What style?

[Joe karate]

So where are all the Kempo practitioners. What style do you study and what rank? How does your particular style work. I have heard of styles that were kempo although the theory was different.. ie preffered range.

I'll start. I'm a Green belt w/brown stripe(brown is next)
Shaolin Kempo prefers to be very close and to stay close. All kicks are low, but there are always exceptions. Hands play a huge role, striking is almost always done with standing grappling done later on. Locks are taught but mostly any grappling is standing and usually used to set up for another strike.
The system blends circular with linear motion, often changing one form into another.

[Thomas Vince]

All ranges of defense are important...
There are four ranges of combat or ( four stages of range ) that are considered in Ed Parker's Kenpo:
1. Out of Contact
2. Within Contact
3. Contact Penetration
4. Contact Manipulation.
These all refer to Dimensioanl Stages of Action that EVERY FIGHTER SHOULD BE AWARE OF AND UNDERSTAND.

If you focus on one you lack training and experience in the others.

[ninjahonor]

I am also a practitioner of Ed Parkers American Kenpo and besides the above stated. The style itself is also based on scientific priciples and physics and such that has proven that it works more then meets the eye at first sight.....I myself am a purple belt and still continuing constantly. I great style I must say.

[ptcruiser]

Kosho Ryu Kenpo
founded by the late James Mitose, Grandmaster
5th Dan started in 1968 at 13, blackbelt since 1973 cross-trained in 4 other styles also.

[KenpoDavid]

Shaolin kenpo, since October 2002. This flavor of Shaolin kenpo eveolved from Villari, Cerio, and Angel.

[kempocos]

RYUKYU KEMPO as taught by SIEYU OYATA early 1990's , currently
under an off shoot of his teachings. Also small circle jujitsu and modern arnis - remy prasas
1st dergree BB kempo
1st degree nippon jujitsu from 1979 ( OH MAN, I AM GETTING OLD )

[mattsylvester]

Kempo Ryu, American Kenpo (a la Parker), Shunryu Kempo.

[Razor]

Good stuff above!

I have been training in Professor Chow's Chinese Kara-Ho Kempo since 1992...

This style is based on striking the vital points in the body, in rapid succession (like other Kenpo/Kempo styles-)

We also train in all ranges and have roughly 50% kicks vs hand strikes- which is somewhat unique in Kenpo/Kempo.

Also, the curriculum includes defense against weapons, & multiple attackers and there is also quite a bit of Aikido in there also-

Hope this helps-

In Kara-Ho,
James

[doctrdev]

Excellent post!

I studied Bok-Fu-Do ("white tiger way") kenpo for 10 years, this is a system that Richard Lee developed that is quite similar to the Ed Parker system (Parker and Lee were close friends). The only differences I can see is that there are some traditional chinese, korean, and japanese forms thrown in, and there are high kicks like in tae kwon do. Now I am studying Shou Yuan Shuan ("small circling fist"), which starts students off with the Bok-Fu-Do Kenpo, but incorporates Jiujitsu principles and aikido movements (sidestepping, redirection, etc.), I'm very pleased with the system. And I love kenpo!

[Les]

I study the Parker System, under the AKKI.

I started Kenpo around 1975/76 under Mr Roy MacDonald, in Jersey. Channel Islands. Mr MacDonald is the IKKA's senior instructor in Europe.

When I moved to the UK there was no Parker Kenpo near me, and so I studied Shaolin Kenpo under Mr Barrie O'Sullivan. I took my 1st Degree Black under him in 1990.


Currently, I study under Professor Bernie Drakes, 6th Degree Black, of Jersey, Channel Islands. Mr Drakes is a direct student of GrandMaster Paul Mills.

Inaddition to my instructor, I am fortunate enough to have many mentors in the Kenpo world. I am not a great believer in Kenpo politics, and will happily cross association boundaries to increase my knowledge.

[Noodlesoup]

I study Kempo, as introduced by Carl Faulhaber and Gerard Meijers in the 50's here in Holland. It has a lot of Indonesian influences, and therefor it's close to Kun Tao.

[Thomas Vince#1]

Ed Parker Kenpo under Grand Master Edmund Keoloha Parker, and Master Larry Tatum. Currently a 5th Degree BB with 26 years of practice.

[RCastillo]

Tracy Kenpo!:)

[Irish Karate]

been studying "traditional" kinpo for 2 years now but we have merged with the akki.
i am a green belt (not dure wat how far along the line that is in the other styles as they vary i think its the fourth belt in my system)

[Irish Karate]

dam typo :P
kenpo*

[Bulldog]

Matsumura Kenpo Shorin Ryu...and I just started recently in this art...

