Info?

[Blindside]

What are the most noticed/recognized forms of Tracy Kenpo? (Ive heard evertyhing from Tai Chi to animals)

Also (even though is depends on the school) what is sparring like in a Kenpo school.

And in Kenpo tournaments, what are the usual rules?

I don't think you can say there are "recognized forms" of Tracy Kenpo. It is at heart an early Parker Kenpo with added elements from Chinese and Japanese sources. Individual instructors may have modified the curricullums, but if it advertised "Tracy Kenpo" at heart it will be very very similar to each other.

Sparring at our school ranges from light touch with our beginners to full contact with our intermediate and advanced students. It can go to the ground, but that certainly isn't the emphasis.

I hate to say it, but most "kenpo tournaments" (and those are few and far between) are usually point.

Lamont

 

[redfang]

I trained at a Tracy school in Cleveland for a number of years. The head instructor there hated point fighting or "playing tag" as he called it. We did a lot of grappling and mma style fighting as he trained in Bart Vale's shoot system. This was reflected in the techniques with a variety of "add-ons", a submission type move following the standard technique. (Which in kenpo is often overkill. I mean, you've just poked someone in the eye, hit them in the throat, kicked them in the groin, popped out a knee, kicked them in the head, then you're going to armbar them?) It was a way to practice submissions while training the regular tracy technigues.

 

[donald]

Regarding overkill, we used to call that adding insult to injury,LOL. Seriously though my understanding is that the myriad of strikes taught is to teach someone to go until the attacker stops. In other words negating the "one strike,one kill" mind set that was pushed so much back in the day. To further break it down, if my punch to the solar plexus does'nt stop the attack maybe my elbow slam will, or then maybe my back knuckle, or maybe my front kick, or maybe etc.,etc.,etc... It makes perfect sense to me.
1stJohn1:9

 

[redfang]

Regarding overkill, we used to call that adding insult to injury,LOL. Seriously though my understanding is that the myriad of strikes taught is to teach someone to go until the attacker stops. In other words negating the "one strike,one kill" mind set that was pushed so much back in the day. To further break it down, if my punch to the solar plexus does'nt stop the attack maybe my elbow slam will, or then maybe my back knuckle, or maybe my front kick, or maybe etc.,etc.,etc... It makes perfect sense to me.
1stJohn1:9

Keep going until the threat is neutralized. Much how we train at work. My old kenpo teacher used to say that the complexity of many of the techniques was to teach the body how to move and respond. The important thing was not responding to an attack with a technique; the important thing was responding to an attack effectively.