Is the “What-If” Stage of Kenpo Techniques Detrimental to Beginner Students?

I have been to a lot of seminars and Kenpo classes where it looks like the Kenpo beginner student looks as lost as a goat in a hailstorm. They are desperately trying to learn the mechanics of the technique being taught but within a few minutes, the instructor is asking; “now what if this happens instead?” This goes on and on so that by the end of the class, the student has learned a least 5+ what-if factors where the technique could go wrong in its application. After so many “what-if’s” the student becomes less confident in the ideal phase technique as it is supposed to be taught. They leave the class thinking they have learned some cool stuff, but that ultimately, they don’t know if they could ever make the ideal phase technique work because there are so many other factors involved.

Hence, I think it is extremely important that Kenpo students first learn the ideal phase techniques against ideal attacks, and that they work these over and over so that the techniques become spontaneous. If taught in this manner, should something go wrong when executing an ideal phase technique, there will be many other ideal phase techniques that one could graft into. Isn’t this what we also do in sparring? We often put a combination together in the hopes of making good contact with our opponent, but somehow, somewhere, something goes wrong? And when it does, do we fall to the floor and curl up in the fetal position? No, of course not. We “graft” into other sparring techniques that have worked for us in the past and get right back into the game mentally and physically.

Through consistent practice, the Kenpo practitioner learns that there are so many ideal phase techniques that he/she can call upon in a moment’s notice should the situation warrant it. Additionally, one learns that the “what-if stage” that is so often taught to beginner and intermediate students, is already built into the system as one learns the extensions of the ideal phase base techniques. The difference is, however, that students that learn the what-if stage as part of the extensions have already put in several years of mastering the ideal phase techniques, can perform them well, and have COFIDENCE in them.

Should you be practicing your self-defense techniques on both sides?

There is no doubt that American Kenpo Karate is a right side dominant martial art and that this can be said of many martial arts styles. The reason that it is right side dominant is that most people are right handed. For people who are left handed, they usually have no difficulty learning the system since Kenpo is based on proper body mechanics.

One question that I guessed asked from time to time, and one which is particularly important in American Kenpo Karate where there are 154 self-defense techniques to learn to obtain a black belt, is if one should be practicing their self-defense techniques equally on the left side to balance things out and to make oneself an overall better martial artist? The answer quite simply is no.

Why? The reason is that when we are stressed, and there is someone trying to take our head off, our brain will respond via the dominant side regardless of how much time is devoted to training on the left side. That doesn’t mean in anyway that we don’t need to be effective on both sides. What it means is that the right and left side movements are utilized differently. In effect, what American Kenpo does is take advantage of a person’s strength on both sides.

Moreover, trying to devote time to practicing techniques on both sides takes away from the time needed to practice the system as was designed. It also blinds one’s potential of being able to see things from your style’s dominant side.

I have heard many people claim that they are ambidextrous. Ambidexterity, however, in the truest sense, is not possible. Take advantage of learning your style as designed.

Why Sparring Must Be Linked With Consistent Practice of Self-Defense Techniques

In American Kenpo Karate, there are four key zones that we must always be aware when sparring.

The first is what we call "out of range control". Simply put, out of range control is when we are sparring with an opponent but he is far enough away where we cannot reach him with either our hands or feet. There is still is an element of control, however, since a quick and deceptive feint could very well get the opponent to move and be caught off guard for a possible set-up maneuver. The second zone is what we call "within range control" and this occurs when we are close enough to be able to touch the opponent. The third zone is "penetration control" which is where we have passed the opponent's defense (particularly his lead hand and leg) and are now able to effectively reach the opponent with strong punches and or kicks to the body, legs, and/or head. Finally, the fourth zone is called "manipulation control", and as the name states, here we (or our opponent if he has penetrated our range to this last zone) are close enough to be able to apply various joint locks, chokes, and so forth.

It is the last zone, manipulation control, that so many of our self-defense techniques in Kenpo are taught against. Martial artists who have little to no knowledge of manipulation control, and how to effectively defend against attacks once an opponent has entered this last zone, are missing this key component to their training. One merely needs to watch one night of UFC fighting to know that good fighters are often able to get close enough to us to be able to apply these chokes and/or locks.

While I am a firm believer in sparring, if all that is done at a particular martial arts school is kata (forms) and/or sparring, I truly believe you need to seek knowledge of practical self-defense techniques designed where the opponent is close enough to us to have applied a lock or choke. Additionally, knowledge of "bonkai" as they call it in traditional styles is not enough. One must consistently work with a resistant partner, and change partners frequently to ensure that you can make your techniques work on people of all sizes and shapes.

With enough practice and skill level, one can also learn to apply self-defense techniques directly into sparring practice.

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!!!

Delayed Sword

Yellow Belt Technique

Delayed Sword is a self-defense technique taught off a front, right hand lapel grab. The catalyst is a grab, followed by a shove. Therefore, the initial step back is your angle of least resistance assuming a non-static attack.

Many American Kenpo instructors teach the technique by stepping back with the left foot and executing a right inward strike to the attacker’s right wrist or bicep while the left hand is checking at solar plexus level as a precautionary check. The problem with this approach is that they are omitting the importance of pinning the hand the grabs. The pin and step back is used to cancel the opponent’s height, width, and depth. Also, if you don’t pin the hand that grabs, if the opponent lets go, it will cancel most of your action. After the pin, step back, and inward strike, the next move is a front kick to the opponent’s groin, which acts as a simultaneous width and depth check. The technique concludes by using marriage of gravity as you execute a right handsword to the opponent’s neck, being sure to cut diagonally down to check height, width, and depth zones.

Delayed Sword teaches students how to use their strong side forward (which is important in the early stages of learning) and how to create and gauge distance. Should the first inward strike not cancel the opponent’s width, and the attacker counters with a left punch, it is possible to graft into Sword of Destruction. Alternatively, if the opponent tries to tackle us after the inward strike, we can graft into, say, Striking Serpent’s Head or Intercepting the Ram.