I've been looking all over for online examples of the Pinan katas...but, there doesn't seem to be a lot of photos/step by step stuff out there!

Any suggestions fellow kenponians? ha ha

BD

[Kirk]

Ed Parker's American Kenpo, 2 1/2 years

[Les]

Hey Kirk,

Good to see you.

Les

[Kenpo Kicker]

Al tracy's kenpo 2 years and no longer have a dojo and taking up other arts. Now I got to a very nice dojang with tkd and kickboxing. We lost our weapons instructor who was phillipino arts (heard we are getting him back /shrug dunno what happened sparring incident I think) and we are getting jj soon. I like what is being taught but I still miss kenpo. I need to brush up. If you know of any good instructional videos let me know. I can train at home. I still have the whole system in a binder but videos help out more. I don't care much for katas at all. I actually wouldn't want to train those on my own only at the dojo.

[RCastillo]

Al tracy's kenpo 2 years and no longer have a dojo and taking up other arts. Now I got to a very nice dojang with tkd and kickboxing. We lost our weapons instructor who was phillipino arts (heard we are getting him back /shrug dunno what happened sparring incident I think) and we are getting jj soon. I like what is being taught but I still miss kenpo. I need to brush up. If you know of any good instructional videos let me know. I can train at home. I still have the whole system in a binder but videos help out more. I don't care much for katas at all. I actually wouldn't want to train those on my own only at the dojo.

What happened? Why did you leave the Tracy System? :eek:

[Kenpo Kicker]

My sensi moved then I moved (the whole school). There is no kenpo where I moved now. There are tons of kung fu and taekwondo schools here. There is another x tracy student at my school and when I told him I had this book his eyes lit up. He was taking wing chun as well. He was not happy with the wing chun.

[KenpoDavid]

where are you now?

my school sells some technique videos/ dvds they are not expensive www.kempokarate.com

[Kenpo Kicker]

tn I have checked and talked with other maists and no kenpo here. I am thinking of picking up some of ed parkers and learning the system when I move back up north (this will be like 5 or so years don't want to switch my dojang not ez to find a good tkd dojang).


Looked at the website and Ic a tiger stance :( . I miss tiger sooo much. The wc over here does not touch tiger style enough :( . I may pick up a video from ya all if they are in dvd.

[blessed_samurai]

I study informally American Kenpo Bu-jutsu.

I say informally because I am only able to attend about once every two weeks. I hold no rank and do not test, I only train to gain knowledge...I'm not saying that no one else does but as much as they'd like me to train full time with them but I'm so busy in my last year of my education degree. That and I train primarilly in two other arts...take care of a family...etc...you guys get the idea.

The instructor has a 6th dan in Hapkido, so he tends to add grappling to it. All kicks are low kicks, groin and lower. Has rapid succesion of strikes aimed at vital areas and what not...sounds a lot like most of the Kenpo schools.

[dori_kin_86]

Kempo Karate, it is traditional Karate, also te-jitsu

[Tigermoth]

I am a purple belt in Parker Kenpo. My 5 year old is an orange belt. Sorry, had to brag. She's fixin to compete for the first time this month. Cross fingers.

[Colin Linz]

Hi Guy’s,

I have studied Shorinji Kempo since 1988. I am currently in the process of establishing a branch in Caboolture, near Brisbane, in Australia.

Shorinji Kempo has three main physical areas of study. These are Goho, Juho and Seiho. Goho are the hard style waza, while Juho are the soft and Seiho is a method of massage and manipulation using kyusho to help restore the body after hard training or injury. At first the Goho and Juho are taught separately, but the goal is to develop them into a seamless system of unity and as such all the techniques are designed to complement and work within each other. Further to the physical study we also study the philosophy of Doshin So, which is based on Kongo Zen Buddhism.

Some people believe that it is a requirement to be Buddhist to practice Shorinji Kempo, and that used to be true; however this is not the case now. Shorinji Kempo philosophy is not based around deities but rather the way we live our lives and treat others at this point in time and as such could be compatible with any religion.

[mekosho]

I am a student of kosho ryu kempo and an orange belt...kosho ryu, also known as "old pine tree" style dates back as early as the 1700 hundreds and is the roots of most modern kempo's today :)

[matsloth]

hi
i'm 1st deg american kenpo ,1stdeg kenpo fighting system.about a decade in kenpo ,before that mainly freestyle arts.
i have 5 schools across south west uk and about 200 students.
cheers
matt