delta1

Most of the ones I've seen are still pretty spendy. $500.00 is a good price for a decent matt. I use a large area rug with layers of carpet padding under it (cost $0.00, US ). I can add or take away layers of padd to get the effect I want. The disadvantage is you have to move several rolls instead of one, and you periodically have to stop working out to readjust the pads and rug. Rug burns are also a problem.

Depends on your experience and abilities to work with principles instead of rote memorization. One of the things the Parker based Kenpo systems will do for you is greatly improve ypour ability to extract and use principles, and thus help you to integrate different styles/systems effectively. I've worked with TKD quite a bit, and one of the things I like to do is take their One Steps and Kenpoize them. Basically, I look at what the One Step is teaching, as well as the possible applications. Then I modify the stances, footwork, strikes and checks to fit Kenpo principles. The results are amazingly effective! And, when I cross reference them back to AK, I find the moves are in my system already. But doing this helps me to gain a different perspective on the move. I did work some with one instructor who teaches Kenpo as a base, TKD for long range, and another art (I forget which) for close in work. He thinks I'm a little off doing TKD for close in. What I did was good, but he says he doesn't see the point in reworking TKD for close in when it's already there in Kenpo and in other systems. OF course, I countered with 'why teach other systems to enhance other ranges when Kenpo already works at all ranges?' It's all what you like, what you can and do make of it. A lot of Muay Thai can be easily integrated with Kenpo as well, though I don't have much experience there. I did recently work a little with a MMA fighter who does IKCA Kenpo, Muay Thai, and grappling. He is able to combine them very effectively (even though he says he's usually punch drunk- a common problem for those crazy buggers ). If you are interested, PM me and I'll try to get you some information on some of these groups, or on groups in your area if you have questions about them.

Welcome, aefibird.

Boxing is godd in many ways, but it is severely lacking for self defense purposes. I agree with the Law here- a mix is best. Boxing is good conditioning, developes reflexes, has fast and powerful fist techniques, decent footwork, and boxers are generally some of the best at picking apart your guard. But the gloves develope bad striking habits, and their defenses depend way too much on the gloves for street applications (those can be modified with practice, though). No kicking skills or defenses, and the stance leaves you a little too open to kicks, knees and leg checks. No defenses against grabs, locks, or other 'street' type attacks, other than strikes. No ground skills at all.

I don't know if he does. Try a search for BKF (Black Karate Federation). For a decent free manual, I talked to someone from Ringside and they have a free downloadable boxing manual at their site: https://www.ringside.com/pdf_files/boxing_manual.pdf You would have to be careful in integrating boxing techs and principles, though. It is a combative sport, and depends a lot on the gloves both to protect the hands and for taking shots/defense. Stances, footwork and power generation are different, but the principles can be extracted and adapted to work with most martial arts. For example, in TKD you often see them step their trailing foot out from a back stance into a front stance, then punch with the trailing hand. This is a good position for useing a punch to stop forward momentum. But, let's say you want to use it for a quick follow up strike. You've just hit his right jaw with a left jab. It connected good, and turned him away some, also brought his hands up to defend. You could settle for a lower ribcage shot, or you could do that step out as a step around onto your toes, droping the right shoulder and striking with an uppercut to the solar plex. This gets a lot of whole body torque into the strike. It also engages your entire body mass in motion to add a lot of power. Being up on your toes with that trailing leg allows you to strike deeper into your opponents center, and the step around positioned you perfectly for the shot you want instead of settling for the less effective strike. (This is my interpretation of one of the things Mr. Muhammad was talking about- your mileage may varry, but it's worth looking at and trying).

I bet! Funny how good methods tend to get around. Like Taiji push hands, chi sao, and some of the FMA sensitivity drills. If it works, use it!

Sorry, didn't mean to imply it was only philosophy. Just for the context of this discussion, I wanted to focus on Bruce Lee's philosophy of learning your art well, then focusing on what worked for you instead of wasting a lot of time and effort on moves you couldn't or won't use. Any way, some good answers here from everyone!

