Rules in Kenpo, why we have them, are they written in stone?

(recently posted on Mr. Tatum's Facebook page)

There are rules to govern progress in the early stages of learning Kenpo. For instance, one rule states to never turn your back on your opponent. This a good rule for beginners to always face your work and that you are not fighting more than one person at a time, but as you progress through the ranks you then can transcend this rule, by adhering to another rule, depending upon circumstances.

All rules have an exception which then can force one to transcend a rule by adhering to another rule.

Another rule of kenpo is too not to cross your opponent's center line without taking a target with your block or strike, such as in Shielding Hammer. (you take the nose of the attacker on the center line).

Another rule is don't have both hands on one side of your opponent's center line.

Yet we learn to do just that in Five Swords. So, what rule did we break to stay within the rule of safety?

Well, we traveled across his center line and reached the arc of his punch before he could use his other arm. Now depending upon the angel of the block it could create an angel of cancellation by directing the block (strike) in a downward angle causing his height to break and twist the left side of the body away from you.

This is also used in Defying the Storm. But the timing to cancel his width must be timed long before he has reached the apex of the circle of his wielding club.

In Ram and Eagle, we can turn our back for two reasons, one we occupied the rear attacker with a back knuckle then we traveled further from him as we engaged the front attacker. We then turned are back from the front attacker to cover for the rear attacker, but the front attacker was occupied with a Hammer Fist during this action of turning.

So, by adhering to a rule of how to cover properly, we transcended the rule of never turning your back.

Another rule early on is to always have your hands on top of your opponents, (the dominant position) and a good rule of kenpo.

This is illustrated in how we check our attacker's grabs, holds, etc.

In a technique like Scrapping Hoof, the rule is to check height, but when you are outside of his center line you check the width.

Crashing Wings, you are on the inside side, so you check height with two downward elbows until you get to the outside of his center line you then check his width by positioning yourself around and behind him, and then the outward elbow strikes continue to keep his width in check.

The paradox in kenpo is you need rules for different stages of learning, but every rule is made to be broken depending upon the circumstances, as long as you adhere to another rule.

Now by our moral compass in a civilized society, this may not stand true, but the Kenpo compass teaches that there are indeed times to break a rule.

One such rule you keep is to protect your family and loved ones at all costs, (all cost is a very broad brush).

In short, Kenpo teaches discretion in all encounters, and won't ask you to level your moral compass, which in the end depends upon your self-worth, your self-esteem, and your conscience to back any decision.

Be careful in defining another person by your own rules.