wingedsoldier

i wish we did full contact. but we can only go 60% with our attacks, although we still get hurt. we can go all out with our speed.

man, i wish i could study ninjutsu. as soon as i complete my kenpo training, i'll study ninjutsu, and maybe some jujitsu.

couldn't have said it better myself.

amen to that.

yeah, i don't pack a lot of raw power, not that a punch from won't do any damage, but i'm not a big guy with niether large muscles or lots of bodyfat so you won't see me benching 150. but i can move fast, and that speed and momentum makes up for my lack of strength. and no matter big you are, fast, solid strikes to your neck, throat, diaphragm, and groin is still going to hurt.

actually, american kenpo does resemble karate, but yes, we prefer to move more rapidly. but then again, whether or not the user decides to use that approach is up to him. some kenpoists i know sacrifice the rapid movements for more raw power.

i think the IKKA definitely needs to be re-established.

i think it's a shool original. as far as an association goes, i think we're the only kenpo school in my part of dallas but there are several in dallas i've heard of. but it's a big city, so they aren't very close. so i'm not aware of any association we are a part of but we might be.

if you were taking on a big jock guy with little to no martial arts train ever, is it better to keep your distance until an opening, or attack him head on? also, in the situation he tries to tackle you, is it better to knee him in the face or hammerfist both sides of his head?

same thing with me, although i'm 5'4-'5'5, 15 yrs old, have a unbelievably high metabolism. i wanna gain wait through working out, but i want my food to stay in one place.

i dunno. the roster for the school is at https://www.karate-mesquite.com in the promotions section.

i guess it's pretty big for a dojo as far as members go. although the place itself is kind of small, however they're planning to add to it. and i don't know for sure how your classes are, but it rocks right now and it's totally awesome how all this stuff works. anyway, i can trust my sensei will teach us well. he has been teaching for 20 years and the black belts i've seen from his old school in fort worth are very good. the begginer's level was pretty easy, but i know i'm gonna be up for a ride this semester.

i just reached purple belt. the advanced classes are gonna rock!

from my perspective, underestimating a kenpo practitioner is a big mistake. the best fighters i have ever met personally are my teacher and his former students, and they are the last people i would want to fight on the streets, cause i've seen them in action. and last time i checked, breaking bones was always pretty effective.

i study the parker system. my teacher's name is keith gorham trained under mr. parker for a time, but his first teacher was eddie jollie. he's a good, knowledgable teacher and i am proud to study under him.

check out the kenpo/kempo schools. i'm in it and it's great. but check out the classes first, just to make sure you're getting what you pay for.

you must also take in consideration the variation in strengths and weaknesses. for example, in sparring, i took on a young man (18-20?) who was fast and very tall. as for me, i'm 15, much shorter, but also fast. his height limited space for footwork, but also put me in decent striking distance, but his long reach gave him the advantage defense wise. but our speeds put us at stalemate for most of the fight because we would dodge and weave away from the other's attacks. because of my small size however, i could still make openings that would allow me to regain space for footwork, but meant my stance had to be more firm rather than loose for more random and sparratic movements. if i recall correctly, we had only landed a few hits on each other and when the time was up, it was pretty much a tie. so, our differences in height put us in different advantages and disadvantages. sometimes, it's just how you adapt to the situation.

there is a slight connection. especially in my school, my teacher also studied tae kwon do and so it kinda filters through every now and then with his technique. but mostly it comes from me studying kenpo karate, because there is a good bit of karate in there. in a way, it is a bit of a mixed martial art because a lot of the techniques were derived from other arts. the defences sometimes resemble jujitsu, especially in the joint locks. but a lot of the striking techniques come from karate, and traditional kenpo. and we throw in boxing in there in there depending on the situation.

other than the techniques, what seperates kenpo from tae kwon do and karate?

both styles are great but in a fight, would the lack of ground work in kickboxing bring it down?

it's true, mma practitioners are tough, especially the ufc guys. they're all highly trained fighters who are "extrememly well conditioned". but don't let that convince you not to take tma because they can be extremely useful in combat. it all depends what you're looking for. if i were making the choice it would be kenpo karate or jeet kune do, because they are really well rounded combat styles. but remember, it's not the style, but the fighter. if you want to become a great fighter, take an art and become good at it. learn to adapt to your opponent and the situation, condition yourself, and study the techniques and how to apply them (you might want to get especially good in "grafting" your techniques together). if you can perfect these, than you can never go wrong as a fighter.

i've only been sparring for a short time. about 6 months i think. i'll be closing my first year in kenpo this week. 2 more years and i'm a black belt. but i really appreciate all the help. i want to see what more experiences people have to say. i think it's important to learn from as many people as possible.

too bad we're not allowed to go for the legs. my teacher is not willing to take the heat if we accidently busted someone's knee-cap in sparring. but mawashi geri is great for countering when they try to thrust forward at me or try and get in a flying jab punch. but all this is good to know. i'm only 15 and a little behind with the growth spurt so it's been slightly troublesome. i don't expect to make it past 5'8. anyway, i tried and applied all this to sparring last friday and it helped, especially against my sensei's son. but it was hard since his arms and legs were pretty well tucked in providing a good guard.

what is gyaku zuki? i study kenpo karate so we don't know the same moves and techniques.

but also consider which would serve you best in the long run. if you get jumped in the streets and you always carry a bokken with you than perfect. but chances are you'll be unarmed. kendo is a great art, but karate will be more useful for you. when you've reached a point where your satisfied with your abilities, then study kendo, or even better yet, traditional kenjutsu if you're lucky enough to find a place for study.