Teaching Kenpo to Non-Kenpoist

[Michael Billings]

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[tshadowchaser]

to continue with the original thread
I was not a kenpoist when I walked into my fist kenpo school. in fact i had many years in other studies. The instructor and I sat down and talked, he found out that I wanted to learn the system and started me of just as he would anyone else, leaning the basic stances and first few selfdefence moves. Short form 1 came next and we went from there.

 

[kenpo2dabone]

Originally posted by Michael Billings
I needed or wanted to gather a collection of ideas for teaching seminars to non-kenpoist.

First was a camp setting to other Martial Artist. Now I have a 6 week women's self-defense course starting. I have a curriculum laid out for this, but am open to new ideas.

Thanks,
-Michael

Were you planning on addressing weapons in the curriculum or were you planning to stick to empty handed attacks? Is the course open to any women who walks in off the street or are you planning to keep it with in the confines of the women in your school and/or other schools? Fellow Martial Artists tend to want indepth training where as the average Jane tends to want to be able to fend and flee. I don't see anything wrong with teaching good Kenpo to either group but for the average Jane group You might want to adapt some techniques to make them simpler where fine motorskills are not necessarily required to fend off the attack so that they can flee. It also does not hurt to have some pepper spray available for purchase along with some instruction on how to use it so long as you make the point that this may not fend off the attacker which is why they need to learn the other stuff as well.

just some thoughts,

Salute,
Mike Miller UKF

 

[ikenpo]

Originally posted by Michael Billings
I needed or wanted to gather a collection of ideas for teaching seminars to non-kenpoist.

First was a camp setting to other Martial Artist. Now I have a 6 week women's self-defense course starting. I have a curriculum laid out for this, but am open to new ideas.

I regards to the women's self-defense course I think the 2 most important things are approaching the participants both mentally and physically. Deal with environmental awareness, not shopping for groceries at midnight, keys in hand before reaching the car, walking with confidence, not being stupid by asking for someone to attack you (this goes for males & females). Acknowledging that there are predators and that survival is at the highest level of success. The other part of this is physical contact. Let them see what it feels like to have an unwanted body on top of them, straddled/between their legs, standing up grabbing them arms pinned/arms free, 6 feet away from them, behind them, etc...basic rote sort of situations that they can practice and have them make some contact with soft pads doing heal palms, knees (to groin), kicks (for shin), etc....There are so many areas to be looked at...

I think people (not you) look at women's self defense and think it can't be that hard, but I think it is an awsome responsibility to take on. The idea that you will place their safety and trust in your hands to give them some (most times false) self confidence from a few hr course. Fortunately, you're doing 6 wks so maybe one or two things will sink in and a situation might be avoided (or handled) based on what you teach.

Of the ones that I've participated in and the vids I've seen Tony Blauer has always impressed me as a no nonsense guy. The other thing I've seen is most times these programs are "WOMEN ONLY", but I've seen "wives with husbands" or provide enough male students, and I thought that worked really well. That way they can practice at home and inflict some pain on their spouses and make up after class. It also focuses on "hands on".

Just my thoughts, jb:asian:

 

[ikenpo]

Originally posted by Michael Billings
I needed or wanted to gather a collection of ideas for teaching seminars to non-kenpoist.

First was a camp setting to other Martial Artist.

One suggestion would be to see if Landsdale would send you a few of his tapes to borrow. That way you could apply the Kenpo within the framework of what he has already taught and at the same time you won't be re-hashing things they already know. The word is that Landsdale is very good with his system and some Kenpo/FMA/etc.. is already incorporated. So that might be one way to look to at least have a background before you jump in (but you may have already done this..). It isn't like you're going to be teaching a TKD school or some hard style system. These guys are already pretty on it..You might take Delayed Sword, Sword of Destruction and Clutching feathers and teach them individually showing marrige of gravity, body alignment, cancellation of h,w,d then show a combo of the three..right punch (start delayed without the kick), left punch (into SD) and finish with the inward raking backknuckle and add the kick at the end to show how it all fits..

Just my thoughts, jb:asian:

 

[Michael Billings]

The tapes are a great idea JB, & I will try to avail myself of them. I am not stressing about material, or being able to wing a good seminar ... I just want it to be "in addition" to what they are already doing, and teach a bit of our framework.

The women's course I have done for years, on and off at World Gym, now Golds. But these will all be employees of a very large hi-tech company here in town. I do a lot of release moves aka elbows, using leverage instead of strength and weak-grab techs. I also do knees, heel palms, etc. A lot of natural weapons, natural defenses, some eyes, throat, groin stuff of course, then the ground work and weapons. I can get a lot done in 6 sessions, but have to spend the 1st 15 min reviewing knees & elbows, step on their knee as a push off and run (raking the eyes of course, when given the opportunity.) You reviewed my Black thesis for Mr. LaBounty's web page ... so you know I will deal with physical, psychological, emotional responses and adrenal dumps, but not to the exclusion of practice/practice/practice & a use it or lose it mentality.

Thanks again guys,
-Michael:asian:

 

[michaeledward]

Finally decided I want to throw in my two cents worth . . . .

Working under the assumption that the folks in your class have some level of martial arts / self defense training, I would suggest that you show them one of our kenpo forms. I think the forms open themselves up to training students at different levels ... (there are so many things I am still learning about Short Form 2) ... I think you could tailor the information to the level of your students easily. You certainly can demonstrate many of the rules and principles via the forms.

I thought I read in one of the Infinite Insights books that the Forms should be taught first, then the techniques. Now that has never struck me as the right way to do it; but you can certainly present a lot of good Kenpo information in Short 2 or Short 3.

I also like, very much, to watch the figurative 'light bulbs' go off in the Yellow Belts students heads the first time they run Short Form 1 against a couple of attackers ... when they see, for the first time, that the motion they have been struggling to comprehend suddenly becomes 'Self-Defense'.

All this being said ... does anyone want to comment on which form would be best to train ... and why ?

Mike