becoming disillusioned with kenpo...

  • Thread starter Thread starter twinkletoes
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2 last ones:

--While I'm thinking of Matt Thornton, let's group Kenpo's methods according to his "3 I's" method.

Introduction: This is where a move is introduced, and the student practices it for proper form. This includes hitting focus pads or heavy bags. This develops correct technique, and builds attributes like power, speed, follow-through, and accuracy.

Isolation: This is where the move is developed through [alive] drilling, so that attributes of timing, distancing, and a sense of appropriateness is developed. For example, maybe one partner needs to work his side kick: he can't seem to get it to work in sparring. So his partner puts some gloves on and throws only basic attacks, like backfist-reverse punch (jab-cross) or other kicks, and his parner uses only the side kick, so he learns when to use it. Slowly they increase tempo or add things that the trainer can do until the student feels comfortable using his side kick in an alive situation.

Integration: Spar, and employ the skill while sparring.

If we look at basic moves from Kenpo, they are obviously trained in the Intro stage, and probably the isolation and the integration stages. HOWEVER pre-scripted techniques and katas fall ONLY into the introduction stage. They can't be isolated in alive training because they are not alive patterns! And I can tell you right now that I personally cannot use my techniques or katas "move-for-move" in sparring.

If we are aiming to teach spontanaeity and improvisation, why don't we train it?

--Lastly, the reason I am on here bellyaching about it is really this: The school where I teach is not my school, and I don't make pretenses that it is. I'm probably about 5th in the chain of command out of about a dozen active instructors, and I've been a black belt for almost 7 years (teaching assistant for years before that). I don't have any desire to change this school: it's not my school, and that's not my place. The school is a wonderful school and they do great things for their students, but it's the curriculum that I have a problem with. It's the product I disagree with, not the service.

However, I am planning on opening my own school in the next couple of years, and it was sort of shocking to me when I realized I didn't want to teach Kenpo (I teach other styles, including BJJ and Modern Arnis). I thought for awhile about ways to "trim" the curriculum or tailor it towards alive drilling and improvisation, but every time I go to flesh it out, in the end it looks like this:

Learn and develop basic strikes, takedowns, etc.
Develop skill in using them in an alive setting.
Gather experiences in different ranges.
Integrate the skills of all of these alive methods.
Eliminate kata and other prearranged, cooperative movement sets.

This comes out sounding like a JKD curriculum (and frankly, it is). That brings around my other initial question--doesn't Kenpo theory eventually imply JKD?

(We (kenpoka) want improvisation and spontaneous reaction-->so we train that way-->sparring and alive drilling-->experience in a variety of unscripted environments-->JKD)

<Whew> Keep the responses coming--I enjoy hearing from you all.

~Chris
 
Twinkletoes:

I too am a long-time Kenpoist. I started in 1973. I have a 3rd Black in an independent offshoot of Tracy's Kenpo.

I began to feel frustrated with Kenpo about 10 years ago. Somehow, our art has become too ritualized. Kata practice has lost its meaning for me. I took time off. I searched for a better way. I briefly tried American Kenpo: same feeling.

Recently, I took the plunge into Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I feel EXACTLY the same as you do. BJJ is da-bomb. The no-nonsense training and ranking is a real eye-opener. No dogma, no hype, just train hard and train to win. Kenpoists who have never seen or experience Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu just don't know what you and I are talking about.

I hope that other Kenpoists can open their minds and see that our Kenpo is getting a little static and that there are other arts and most especially other training methods. Furthermore, some of these styles are evolving and improving rapidly while Kenpo is working hard to preserve the past.

Twinkletoes: Thank you for raising this important topic.
 
Old Fat Kenpoka -

Thanks ;) I was starting to wonder if I was the only one who had experienced this. I love BJJ: train hard with partners who fight back. No theory, just results.

~Chris

PS: When I started renting space at the kenpo studio to teach BJJ, most of the other black belts were cool about it. A couple apparently made a few snide comments to some students about how ineffective that "grappling stuff" is. I invited all the black belts to one of my sunday classes to roll with my students. We did headlock escapes from the ground, and worked on combining them so that they could be used together (and more efficiently). After about the 3rd technique one of them called me over and said "This technique doesn't work." I said "Sure it does. Let me see you do it." She sorta did it halfway and then announced (muffled by her partner's arm) "See, it doesn't work." I got down and had her put me in the headlock and hold on tightly. I did the escape a few times. I stood up and she looked at me and we didn't say anything for a minute. After that she finally said "I don't think it works." I had to walk away before I started laughing. :D I guess some people CAN argue with real results.
 
