Snapping Twig

Purple Belt Technique

Snapping Twig is designed for someone coming at us with a front, left hand chest push. Taking the angle of least resistance, we step back with our left foot to 6 o’clock into a right neutral bow while executing a right inward palm strike to the outside of the opponent’s left elbow, simultaneous with a left palm strike to the inside of the opponent’s left wrist. The strike creates a fulcrum, which will break the opponent’s elbow. The elbow break will also control the opponent’s width, which means that the attacker will not be able to turn into you and deliver a right punch with his free hand. At this point, we execute a frictional pull with our right hand (hooking over the opponent’s left arm and pulling it down past our right hip) while simultaneously delivering a left thrusting handsword to the opponent’s throat while shifting into a left forward bow to maximize torque. As we pivot back into our right neutral bow, we hit the opponent with a diagonal right raking hammer fist to the nose, while push-dragging forward to 12 o’clock and finishing with a right elbow sandwich to the opponent’s head.

Here is something cool to experiment with. Let us assume that after delivering the left handsword to the opponent’s throat, the opponent backs up (thereby leaving your raking hammer fist out of reach). If that is the case, try doing a left front crossover at the same time that you deliver the right raking hammer fist. As you continue on from that point in the technique, try delivering a right front kick to the opponent’s knee, and then finish, of course, with the right elbow sandwich.

Have fun!

Spiraling Twig

Purple Belt Technique

This technique, like Crashing Wings in the Orange Belt manual, is for a rear bear hug with our arms free. There is an important distinction, however, between these two techniques, which is often neglected or unknown to many Kenpoists. The difference lies in the position of the opponent’s hands that are grabbing you. In Spiraling Twig, the opponent’s hands are too high to be able to crash down with the elbows as in Crashing Wings, so instead we use our middle knuckle strikes to the center of the opponent’s hand. In both techniques, however, it is paramount that we drop our weight while stepping out to 3 o’clock to cancel the height of the opponent, thereby minimizing the possibility that the attacker will be able to lift us up and potentially throw us.

After the middle knuckle strikes, and the crash down with our elbows on the opponent’s arms, we then grab the hand of the opponent with our two thumbs. As we proceed by stepping out with our left foot, we simultaneously break the opponent’s right elbow with our right elbow, which will also cancel the opponent’s width. As we continue our stepping and apply the wrist lock while in a left forward bow, be sure to point the opponent’s fingers towards his head, and then immediately turn the wrist on a 45 degree angle to apply the break. We then keep the pressure on the opponent’s wrist as we front instep kick the mid-section as he is bent over, while your right stiff arm lifting back knuckle is in orbit which immediately strikes the opponent’s face.

Twirling Wings

Purple Belt Technique

This self-defense technique is for a rear two-hand choke to our throat while the opponent is pulling us back. As such, the angle of least resistance is to go with the momentum driving us back. As we do, we drop our left foot back to approximately 5 o’clock, as we end up pivoting to a forward bow with a left vertical outward block to the opponent’s left arm to clear it, followed immediately by a right inward horizontal elbow to the attacker’s ribs. We then pivot out of the forward bow as we execute a left inward horizontal elbow to the ribs and/or solar plexus. The issue, however, that many Kenpoists don’t address is the lack of the pin. If, when we are being choked and pulled back we do not pin, it is possible for the opponent’s left arm to hit our face either by accident or intentionally, which could cause us injury and potentially check our width and depth since we are turning into the left hand. As a result, this technique is more effective when we pin the opponent’s left hand with our right hand. Why pin specifically the opponent’s left hand? Because it is best to check the opponent’s arm that we are moving into. There is no need to check the hand of the opponent that we are moving away from. Furthermore, if we pin the opponent’s hand tightly, it is possible to break the elbow and/or wrist of the opponent as we take the angle of least resistance as we are being pulled back. The technique is called Twirling Wings because of the figure eight type pattern with our two elbows.

Short summary: PIN the opponent’s left hand as we step back!!!