whats kenpo all about ive never seen it in action and as far as i kno i consider it the basic martial art so someone enlighten me
There are many forms of Kenpo/Kempo. As a whole though the Kempo systems are well known for their rapid and powerful hand striking techniques. American Kenpo, Shaolin Kempo and Kajukenbo are the most widely known. If you want to see what Kempo is all about try and rent "The Perfect Weapon" starring Jef Speakman. Its a great movie and showcases Ed Parkers American Kenpo Karate.
I study RYUKYU KEMPO it is a OKINAWAIN style that has strikes , the kicks are often low , ribs are considered a high kick, TUITE ( joint manipulation) , KYUSHO ( preassure point , vital point striking). It has a heavy CHINESE influence in the flow of movement and circular techniques.
Real life kenpo stories Greetings! I would like to introduce everybody in this forum to an excellent book entitled: "Street Karate" by John McSweeney This book is a collection of true stories about how potential victims fought off their attackers using martial arts techniques. Most of these victims are students of American kenpo karate, under the AKKA organization. This book is a great read for everyone. So, if you are interested in the effectiveness of American kenpo on the streets, read this book. Here is an example story: A doctor walks out of his office late at night. As he was approaching his car, two would-be robbers grabbed him, one on each side. The doctor, a skilled kenpoist, turned around and struck the first attacker with a knife-hand into the vagus nerve. He, then, spun around and did the same to the second attacker. The result: he escaped unharmed and both attackers were knocked out. I hope this answers your question. Your brother in the martial arts, Darting Viper
This has been my experience between karate(Shotokan) and kenpo/kempo(Chinese and Kara-ho). In all my years of training in kenpo/kempo, it's main focus is on self defense. Therefore we have many a self defense sets. For example, aginst punches, grabs, ground, knife, gun, etc. We do have katas(forms, patterns) too, as well as weapons training. During my time in Shotokan, there were plenty of basic works and katas. When it came to self defense sets, there weren't any. Now maybe it was the club I was in, and all other Shotokan places were different in that respect, but I wouldn't know personally. When it came to actual self defense application in Shotokan, I'd remember the instructor taking bits and peices from a kata, and then utilizing the techniques for self defense applications. Nothing wrong with that, except I didn't see it as being too practical unless you were attacked with a lunge punch in a forward stance. Don't get me wrong and think that I disliked my Shotokan training....to the contrary it was great. It taught me about generating power using proper hip rotation, great powerful stances, plus I met lots of friends through my training at that club. So from my experience that was the main differences in the two arts.