KT:EPAK a right handed art?

[Clark Kent]

EPAK a right handed art?
By 2004hemi - Wed, 18 Oct 2006 20:24:50 GMT
Originally Posted at: KenpoTalk
====================

Well bare with me on this as it may be a silly question and it may have been asked before but. Since I have had problems with my right arm and have been forced to stop going to class for a week I have been looking at all the techs I 've learned up to this point. In the past I just do the moves and looked for what I could add on and keep in mind the way my instructor expects me to perform the moves in class. But like I said this week I have been forced to go very slow in doing the techs. I have also been looking to try and practice more on techs that work my left arm/ hand more and kind of lay off my right arm/ hand. Something that I seem to have missed up to this point I don’t know of any that can be done with out using my right arm.

Infact the bulk of what I learned up to this point the main body of the moves seem to be right handed. Some techs off the top of my head, and I am sure there are a lot more.

Shield and Hammer
Five swords
Raining claw
Destructive twins
Twin Kimono
Wings of Silk
Delayed sword – can be either but mostly right handed
Obstructing the storm
Defying the Storm
Grasp of Death
Begging hands
Captured Twigs


Being right handed I never really gave it much thought but I would think a left handed person would have a much harder time with Kenpo. Always having to initiate a tech with your weak side wouldn’t that make doing a lot of the moves much more difficult or not as strong?

Would love to hear your comments this is just something I was thinking about and well more of a curiosity than anything


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[Nighttrain]

Just the opposite.Because left handed people have to function in a right handed world they are able to adapt more easily.Plus all lefty's are naturally better looking and talented
Nighttrain

 

[hemi]

Plus all lefty's are naturally better looking and talented
Nighttrain

LOL must be a running theme a very nice lady over at KT said pretty much the same thing.

 

[kosho]

Hi,
Hope this finds everyone well. When i teach a TEQ. it maybe right handed or left handed. once the students has the basic movement down. I have them learn the TEQ. with the other hand.. to me this just makes you a well rounded student. if you can't do everything left and right and re teach then you are not ( in my eyes) well rounded. I have gone to other schools and all right handed teq. but when you get the left puncher coming in, a lot of them can not handle it and I feel this is the Instructors fault for not teaching and pushing there students...
to make your self faster do things slow. if your hurt and coming to class GOOD for you... i myself try and never miss class and i lead by example to my students...
my 2 cents
steve

 

[cdhall]

Being right handed I never really gave it much thought but I would think a left handed person would have a much harder time with Kenpo. Always having to initiate a tech with your weak side wouldn’t that make doing a lot of the moves much more difficult or not as strong?

Would love to hear your comments this is just something I was thinking about and well more of a curiosity than anything

Hi Mr. Kent,

I've been away from the board a long time but this recently came up and I had a discussion with someone about this so I thought I'd also chime in on your thread here. I'll try to be brief and list out a few points for clarity. I'm not trying to be rude, but I am long winded and I'm going to try not to be here :asian:

1. Kenpo is "Right Hand Dominant" as you mention. Meaning it is designed for Right Handed people to defend against Right Handed attackers. Mr. Parker did this on purpose. I'm sure it is written somewhere. I think Mr. Sepulveda talks about this in the Journey but it is written elsewhere I'm sure of it.

2. I have always been taught to do everything on both sides. All techniques, sets, forms, basics and freestyle techniques.

3. I think Mr. Parker stated in the manuals (which I haven't hardly seen) that learning both sides is necessary. Also, if you look at the Dictionary Form of Short 2, it is done on both sides. So there is evidence right there that the entire system should be done on both sides. Furthermore, Long 4 is done on both sides and it is supposed to be our signature Form. If you were not intended to learn everything on both sides, why would Mr. Parker put both sides in both Short 2 and Long 4 among others. I believe that you must learn everything on both sides or you are simply asking for trouble.

4. I think I also read Mr. Parker's instruction somewhere that Left Handed Students are to be taught the Left sides of techniques because that is their strong side as you pointed out.

5. Personally, I also think that teaching the base "Ideal" technique is a great way to illustrate and learn the related concepts and principles. Even if a left handed person is taught for a left handed attack. But I think it is a great "What If" to have the left handed person apply the defense to the outside of a right handed attack and the same goes for a right handed person. I think that Mr. Joshua Ryer has done an excellent "On the Mat" episode about this.

6. Based on the way Mr. Parker set the system up, most attacks are going to be from a right handed person so whereas a right handed person may not spend a lot of time defending against left punches I believe a left handed person is going to have to be very good at defending against right punches for example. This will give them a different view of Kenpo. This is seeming hard for me to explain but I'll try quickly with point 7...

7. The Master Keys indicate that in the Right Hand Dominant outline of Kenpo, there are 44 variations of Five Swords (Right Punch) but 17 variations of Shielding Hammer (Left Punch).

I'm not going to discuss Right Hand Dominance per se, I'm taking it as a fact so bear with me.

So a right handed person is going to have 44 variations on defending against the most dominant types of attack in our system.

However a left handed person is going to have to use his 17 variations of Shielding Hammer to defend against a right handed attack if he learns the system tailored to him being left handed. I think this further illustrates how Right Hand Dominant Mr. Parker's Kenpo is. This is the point that occurred to me as being hard to explain.

