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!

Family and Kenpo

Last night, after reviewing a bunch of the Kenpo forms and sets with my students, I battled it out with one of my top black belts, Scott Southwell. This isn’t anything unusual, as Scott and I fight full contact at least once per week together. We usually fight after an already exhausting night, whether it be because of kicks drilled up and down the floor, techniques with resistance on partners, forms and sets training, or hand drills. As a 6th degree black belt, I try my best to lead by example, by not just telling my students how to move, but by getting out there and doing it with them.

After going home last night, I thought about my training routine, which is a literal 7 days per week. I acknowledged that the reason why I put my body through such rigorous activity (and sometimes pain) in Kenpo is simply because I value the art so much.

What about the other areas of my life? Do I truly value the marriage that I have with my wife Chantel? I do, but I am always striving to make it better. I love her to no end, and because of that, I need to commit time to be with her, to recognize her needs, and to continue to grow in our marriage. I need to continue to step up to the plate with my children, by being the father that God intended me to be, and to help Chantel out whenever possible with our children. Marriages that our built on martial arts first, and then family second, will likely not survive, and if they do, it won’t be the joyful marriage and family atmosphere that you and your wife both deserve.

It’s easy for us to say that we BELIEVE that we should put our families before martial arts, but does it show in our actions? Since obtaining my Kenpo Karate black belt in 1990, I have taught literally thousands of different kids. What I am seeing over the years, unfortunately, is growing proportion of children that are growing up without a father. Some of these fathers are long gone, and want little to nothing to do with their children anymore. Other fathers were physically abusive, either to their wife, children, or both. Still others turned to alcohol and drugs as “escapism”. They blame their wife saying, “It was her fault”; the reality is that they took the drink and the drink took them.

What do you value in life? I value God and my family FIRST. And when I fail that order (which is sometimes the case), I sit, think, and pray about change for the better. “Till death do us part”…those are BIG words. And every day I get out of bed, I face them.

Deflecting Hammer

Yellow Belt Technique

This technique was designed for someone executing a right front thrust kick towards our ribs as we start in a right neutral bow. As we shuffle back, we simultaneously deflect the kick with a right downward block, while continuing that line right into a shuffle forward and right inward elbow to the opponent’s face as we check the opponent’s right arm with our left hand. In other words, be sure to continue the circle (don’t stop the motion) from your downward block to the right inward elbow. Note that using a traditional horizontal downward block to the opponent’s kick can cause injury to our arm depending on the force of the kick, and we also run the risk of hyperextending our elbow. Furthermore, we lose economy of motion when a horizontal downward block is employed. The downward block should be done with a closed fist (hence the name Deflecting HAMMER). Using a downward parry increases the risk of injury to our fingers.

Another suggestion to improve economy of motion and the continuous flow of the right inward elbow strike is to shuffle back to 6 o’clock. Stepping off-line to 7:30 reduces borrowed force from the opponent’s kick, and the opponent will no longer “land” right into the elbow strike as he plants forward from the right thrust front kick. Also since Deflecting Hammer is taught for Yellow Belt level, stepping back to 6 o’clock is very conducive for beginners to learn and follows the same footwork patterns as other beginner techniques whereby you step away from the attack and utilize your dominant (right) side.

Summer: The Most Important Season For Martial Artists

The most important season for improving one's skills in the martial arts is the summer. The reason is that many students get involved in other activities during this time (i.e. camps, soccer, baseball) while those that remain diligent in their training get to take advantage of smaller class sizes, and henceforth, their capacity to absorb new knowledge is endless. Indeed, the summer months have given me the opportunity to share knowledge that is not always possible with large class sizes. For example, in the past, I have been able to use these months to teach traditional and modern weaponry from a Kenpo perspective, advanced forms, techniques with extensions, and intense sparring sessions.

For those that take the summer off (or any month or two throughout a year for that matter), many simply don't come back. Although their intentions were to jump right back into the swing of things come September, many are apprehensive about returning because they don't feel their skills are where they should be relative to the rest of the students who kept training. For those that do return, I estimate that only about 50% will stick with it.

The longer the duration of time off from Kenpo training, the less likely you are to return, and I say this with 100% confidence. There is a lot of truth to what Mr. Miyagi said in the first Karate Kid movie, “Either you do karate yes, or you do karate no; you do karate guess so, get squashed like grape”.

