Is anyone here familiar with this style? There is a place near where I live that claims to teach it, but I can't find many references to it online. The few resources that I can find make very vague references to a White Lotus Monastery in Okinawa and end up talking more about Pai Lum kung fu than kenpo itself.
White Lotus is a old term having a vague historic reference. I think the title is taken to make an vain attempt to associate with something old. Simply, it sounds "old and cool" http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/contents/03pol/c03s03.html http://history.cultural-china.com/en/34History5503.html http://oook.info/easia/lotus.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Turban_Rebellion . . .
I took an Asian history class in college that covered the White Lotus Rebellion, so I am somewhat familiar with that stuff. My questions are specifically about kenpo here.
Good. However, as I had stated and alluded to, White Lotus Kenpo will be as vague as the "history" of the society . . .
Ah, sorry. Missed that top part. Calling shens is my first instinct as well, but I was hoping for confirmation from someone who knows a lot more about kenpo than I do.
I had studied it under Richard Planas. Because of my change in residency, I really did not receive recognition via rank. Like many martial arts, there is politics, clash, and uncertainty of origin, founder, lineage, history, etc. Kenpo has this, even among the bio of James Mitose, William Chow, Nimr Hassan-Terry Lee, to name a few Note; This is not to belittle the style or these people mentioned. . . .
There was a discussion on a different forum that might help you: http://www.martialtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16705 Does the place you are asking about have a web site or the name of the head instructor? I could probably find out something more specific from this information.
From what I can tell, it is definitely Kenpo with maybe some other stuff mixed in. @Owl. Kenpo can be a real hit or miss if you don't have a good read on the school and instructors. Some kenpo schools literally have a thousand or two thousand techniques in their syllabus. You can have a case where an instructor will promote a student to black belt because the student can demonstrate all the required techniques in a static environment... so you end up with black belts that literally know a lot of techniques but can't fight their way out of a wet paper bag. On the other hand, you got some schools/instructors that emphasize more of maybe a few dozen principles that are common to the techniques and you must demonstrate understanding of those principles in alive training. And you get some really good martial artists that can hold their own in a fight. And you get everything in between. FYI, I like Jeff Speakman's representation of Kenpo in "The Perfect Weapon" movie.
Now I would go to a kajukenbo school or whatever, but beyond that, my previous statement still stands.
Thanks, Rebel. I don't want to start discussing the merits of specific schools or instructors on the boards, but I'll PM you. Kajukenbo is tough to find in the Midwest, and unheard of in Milwaukee. The only reason I know anything about it at all is that I saw it on Fight Quest. Needless to say, that's not a realistic option where I'm at.
I sorry to seem nosy, but I have been trying to tell you. These styles/places, are nothing more than a title in order to sound more intriguing. I came across many of these places. They even make attempts of creating a historical reference to their art THIS is the true story-situation; Basically, there was a guy whom studied a few arts (50-70's) ; learned or research about a old title or term, created a style from these researched title/term, started to teach and gain followers. I have to reiterate from my first post in this thread; White Lotus is a old term having a vague historic reference. I think the title is taken to make an vain attempt to associate with something old. Simply, it sounds "old and cool" You will not find good information on this place and styles you seek, per as the reason(s) I had explained You are searching in the desert for a fountain of youth I may have to start calling you Indiana Jones . . .
That is mostly what I have gathered about the history of the style myself. But hokey fake history doesn't really bother me; I've been ignoring WTF taekwondo's hokey fake history for two years now. What I'm looking for is someone who might have trained this who knows something about what it is like to train.
Why not just pop down to the school near you and try it out? I've not trained it but looking at videos etc it looks just an animal based gendai budo-ish art which trains in the usual paradigm of drills and patterns. It appears to suffer from the same fanciful sense of application that plagues much of 'kung fu' too.
Actually Huk Palanas was one of Ed Parker's blackbelts from the Pasadena school.. If I remember right, he is one of the 1st generation blackbelts under Parker..
