parkerlineage

Who is this Tracy you speak of? The name sounds familiar, but I'm not quite sure I can figure out why. Parker is the only way to go, says a very unbiased source.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! I SUCK!!!!! Just figure out what's supposed to be in quotes and what's not. I'm going to go commit a very painful version of hari-kari with my sai.

Sounds like you have some experience as well! The Kenpo & Kempo people here are sort of a sub culture, but the rest of them put up with us.

I had the honor of a one and a half hour private lesson with Master Planas a few months ago. We broke down Long Form 4 technique by technique, and this is what I learned about that final move in Five Swords, straight from the highest rank in AK. I don't know what rank you are, opnek, and Delta said he is unranked, so please take my advice into heavy consideration, though, as Delta said, it may vary by instructor and location. Master Planas told me that the final step should not be a shuffle, nor a twist-unwind. Rather, slide your foot up-the-circle (from 6 o'clock up toward 3 o'clock) as you simultaneously load your right hand and use your left to turn their head toward you, exposing more vulnerable sections of their neck. As soon as you have rotated enough to be at about a 45 degree angle from their body, drop your back heel into a wide kneel with the chop. The drop will guarantee that you a) Have maximum gravitational marriage and rotation. And... b) Assure that your shoulders continue to face your target. Any questions, comments, feel free to ask or tell.

Right heel, sorry.

Okay, mine was a while ago, but it's my favorite story to tell my students. I use it as an example for if a fight is unavoidable, how to win without seriously injuring your opponent, no matter how big they are. So, I'm walking into school, about...eh...three years ago...maybe more...about eight minutes late. There's a courtyard in between our classrooms, and the whole thing was empty except this one older kid who had a reputation for being...less than ideal for our Christain school atmopsphere. To this day, I have no idea what provoked him; whether it was sometihng personal, or if he just was having a bad day and felt like beating on a little kid (I'm about...eh...four years younger). I saw him walking toward me, but didn't think much about it until he grabbed my shirt with both hands at my chest and pulled me forward. He was about a foot taller than me, and probably fifty pounds heavier. I was a brown belt at the time, and still rather scrawny and geeky (I didn't hit puberty until about 15 (last year). Now, of course, my muscles that I had been acquiring through my Kenpo training have come to me, and I am known as 'Mr. Stud'. Or just Peter. Either one). I digress. Nevertheless, I slammed my right hand down on top of his hands, stepped back with my right foot and dropped into a low fighting stance, left heel off the ground, dropping his height zone. I then used the first strike of the technique Lone Kimono, for you AK students/teachers, striking his elbows with my forearm. I hop checked, swapping my right hand for left, and close-punched his solar plexus with my right hand (much like Cross of Death). He let go immediately, staggering back, though, now that I think about it, most likely in suprise. I stayed in my fighting stance, scawny little wuss glaring straight into the bully's eyes. Without a word, he turned and stalked back into his classroom. SCORE FOR KENPO!!! Sorry.

You know what really hurts? Dropping sai on your foot. I did it on Thursday, and they still are throbbing. They also don't feel good being dropped on your leg, stabbed into your stomach, hitting yourself in the neck (don't ask)...

I think it would vary depending on what style you take, and what style the newcomer came from. For example, we got a Tae Kwan Do brown belt coming into our studio, and my instructor let him wear his brown belt at first. After a few days, my teacher analyzed his skills and put him down at an orange belt. So, he could fight well, but he didn't exactly know much pertaining to Kenpo. Had he been from a style such as Kung Fu or one of the predecessors to Kenpo, he may have done better. I probably would be pretty bad at TKD (though I do love to kick).

Frickin' weasels. Of all the times to screw it up... Nunchaku nunchaku nunchaku.... There we go.