"if you want a real ALIVE training, why don't you go to some bad neighborhood or bar and pick up some fights there ?"


"If i were you, i will go to the bar and pick up a fight with a BIG and BAD guy with a lot of tatoos and have a COLD beer afterward in another bar to celerate 1 more accomplishment if you know what i'm saying."


webpage2002203-

What kind of advice are you giving the orginator of this thread? What would your instructor say if he/she saw what you had written above? Thats terrible advice. You honestly think that picking a fight is an accomplishment. Anyone can do that. The Martial Arts should be used to defend one's self. Further, tattoos don't make you bad. If your still stuck at that point, stay in the shallow end, and certainly don't give anymore advice. You can get real-live training in the studio/dojo/garage/etc. Twinkletoes doesn't need to pick a fight, he needs some good workout partners. What if he got his throat slit taking your advice by picking a fight in a bar? Don't think it doesn't happen.
 
Not this argument AGAIN.

Look, if you want to study and learn to teach Brazilian jiu-jitsu or anything else, cool. Good for you. Just leave off blaming everything on kenpo's "lacks," kenpo's "weaknesses," etc. etc. etc. With a good instructor, that's simply not true.

I realize this won't matter a bit to ya. But every single thing you've mentioned about what kenpo training should be, should include, I've had thrown at me. No exceptions.

I am not even going to start with trying to explain what forms teach. I don't think you'd be listening, except for those on this thread who know already. Let's just say that there are reasons for forms.

What you might consider is the fantasy of invulnerability that lies behind the notion that if I just find the right art, throw out all the "extra," everything will be perfect...I'll become the perfect weapon!

Hey, wait a minute...
 
Yes. This argument AGAIN.

50 years ago, Karate people used to bang their fingers into buckets of rocks, pound their knuckles on Makiwara pads. Now, we know that these training methods are not the MOST effective. Why can't people argue that Kata is not the MOST effective training method for fighting?

Kenpoists too often gain a sense of invulnerability from their Kata and technique training. Every Kenpo Black Belt needs to get tackled and submitted by a BJJ White Belt just once so they know that they are not invulnerable.

Let's leave our egos at the door, open our minds, and accept that other styles and training methods are valid. Let's also accept that other arts are evolving and improving and that we must evolve and improve or become relegated to the history books.
 
I have a BJJ instructor in my school and we have "played". Interesting, instructive, but limited, unless you just like to wrestle. It is what it is. Think weapons, multiple opponents & the real world.

It is great for my law enforcement friends, but we also teach them some JKD & boxing.

RE: JKD - you get to the same place by a different route. In Kenpo you learn a vast multitude of techniques and "Motion" ... in years to come it all BLENDS (another catchword) , into the flow. In JKD you learn to flow first, and from that come your techniques.

I think it all depends on your preferred learning style. Do you like a group class that is semi-structured (Kenpo) or do you prefer the partner training which is more free-form of JKD? Remember the roots and the Ed Parker / Bruce Lee connection. It is there, real, and remembered by men like Danny Inosanto and Ray Parra, as well as the Kenpo Seniors of the era.

My Opinion Only,
Oss!!
 
Mr. Billings. Thank you. BJJ is what it is. Smart BJJ guys know that a good striker can hurt them and that nobody is invulnerable. Smart Kenpo people know that they are not invulnerable supermen. I hope that all Kenpo people can know what the smart ones know.
 
I have also experienced the "disillusionment" that can be experienced by long time practioners of kenpo. I started at a very young age and continued training hard for many years before moving away from a studio structure (not by choice). There has always been a stigma attached to anyone who looks or trains in something other than kenpo and who tries to point out "weaknesses or gaps" in kenpo. Unfortunately, I feel that many of the people who profess this point of view are the same ones who worry about every strike and finger placement, swear that a technique can only be done ONE way, and that technique purity is developed in technique lines. These people are missing part of the kenpo picture. The theories and technical skills are great; but, ultimately, it's the application of knowledge that makes the final statement of effectiveness.

This is not to put down the correctness of kenpo but to show that some people will gravitate (remember tailoring?) to more practical experience or evaluations than those who prefer theory. If you have reached a stage that you are craving a different approach to the same material, then GO FOR IT. I do not feel that you have abandoned kenpo if you continue to apply the theories and principles but choose to look at it from a different prospective. Innovation and learning only comes from asking questions and then exploring the answers. My suggestion is to gather a small group of people with a similar mindset and different styles and start exploring scenarios, ideas, etc. As long as you apply the principles and knowledge then you are still doing kenpo.