I do American (AKTS) and Chinese (IKCA) Kenpo. Both are Parker based. I also integrate other styles/systems ( I'm an unabashed technique plagerist ). aefibird: yes, we do forms. They are a little different from what traditional karate does. The early forms are moves on both sides to get you used to moving and to help develope what we call your 'Dictionary of Motion' (Mr. Parker used English grammer for a lot of his analogies). Later forms are technique forms with borrowing and flow. Our techniques are themselves like mini katas, done both without and with a partner. They are learned in phases. First is the Ideal phase, where the base technique is learned in the air and with a compliant partner. Then we move on to What If?, where problems and variations are explored. Forceis increased as you go, until you are reacting under a full force assault with variables. Then you go on to the Formulation phase, where you really tear it apart, rearange it, add and subtract moves. Through all this you are looking at the principles and concepts and focusing on basics. We also do a thesis form at each belt level except yellow ( and there are no passes if you aren't belted- I've probably done more thesis forms than most people of similar level). In addition, we have Sets which focus on drilling basics (Finger Set, Kicking Set, Star Block, etc.). The IKCA is not as much into forms as most other AK systems. But a lot of the IKCA students either take it to enhance other systems, or as a base to incorporate other systems with. So many of us get a lot of kata/hyung/forms elsewhere.

Kenpo is adaptable enough that we can and do integrate some boxing tactics. I just had the privilage of a short workout session with some BKF people, who are masters at integrating boxing and karate principles. Simply awesome! SGM Steve Muhammed was, and is, a pioneer of this concept. If you ever get a chance to see him, don't miss it! The man is over 20 years older than me, and moves like he's 20 years younger, with the skills of a true master. I now truly realize how little I know!

Just kiddin' ya, bro! You ain't exactly invisable here. Congrats on th' promotion! Allways enjoy readin' your posts.

Sadly, I have to agree with you! But it is a lot of fun to show them the combat applications and watch them turn !

True, they will let you sell junk to anyone who wants to buy it. But if they are hard selling exhorbitant contracts and not letting people back out before the time limmit, they will list the school. I don't think they can close you down or fine you, but they can suggest that your victims seek legal counsel and recourse. Yes, I agree. But I'd rather have it handled by consumer awareness, peer pressure, and those of us who know the difference standing up and speaking out. Regulation ain't th' way! No, it shouldn't. But it does, and I don't see much that we can do about it except what I've already suggested. But, that goes a long way. Look at how many people seek advice from this and other boards. And you can talk to your friends and family about it. We can't save 'em all, but we can make a dent. Sorry I teed off on ya a little. Not so much you as the topic, actually. I have this one BIG button, labeled "Gov't Reg", and you found it.

No way would I support any sort of regulation!!!!!!! No! First off, how can a government beaurocracy guarantee anything more than mediocrity? And make NO mistake, that's what regulation would guarantee. You want McDojos? Regulate, and that will be the standard. Guaranteed! Hell, people, we already have the Better Business Beureau. You can already report a school/business for bad business practices. But do you want them to be able to evaluate your instruction and shut you down? Sorry to say this, SS, but it's none of your (or my) business who they promote. I don't particularly like it either. But I DON'T want to give the government the power to shut them down, because, know what- if they can do it to them, they can do it to you and me! And, the question isn't whether a 10 year old can whip a grown man. The question is, can he handle the class bully? Does he at least have a better chance than if he didn't take a martial art? Can you handle every man you meet on the street? You sould be so lucky! You'll get some know it all McDojo grad who got his BB at 6, then quit the MA's until this chance at power and prestige to head up your new beaurocracy. He's now 50, bald and fat, and pasty, and he fears and hates anyone who actually earned his rank. Good luck keeping your school open. One more thing, there is NO SUCH THING as limmited regulation. It will either be regulated, or it won't. Gads, man, you usually make more sense than this.

Ah, yes! The old "I studied under a Chinese master" ploy! Depends. Niether is wrong. Generally, Kempo refers to Japanese systems, and Kenpo refers to those with a Chinese base- like American Kenpo or IKCS Chinese Kenpo. Kempo is a Japanese term, so the term Chinese Kenpo is a little bit of a misnomer. As for age, most American Kenpo schools won't give a BB untill 17. You can earn a Junior BB before that, but it is generally felt that a child <17 is not developed physically, mentally, nor is he mature enough to take on the responsibility. Those schools that promote young children to BB are generally looked down on by the martial arts community. They are known as 'belt factories', and they are the ones who are scamming for your money. I take it as a goods sign that your school has age requirements. And, it isn't the belt that matters, it's what your son is learning. Not only the quality of his martial/self defense skills, but the values and discipline. If he's happy there, all the more reason to keep with your current school and not negatively influence his experience there. And the Kenpo/Kempo styles are a good base if he decides later he wants to try something else. Good luck to you. Oh, I'm a student, not an instructor.

