parkerlineage

In a week, I will be performing a twin broadsword wushu kata with very similar moves and overall theme. Let me tell you - that stuff is hard! Granted, if I were ever in a fight, I would probably not use the vast majority of the moves, but, nevertheless, once I had my opponent reeling from my Kenpo, you better believe I would throw a 720 inward crescent to his face. BTW, this tournament will most likely be vengeance for those of you opposed to this sort of thing - I will be against hardstylists and other Kenpoist, in front of hardstyle and Kenpo judges. I don't expect to win. But I'm going to look good while I lose.

I suppose if I combined all the names of what I teach into one, I would teach American Kenwujiukung-poshujitsufu. I like it.

I've always wondered about that...I mean, I'm used to my instructor being one of the only ones that can touch me, and he's been GC at the Long Beach Internationals in sparring several times before. Hm.

My least favorite thing about AK is our tendency to be slappy. Our dojo tends to overcompensate and hit way harder, but that's good, in my opinion.

Jiu jitsu. Hands down. Our system has roots in jiu jitsu. However, we only learn the locks and throws, not ground fighting. So it will accent your previously acquired knowledge, and teach you ways to get out of (possibly) unfamiliar situations.

"Speed is the illusion of proper motion." - Master Richard Planas Granted, your kicks will become faster through the excercises above, most of which I do. But Aodhan hit the nail on the head when he said work on disguising the kick and chambering. If they can't see it, they can't dodge it. If they can't read it, they can't block it. Try not to lean, or shift your weight before you kick, or telegraph in any way. Watch yourself in a mirror and do it over and over. In addition (and this is the Kenpo speaking), the move you describe, while effective if landed, is terribly inefficient. Any kick people throw with more than one move is waaay too slow to hit a person who's ready for it - especially another martial artist.

I agree that there's a very fine line pertaining to "control". Control is a virtue and a value, but I also think it is a weapon against us. We do not want to hurt the person we're sparring, but we also want to make it real, yes? In my dojo, when you get to brown and black belt level, you give as much as you can take back. We're all wearing helmets, and foot gear, and body shots don't kill people (usually), so we throw them like we mean them. Besides, and this is really arguing against myself, high kicks in a fight are not going to be nearly as useful as in a sparring ring. Granted, you can put somebody down with one, but you better practice those like you mean them, too.

In my personal humble opinion: You must learn to separate your emotion from your fighting. The person you are sparring does not want to hurt you - they want to become better. You do not want to hurt the person you are sparring - you want to become better. You are not fighting a face, you are fighting an idea - the stumbling block to your betterment. To defeat this stumbling block, you must fight it - not injure it - fight it, and learn from it, victory or defeat. And then move on. If and when someone is injured, it should be unintentionally, and should be dealt with using utmost sincere apology and then left behind; people get hurt in the martial arts - that's why they're called martial. Dude, I sounded totally Zen there. My personal trick - never look your opponent in the eye. It tends to weird me out if I do, then hit them.

Ed Parker stylists wear black, because Grandmaster Parker wanted to differenciate his style from the others, adn black was in defiance of the traditional white. We're troublemakers, us Kenpoists.

My instructor always says this: "What's the difference between jiu-jitsu and Kenpo?" He grabs the guys arm in a figure four lock and throws them. "That's jiu-jitsu." He stands the guy back up, punches him in the stomach, grabs his arm with a nerve pinch into a figure four lock, pokes the guy in the eye with his own hand and a fist, then throws him and stomps on (by) his head on the way out. "That's Kenpo." Grappling is effective, but you can't only grapple. In my humble opinion.

I really like that one. Hope you don't mind if I steal it... With due credit, of course...

If by reflexes, you mean while fighting, here is my advice: Practice key moves over and over and over until they become second nature. The best martial artists don't have reflexes, they have reactions (I should write that one down). Preaction (I made that word up), or reading your opponent's movements before they happen, will only come with experience. It will probably be a personal thing as to how quickly that (re)develops. I'm all over the made-up-words/phrases charts tonight.

Ke(n/m)po is a really broad term. Look it up on the threads - we've had this discussion several times before.

Again, I say...I don't see it. Where's the Kenpo?

Good luck with that! I've always found Kajukenbo interesting. It's pretty hardcore, from what I've heard.

Oh, yeah. Sifu Says - Just like ArmorOfGod said. Duck and Jump - Make kids duck or jump under one of those four foot dowels from Home Depot.

Tony Jaa rocks!

Yeah, me, too. I plan to pass on my old belts to my children (if I ever have any). My instructor does that.

Oops. I meant Captured Twigs, not Attacking Mace. Interesting. Now, what I find weird is that Master Planas is having us do those, but in Infinite Insights #5, Grandmaster Parker lists the other three on his yellow belt requirements. It's funky... I really like Intellectual Departure. I like the whole move out of the way to redirect thing, and I love the kicking. I find Spreading Branch the hardest to execute. I have trouble hauling people over so that I can knee them in the face. Aggressive Twins pretty much just rawks. Do you do the spinning back kick on the end? Yellow Belt: Deflecting Hammer Alternating Mace Sword of Destruction Deflecting Hammer Captured Twigs The Grasp Checking the Storm Mace of Aggression Attacking Mace Sword and Hammer We've started teaching Aggressive Twins, Spreading Branch, and Intellectual Departure to our adult advanced class (blue and up).

Ouch. Ouch ouch ouch. I give up.

Dang. Oh, well. We can still have some awesome disussions. Amen to that! Master Planas is probably the best that you can get. Have you seen him before? So, tell me. Do you do Attacking Mace, Alternating Mace, and Sword and Hammer, or do you do Spreading Branch, Aggressive Twins, and Intellectual departure? We do the first three, but Master Planas just recently told us that we should be doing the others. I see merits in all of them - unfortunately, the latter three are much harder, and my instructor doesn't feel like teaching them to the kids.

I am totally going to try that on the bag tomorrow.

My teacher is a 6th degree black belt in American Kenpo. However, when I graduate, and go off to college in a few months, I also plan to make another 6th degree, a 7th degree, and a 5th degree supplementary instructors as well.

Flying Knife Edges (They may have a different name in your system) - Kids do flying knife edges over a stick held by an instructor. Begin at a low height, then gradually increase. Teaches them to do flying kicks, to jump, and it's just fun. Ninja Ball - Two teams, seperated by a stick in the middle, and a stick at the very back of the team. They throw nerf balls at one another like dodgeball, only they can't catch them, and if they cross any of the sticks, they're out. You have to have people fielding the balls, too. Teaches reflexes, and mostly just fun. Step and Chop races - Um...you could probably do this for anything, but we use advancing with an inward swordhand, practice a few times up and down the mat, and then whoever is last has to sit down. Teaches speed and proper distancing. Bumpers - Two kids hold one foot in front of them and push one another down. Teaches balance. Obstacle course - Great for teaching all sorts of skills. Sumo Wrestling - Make a ring out of discarded belts, have two kids stand in the ring and try to push/throw one another out. Teaches balance and grappling. Those are the games we do, but not all in the same class.

Awesome! I love learning from Master Planas - granted, the man scares the living daylights out of me, but he's got lots of good stuff to teach. I've had two private lessons with him before, and been to several of his seminars. I also had to test for my black belt in front of him. Say...what rank are you? Do you know the extension to Obscure Sword, because my instructor doesn't teach the extensions, so I'm learning them on my own time, and I can't get the stupid thing to work. How do you go from hammerfisting them in the groin from in front, to buckling their knee, to kneeing them in the tailbone!?! That's like a 180 turn on their part! We must keep talking...