My 2 cents
 
Kenpo guys who want to compete have few avenues. Do we play tag at tournament ... yes it is fun, for a while, or do we go the full contact route? Costly, physically, mentally, and emotionally ... and is it really Kenpo then. I would argue "yes" by the way, in that the Principles, Concepts, and Theories of Motion always remain the same. I have 3 Kenpo Black Belts at a boxing gym now. They use the P,C, & T, but have found boxers just call them something else.

BJJ is a great adjunct Art. Especially for you guys with bull necks who still have a flood of testosterone mixed with adrenaline, running through you. You can complete and train and it is an endorphin rush every single time, due to the amount of energy expended (whether your face shows it or not!)

I like testing my Kenpo contact manipulation, levers, fulcrums, bracing angles, etc. against some of the BJJ guys, but I am too old to do this consistantly. It plain takes a huge physical toll on backs, necks, fingers, ears, noses, elbows, shoulders ... well you get the idea. It is fun at camps and I have actually been able to show the BJJ guys some things out of Kenpo camps I attended, that they never tried ... and gee, they worked.

Don't discount that you can learn from anyone anywhere ... but it is up to you to find the "lessons", and they are not always what the person instructing you is trying to teach. If nothing else, we learn what else is out there on the street.

I am still not disillusioned with Kenpo. It is fresh and growing all the time. It has ups and downs and it is my responsibility to keep it alive and growing. That is how the Art progresses. Everyone gets tired teaching the same old same old. That is the challenge. You can chose to explore another Art, or you can attempt to find the uniqueness of Kenpo and add to the body of ongoing work called Kenpo.

(I sound like an add for KenpoWorld - a new creation, see attached image)

Oss!
 
I think you are being unfair to kenpo. Mr Parker designed a system by which you learn set techniques, sparring and freestyle, and when it all comes together you can move spontaneosly. Now that you have gone through that system you want to throw out what got you there as useless. You may be bored, but you are almost obligated in a way to pass that system on to someone like me who CANT move spontaneously to give me a chance to learn how to. (I'm not yelling at you, just saying that earing a BB is just as much about becoming a good fighter as it is about becoming a good teacher.):soapbox:
 
Oh, fiddlesticks.

If you really think that the stuff of kenpo is silly and impractical, merely theoretical, what can I write to dissuade you.

You are basing your arguments, however, upon an idea of "practical," fighting. I'm interested in self defense, which is different. I'm also interested in the character-building aspect of the martial arts, and I feel sure you'll laugh at that.

But if you want to be practical, and you feel that tying somebody up on the ground while his buddies run up and...well, you know the argument.

I wonder what the real point is.
 
So many labels. JKD, TKD, BJJ, EPAK, MT, TSD, ROSS, FIGHT, LSD and 123.

So many methods. KATA, DRILLS, SPARRING, POINT SPARRING, SENSATIVITY, CONCEPTUAL TECHNIQUES, LITERAL TECHNIQUES, ROLLING, PUNCHING A BRICK WALL and on and on and on.

Well, what I finally realized is that im learning to use myself as a tool that can be used to defend myself. In the process many characteristics about me get better. So I train, and I get results. I train some more and get more results. After years, I train myself using different methods, and stick to those methods that prepare me to defend myself better than previous methods. I constanly re-evaluate my performance so that I may judge my progress, and make determinations on which methods are most adequately preparing me.

There is no discrimination. Because my life could depend on this someday, I am interested in the methods that best prepare me. This is not about striking versus grappling. I make no such distinction and none should have ever been made. If you are serious about learning how to defend yourself you will consider the different situations you could find yourself in and prepare for them. There are other reasons to be involved in the martial arts, but I think it is safe to say that combat is at the top and should be considered before any others. Any ART that is supposed to provide a platform for one to develop MARTIAL skill should be concerend with effectiveness first. If not than it is not a martial art. This means we should constantly be evaluating what we do and improving based on varifiable fact from unbiased scientific analysis. Thank you for your patience with my insanity.


:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
 
Originally posted by ProfessorKenpo
See, I told you it was worth the investment if for any other reason than to watch me get pounded LOL. Watch the Locking Horns tech, it'll get you giggling for sure.

Have a great Kenpo day

Clyde

:) The Orange Belt tapes haven't arrived yet (of the 8 I ordered, only 2 were in stock), but I'm looking forward to it! Master Tatum is an excellent teacher I have to say! He does look like he punishes you guys on the tapes a bit! I think it would be nice to see the technique done once completely and at full speed at the end of each explanation though, it wouldn't have taken much time and would have been pretty cool to see!