AngelaG is right. Sounds like the KF instructor is trying to steal a student. 'Lineage' doesn't mean that much in our society, especially with kids classes. And in any case it is no guarantee of good instruction. Also, you'll find that with the martial arts, the grass always looks greener somewhere else. Especially when you are just starting out. I'd leave your son where he is, unless there's a compelling reason to move him. Teach him to stick to one thing instead of jumping around. If he wants to learn another art later, he has the time- he's only seven, after all. And he'll do much better in another art later if he gets a good foundation under him in one art now.

If firearms aren't an option, I'll go with Escrima sticks. They're practical, fun, inexpensive, translate to many other weapons easily. What's not to like?

Crabbing is my favorite pastime! I crabb about the weather, crabb about my job, ... huh? Oh, never mind... Well, any way, I'm glad to see you've survived our idiot Seattle drivers. I've been to most every major city in the US, and quite a few foreign cities, and Seattle drivers are far from the craziest- but they have to be the most one way bunch of ding batts I've encountered anywhere! Their favorite saying after they've cut you off or done something else obnoxious is "It's the code of the West!"

WW and JL said a lot of what i was going to say. I'll just add to their points: If he didn't already shoot you, he probably wants something else from you. So you have a little room to act. If your negotiating/acting skills are good, you may be able to sucker him in closer. If what he wants is you, he may get closer any how. If you can give him what he wants, and you judge that the chances of him killing you any how are less than your chances of dieing if you act, give it up. If not, react- what have you got to loose? I have seen techniques to close distance from across a room and disarm a gun wielding opponent. I can't do them, and they rely on speed and evasiveness and are no guarantee. I did counter them reliably the first time I was shown them, useing a one shot toy dart gun. I doubt the average stupid thug would be able to do it reliably, but even a-holes get lucky. Try it if you want.

Thie latest "On the Mat" clip is a good one to help illustrate how American Kenpo works. Mr. Ryer illustrates how to interchange moves from different techniques (borrowing or technique flow in AK) to change your counterattack to do what you want with an opponent. This also works when he doesn't react exactly as you thought he would. Mr. Ryer touches on this when he 'sacrifices' a move to deal with another strike, then formulates a new response to bring the situation back into his control. Now, I know some of you will think "OH no! You have to not only learn >150 techniques, now you have to learn endless combinations! How will you know what to do in a fight, with all that to choose from?" Simple. As I've said before, you aren't learning rote responses to attacks. You are learning to move in different situations and circumstances. These techs are like mini katas done with a partner and worked up to full force assaults in training. Here's the link: http://www.unitedparkerskenpo.com/Onthemat.html I hope it isn't too confuseing, since these were made for those with a basic understanding of Kenpo and familiarity with the techs. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. The uke in this clip did not react as we normally do in Kenpo. Mr. Sepulveda (head of my system) would have been hollering "React, or I'll make you react!" I can only guess that they wanted to focus your attention on the technique and not the reaction. But the reaction is importnat in understanding the technique. So again, ask if you aren't sure. I'll try to give you an understandable answer. Again, this is not a 'Mine's Better' thread, just giving you all a chance to see how the other guy does it. Also, I'm heading to Southern California in a few days, so if I don't get right back I'm not ignoring you. Be gone about a week. I thought about not posting this now, but it will give you time to look it over. Also, there are a couple of other Kenpoists around who I'm sure can help a little. We all do things a little differently, but the moves are basically the same. Just leave a couple of the trolls for me, ok guys?

What the heck you doin' in Tacoma? Too close to Seattle fer me! What part of WA? What type TKD do you do? TKD is pretty popular here (where isn't it?). The FreeWind school over in Moses Lake closed not long ago, so you might look there. They were TKD based, but also did grappling and Aiki-jutsu, and Modern Arnis. I think some of their affiliate schools are still open in Ellensburg, Ephrata and Spokane. There are also some groups around Moses Lake (ex FreeWinders) and in Quincy that train on their own- they are both pretty hard corps. If you are looking at central Washington, you'd probably do better if you are a reality based system, and if you also offer another style or a mix with the TKD. But you won't make a living at it no matter what you do. All the instructors in all the styles and all the schools I know of here have regular jobs. Even in Spokane and Seattle most of them do. If you are interested in Central/North Central Washington let me know and I'll ask around.

