring at all levels (light-technical all the way to knockdown), and much of what can be learned there has application for self-defense.


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## punisher73 (Feb 26, 2019)

Just have them watch the movie "Perfect Weapon" with Jeff Speakman.


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## Headhunter (Feb 26, 2019)

RavenDarkfellow said:


> My pitch:
> 
> Kenpo is for people who want to learn how to end a fight as efficiently as possible.  If you're not interested in sparring, you just want to survive a street encounter, Kenpo is for you.
> 
> Source: I am informed by nearly 16 years of practising a variety of arts, as well as about 15 years of sales experience.


Good excuse for your club not sparring.


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## Martial D (Feb 26, 2019)

Headhunter said:


> Good excuse for your club not sparring.


Sort of, although it seems like the reasoning doesn't lead to the conclusion.


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## drop bear (Feb 26, 2019)

Martial D said:


> Would you not say that sparring would, at least in some small way, help you to survive a street encounter?
> 
> Sure, fighting in that case is usually the worst option, but should fighting be the option you are forced to choose would not an alive understanding of timing and distance be important?



I was hoping he was using sparring as a meta concept there. 

And was more describing pressure fighting versus counter fighting.


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## Gerry Seymour (Feb 26, 2019)

drop bear said:


> I was hoping he was using sparring as a meta concept there.
> 
> And was more describing pressure fighting versus counter fighting.


I didn't read it that way. But since we're on the topic, can you define how you're using those terms here? (Just want to make sure I've understood what you wrote.)


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