With regards to this BJJ debate, I watched some Gracie Jiu-Jitsu instructional tapes, and I have to say, it didn't look that impressive to me. It seem to be a case of cover your face up, rush them, then dominate them on the ground. This 'rushing' phase would worry me, it seemed like a decent kenpoka could probably land 3 strikes in the time that they were moving in....maybe the tape was misleading though; the UFC results do speak for themselves!

Ian.
 
Don't knock it until you've tried it. I was very skeptical about BJJ for about the first seven years since I heard about it. Further research, watching some classes, and then taking a lesson were enough to convince me that it fills a great gap in my Kenpo training.

I think all of us Kenpo people need to be a little more humble about our great art: Kenpo is very comprehensive, but not perfect and not completely comprehensive. I think we can learn much from Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Judo (yes Judo), submission wrestling (yes wrestling), Filipino Martial Arts, Muay Thai, Boxing, Krav Maga, and Jeet Kune Do. All of these arts address one or more issue differently or even better than Kenpo. We need to keep our minds open and admit that our Kenpo does not make us invulnerable.
 
I have a couple quick responses to certain things that have been said:

"If you really think that the stuff of kenpo is silly and impractical, merely theoretical, what can I write to dissuade you."

and

"You are basing your arguments, however, upon an idea of "practical," fighting. I'm interested in self defense, which is different. I'm also interested in the character-building aspect of the martial arts, and I feel sure you'll laugh at that."

Robert, I think you are pigeonholing my kenpo-problems intoa larger argument that has come around before. For starters, I never said that kenpo was silly or impractical. What I said was that the common training methods (kata and techniques) were less effective and less efficient than alive training like JKD or the SBG guys. I stand by that. I think that those are less effective at building real-time improvisational response, which I feel is critical.

Moreover, I'm very interested in character building and the like. I have avoided every fight i can in the last 15 years of martial arts training. In fact, I've never had to hit anyone to solve anything. I understand that these things come first. They must. But I still think that Kenpo's training methods could be more effective.

I think Kenpo is hard to define. Is Kenpo itself silly? I have no idea. Perhaps Kenpo is a sum of its training methods, or its principles. Perhaps it is something altogether else. I don't know. I have learned great habist and striking from Kenpo, over 15 years. However, I can take beginners and consistently develop in them functional skills in much less time than it took me using "nontraditional" methodologies like alive drilling vs. kata. Does that mean my teaching is evolving? Maybe. Should it? I think so.

Next:

"There is no discrimination. Because my life could depend on this someday, I am interested in the methods that best prepare me. This is not about striking versus grappling. I make no such distinction and none should have ever been made."

Ben, I couldn't agree more. This is not about the techniques applied, but about the methods in which they are trained.

Lastly:

"With regards to this BJJ debate, I watched some Gracie Jiu-Jitsu instructional tapes, and I have to say, it didn't look that impressive to me. It seem to be a case of cover your face up, rush them, then dominate them on the ground. This 'rushing' phase would worry me, it seemed like a decent kenpoka could probably land 3 strikes in the time that they were moving in....maybe the tape was misleading though; the UFC results do speak for themselves!"

It isn't about BJJ vs. Kenpo, though if you want to see those results, get "Gracies in Action" 1 & 2. Watch the crazy kenpo guy in part 2. This is, however, about training methods, and the BJJ guys have trained in more modern ways and accomodate strikers in ways that many strikers do not reciprocate. This is why NHB competition has favored pure grapplers over pure strikers. But that is a WHOLE different sack of potatoes. ;)

~Chris
 
Originally posted by satans.barber
:) The Orange Belt tapes haven't arrived yet (of the 8 I ordered, only 2 were in stock), but I'm looking forward to it! Master Tatum is an excellent teacher I have to say! He does look like he punishes you guys on the tapes a bit! I think it would be nice to see the technique done once completely and at full speed at the end of each explanation though, it wouldn't have taken much time and would have been pretty cool to see!


Ian.

On some of the Brown and Black Belt technique tapes he does that, more than a few times. He started getting comfortable in front of the camera about Green and started really pumping. You have to remember these are instructional tapes and not a demo, at least that's what he was aiming for. They act as an artificial memory when you need that extra boost before class or before a test. He was not looking to sell what he could do, more what he could do for the viewer. I'm on the recieving end so I know what he can do LOL. Larry will be in England in the next few months so keep an eye out. If you're near London around June 6th and 7th you'll have to come over to Kevin Mills (BKKU)studio, I'll be vacationing (on holiday) for a few days and didn't want to miss Kevin so you can see me there. Email me for details

Have a great Kenpo day

Clyde
 

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