Summary of Dynamic Kenpo Karate Boot Camp

A big thank you goes out to Associate Professor, Rob Broad, for putting on an awesome Kenpo Karate camp in Sarnia, Ontario this past weekend. The students received 15 hours of instruction over the course of 3 days, and the training was intense. If you did not make it out, you won’t want to miss this one next year. Jason Arnold, Pat Robinson, Rob Broad, and Scott Southwell did a great job with their teaching. Pretty much everything was covered – sets, techniques, groundwork, sparring, weaponry, you name it.

On the Saturday, I taught 3 seminars, all approximately one hour in length. The first one was a sparring session. In this seminar I worked on sparring combinations for both continuous and point sparring, as well as how to create openings against your opponent. I also gave several strategies of how to fight against aggressive fighters, counter-fighters, as well as runners. In my second seminar, I taught the students Stance Set 2, most of which it was their first time learning it. By the end of the summer, everyone got up and performed it!

In the last seminar, something extraordinary happened. Jason Arnold (5th Degree American Kenpo Karate Black Belt) and I did a joint tag-team seminar. Jason and I have known each other for almost 20 years now. The two of us taught at a local camp together back in 1999, have been at a few seminars together over the years, and trained at the same Kenpo school briefly back in 1991. We have actually had differences over the years, although mutual admiration for one another’s dedication to the martial arts.

This past weekend everything changed. Jason and I became friends, let go of all past differences, and together put on a joint seminar which I hear some students are still talking about. Essentially, I taught the base technique (ideal phase) of various self-defense scenarios, while Jason showed how they parallel other self-defense techniques in the system, as well as some nice insertions. First, I started by teaching Evading the Storm, and Jason then showed how this technique is basically the same as Attacking Mace. The students learned how, given a change in the nature of the attack, Attacking Mace could also be applied for an overhead club attack. Second, I taught the technique Defying the Storm. After learning the technique with detail, Jason taught how you can disarm the club should the opponent block the inward elbow strike to the head, and then continue on as normal with the ending of Defying the Storm. Finally, I finished by teaching the Back Breaker, and Jason followed by showing its similarity to Brushing the Storm and even how the Back Breaker could be performed off of an overhead club attack coming from 3 o’clock as in Brushing the Storm.

To top of the day, Rob’s mother made enough food to feed about two dozen hungry lions, which each participant received as part of their Kenpo camp package.

Dynamic Kenpo Karate Boot Camp = Success. Can’t wait for next year.

Short Form 2

Short Form 2 teaches the three power principles – torque, marriage of gravity, and back-up mass. Unlike Short Form 1 and Long Form 1, we now begin advancing towards our opponent while blocking and countering with a strike. The first move (on both sides) involving the inward block and handsword is the start of Five Swords, as well as Delayed Sword without the kick. It is also the first form employing a block and immediate strike with the same hand. By doing so, Kenpoists learn the principle, "Block with cock to get travel for your knife hand."

Short Form 2 also gives students their first introduction to 45-degree angles and the "V" step. One application of the "cup and saucer" move as you pull back to the cat stance is that an opponent has you in a rear bear hug with your arms free. Your response is to step behind the opponent’s leg, thus off balancing the attacker and taking him off the line similar to the technique "Crashing Wings." It also teaches students the full range of motion prior to the simultaneous block and punch. There are a few reasons why a neutral (and not a forward) bow is employed when doing the simultaneous block and punch towards 9 o’clock and 3 o’clock: (i) it shows how to use back-up mass to get power (ii) it gives a foundation for more advanced self-defense techniques (e.g., "Shield and Mace") (iii) it shows how you don’t have to pivot to a forward bow to get power (thus differentiating between what was shown in Long Form 1, or such techniques as "Crashing Wings" and "Crushing Hammer"). The technique "Thrusting Salute" is also contained in the form in the downward block and heel palm sequence (with the exception of the kick). In the last move of the form, where we employ an extended outward block followed by a horizontal snapping half-fist strike to the throat area, I see a lot of people do this movement while staying in a neutral bow. The problem with this is that your half-fist has very little reach, not to mention that your strike will lack power because if you have not incorporated hip rotation into the strike. Hence, I highly recommend moving from a neutral bow as you do the extended outward block, to a forward bow as you execute the half-fist strike, and then back to the neutral bow as you draw the half-fist back. Short Form 2 is required for promotion to purple belt.

Reference: Seabrook J. American Kenpo Mastery: A Guide for Students and Instructors. Lincoln: iUniverse Inc, 2006

Dynamic Kenpo Karate Boot Camp

June 27-29th

199 Queen Street
Sarnia, Ontario, Canada

Instructors:

Jamie Seabrook, 6th Degree Black Belt
Jason Arnold, 5th Degree Black Belt
Rob Broad, 5th Degree Black Belt
Pat Robinson, 3rd Degree Black Belt
Scott Southwell, 2nd Degree Black Belt

Cost is $165 in Canadian funds.

Your Teen/Adult Camp fee includes a meal Saturday night.

Guests and children attending the camp are $10.00 for the banquet.

Instructors and school owners, bring 5 teen/adults to the camp and you get the for free!!

To register, please contact Rob Broad at: rob@dynamickenpo.ca or by phone at:

519-402-9066