In Kenpo, we have a technique specifically designed for this. 1.) Step forward with your right foot, while reaching behind your back with your right hand. 2.) Firmly grasp the handle of your MP5K (other, more traditional styles prefer the Uzi), then slight it downward in a quick motion, much like a downward block. 3.) Perform a hard-ground roll, while slamming a clip from your belt (rank doesn't matter, though I have found that green works the best) into the empty space in your gun. 4.) Flick off the safety with your left hand while simultaneously releasing several three round bursts in the general direction of whoever is ugliest around you. 5.) Using a motion similar to an upward block, position the gun in a way so that you can blow your own brain out, since there is no way in **** you'll be able to fight a guy with a gun from ten feet away.

This was at the very beginning. Not to discredit the idiot *cough*...martial artist who began this thread...but... Hit me with a glass bottle if I'm wrong, but aren't they...nunchuku? Not nunchucks? And, in response to the whole thing, I completely agree with joe2002 about how weapons expand your thought on empty hands katas, and with Shorinryu Sensei. I used a nearby broom handle to disarm a guy who thought about attacking me with a fatty stick (high school is crazy). I wouldn't have known how to do that without my bo training. Of course, if a glass bottle had been nearby, things may have been different....

I don't know if I should even be posting here, you all seem to at least have some knowledge of one another's forms. However, I often experiment within my own system using my sai and kamas. I agree with the fact that it helps to understand the reason for certain strikes within the kata and also may prompt you to develop your own ideas on how you would respond to situations and perhaps put you in new situations you would not normally consider. Just my three cents.

hahaha, ain't that the truth. Seriously though, TKD seems to be okay to me. I live in Northern California, waaaaaaay north, so I don't get a whole lot of culture. Therefore, not many styles; I've never heard of Wing Chun before. I know nothing about the style, but I'm pretty good buddies with the local Aiekedo Master. He's cool. Much older than me, but cool. Let me explain myself. Katas are sequences of techniques, techinques are sequences of moves. Within Katas, you discover the ties between the techniques, and the principles behind what you are doing. With techniques, you discover possible applications for the moves that you learn as you advance. With sparring, you learn the direct application for the majority of these moves. Katas, while they will teach you the secrets of your style and broaden your knowledge, there's no way in **** you're ever going to be able to do Long Form 5 on somebody. Parts, yes. The whole thing, no. Another Kenpo dude!>?!?! No way!! What rank, delta1?

American Kenpo: ground fighting-0 trapping- 2.5 throws- 1.5 take downs- 0 fighting (full contact)- 3 punching- 2 kicking- 1.5 weopons- 1.5 Man, 12 points isn't much.

Oh, yeah. An oar?...A cane?... Can I use my shoe (size 16)? I could inflict as much damage with that as I could a cane.

Though my style doesn't have many weapons, I happen to be literate in all the ones available to us. I would have to say that I prefer the sai, mostly because I can never seem to find a bo that is long enough for me (I'm six foot five and growing) in our studio. I own my own (hey, has anybody ever noticed that one? Own and own...trippy...) bo, but I hate lugging it around to class every day (or so). Nunchuku seem to easily defeated by the other weapons I know. My sifu taught me a technique where you can just pull it away from the person by the (insert correct Japanese term here) rope. The bo, while ranged and powerful, seems a bit too cumbersome for me. I like having plenty of room to kick and stuff without the massive stick in my face. Kamas...no offense to the millions of people who have posted on this...have never been my thing. Too...I don't know. I just don't like them. Sorry. Sai, on the other hand, are versatile, able to be adapted to normal techinques. They can also, if you're good enough, which I sure am not, break weapons, from what I've heard. I also prefer bladed stuff anyway...is a machete a martial arts weapon (jk)? Plus, sai are concealable. I can carry them anywhere...to the dojo, to school, on dates (Hey, that's actually not a bad idea. My girlfriend is crazy...) So, that's my four cents (inflation for you).

