# Will American Kenpo survive?



## OneKickWonder (Oct 20, 2006)

With the new BJJ "Revolution" is attention being drawn from the stand up arts? Will Kenpo die out as MMA and BJJ astound the world in the UFC, XFC, PRIDE, KOC, and other fight leagues?  I know it wont completely die but just how much is Kenpo going to be affected?


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## kenpo_disciple (Oct 20, 2006)

OneKickWonder said:


> With the new BJJ "Revolution" is attention being drawn from the stand up arts? Will Kenpo die out as MMA and BJJ astound the world in the UFC, XFC, PRIDE, KOC, and other fight leagues? I know it wont completely die but just how much is Kenpo going to be affected?


 

do you know how may types of kenpo there is?  it will never die...


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## HKphooey (Oct 20, 2006)

If TKD and Aikido did not die when Kenpo became popular, I doubt the same will ever happen with the rise of MMA's.  I think Kenpo practioners will accept the challenges of those arts and adapt as it did from traditional kenpo to American Kenpo.  GM Parker modified a traditional style to work with that day's street fighting mentality.


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## Flying Crane (Oct 20, 2006)

If the only reason anybody ever has in training the martial arts is to fight in the UFC and it's related events, then kenpo and all other primarily stand-up arts may die.

For all of us who have other reasons for training, who have no interest in things like the UFC, who like kenpo and the other standup arts, who find these arts to fulfill our martial needs well, they will never die.

Practitioners of BJJ, MMA and the like are a small minority of all martial artists.


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## matt.m (Oct 20, 2006)

I agree with everyone here.  If arts like hapkido, aikido, tae kwon do, and karate along with kenpo were not extremely popular then they would have died off a long time ago.

I also agree that BJJ is a niche art, not a mainstream.  Even the UFC guys are more than just JJ practitioners.


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## Touch Of Death (Oct 20, 2006)

Bjj is not a street fighting art. Its one of the most unrealistic arts for the street that you can possibly study.
Sean


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## Brother John (Oct 20, 2006)

OneKickWonder said:


> With the new BJJ "Revolution" is attention being drawn from the stand up arts? Will Kenpo die out as MMA and BJJ astound the world in the UFC, XFC, PRIDE, KOC, and other fight leagues? I know it wont completely die but just how much is Kenpo going to be affected?


Hardly at all....
really


it's not a competition, it's an art. It's survived and even thrived into, through and past other fads...
it will again.

If it and it's tactics/strategies get 'challenged'....GREAT.
Thats the good thing about Kenpo, it adapts!

Your Brother
John


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## hongkongfooey (Oct 21, 2006)

What is going to kill Kenpo is all of the sub-par, thousand mile per hour air kenpoists, and slap artists out there teaching material that they changed, because they didn't understand the system.


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## Brother John (Oct 21, 2006)

hongkongfooey said:


> What is going to kill Kenpo is all of the sub-par, thousand mile per hour air kenpoists, and slap artists out there teaching material that they changed, because they didn't understand the system.


I really don't see that as being so prevalent, not on any kind of large scale.
..did you have anyone in mind?

Your Brother
John


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## arnisador (Oct 21, 2006)

Fads come and go, but the traditional arts remain. I remember the Kung Fu craze of the 70s and the Ninja craze of the 80s, before the UFC/MMA/BJJ fad of the 90s that is still with us. Krav Maga and the FMA, among others, have had mini-fad periods.


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## MJS (Oct 22, 2006)

OneKickWonder said:


> With the new BJJ "Revolution" is attention being drawn from the stand up arts? Will Kenpo die out as MMA and BJJ astound the world in the UFC, XFC, PRIDE, KOC, and other fight leagues? I know it wont completely die but just how much is Kenpo going to be affected?


 
As it was said, fads will come and go.  IMHO, I don't see Kenpo dying out any time soon.  I do feel though, that the MMA events have brought some positive things.  The need for ground skills, even on the basic level, are important.  I agree with the others....there are other arts that are still around, so I don't think any of those will die off too soon either.  There are many Kenpo based arts that have aspects of grappling in them.  

Mike


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## Sigung86 (Oct 22, 2006)

There are many traditional arts out there that have absolutely no inkling of ground fighting in them, and don't really care.  Ground fighting is not all that important.  At least not as important as many people would like you to think.

It seems to me, at times, that the people who really think being well versed in ground fighting is an absolute requirement is the ground fighters.

The really cool thing about Kenpo, and many other of the arts out there is that there is something out there for everyone.

Main thing is to enjoy the journey.


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## crazydragonkenpo (Nov 3, 2006)

If you know the system, if you can breakfall and if you can get your head around Kenpo from the ground----think "taming the mace" from the ground as a starter then a whole new world of tech developement awaits.
Not to mention rolling around the ground in a manly fashion.
I despair however at the trend developing that some insist on gutting the techs to make way for boxing drills and grappling for what seems a market based rather than technically based decision.
That would lead to catstrophy---in my humble opinion.
BUT there will allways be someone somewhere doing Kenpo.


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## punisher73 (Nov 4, 2006)

> Bjj is not a street fighting art. Its one of the most unrealistic arts for the street that you can possibly study.


 
It depends on what kind you study.  If you study the GJJ that was in the early UFC's it has a self-defense portion that does include some striking.  The self-defense techs are also very similiar to what you find in many TMA's.  Other BJJ does as well.

What we see now though, is the sport based BJJ that is about the tournaments and winning those, which I would agree without the other components leaves a big gap in the self defense area.  

But, as far as kenpo or any other TMA goes.  People study for different reasons and that is the reason that the TMA's will not go away.


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## Arizona Angel (Nov 4, 2006)

hongkongfooey said:


> What is going to kill Kenpo is all of the sub-par, thousand mile per hour air kenpoists, and slap artists out there teaching material that they changed, because they didn't understand the system.


I can agree with that, but I think Kenpo's true colors will shine through when it all comes down to it.  I can't imagine life without Kenpo.


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## airdawg (Nov 4, 2006)

Kenpo is a science. The kenpo I've trained in has involved a lot of grappling and submissions, well before the UFC was out.


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## pete (Nov 4, 2006)

"better to burn out... than it is to rust"


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## bushidomartialarts (Nov 5, 2006)

bjj won't kill kenpo any more than the last dozen fads did.  

in fact, because kenpo is eclectic and open, it survives the fads better than most.


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