Jamie Seabrook Books

For those interested in expanding their knowledge of the martial arts, I have two published books available for purchase:

Martial Arts Revealed: Benefits, Problems, and Solutions

American Kenpo Mastery: A Guide for Students and Instructors

Martial Arts Revealed provides a thorough examination of many important facets as they relate to the martial arts. For instance, the reader will learn about modern vs. traditional methods of self-defense, choosing a martial art style conducive to your body type and personality, the psychosocial benefits of martial arts training, injuries in martial arts, and steps to getting everything you deserve out of your training. For more information about the book, and to make an order, click here:

https://www.iuniverse.com/bookstore/book_detail.asp?isbn=0-595-28247-4

American Kenpo Mastery is written particularly for Kenpo practitioners that are seeking to better understand their art in all of its forms. Topics include the history and evolution of American Kenpo, a discussion of the forms and sets in American Kenpo, self-defense techniques, methods of Kenpo sparring, testing procedures and rank advancement. Terms are also defined within the relevant text, whenever practical, because American Kenpo concepts, theories, and principles may be a new language to you. In addition, a glossary of terms is provided at the end of the book. Appendix A provides a listing of common curriculums taught in American Kenpo: the 32-technique system, the 24-technique system, and the 16-technique system. Appendix B provides a guide of general notes I have made for myself of self-defense techniques. For more information about the book, and to make an order, click here:

https://www.iuniverse.com/bookstore/book_detail.asp?isbn=0-595-40540-1

Body Position, Environment, or Range?

I was watching a clip of Ed Parker teaching a seminar. He asked the class to rank, in order of importance for a street altercation, the following three terms: body position, environment, and range.

Fortunately, I knew the order: environment, range, and then body position. Would that have been the order that you ranked them?

Where you and your opponent are in terms of location (environment) is crucial. Here is a humorous example that Ed Parker gave. Let’s assume that two guys are in a bar in Alaska. The two of them start arguing, and one proceeds to rip his shirt off as if to say, “the fight is on”. In response, the other person decides to step outside in the freezing cold so that his opponent (if he decides to immediately follow him) will be without a shirt. Clearly, environment is working to the one’s advantage that still has his sweater on! Now given that both are outside in the freezing cold, and one person is without a shirt, one would guess that in all likelihood, the one without the shirt is going to be in a big hurry to get the fight over with so that he doesn’t have to fight in such cold climate. Environment is crucial in any fight, and is an important factor in which technique one could employ.

Range is less important than environment but more important than body position. Range allows our perceptual speed to “read” the opponent’s attack so that we can respond with an appropriate defense (or better put, OFFENSE). Range is simply the distance between yourself and the attacker. If you knew for certainty that a specific gun could only shoot 200 yards, you could stand at 300 yards away from an attacker and do the Macarena! You won’t be shot. No, don’t really try this; I am just throwing some humor at you. But the point, nonetheless, is that range is very important once environment, and I would argue target availability, have been established.

Short Form 1

Yellow Belt Form

Short Form 1 is the first form in American Kenpo Karate. The form is used for defensive purposes as we are continuously retreating from a punch with a front hand block. The blocking sequences follow this course: two inward blocks, two outward blocks, two upward blocks, and then two downward blocks. When performing this form, it is important to keep our head at a consistent level while transitioning from one neutral bow to the next. Short Form 1 form teaches four basic angles of attack, as you will notice that the foot pattern looks like an addition sign. The primary power principle is torque, and counter-torque can also be found in the second outward block and the second downward block.

As one progresses in training, try doing Short Form 1 in reverse. Doing so allows one to see how the movements can be both defensive and offensive and how manipulation control can be applied. Note that manipulation control is a category of grappling and is the last (fourth) of the combat ranges. In this range, you are close enough to the opponent to be able to apply various joint locks, chokes, and so forth.

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.

How to practice forms and stay motivated

If you only study one style of the martial arts, you may over an extended period of time lose interest in performing the same katas over and over again. The reason is that people often become bored in life with the mundane, that is, the same routine over and over again. Like marriage, for example, katas need “romance” to keep things refreshed and alive! You don’t believe me? Then why is it that I am often very impressed with the skill level of someone performing a specific kata, and then five years down the road, the same person performing the kata doesn’t move with the same fluidity, balance, posture, or agility? Is it because the individual has practiced it less and less over the years? Perhaps. But maybe, just maybe, it is because the individual has less interest in the kata then he/she did when it was first learned.