Um...I hate to interrupt whatever is going on here...but I thought I'd add my three cents about Kenpo... Positives: 1.) Since it comes from a variety of styles from various countryies, you have an excellent mix of time-tested techniques. 2.) At least in my studio, taking Kenpo sparring styles and tweaking them to fit your own style is not only supported, but almost advised. Negatives: 1.) As stated earlier, the lack of grappling techniques. I had the opportunity to assist a guest instructor of Jujitsu teaching some of our students, and I felt rather clueless when it came to the various throws. 2.) Lack of weapons forms, at least in my studio. Any idiot can learn the nunchuku form we know, and the bo staff isn't that hard, either. The sai kata is Short Form 2, only with sai. Though I've never taken it, the only tournaments that I can go to are Tae Kwan Do tournaments because they are on Sunday (I'm a Seventh Day Adventist; I go to church on Saturday, when all the tournaments are). Though this far from makes me an expert on them, I thought I might offer my thoughts and see if any actual TKD peoples could either correct or confirm. Positives: 1.) Though I usually win or place second in the sparring competition, I must say that the TKD people certainly put up the best fights. The high kicks rock! In fact, I've adopted that into my own sparring style, which, combined with the fast hand strikes of Kenpo, makes for a formidable combo. 2.) I don't know if this is just the studios involved, but the TKD people seem to have a very high sense of honor that other dojos often lack. They are always quick to compliment, assist, and are never sore losers (or winners). Negatives: 1.) Lack of hand techniques, from what I have seen, make them easier to fight, once you get through the barrage of kicking. 2.) Your katas, no offense, need some serious work. Though, I know, katas won't save you in the real world. I think I've wasted enough board space now.

hahahahaha... Good point. I like Jackie Chan...gives me ideas for innovative weapons forms (jk)...

Thanks for the advice. I'll definetly look into buying myself a pair of decent sai; why does everything have to cost money? Again, thank you.

Is it just me, or are the martial arts portrayed terribly in most films? Granted, I've seen a few that I approved of (yes, my approval matters) , but most of them just seem to be crap. Even the 'greats' sometimes are trash. I've had so many friends, knowing that I'm a martial artist, tell me I absolutely have to see...van Dam...Steven Segal... Beat me with a tonfa if I'm wrong, but can those guys only do about three techniques, and only one of them well? I can do the splits...why does van Dam (that's got to be spelled wrong) get the movie deals, and I don't?

I've often struggled with the concept of whether or not God would approve of my martial arts training. I certainly haven't read every post on here, but it seems as though the original poster has been checking on it frequently, so I thought I'd offer my two cents. It took me a while to understand that the bowing onto the mat and to one another was not 'bowing down' do someone; it was a sign of respect (if I'm not mistaken). However, what I do continue to struggle with on occasion is the principle of it all. I'm training to potentially end someone's life if need be, right? In my style, at least, at the rank I am at, I could end somebody's life if I do the techniques correctly. I know I would never intentionally do that, but I have (finally) reached the point where things are becoming reflexive, and I don't have to think about them. What happens if some day, one of my friends starts getting attacked in front of me, and before I know it, I've killed their attacker? Any thoughts?

As stated many times by several people here, the stripes really don't matter. My favorite quote that my instructor says when questioned about the various ranks of Dan is... "Colors show, but not what you know." By the way, if 'dan' means man, and is signified in the black belts, and 'kyu' means boy, and is in the brown belts, is a junior black belt such as myself known as a..."Dan-kyu"? "You're welcome." (Insert rim-shot here)

I am a second degree black belt in Kenpo Karate, and have been training for 10 1/2 years. I just recently have moved from open-handed fighting to mastering weapons. Though my instructor is well versed in several styles, he either does not know, or does not teach, any more than basic weapons katas, because weapons are not a major branch of our system. I have learned a bo staff kata that is satisfactory, but still mostly basic, a nunchuku kata that lacks in variation of attacks, and a sai kata that has only the three basic sai techniques (blocking, striking, and cutting) incorporated into one of our own katas (Short Form 2, for any of you Ed Parker Kenpo peoples). I know that it is increadibly difficult, if not impossible, to learn adequately from instruction without a Sifu. However, I would like to know if there are any recommended sites that I might visit to expand my knowledge on the use of the sai, bo, or nunchuku. PS. The leather on my sai handles (don't know the proper terminology for them, sorry), after about a half-year of use, have begun to unravel. Granted, they weren't expesive (they appear to be held on with some kind of semi-sticky tape) but I'd like to know if there are any recommendations for keeping them attatched.