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American Kenpo is one of the most comprehensive and
contemporary systems taught today. Kenpo as a martial art dates back to
ancient China, but Ed Parker, a pioneer in the martial arts field in the
1960’s, literally disassembled, analyzed, and rebuilt Kenpo to fit today’s
environment, and blends circular movements like those found in Chinese
Kung Fu and linear movements like those found in Japanese and Korean
Systems.
Kenpo students not only learn the "how's" of movements, but also the
"whys" and "what fors". Learning Kenpo is a study of motion and movement.
One can compare the similarities of learning Kenpo movements to learning
how to write and speak. Before you can write or spell words you must first
learn the alphabet. Each basic block, strike, maneuver, stance, etc. that
you learn in Kenpo is comparable to learning an individual letter of the
alphabet, also known as "Alphabets of Motion".
Once the basics (alphabets of motion) are learned, a student will begin to
combine these basic movements to form "Words of Motion" through learning
Kenpo self defense techniques, the heart of the Kenpo system.
As you progress in your training, the self defense techniques add more
basic movements, or you may blend techniques together to create "Sentences
of Motion". Thus when you begin to string sentences together you form
"Paragraphs of Motion", which is comparable to executing Kenpo forms,
known as katas in many other martial art styles.
Kenpo techniques can sometimes become lengthy, and are considered by some
as overkill; we consider Kenpo as merely being “over skilled”. Not every
punch, kick, or strike is going to find its target or have the desired
effect, so having a number of back up moves at your disposal is crucial.
Kenpo’s emphasis on speed of action and accuracy over pure power, combined
with it’s use of hard and soft movements make it easy to tailor to any
man, woman, or child of all shapes, sizes, and ages.
People study Kenpo for many different reasons. Most for the practical self
defense techniques to protect themselves and their loved ones, some like
the sport aspect of training, while other may just want to improve their
level of fitness. Whatever the reason, the benefits that Kenpo offers are
always positive and many for mind, body, and spirit!
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