Kenpo Karate

Kenpo Karate Clubs
in Peterborough

In the United States, kenpo is often referred to as Kenpo Karate. The most widespread styles have their origin in the teachings of James Mitose and William Kwai Sun Chow. Mitose was nominally Chow’s senior, but the true nature and extent of their relationship is controversial. This lineage also includes Kajukenbo, an art that does not use the kenp? name itself, but which possesses recognized offshoots that do. Notable styles such as Kajukenbo and American Kenpo employ linear and circular movements with a signature “rapid fire” combination of blows to vital areas of the body.

Ed Parker’s American Kenpo is a system of martial arts characterized by the above mentioned use of quick moves in rapid-fire succession intended to overwhelm an opponent. It is largely marketed as a self-defense system, and is derived from traditional Southern Chinese kung fu and other martial arts found in the cultural melting pot of Hawaii. Parker introduced significant modifications in his art, including principles, theories, and concepts of motion as well as terminology, throughout his life. He left behind a large number of instructors who teach many different versions of American Kenpo.

As a brown belt, Parker decided to create his own “art”, he decided to title it “American Kenpo” because the system was created on American soil. ’Karate’ was later less favored by Parker, but the general public better understood that word than it understood ‘Kenpo’. Continued efforts to shape the art into a distinct form led to replacing most Asian language terms with English terms. This also involved inventing entirely new principles to express ideas that had previously been encapsulated within traditional metaphors such as ‘qi’, but which Parker aimed to harmonize with Western principles and American culture.

American Kenpo’s forms and techniques were restructured by Parker during this period. Often he moved away from methods that were recognizable from another art (such as forms that were familiar within Hung Gar) and established a more definitive relationship between forms and the technique curriculum. With the use of media, he left a final version and record  of his American Kempo.

Parker’s students learned a different curriculum depending on when they studied with him. Some students preferred older material to newer material, wanted to maintain older material that Parker intended to replace, or wanted to supplement the kenpo they learned from a particular period with other martial arts training. His initial art of Kenpo Karate started with a Kenpo Karate school in Pasadena around 1954 and he published a book of the same name in 1961. This has been characterized as having a very Japanese influence, including the use of linear, “focused” techniques and jujutsu-style locks, holds, and throws.

When Ed Parker embraced the Chinese Arts he began to refer to his art as Chinese Kenpo. Based on this influence he wrote Secrets of Chinese Karate, published in 1963, only very shortly after Kenpo Karate. Finally, Parker began codifiying his early understandings of Chinese Kenpo into a distinct and evolving personal interpretation of the artand he dropped all Asian language elements and many traditions in favor of American English. During this period, he de-emphasized techniques and principles organized in the same manner as in Chinese and Japanese arts in favor of his own curriculum of forms and techniques.

American Kempo Karate (Peterborough)
Andy Fitzgerald
Email: andyfitzgerald@englishkenpo.co.uk
Mobile: 07718 358472
http://englishkenpo.wordpress.com

MONDAYS

Hampton Hargate Primary School
Juniors 7pm-8pm
Seniors 7pm-9pm
Thursdays

THURSDAYS

Matley Community Centre
Juniors 7pm-8pm
Seniors 7pm-9pm

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