Now if you are left handed and your instructor teaches you the Right Hand version I think you are at a real disadvantage because now you have 44 variations for a Right Punch but they are all from your Weak side as you brought up.

This is the first time I have written this out and it is quite a bit of an expansion on the discussion I had last week which was more relevant to point 3 above.

I hope this makes sense. See I told you I was long-winded. Numbering my points helped me though anyway. I hope I have exasperated everyone.

 

[hemi]

I hope this makes sense. See I told you I was long-winded. Numbering my points helped me though anyway. I hope I have exasperated everyone.

I don’t think this was long winded at all actually I found it very informative and thank you for taking the time to post that. I am still a lower colored belt in the system, will be testing for blue next month. I realize I have tons to learn about this amazing art and sometimes I stumble across little things that make me stop and think hmm. As I spend more time here, and at KT and talking to my instructor I noticed something. Most of the how, why and when I learn things have a very specific reason. I am getting a better view of how it all fits together and why I am only given half now to wok on and will get a little bigger part of the equation as time and my experience grows. When I posted this over at KT it was due to what I am going through that made me actually do what my instructor has been telling me to do all along. Slow down and do the movements slow then speed will come. Since I can’t go fast right now I am having to look back inside of what I have picked up to now, and go back over it slow. And from a stand point of; ok I know doing this and this and this. But why am I doing this and what are the body mechanics behind this move. Where does the power come from what body part am I twisting, moving to give me reach, explosive power.

Then since I was being forced to work my right arm and that’s where I am having pain I started to wonder why more people don’t seem to have similar problems. Seems I am always working my right arm more so that my left. That got the wheels to turning I know my instructor talked to us about both sides the right and left but we at this stage don’t send a lot of time on both sides. So it kind of became an out of site out of mind situation. I may have jumped the gun a little in asking this question about Kenpo being a right handed art. As I stated before I am still pretty new. I know I have a lot to learn and I’m sure as more of the blind fold is removed through time training I will understand better. There are so many forms sets, techs and little tips and tricks I am yet to learn.

Now it seems I am the one being long winded,

Oh and I Think Clark Kent is the server “ Bot” that moved the thread from KT to MT

 

[cdhall]

I may have jumped the gun a little in asking this question about Kenpo being a right handed art.

Not at all. I can look later, but I'm pretty sure that Mr. Parker states somewhere that Kenpo is "Right Hand Dominant" meaning that since most people are right handed that most attacks will be right handed and the primarily right handed people will defend with their strong-side which is their right (hand). I'll try to find the source and post it here unless someone else does it first. It may be on here in a previous thread too. I know Mr. Planas has stated this outright in the past and so has Mr. Sepulveda, but not necessarily here on MartialTalk. I know I've heard them say it or read them saying it. Mr. Planas may even say this in one of his first two videos.

Oh and I Think Clark Kent is the server “ Bot” that moved the thread from KT to MT

Thanks for pointing that out. I see now that it says "News Bot" and as I read your reply I was about to ask "Are you the same person? Do you have 2 accounts?"
:lol:

I hope I have exasperated everyone.

Also, I meant to say that "I hope I have not exasperated everyone."
:uhoh:

 

[OneKickWonder]

Try working the techniques on the opposite side. If it is a completely right handed technique, practice with the attack coming in from the other side, you will be forced to use your left hand to execute the technique properly. My instructor actually makes it a requirement to know all self defense techniques on right AND left sides before promotion to blue belt and above. It also makes you think more about positioning and timing.

 

[ATACX GYM]

In my opinion it's clear that the way I've seen and learned Kenpo shows a distinct clear and unequivocal inclination toward right handed fighting and defending...and it frequently displays attackers attacking as righties too.Yes I know most people are righties,but still.

 

[Touch Of Death]

EPAK a right handed art?
By 2004hemi - Wed, 18 Oct 2006 20:24:50 GMT
Originally Posted at: KenpoTalk
====================

Well bare with me on this as it may be a silly question and it may have been asked before but. Since I have had problems with my right arm and have been forced to stop going to class for a week I have been looking at all the techs I 've learned up to this point. In the past I just do the moves and looked for what I could add on and keep in mind the way my instructor expects me to perform the moves in class. But like I said this week I have been forced to go very slow in doing the techs. I have also been looking to try and practice more on techs that work my left arm/ hand more and kind of lay off my right arm/ hand. Something that I seem to have missed up to this point I don’t know of any that can be done with out using my right arm.

Infact the bulk of what I learned up to this point the main body of the moves seem to be right handed. Some techs off the top of my head, and I am sure there are a lot more.

Shield and Hammer
Five swords
Raining claw
Destructive twins
Twin Kimono
Wings of Silk
Delayed sword – can be either but mostly right handed
Obstructing the storm
Defying the Storm
Grasp of Death
Begging hands
Captured Twigs


Being right handed I never really gave it much thought but I would think a left handed person would have a much harder time with Kenpo. Always having to initiate a tech with your weak side wouldn’t that make doing a lot of the moves much more difficult or not as strong?

Would love to hear your comments this is just something I was thinking about and well more of a curiosity than anything


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Learn both sides of the tech. I live my life as a left hander in a righthand world and I just do both. It the way we live. LOL
Sean