I'm not a Kenpoist, but I'm curious to know if anyone has any FIRSTHAND knowledge of IKCA kenpo training. I'm sure there will be some strong opinions about their video method, so it would be great if someone had a first person account. Thanks for your reponse,
My experience isn't recent, most of it is 8 years old at this point, but 3 of the 4 groups of IKCA guys that I have met haven't been very good. The 4th guy was decent. I do have the tapes somewhere in my video library, and thought the basics and the tech sequence was fine, I think it was mostly an issue of how to transmit the art and how most guys who train by video are not getting the experience of sparring with guys who are better than them, so they are way way behind the curve when it comes to someone resisting their actions versus playing the good crash dummy.
Thanks for the replies... I ask because we are interested in doing a lot of stuff with video in my current group...not distance learning, but as in addition to live body instrution. I was curiuos as to how corrections were presented on the videos people get back from the IKCA. And for what it's worth, I've only seen I IKCA guy in person and he was excellent.
You´ve got a point there. I´ve reached the same conclusion. Doing a couple of years of Kickboxing on the side, to get the sparring down, will take care of that though. Kind of a contradiction there, huh? Getting a video back from IKCA with corrections Is distance learning :woo: When that is said, the IKCA very very thorough in their feedback. The problem is, can you correct yourself? It takes time and dedication. Thus the lack of quality in some IKCA instructors. I like the system compared to EPAK because it´s simpler. 55 tecniques or so compared to EPAKs 155. Also the sequences is shorter, wich made me being able to freeflow better, after a shorter period of training, than when I did EPAK. What I did not like was the videotesting, for reasons stated above. And other politics. Like my friends in Europe tell me that a 2. degree black belt got a 4. degree black belt with the mail without being tested. :wow:
If I had access to a quality kickboxing program why would I need to video train in Kenpo? Isn't there a blatent disconnect between going to a different art to train you to be a fighter? Mr. Sullivan was known for producing fighters "back in the day" why doesn't the program do so now?
I'm with blindside on this one. If you have access to a quality kickboxing gym, then why even bother? You'll become a much better fighter just by focusing solely on your kickboxing classes and learning from the free sparring and the higher level of aliveness in the training.
Thanks for your replies. I am interested in using video to tape my students doing the things I am ALREADY teaching them in-person, for their review. Not for learning Kenpo remotely, or integrating IKCA techniques into what I teach, so I am more interested in the video process, rather than any specific style or techniques. I was mainly curious about things like- -when you get your video lesson back from IKCA, what comes with it? -Is there a voice over of someone making corrections on the tape? -Is there a video that flips back and forth between you and your instructor? Or do the corrections come at one time during the end. -if anybody is using video in conjunction with teaching live body students, how are you doing it? I am thinking about doing some video instruction for the students I teach personally, as well as two students who moved about 90 minutes away and attend once or twice a month. Nothing on a commercial level, or starting my own distance program, just using video for a couple of guys to help us improve what we already do. I ask about the IKCA, because it seems they do this well. I also ask because, a few years back, I once met a guy (who already did Kenpo, and didn’t learn entirely from the videos) that credited watching himself on video during the IKCA testing process with him improving his techniques greatly. He teaches live body students and video tapes them with what is apparently, the IKCA process.
Because some people like the traditional aspects of martial arts. And Kenpo is an TMA. Learning to fight is tranmitted like the proces of osmosis. Its is very difficult for two people to learn how to fight if neather of them has any experience nor a tecnical good level. I´m quite sure that Mr. Sullivan still knows how to produce a good fighter. But then you have to step on the mat in his Dojo every week and put in the time. An option those that do distance learning with video does not have. Hence the advise about finding a Kickboxing school, and getting the fighting down.