Here are some refreshing ideas to keep the fire for kata burning:

(1) Go through your forms very slowly to accentuate the finer details before commencing the form at regular speed

(2) Visualize an attacker coming at you as you are performing the form. Do this when practicing the form slowly as well as at regular speed

(3) Be sure that your counterattack and offense during the forms was enough to stop the opponent from coming back for more. Do not be concerned about how fancy you look

(4) Practice your kata blindfolded or with your eyes closed

(5) Try to end the kata in the same position that you started the form

(6) Try choreographing your form to one of your favorite songs. I have always loved “The Power” by Snap!

(7) Practice outdoors in the spring, summer, and fall, and get a tan while you are at it!

Are you training for the most common street attacks?

There are so many martial arts schools that do not have self-defense technique curriculums required for the various belt ranks up to black belt level and beyond. Those that do are often training for self-defense scenarios that are unrealistic in nature, the most common of which is the right step-through punch. I see so many instructors teaching this attack, yet simple observation shows me that the students in the dojo can’t even execute the attack correctly because it is so anatomically unnatural! But somehow, this attack is supposed to be common for the street? Go figure.

Here is a fact. The vast majority of people who throw a punch on the street will do so via a right step-through roundhouse punch. This punch will usually occur after a series of verbal attacks, often complimented by pushing.

Another common attack is the wild haymaker punch. For those attackers that have been drinking, one of the easiest ways to deal with this punch is to execute a fast front ball kick to the opponent’s midsection as he exposes his centerline while executing the attack. The momentum of the opponent’s attack, combined with the hard front ball kick on the way in should drive the opponent into Section 320, Row M, Seat 5.

Question: what types of self-defense scenarios are you training?

Great Sparring Drill

Watch most beginners spar and you'll notice the desperation in their faces, as well as in their offense and defense. Most punches are attempted "home runs" as the fighter tries everything to ward off the oncoming attack and land the "big punch". The fighters, especially in the early stages of training, are often timid about being hit, and are way too tense, resulting in slower reflexes on defense and the tendency to get tired really quick. The same occurs among intermediate and advanced ranked students, particularly those who spar very infrequently. You will also notice a natural tendency for beginners to close their eyes, both when being struck at, as well as when on the offense. This is a bad habit to develop and one that must be overcome.

One of my favorite sparring drills that I developed several years ago is as follows. Two people partner up. One person removes his belt, while the other wraps his belt around the waist of himself and his partner. The end of the belt is then tied together so that both partners are literally within breathing distance of one another. The two partners are wearing their handgear and begin throwing punches at one another. Obviously being that close together, it is imperative to (1) keep your hands up at all times (2) keep your elbows in to avoid shots to the kidney, ribs, and midsection (3) keep your eyes open at all times. This drill is extremely tiring and forces one to learn to put hand combinations together, to pick targets appropiately, to avoid dropping one's hands as is so characteristic in point fighters, and to gain confidence in fighting in-close or what we in Kenpo call the control manipulation range.

This drill can be practiced with a partner for any length of time, but for a good workout, I recommend 3, two or three minute rounds. Once loosed from being tied up with your partner, and you return to your regular continuous sparring routine, you will find your hand speed is lightning fast, that you will be able to hit with awesome power, and that your combinations will flow with excellent continuity.

Try it today, and let me know how it works for you.

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.

Teaching Your Child Martial Arts

It is inevitable. If you are a martial arts addict like I am, and desire or already have children of your own, you are going to want them to take martial arts. Chantel and I have been blessed with two beautiful daughters, and my oldest, Morgan, has been taking Kenpo with me for almost 13 months.

While I prefer to not teach children until the age of 6, mostly because I find that kids younger than that can really hold back older kids in the classroom setting, Morgan actually started small group classes with me at the age of 3.5! The first few months were a little challenging both for her and me. She had to try to focus for a solid 40 minutes, which can be hard for even adolescents! I had to try my best to ensure that I was not too hard on her, particularly because of her very young age, as well as the fact that she is my daughter, and naturally, I wanted her to excel.

Lo and behold, a few months passed and she really started to get the hang of at least the motions involved in martial arts. She even learned the first set, commonly known as Star Block Set, or what some simply call Blocking Set 1.

