Key Moves????

**TenTigers** · Posted On: 4/25/2009 1:21am

many old Kenpo players refer time to time that William K.S. Chow had basically twelve key moves that he extrapolated on, which were the basis of his Kenpo. Does anyone have any info on this?

**Sigung86** · Posted On: 4/27/2009 8:52am

No... No real knowledge of that particular aspect, and probably shouldn't be posting here. However, when I started Tracy's Karate (TRACO) way back in '71, as much as I enjoyed it, and with no yellow belt buffer... Each belt had 40 techs and 2 kata per. The variations on all the techniques for the Orange created, essentially, 72 techniques. It was overwhelming, and interesting at the same time.

Having a lot less techniques to build on and create your own methodologies isn't necessarily a bad thing. And some of the newer "Masters" are getting back to that. I'm thinking of folks like LeRoux and Sullivan with 55 techniques... Trejo put out a vid or some such here not too long ago with his pick of the 10 most useful/effective techs for EPAK.

Frankly, with as much time as I have both in and at the arts, it's interesting to watch trends and evolutions.

**TenTigers** · Posted On: 4/27/2009 9:16pm

I did Tracy's back in 80,81, and we had thirty techniques per belt-no yellow buffer either, and I thought thirty was nuts! Wow, 40! Problem was, there was too much fluff, and fodder, and techniques you learned at orange were finished at brown/black.
But-there are alot of Hung-Ga'isms within those techniques. I had met a guy who does a Hung Kuen style,that although came from Wong Fei-Hung, did not go through the Hong Kong branches, and it was very Kenpo-like in its execution. Rapid-fire, aggressive, in your face, one technique flowing into the other. Made me get out my old notes and start re-evaluating some of that stuff. I must admit, Kenpo has influenced my Hung-Ga, and after seeing that guy, it just solidified my theories.

I will do a search for Trejo's stuff. Thanx for the tip.

**SuperGuido** · Posted On: 4/28/2009 5:49pm

I studied Kara Ho Kempo for a little bit (Professor Chow's system under Grandmaster Kuoha). There were a bunch techniques called the "Professor Chow Series", and they all built off of the previous technique.

i.e. Number 1 was a dodge, parry, and deflect. Number 2 was number 1 with an added strike, etc...

These were explained as "Old School Professor Chow" techniques that we had to learn in the first couple of belts (I only promoted twice, which I think was 8th kyu equivalent). I don't know if this is what you're talking about, and I don't know if this series was the key stone of Professor Chow's teachings.

What I DO know from hearing stories about Professor Chow (from Grandmaster Kuoha) is that the man was INTENSE about conditioning and sparring. Knuckle pushups on bricks, striking sandbags, hours of non-stop sparring...they did bare knuckle stuff, and trained to not break their hands on each other's heads.

There are a few Kara Ho Black Belts on Martial Arts Planet, and I think Grandmaster Kuoha posts on Martial Talk. If you're really interested, inquire there. Look for the usernames PacificShore, DianHsuhe, and GMKuoha. They are great people, and very willing to answer questions about the style.

**HongkongFooie** · Posted On: 7/01/2009 7:55pm

Yes, there are several key moves that the entire system is built around. One of which is found in Five Swords, another in Thundering Hammers. Once a Kenpoka understands the foundations behind these key moves, the style becomes much easier to utilize in a street fight confrontation. If you go to a school and ask about key moves and the instructor says, "Key what?" its time to find another school.:director2

**dianhsuhe** · Posted On: 10/27/2010 10:28pm

Originally Posted by TenTigers

many old Kenpo players refer time to time that William K.S. Chow had basically twelve key moves that he extrapolated on, which were the basis of his Kenpo. Does anyone have any info on this?

SuperGuido is correct (thanks Nic-san):

Professor Chow's techniques 1-12 are said to be the basis of what Professor Chow taught, but they are basic techniques learned between white and purple belt.

The techniques Professor Chow was working on in the 1970-1987 are called "6-10's" and "11-15's". These are the culmination of Professor Chow's training and are in another league compared to the 1-12 techs.

Hope this helps!
Jamey