Power Kempo Black Belt Tests

I first read the post as "Black Betty", and expected them to be training with "bamalam-am lam" playing lol...

edit** @6.52 whats the point of dragging the fist across the buttocks?

edit2-aww you changed the title,

 

It hurts to see the word karate used like that!

 

Those 5-6 finish kicks attacks in many of the 1st video techniques reminded me a lot of Master Ken...

I've only trained once with a Kenpo practicioner, 1st dan. At a Tambo Jutsu seminar once I trained with an older man who was in direct lineage to Master Chow (his master was Master Chow's student). He was good at first, correct training, interest, intensity, etc. But towards the end of the class it changed. Comments from him such as "of course, we both know this is just a dance", etc.

Then further on "Master Chow only fought to the death" (that would explain the 5-6 finishes, to make sure your enemy is dead, you see him driven before you, an hear the lamentation of his woman)

Another was "He ripped an opponents Gastrocnemius muscle (lower leg) bare handed." And many more such stories. Probably that's my fault for being a nice guy and asking him about his art.

 

I doubt the credentials of the man who gave them a BB. Those guys stink

 

OK wait up here guys, lols there are some good Kenpo schools out there I have trained at some of them, there are some really bad ones to and I have trained at those. I must say this about Kenpo, its a little to complicated but the way Ed Parker broke combat down is pretty smart. I suggest studying there list of terms Like Marriage of Gravity, Rotational torque, Point of origin (its a good one I think) touch refrence etc. It is c complicated system and who the hell could remember 200 sd techniques but its got some good pointd to.

 

There is zero value in a 'test' or demo for a grade with an uke like that. I blame them, not Tori for the poor example.

 

I blame tori too - there were some absolutely inexcusable noes in their...the movements against the gun were dreadful and everything else was too "chop socky" and convoluted....absolutely bilge. My Blue belts are better than that

 

My little dragons are better than that. They're five years old.

 

I don't think it's tori or uke. I think it's the whole training culture of focusing on fantastical sequences of techniques. For me it's not very different from yellow bamboo - completely delusional training culture.

 

The sparring was pitiful, my teen class does better than that. The highest rank there is adv. purple. (Purple belt with half blue). For a black belt testing, the techniques should be done full out, and no half effort like they did. Well you shouldn't make contact to the neck or spine but aside from that, and the groin, but aside from that they should hit harder.

 

Unfortunately I watched these videos, and now I can no longer eat my lunch. I've already had enough baloney.

 

I have seen that first video before. Let's all drink the Kool-Aid for a moment and assume these long combinations are even possible; they're still ridiculously unethical and illegal. There are some points at which we see the tester spreading open the legs of someone lying face-down on the ground so that he can kick him in the groin. That's not self-defense; that's a criminal act of aggression. How many children are they teaching to kick people while they're down?

 

Alot of Kajukenbo defense techniques have strikes to a downed person. More of as a follow up after bringing them down with a sweep, takedown, or a throw. They are a series of moves, but they can be ended whenever the defender pleases in a situation. If they want to end it after the throw they have that option, if not then they can do what they want after that too. Many of the defenses are definitely illegal, and also unethical. It is up to the defender if they wish to cross that line, IMO. (Sijo Emperado was a Kenpo practicioner so having to have been the only one of the 5 founders to not have been drafted, there was a lot of Kenpo incorporated, so hopefully I can say, if even a little bit, for the Kenpo practioners.) Aside from that part, I still don't think this guy should get a 4th degree, or hell, even have gotten a 1st degree with that kind of power.

 

Would you carry on with a bad uke? Or would you pull them up and make sure they do it right?

 

Complete lack of zanshin too.

 

I'm not sure how many techniques are cataloged for American Kenpo, but it might be in the thousands. At least a few hundred for testing requirements.

I've heard this as the "salad bar" type of learning. You learn about all the foods in the bar (techniques) and you pick and choose what ones you like the most.

An issue with this kind of approach is that if the salad bar is too big, people spend so much time demonstrating the wide range of techniques, that sometimes they miss out on actually getting good at them.

In the first video, it is hard to see anything except that the one being tested has to show a catalog of techniques. Beyond that, IMHO, it really does not show if the one being tested is any good at them and understands the underlying principles.

It certainly does not help when ukes/attackers do not provide the subtle differences that could make the choice of one technique over the other a very compelling decision or demonstration.

The second video sparring was not as bad. However, control and safety is very important, when the one black belt being tested sped things up, he was told to slow down more than one time. The people testing needed to find more opponents that were willing and able to go as fast and hard as the one(s) being tested. If not in house, bring in a professional or experienced boxer, wrestler, or kick boxer, etc. And if that just is not an option, then bring in something like pad/bag work. Good pad work will kick anyone's behind. When the one being tested is so tired, he/she can't even keep his hands up... then you won't have to tell them to slow down in sparring, IME.

 

These were demonstration of ground attack technique added on after take down. Much like how GoldShifter described.

They only seem unethical because they appear as overkill. There is "overkill" in some of the stand up techniques demonstrated too. I believe the idea is to develop flow, so that you might demonstrate a half dozen attacks, but in reality, they happen so fast that one flows into another and you make a conscious decision as to what is appropriate force. For example, if the demonstration is to spread the opponent's legs and stomp on their groin, this can be done with different kinds of flow and levels of force. One flow could be to spread the legs and stomp into the groin with all your body weight behind it. This flow is slower and you can see the pause and intent... this could be very inappropriate force. On the other hand, one would take this flow and increase the pause, holding the foot up and asking the opponent if they "have had enough" and seeing if they give up or keep fighting, rather than actually going through with the kick. Another flow would be the quick flow where the kick is done in passing, to flow into something else. For example, you might place your foot in the groin (light kick), so briefly stun the opponent, so that you can then turn them over and run away or transition into something like a leg lock or heel hook -- in this latter example, the kick is almost not seen because it appears to be an "accident" as you are setting up and flowing into something else.

The same can be said about the stomps to the joints, they can be done in different ways. To stun and flow into something else, or if necessary and possible, to break a joint.

Not every kick to someone on the ground is a football boot to take the head off of a downed opponent. There are definitely "kill" techniques and then there are those that are much less likely to do permanent damage, IMHO.

When you train these, you hopefully learn the difference and how to apply them differently. The other point is to learn to DEFEND against someone trying to do these things to you, particularly the ones with intent to "kill" or do permanent damage.

 

I'd carry on and take the rank. Bujinkan For Life Homie.