Anyone out there care to talk about the Principles and Concepts of Kenpo? I'll pick the first one : RIDING CHECKS, what are they and why do we use them?
Ever seen a waiter come to your table carrying a big flat tray? Notice how the hand is positioned. Now remove this tray and take a look at the hand position, in Parker Kenpo we call this a "waiters check". How can this hand position be used to stop the action of the attackers arms? See you on the enlightened side!
Can it be used like an inside block? We have a stick drill that uses a hand similar to that, to block a roundhouse punch.
Is not intended for a strong defensive position like an outward block. This is more of a lever that keeps the hand weighted down and inactive or in place while you execute another technique. The waiters check uses the shape of the inner wrist and back of the hand as well as the position of the elbow which is directly under the wrist to weigh down the arm of the attacker and isolate his action. If you use this as a block the shape will cause the attacking limb to contour into your anatomical targets!
Hi Thomas, Sounds like Tan Sao, common to many Kung Fu styles, noticeably Wing Chun. Or have I picked you up wrong? Andy
That it is my friend. There is quite a bit of Chi Sao hidden within the system, or sticky hands as some of us have nicknamed.
OK, so lets talk about back up mass. Can anyone explain what it is, why and when we use it? Hopefully, Mr Vince wont be the only one to answer Les
Can you explain the concept of "line". I have some tapes of Speakman and Cerio and they talk about it and I sortof understand... they don't explain because the seminars are for BBs who already know, but a discussion of that in some detail would interest me. The kenpo school I am studying at hasn't really delved into these deeper points (yet, I am assuming they will later but I don't know). So I am trying to learn these type of things and see where they are in my style. David
David, I'm not exactly sure what you are asking when you say line, but these general points might help. Line of Sight: The direction you are facing, when in a particular stance. The 'line of sight' is often used as a refrence to the placing of the feet to get the correct 'toe/heel alignment' when in a stance. Line of Attack: This describes the origin of your opponents starting point when attacking you, (or vice versa). The attack could be said to come from 12 o'clock, 6 o'clock, 3 o'clock etc. (I'm assuming you understand the Clock Principle) Line of Departure: This is the direction taken when moving away from danger, as when you 'cover out' after executing a technique. Your 'Line of Departure' should lead you into a 'Zone of Sanctuary'. There is more to it than this, but now you have a starting point. Hope this helps, Les
Don't go getting too technical, my knowledge is quite limited, but I'll always try to help where I can. Please also bear in mind, that the answer anyone gives you is going to be their interpretation, and others may have a different answer that is equally valid. ie;- 5+5=10, but so does 6+4, and so does 13-3. Les
OK, I went back to the seminar tape, and this is what he says (the tape is edited so I don't know what came just before this...) "never check a line with a line, check a line with a path. Is everyone clear on the difference between a line and a path" and they all answered YES :/ thanks! David
Think of the path as a broader term... The line of attack is exact. The path may include many obstacles so it multi-dimensional and will include that line of attack from your feet to your hands on a diagonal or direct vertical path.
Back Up Mass... It is the Bumper or Truck bumper analogy that explains this. When the truck is backing into a concrete loading dock just the truck gets close to the dock the breaks are put on and it catches the end of the end of the loading dock. The question is what hit the loading dock. The bumper or the Truck? The answer is the Truck. When we are striking we must put several aspects into the target to create power but importantly is a downward diagonal movement to add the body wieght behind the weapon. it is also a manner in which we can make a minor weapon hit with majo effects. You can use your thumbs to stimulate nerve endings into various spots on human anatomy but if you do not fuse the thumb to the pointing finger and squeeze the fist you risk breaking the thumb. That is briefly back up Mass.
Thanks Thomas! I am working on de-weighting my lead foot while punching, punching power has gone way up but it is still a little awkward... I will try to look for downward angles to make this even more effective. OK so back to the original question, when is the correct application of a riding check?
Short Form #2 and Long 2 are good examples of de-weighting the front foot on a punch it actually teaches you the ability to punch and kick at the same time with the same side of the body.
I recently borrowed a video from my sifu of Ed Parker giving a seminar sometime in the 1980's and he used "back up mass" to explain a principle when it came to executing a front handsword. He told the students to keep the elbow and forearm behind the handsword strike, as opposed to the side, as in Shotokan for example. The weight of the entire arm should contribute to the force of the strike. In addition to weight, this ensures that your muscular force is not directed towards too many places at once, and therefore dispersed. I have heard this called "directional harmony" as well. With the entire body moving forward with a shuffle and the elbow behind the stike, you could maximize your effort.
