Sep 10, 2005 02:26 am way to go mang
w00t, I did it...
Posted on Sep 09, 2005 10:41 pm
dbmasters
Administrator Since: Apr 03, 2002
I just was given my next belt about two hours ago, I am now a purple belt in Kenpo...and starting this Monday I am the regular Monday night kids class teacher.
Man, am I gonna have some bruises from that...I guess it's the purple belt cuz it's gonna match the color of my stomach and thighs.
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Sep 10, 2005 02:45 am Cool man...
I've always wanted to learn some form of martial arts but have been to hesistant to start... mainly because I'd probably have to start with the kiddies and well... they would probably kick my ***.
I hear it's a great way to get/keep in shape. What is kenpo actually, Dan?
Sep 10, 2005 06:48 am congrats bud, really pleased for ya. get working on that black belt now!
Sep 10, 2005 07:14 am el musico,
I cannot speak for every school, however, whether kids or adults, you all learn the same stuff, but there are generally kids classes and adult classes. I have not seen a school that mixes the two together. The only reason I am with the kids is because I am now their teacher.
As far as what Kenpo is, it is a Chinese discpline of Karate. Traditional Karate, like TaeKwonDo and other traditional martial arts are very ridged, choopy, linear style with the "one punch, one kill" mentality, which is completely unrealistic. Kenpo is a much more fluid, circular style which is far more realistic for real-world self defense. in which has a sort of "keep attacking" mentality.
There are two basic styles of Kenpo in America (though I am sure more lesser known as well). Kenpo was popularized by a Hawaiian names Prof. William Chow, he had 6 black belts train under him. One was Ed Parker (supposedly, I've read otherwise), Ed Parker took Kenpo and created American Kenpo, an even more circular style. I am learning Kenpo from a black belt that received his belt from one of William Chows other black belts, that is still teaching Kenpo the way Chow wanted it...not Ed Parkers system.
If you want a good example of Kenpo watch the movie "The Perfect Weapon" with Jeff Speakman, who is a real Kenpo Black Belt. The movie was made with Ed Parker watching over it to keep it realistic...or, as realistic as Hollywood could do.
Kenpo does not train with "Kata", whicha re those silly little dance like things you see in the movies where the whole class is moving in unison doing some choppy moves. Any teacher that trains with Kata, well, in my opinion, Kata is worthless. You fight how you train, therefore, you should train how you fight. Last night after Kenpo class I took JuiJtisu as well and we threw it down man, and I'll tell ya, it's a real rush to spar...hitting and getting hit...hopefully someday I'll belt in JuiJitsu too, but JuiJitsu has a very short belt system, so it's MUCH longer between belts.
Sep 10, 2005 07:52 am el musico, or anyone else that may consider actually getting into the Martial Arts...when out looking for a school some things to think about to find a good one:
- DON'T attend a chain school like ATA or National Karate. Look in the phone book or listen to word of mouth and find a gym (often called a "dojo") that is small and classes are generally taught by the owner. This often indicates the owner is a real deal teaching real skills.
- Ask if the teachers compete. I don't mean "point tournaments", thats worthless, I mean real fighting tournaments. If not, they really can't claim to teach practical self-defense, cuz they don't know.
- If the school charges for belt tests, they will often rush you through the belts when not really ready just to collect there money...you will see those types of places also have "degrees" to each belt thereby creating more tests. It's a scam.
- More money does not mean better training.
- Check to see how limiting membership is and how long classes are. Many places have 30 minutes classes and limit people to 2 or 3 classes a week. Hour long classes are better, since in a good school they also condition, so the first 20 minutes or more is often excersize. My school has unlimited classes for each person, which is rare, sometimes I am there 10 hours a week including teaching and assistant teaching.
- It's most practical to learn a couple arts or more, each art has it's strong points and weak points. For example Kenpo is great standup fighting for serious self-defense...but, if the fight ends up on the ground (like many do) Kenpo has nothing, that's where JuiJitsu comes in...Also, MuayThai (kickboxing) is good for standup. To leanr complete self-defense you can't learn just one art form. No one art form has all the answers...hence, the UFC is often refered to as "mixed martial arts".
Just food for thought.
Sep 10, 2005 08:53 am the very little martial arts training i recieved in the military (from a bck belt in "something" ) was pretty nat... it seemed to focus on getting your attacker to kill/hurt themselves by like grabbing their gun and sweeping is past their face in a way that would make them pull the trigger, etc.
I also had a psychology prof who had a black belt and competed...he even had a video of him fighting a guy who fainted before he hit him.
