since i found out that wushu is certainly NOT what i was looking for i searched in my are and found this Shaolin Kempo school.

 

mostly the same i wrote in my wushu thread goes for this one, too. though i know where kempo came from.

 

but what is it about anyway? how does the belt ranking work? are there any emphasises put in shaolin kempo like kicking in TKD or something? is it good for self defense? who of u attends training in shaolin kempo?

 

ur answers are appreciated - thanks in advance...!

I train in Shaolin Kempo and have found it to be a complete system. It works around four ways of fighting (striking, kicking, felling, grappling) and the kempos focus on self defense. There are also traditional forms that are learned and practiced. As you progress through the curriculum you move from a hard style linear karate approach to a softer and circular Shaolin philosophy. There is a chuan fa influence as you are exposed to the five animals of the system. All in all, it is a complete system. Do a search on the web for Shaolin Kempo and you will get some good info. Also check out http://www.urbin.net/EWW/MA/KF/kempohistory.html and you will see the different variations of Kempo/Kenpo and how the majority of American kempo comes from Hawaii.

 

To be honest, the bottom line will be the school and the instructor. Good luck.

From what little I know about Shaolin Kempo it is a good, well rounded style with a lot of similarities to what I do (American Kenpo). If you have a good school, the system should be excellent for self defense. If you want to train for SD applications, my advice is to make sure the school regularly spars with some degree of contact.

 

Red J: I've read that site before, and it has some good information. But his history concerning American Kenpo is wrong. James Mitose probably never trained with W. Chow, and even more probably never trained anything in Japan. He certainly never trained Mr Chow or Mr. Parker, and never trained with or under Mr. Parker. In fact, Ed Parker is only documented to have met Mitose once that I know of, and if I recall correctly he called Mitose a fraud and a liar. James Mitose ended his career in prison for trying to arrange a hit on someone. But not before he put out a lot of propoganda that is easily debunked, but still makes its way around.

 

American Kenpo does come via Hawaii because that is where Edmund Kealoha Parker is from. Its roots are Chinese, as Mr. Parkers base was Chuan-fa under Mr. Chow. It is the same root system as the Japanese Kempo systems share, which is why they have so many similarities.

since i am from germany i dont think american kenpo is of importance to me because of the lack of schools.

 

but nonetheless ur information already helped me a little and i am looking forward to more answers