My kempo school

[blackxpress]

Aren't most styles of Karate (especially Kenpo) some sort of blend anyway? Most of my training is in Wado, which has elements of Shotokan and Jujitsu but is actually a pure form of neither one of those arts. Ohtsuka sensei took his Shotokan training, his Jujitsu training, mixed them together, added a number of his own techniques and called it Wado.

These days I'm training in a style called Tama-ryu Kenpo/Jujitsu. Tama comes from the name of the school where I train (Taningco Martial Arts Academy). Master Taningco trained in a form of Kenpo under a Chinese master named Donald Fong. He has also trained in Kung Fu, Jujitsu, Muay Thai, Eskrima and who knows what else. He also has taught and designed self defense curriculums for law enforcement and the military and has incorporated a lot of that stuff into his Kenpo curriculum. The point is that Tama Ryu Kenpo might have a lot of similarities to the Kenpo that Master Taningco trained in but it is really a style all its own.

For my part, I really don't care. I love it. I've trained in 3 different arts (Wado, Tama ryu Kenpo, Okinawan Karate) and this one is by far the most practical of the 3. Yes, it's an ecclectic mix of all kinds of different styles but it sure is a lot of fun!