Sep 10, 2005 09:39 am yeah, the ol' "use the defender momentum against him" is pretty cool. I am going to start learning disarms and such things shortly, have learned a couple,t hey are pretty neat.
One interesting thing, I read an article in last months Black Belt Magazine about muscle memory habits. In europe (and everywhere I assume) police pratice disarms, but they way they practice was typical, two people, one with a fake gun, the other disarms, then gives the gun back and does it again...a few times, in real situations the police officer would disarm the "bad guy" and from muscle memory actually hand the gun back to the bad guy without even thinking, just habit. Therefore, many training facilities re-examined their training styles.
Just goes to show you that repetition and habit are pretty powerful tools.
Sep 12, 2005 02:59 pm Congrats on the Purple Belt Db! Good tips too by the way. There are too many schools that give away "black belts" to anyone who's been there for a few years and their checks have cleared. I studied Shotokan Karate for almost 10 years before being allowed to test for my black belt. And my test wasn't a Saturday afternoon. It was 2 days of extreme physical and psychologial hell. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat. The rank of Sensi is a pretty sacred thing; it's a shame there are dojos out there that have turned Martial Arts into a drive thru sort of a deal. Congrats again!
Cheers!
-Al
Sep 12, 2005 03:10 pm Thanks Albert, yeah, I have noticed in my two classes since getting purple belt, the training is getting MUCH more physical. The instructor told me tests in later belts are just what you said, they take 2 or 3 days, lots of contact and gruelling punishment. I am ready for it, my goal is Black Belt and nothing less. If my instructor can dish it out, I can take it. it hurts, I am still bruised from the test, but damnit, thats what a war art is about. I would rather get hurt learning the real thing than stay unscathed and learn a watered-down skill that will teach my family and myself nothing about practical self-defense and discipline.
My instructor has a Shotokan Black Belt as well, interesting you took that too. Very cool. I do not know much about that art inparticular though. it sounds like it's the real deal though, hard work, not just punching a time clock.
Let me offer a hearty congratulations on your black belt status. I am learning a new appreciation for the time, skill and dedication that truly takes when achieved from a real instructor...truly impressive Albert.
Brings me to another good tip for el musico that you may agree with Albert, if you walk in to a gym to check it out and there are any black belts that are under 18 years old...walk out and go to a different place...
Sep 12, 2005 03:39 pm Thanks Db. I appreciate your nice comments :) It's kind of strange that we pay people to kick our a$$es. Ironic. Shotokan is a prett cool art. It's not the most graceful; more of hit hard and bring down. Like Kempo, if we end up on the ground we're good as toast. Still through, it's a great style. I would love to learn JuiJitsu too. Being well rounded is important in anything you do; especially self-defence.
Yeah, about 18 year olds and black-belts. I did receive my black belt when I was 17; however I started when I was 9. Just because we were young didn't mean we got it easy. When I see 9 year olds with black belts; that's just silly.
Sep 12, 2005 03:50 pm Yeah, it's cloudy where to draw that line...I almost said 16, my basic point was "young". You were 17, OK, been doing it for 8 friggin years, well, thats another deal. Most of it depends on your instructor, which yours sounded very real, it's quite likely you very much deserved it. If there was a scale of measurement for maturity like there is for age, I'd say it should be in "maturity years".
Up through Brown belt it's about learning moves and theory and techniques (or so it seems to me at this point), the BLACK BELT is perfecting what you previously learn and a great deal of mental preparation, being mature enough to know the power you have and the responsibility to know how to use it. And that often only comes with age...to differing degrees with different people...but people who start young seem to mature faster...Kenpo, regardless of age, does not award black belts to anyone under 18...so, my 4 year old, if she is doing until she is 18...well, just imagine the skill she will have...whoa...
You go into National Karate and see young kids that have been trainign for 3 years and they have their blackbelts, well, that's just wrong, but, like you said, their checks cleared.
That's what I like about Kenpo (different from "Kempo") is that kenpo is graceful, very fluid and rapid...quite cool, not the more rigid traditional art, as I understand Shotokan is...not saying it's bad, just different.
JuJitsu is a lot of fun, but very, very tiring, a SERIOUS cardio workout...as is Kickboxing...both of which I also take...just not as much, probably one or two of each class every week...4 hours of kenpo, plus teaching the kids classes...
A few months ago in the local paper there was a little article congratulating a 4th grader that just got his TaeKwonDo black belt...I mean seriously talk about raising a kid with a false sense of confidence...
Then again, I am also new to the art and still learning, but these are my impressions so far.
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