Go on spill out your opinion. I dare you! no wait. I double dare you!!

[ianwill1]

Hey Folks,

I'v been researching a lot of arts at the moment but havn't been able to find any info on certain aspects of american kempo (parkers). Maybe someone here might know.

Is there any meditation type focus in Parkers kempo.

Is there much hard core conditioning like i'm used in Kyokushin

and if u got anything to express on (in your opinion) the flaws and strengths of the style please do...

Cheers

[SuperGuido]

Send a PM to Clyde. He's probably the most knowledgeable American Kenpo person on these boards.

One thing you need to be aware of is that American Kenpo is NOT necessarily Ed Parker's Kenpo. At this stage, both are considered different "Sub Styles" and the terms are not interchangeable.

Here are some basic "Truths" about Kenpo that TYPICALLY ring true regardless of style.

1. Abundance of Forms
-Lots of Katas/Forms/Pinans/Patterns.

2. Abundance of 2-Step Techniques
-You attack me in a pre-arranged manner and stand there while I perform an elaborate technique on you.

3. Weapons Techniques Confined to Forms
-Some schools (the Cepeda Brothers, John Bishop's Kajukenbo, etc...) actually spar with padded weapons, but most kenpo styles will ONLY teach weapon use through "Weapons Forms".

4. Point Sparring
-Again, some schools spar hard (Speakman's Kenpo 5.0, Cepeda Brothers, John Bishop's Kajukenbo, etc...), but most kenpo schools limit their sparring to light/no touch point sparring.

5. No Grappling
-There are some 2-Step techniques that involve "Ground Fighting", but most of these focus on striking from the ground or applying locks to unresisting partners. Any form of ground fighting resembling BJJ or Submission Wrestling will typically be missing.

---

Past these basic concepts, the class structure and intensity will depend on the school and the instructor.

Kenpo is so common and available today that you'll see a HUGE variance in schools, so your best bet is to check out potential schools and judge for yourself.

If I can make ONE suggestion, though, it is this...

Stay away from United Studios of Self Defense and their brand of "Shaolin Kempo".

They make GoKanRyu look like Kyokushin Kai, and they'll charge you more than private lessons with Bas Rutten.

[Christian_]

American Kenpo is garbage, it's mainly composed of a ton of useless forms (Like kicking set striking set, stance set 2 (1 wasnt enough) short forms 1-4 long forms 1-6?, and about 20 other forms, and then some techniques where they attack you (you know whats coming) and then stop in mid-air followed by you performing an elaborate 30 step counter, everything in the system starts off with your opponnent 5 feet away from you. Do not buy into what they are saying, you can ask your instructor why your're using a middle knuckle strike and a weird angle/stance/looking like an idiot, and they'll tell you a "Scientific" reason why its done that way, followed by the statement that American Kenpo is a Scientific Deadly Street Smart Art. Thats what they bank on, You might as well go to a Taekwondo school, at least you'll get some flexibility to do those 1080 spinning hook kicks. (Don't do that either.) And don't be fooled by the stickers on a door, just because they have a sticker that says jujitsu, kickboxing and knife fighting doesn't mean they teach that.

[Roidie McDouchebag]

Is there any meditation type focus in Parkers kempo.

No, IIRC.

Is there much hard core conditioning like i'm used in Kyokushin

Probably not.

and if u got anything to express on (in your opinion) the flaws and strengths of the style please do...

For the most part (and by most, I mean 99%), it's crap.

[ianwill1]

hmmmm?

For the most part you've confirmed alot of what I thought. although....

The school I'v been interested in checking out is (from what I'v been told by both outsiders and insiders) no McDojo.

I actually only know that they do "american" kempo. There website is shite and under construction.

I will be checking it out with mine own eyes some night this week

The dojo its run in teaches a few other martial arts all by well established instructers.

Tai Chi by a well accomplished chinese woman - Kali+Escreema The better of the Irish schools - Capoeira by one of the bigger Brazilian Schools as well as 5 ancestors kung fu, kickboxing, Iaido and tae bo (for girls?). It a martial arts academy (?), nice facilities.

An old freind whos been with that school for the past 4 or so years, while living and workin in australia, was started on by four older lads. He was bout 19 or 20 at the time. Beat them up so badly he made the newspaper, they all went to hospital.

So thats got to say something. It seemed to have worked on the street.

Don't get me wrong I have an inbeded distrust for american kempo styles, however this place sounds good.

[Christian_]

Before you go and check out that school, please ask your self some questions. Why do you want to learn to unsheath a sword (Iaido) dance fight like a black brazillian slave (Capoeira) Fight like a 5,000 year old Chinese person (Kung Fu) and Do some lame Cardio workout routine, I think my mom has some Taebo tapes in the closet somewhere. And by the way, they probably don't offer any other styles. My school (which I'm not attending anymore) says KARATE on the store banner, and then has an escrima sticker, jujuitsu sticker, a Knife fighting sticker, and a Kickboxing sticker, and they don't offer any of that, just American Kenpo, which is the worst art ever.

[ianwill1]

No they do these classes the time table says so.

If you read the post correctly you'd see I was just illustrating that although I don't know much about thier kempo, I know that thier other martial arts are, whatever about the martial arts themselves, trained at a high quality ie. the capoeira school that uses the place on tues is oficina de capoeira. One of the most established capoeira schools.

I NEVER SAID I HAD ANY INTEREST IN THOSE ARTS


I have trained both Kickboxing and Kyokushin.

Two great ways to become tough but both lack training in certain things because they are too focused on competion (legal kicks and chokes)

I know american kempo is not to be trusted. How ever over here in Ireland, Martial arts aren't used as a business platform as much as they are in the states. Most just charge enough to cover overheads. Property is not cheap in Dublin.

The thing is. Although I know this art is dubious. What I'v heard about this place seems good. And the street testing my freind put it through came out positive.
If putting people in hospital can be considered positive

[Roidie McDouchebag]

Just because they aren't in it to rip you off doesn't mean they don't suck.

Can you beat up your friend who beat up the 4 guys?

[ianwill1]

True... good intentions only go so far

Still the only reasonable thing i can think of doing is to check the place out.
Altough unfortunately I did find out it was Ed Parker Kempo today.

And could my freind beat me:
Before he started training - Not a chance.
Now - I prefer not to find out. But I believe he would.

That being said he is seriously dedicated. Always at the dojo or the gym.

Like me a long long long time ago

[Roidie McDouchebag]

Do some Kyokushin sparring with him and see how he dies, I mean does.