After five months of training, I had her pounding on me doing choreographed self-defense techniques at her first tournament, The Battle of London. She did a fantastic job and won first place, even edging out a 7 year-old advanced yellow belt from a different karate school.

Over the course of 2006, Morgan attended 82 group classes and has achieved her yellow belt in Kenpo Karate. She is now a “regular” at my Kenpo school, and knows Blocking Set 1 and Short Form 1 very well, and is currently working on Kicking Set 1. Morgan hopes to compete in another tournament in 2007. She turns 5 in June.

Here are a few tips for instructors who will be instructing their own children:

• Give your child plenty of compliments and positive reinforcement
• Make sure your child gets to mingle with other classmates either before or after class so that he/she truly feels like “part of the crew”
• Don’t put undue emphasis on your child during class (easier said than done but it takes consistent work)
  

Love and be proud of your child just for trying!

Triggered Salute

Orange Belt Technique

This technique is designed for a front, right hand direct push to our left shoulder. We should note that direct shoulder to shoulder pushes, such as Triggered Salute, force us to work on the inside of the opponent’s body and arm. As the opponent pushes, take an angle of least resistance to help absorb the force of the push. If we “fight” the push, we will find ourselves getting shoved backward quite hard, which may enable the opponent to follow-up with extra strikes if we are not careful.

That stated, there are two key angles of least resistance for this type of attack: (1) is to ride the force of the push (borrowed force) by stepping our right foot forward towards 12 o’clock and (2) is to borrow the force by stepping back with our left foot into a right neutral bow. Whichever angle of least resistance we take (note that #1 is the most commonly taught method), be sure to move from point of origin and simultaneously pin the opponent’s right hand with our left hand while coming up the blind side of the opponent so that he can’t see our right heel palm strike to the jaw or chin.

Also, be sure to simultaneously check the opponent’s right knee with our right knee to give the opponent an angle of disturbance. This knee check is a positional check. The key here is to get the hand check, heel palm, and knee check to work simultaneously. Since we are always concerned about height, width, and depth, let’s examine how these are cancelled in Triggered Salute.

The initial heel palm will raise the opponent up on his toes (height cancellation), which prevents any type of counter knee or kick. The width is also controlled because the opponent’s free (left) hand cannot reach as the heel palm is executed. Depth is also cancelled because there is weight on the back leg, thereby preventing the opponent from being able to move forward or backwards. Should we not make good contact with the heel palm, the next move involves a horizontal crane elbow break to the opponent’s right arm (although I often see this taught as a bicep strike by stunning the arm downward), which further controls the opponent’s width and his ability to retaliate with the free (left) arm. We then hit on the third point on the circle, specifically the right inward elbow strike to the solar plexus. The outward elbow that follows further controls the opponent’s width. From that elbow, we execute a right back knuckle strike to the kidney and/or ribs and follow through with a right uppercut strike to the opponent’s chin.

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.

Obscure Claws

Green Belt Technique

This technique is designed where an attacker attempts a rear grab to our right shoulder and pulls us back. The angle of least resistance, then, is to borrow that force and go with it by stepping back with our right foot to a left neutral bow as we claw the opponent’s face with both hands. The first claw will cancel the opponent’s height and width and our forearm and shoulder will act as a check as we do the initial step back. After the double claws to the face, if the opponent is still holding on, we can proceed by stepping forward with the right foot to a right forward bow as we execute the elbow break to the opponent’s arm.

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.

Sparring Tips for Beginners

I have been training in Karate for about six months now, and my forms are coming along fine. However, I am having a very difficult time with sparring. Do you have any suggestions for a beginner to improve sparring?


If you fight often, you are going to get really good at sparring, especially when you are fighting people that are better than you. It won't be long when you can dominate fights against other beginners because of your experience in fighting good fighters.

Here are a few tips:
(1) the weakest area of Kenpoists (generally speaking) is their kicks. So work on delivering fast and effective kicks when putting your combinations together.
(2) commit to hitting; don't be hesitant when you strike - go for it!
(3) don't just use your lead leg and lead hand like so many do (e.g. use your reverse punch)
(4) take a zone of sanctuary when your opponent attacks
(5) don't look at the target you are trying to hit
(6) shadow-box
(7) be patient and you WILL see results!