# How many Kenpo hybrid schools are out there ?



## suicide (Feb 16, 2009)

and how do some of you people feel about hybrid kenpo schools cause from reading all the history the now original styles were once hybrid styles


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## Danjo (Feb 17, 2009)

There isn't enough time in the day to list them all.

Some are good, others are not.


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## Blindside (Feb 17, 2009)

I don't care.  Any attempt at 'purity' in the kenpo lines is somewhat doomed to failure as we cannot seem to agree on a history previous to the '40s.  Both the Kajukenbo and Parker kenpo family groups look far more like a kudzu vine than a tree.  Variation is the spice of life.  Train hard, hit hard, play hard and you'll probably be in pretty good shape.

A good term from biology that seems applicable here is "hybrid swarm," which refers to the variation in offspring from two species crossing, and subsequent variations from crossing and recrossing between parent and offspring.


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## suicide (Feb 17, 2009)

yeah thats real talk


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## Hudson69 (Feb 18, 2009)

suicide said:


> and how do some of you people feel about hybrid kenpo schools cause from reading all the history the now original styles were once hybrid styles


I have a new one that isn't; Kenpo Taijutsu, a blend of Ed Parker's American Kenpo with Budo Taijutsu.  They really seem to complement each other well, the only thing missing is a better ground fighting element like judo or juijutsu.


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## tai scorpio (Feb 24, 2009)

hi every body,   my name is sifu bernard(scorpio)strickland from birmingham,alabama, and the art i teach is a kenpo hybrid, it,s a mixture of (ed parker,s american kenpo) & (david german t.a.i. kenpo) karate system as well.  my late master(mr bill parks) train under (sr.g.m. parker) and (sr.g.m.german) went he live in l.a.calif. back in the late 50,60,& 70.  we where the only kenpo studio certify by the (i.k.k.a.)  myself and my classmate mr michael sevary both are carry on the legacy of all three (sr.g.m.) and (master) here in the state of alabama.  if anyone would like to find out more you can go to TAI MARTIAL ARTS INTERNATIONAL.COM you can reach me @ scorpio0620@hotmail.com or 1-205-785-9401   thank you  sifu scorpio fifth degree black belt (assoc.prof.)


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## Blindside (Feb 24, 2009)

tai scorpio said:


> hi every body,   my name is sifu bernard(scorpio)strickland from birmingham,alabama, and the art i teach is a kenpo hybrid, it,s a mixture of (ed parker,s american kenpo) & (david german t.a.i. kenpo) karate system as well.  my late master(mr bill parks) train under (sr.g.m. parker) and (sr.g.m.german) went he live in l.a.calif. back in the late 50,60,& 70.  we where the only kenpo studio certify by the (i.k.k.a.)  myself and my classmate mr michael sevary both are carry on the legacy of all three (sr.g.m.) and (master) here in the state of alabama.  if anyone would like to find out more you can go to TAI MARTIAL ARTS INTERNATIONAL.COM you can reach me @ scorpio0620@hotmail.com or 1-205-785-9401   thank you  sifu scorpio fifth degree black belt (assoc.prof.)



Gee, thanks for the spam.


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## suicide (Feb 25, 2009)

hey blindside what happen to your page www.blackbirdmartialarts.com


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## Blindside (Feb 25, 2009)

suicide said:


> hey blindside what happen to your page www.blackbirdmartialarts.com


 
edit: works now, I just had to reenter the same info into my signature.  Weird.  Thanks for the heads up!

Lamont


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## Danjo (Feb 25, 2009)

Blindside said:


> edit: works now, I just had to reenter the same info into my signature. Weird. Thanks for the heads up!
> 
> Lamont


 
I notice that you have a Kajukenbo instructor at your school named Sensei Doug Wilson. Any background on him? Who'd he study under etc?


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## Blindside (Feb 25, 2009)

Danjo said:


> I notice that you have a Kajukenbo instructor at your school named Sensei Doug Wilson. Any background on him? Who'd he study under etc?


 
Actually he was one of my instructors.

He originally studied under the Universal Kempo banner, under Martin Buell or one of his students.  Their group eventually split from the UK guys over the typical thing; money, and eventually he connected with the KSDI.  I don't know who he learned from there, but when I was with him he was running a pretty standard Kajukenbo-kenpo curricullum, and it had been in place for awhile.  I still have my KSDI card from '97 or so somewhere in my files.  After I moved on, I think he eventually left the KSDI and shifted back toward his other roots in karate, but with all the self-defense oriented material coming from Kaju.

Sorry I'm not more clear on his exact lineage, I wasn't with him that long and at the time didn't really care about lineage, actually I still don't.  

Lamont


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## Danjo (Feb 25, 2009)

Thanks for the info. I'm always interested when I see a new Kaju face.


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## bushidomartialarts (Feb 27, 2009)

Our school is a Kenpo hybrid school, taking concepts from three different kenpo lineages, plus iaijutsu, ground fighting, kojosho and tang soo do.

When I bought the school, it was a straight American Kenpo school, but we made changes.  Some of our reasons include:

1.  There are too many techniques in the canonical system.  After our first round of black belts I was a little disappointed.  We spent too much time in class demonstrating techniques and not enough practicing.  Students spent too much mental energy memorizing and not enough understanding.  So we trimmed it down to 100 techniques.

2.  Kenpo lacks ground game.  We didn't get all BJJ about things, but we include class time on how to get back up if you fall or get taken down.

3.  Breakfalls are a bit of an afterthought in canonical American Kenpo.  We moved the two breakfall techniques to Yellow Belt and practice them frequently.

4.  We updated many of the weapon disarms, using concepts from Krav Maga, CDT and other professional security systems.  For example, Kenpo Techniques were developed when revolvers were popular...automatics require some different approaches.

5.  Two of our instructors came with black belts from other arts  Since we were tinkering anyway, we added a few kata that either focused on concepts less evident in kenpo, used weapons absent from the original kenpo katas, or were simply too cool to leave out.

We're producing some pretty excellent students these days, so I imagine our hybrid works pretty well.  Of course, the Kenpo purists down the road (many of whom are my friends) have little hairy kittens when we talk about it.  It's all probably a matter of preference and opinion.

After all, I've always said it's not the style that makes a great martial artist.  It's the student and the instructor.


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## suicide (Feb 27, 2009)

so i guess its alright to hybrid :angel:


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## MA-Caver (Feb 28, 2009)

suicide said:


> so i guess its alright to hybrid :angel:


 You'll get praise for being green. 
I think that as long as the instructor can prove their own linage then they can add a bit of this or a bit of that. 
To my understanding Parker wasn't adverse to the new.


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## suicide (Mar 1, 2009)

it might be green to teaching but im far from being green in real life situations , been in places some only see in movies , been stabbed and shot and really put my survival mode skills to the test and all that is before kenpo %-}


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