Hi everyone, I'm not yet a student of martial arts but at the moment I am looking for a school. I came across one that I found a great deal of interest in *crosses fingers*. Hopefully, their fees will be reasonable because that's the ultimate factor that'll determine whether I can go or not (unfortunately, money is a bit tight). Anyway, the school I found teaches 'kempo'. They said their style encompasses Karate (Shotokan), Kung fu (Hung-Gar, Preying Mantis and Shaolin), and aspects of Judo and Ju Jitsu. After reading quite a bit of threads and sites on kempo/kenpo, I found out that there are many many kempo systems. I would like to know if anyone has heard of the system I aforementioned and also, to the experts, may I have your opinion on what you think of that specific style. Your opinions will be great help. Thank you in advance.
reply... i am glad to hear that you are interested in the fine martial art of kenpo. The style i am instructed in is the Al Tracy system which was designed by Ed Parker. To best describe Ed Parker, he was the founder of american Kenpo, and was responbsible for actually making martial arts popular in america. What I love about kenpo is, it is many systems in one. It incorporates aspects of many styles of kung fu, judo, weapons and many more areas. Wheras I find the problem of any single martial art such as ju-jitsu, primarly stresses only throws. Whereas kenpo deals with countless strikes to all areas of the body, and is very practical for very real combative self defense situations. If you have any more questions please dont hesitate to ask
kenpoguy, thanx for your reply. I actually have many many questions LOL. But the obvious would be, though I've researched a bit on Kempo, I'm still a little confused about what it really is. I've read about the different styles of kenpo so I assume kenpo is like karate where there are many styles of karate, there are many styles of kenpo (?). But then, it seems like there are more styles than I can find. So then, what really is kenpo? All I know is that it's a mixed martial arts.
There's many styles of Kempo/Kenpo out there. EPAK (Ed Parker's American Kenpo) is one of them and that's what I do. If somebody is blending styles it's not going to be EPAK. Read up on everything you can before you make a commitment. 99% of the folks associated with my instructor (Larry Tatum) teach EPAK, though some claim to use his name as an instructor he's really not. Clyde T. O'Briant 7th Black LTKKA
Nice to meet ya, I agree with Clyde, do your research on the schools, but in my opinion more so on the instructors than the particular style, there are many that claim more than they should! As far as the various styles, and many will argue this point, especially those thick skulled EPAK guys (lol just kidding, they are just very dedicated to thier art as you should be), but I feel there is no one Kempo better than another, what it all boils down to is what you are looking for! As far as kempo in general, I do not think you will find a more grounded art, one that has retained the older traditions from long long ago, but remains a very devistatingly effective form of defense in modern times... Good luck and keep us posted!
Thanx guys. I actually emailed the school with some questions and the chief instructor emailed me back saying that he is more than willing to answer my questions and anymore that I might have but he wants to do it over the phone or in person. I called up their school yesterday but nobody picked up so I left a message and my phone number. Anyway, hopefully, I'll get a call tomorrow (the school is not open on Sundays). As for the school, I know that they've been around for 14 years or so......at least that's what the message said over the phone. But I do know that they've been there for awhile for I've seen the school and considered going there a few years ago (perhaps over 5). Also as I've mentioned before they said they teach 'Kempo' which 'encompasses Karate (Shotokan), Kung fu (Hung-Gar, Preying Mantis and Shaolin), and aspects of Judo and Ju Jitsu'. As for questions about the instructors, how should I ask them for their qualifications without offending them? And what other questions should I ask before deciding on whether to join them or not? Also, I would prefer to learn a style of Martial Arts that teaches the kicks they teach in Tae Kwon Do. Should I just ask if their style incorporates those kinds of kicks (sorry but for some reason I feel like it's an awkward question to ask). Anyway, for those who are wondering, 'if you like doing those kinds of kicks why not take TKD, etc.", it's because I want a style that is both hard and soft (external and internal), a style that teaches linear and circular movements, and also a stlye that teaches techniques from different martial arts. The 'Kempo' I'm interested in meets all those requirements (I think). The site they have is rather empty. There’s less info than I hoped for. Am I allowed to post the site here for you guys to see?
I don't think the instrutor will be offended by your questions. I'm sure he is used to getting lots of questions from prospective students...he even told you that he'd be more than happy to answer any of your questions, so I don't think you need to worry about offending him. Asking about his rank and qualifications are perfectly acceptable questions. As far as TKD style kicks go, I'm not sure how much luck you'll have. My experience with kempo is that most styles focus on basic kicks and don't contain a lot of the flashy TKD ones. I could be wrong about that though...that's just my experience. Where abouts are you located? There are MAP'ers all over the place, and if you tell us where you are from I'm sure there will be someone more than happy to give you a big list of kempo schools in your area, just in case the one you are checking out now isn't the one you choose.
Omicron, thanx for your reply. I guess not having the flashy-kicks of Tae Kwon Do wouldn't be much of a problem, it'll just be a bonus if they did have it. BTW, I'm from Toronto and I'm looking for schools that are uptown =)
Well, I don't know Toronto very well, but there is a good Shorinji Kempo dojo there...I'm not sure if it's uptown or not though. There is a map on their site: http://www.torontoshorinji.org/ Shorinji Kempo is a great style...I'm really happy with it. If it's in your area, I definitely reccomend checking out the dojo. If you have any quesitons about it, I'd be happy to help you out.
If it is Kempo (with an M) then it is not EPAK. It might be a Villari branch (Shaolin Kempo or such) or a Kajukenbo branch. Or perhaps NCK (I think they use M not N but I don;t remember for sure). The point is, ask him. If he acts like he is offended by you asking where he learned and who taught him and what his "lineage" is, then you know he has something to hide! A teacher should be proud to answer that question in most cases.
can there be any more branches......? because I was reading up on kempo and found out certain schools have their own styles of kempo.
First, just about any martial art is better than nothing at all. It really comes down to personal preference. I have observed many schools. 10 years ago, I observed Kenpo and decided it wasn't for me. I was looking for something purely defensive. So, I settled on Aikido. That became boring to me after a while. After getting into a scuffle with someone on the road because he felt I was following too close, I decided that I needed to be practicing something a bit more aggressive. I observed Tae Kwon Do and didn't care for all of the kicking. I observed BJJ, but in my mind I was thinking that the purpose was to stay off of the ground. I observed Muay Tai, and the kicking ... ugh. I remembered from 10 years previous that I had seen Kenpo. I found a school in my area (Dallas) and enrolled immediately. I'm working on my purple belt now and would strongly recommend Kenpo to anyone that is looking for a simple approach to self defense. It is the "Ultimate Self Defense". You are taught how to adapt to many different, real-life situations. Because it is a mulitple attack system, speed and force are key. IMO, it's the only art worth *my* time. Craig