Almost any block other than a riseing or upward will generally work. And even that will work for something like a vertical backfist if you change the plane the block delivers in. What you use will mostly depend on your relative positioning and the type backfist he uses. It is usually easy to get to the outside of a backfist and block inward. As your skills and timeing improve, you can slip inside some backfists and parry out, sort of like GrrrArg was talking about (I think). If he chambers the strike (really stupid thing to do, but some do it), do a pressing check to pin it back before he launches and pretty much counter as you want. If it is a spinning backfist (done properly a very powerful, effective, and very deceptive strike), you may be able to jam the attack by moving in and checking hard at his base and shoulder. I tried ducking one of these once- I don't even remember the trip to the floor! Now I either jam it or put up a universal block and move. Backfists tend to retract quickly, but it is possible to trap one from a universal type block. Just play with it a while and you'll figure it out. Backfists are fun to work from both offensive and defensive standpoints. And they are really effective when you learn to set them up and use them correctly. They're also a good thing to learn to defend, as done by a skilled opponent they are dangerouse. Good luck!

I bet some of the other MT guys are in the same boat. Get them together now before they start to loose interest. Maybe some of them could take KM with you, and you guys could get together and compare notes. Or if some of them are taking other styles, you could all compare and see what works best. And of course, you could train and spar on your own so all of you keep your skills honed. I'd start contacting them soon, though. People that do ma's tend to find something to keep themselves occupied. If they aren't doing a ma, they will develope other interests and you may not be able to get them interested later. Also, I can tell you from experience, if you intend to work at your training, and especially if you use contact, it is really difficult to recruit and even more difficult to keep new people. So don't give these guys time to loose skills and interest. Get 'em together now!

Been there. Take it as a new learning experience and make the most of it. Don't focus on the techniques so much as what they teach. Look for principles, then look at how your MT principles can work together with what you are learning now. Keep an open mind and learn it their way. You aren't abandoning your old tools so much as developing new ones- that includes your way of thinking. Someone once said that learning another language is like gaining a completely new identity. The same would be true for learning a different ma- your opponent is now fighting two of you (sort of). As for the unrealistic techniques like two hand blocks, here again you should open your mind and use your advantage as an experienced ma'ist. Often those are taught to begginers for reasons other than just to block. As the beginer advances, he should start to see how those (somewhat) unrealistic blocks can be made to work. For example, a two handed block inside a roundhouse thrown with a lot of commitment can work only if the follow up strike is extremely fast. It takes advantage of his momentary imbalance dou to the sudden stop of his momentum. But it works better if you step in a little more and launch that leading 'block' as a strike to the mastoid. As timmeing, distance perception, and understanding improve the student should figure this out. You can figfure this out now, if you look at the move with an inquireing mind not clouded by preconceptions. I've allways thought you should shut up! lol Seriously, you are there to learn. Ask questions, but let them teach. You should learn the changes and keep what works for you. Later, you can combine them to something that works even better for you. I don't know much about KM. The little I've seen I didn't care for, so I never persued it. But a lot of people like it and say it works, and like everything else, I'm sure there are good and bad practitioners. Maybe I just saw the bad. You are experienced enough to see if this will eventually work for you or not. But I'd say give it a chance. Keep an open mind and use honest judgement, then make a realistic choice about whether to continue or look for something else. Just don't make them angry and leave on bad terms- what good would that do you? One last thing: a little structure in your life might be a good thing!!! Good luck.

I've heard the @7 lbs quote many times, but I allways assumed it was to destroy a joint of an unresisting limb in an anatomically weak position and useing the proper angles and weapon. The problem with doing this in real life is that things are seldom so perfect. Opponents resist, and they move, and you don't pull off the perfect strike. Also, one of the reasons we take a stance is to structure those limbs in anatomically strong configurations, and we train to move so as to offer the least opportunity to attack a weak joint. I'll generally go with the >10# group. As for which is more important in joint locks, I think accuracy. If you get your angles or position wrong, you do no good and are set up to be countered. Speed would be next because if too slow, he'll counter before you apply.

Well, I don't know whether to feel better about that, or feel it is a really sad commentary on our national condition (international if you include the average poster here). A guy could get really depressed hanging around you lott! :looks around: :mutters:'there's got to be something better than Prozac...'