Mr. Chuck Sullivan in action back in the day

 

Kenpo black belts, how do you get your fighting experience?

(from Mr. Sascha Williams' Facebook page, October 2021) 

Are you training to handle a realistic fight, or maybe not?

It always puzzled me, at the IKCs during the 80s, when, after there was between 50 to almost 80 of us in the black belt Forms competition, less than ten of us would then start lining up for Sparring. That realization is part of what prompted me to write this post.

Having supported all the European IKKA events during that same decade, made me notice a stark contrast between attitudes in the U.S., versus Europe.

I didn't have to look hard, it was glaring me in the face:

Fact is that at the European IKCs I never observed the same level of "shelteredness" that I had come to accept as normal in California, particularly at the IKCs (Mr. Parker's Long Beach International Karate Championship, 1964-1999).

I say that because at the European IKCs, during the 90s (which was the era I was witness to) virtually every participating country had their black belts fight.

The Irish not going all in during sparring competition was completely unthinkable.

(Maybe the partial hangovers of the previous night's jovial festivities of reuniting with old friends played a role in numbing any potential reservations, who knows.)

The British, same thing. I remember watching Eddy Downey, transform from gentle to animal, the moment the match started. 

Same with Willie Kelly. I sometimes inadvertently leave him out, when giving credit to European IKKA. He WAS active as an important pioneer, as were several other school and/or club owners/instructors. 

(Please excuse me if an Irish black belt running a Kenpo studio in the Netherlands at an international IKKA event in Jersey confused me just a little as to how to categorize him.) But fact is, we were all excited about how far he helped to take the "Kenpo" fighting team in the very final matches of the event.

(Long story, for another post. Maybe he would like to tell that story himself.)

The Greeks, who during the 90s, and all the way till 2005 were under my direct tutelage and instruction thanks to John Nikolaou, were a formidable force in the point fighting ring every year.

The Dutch, same thing. And please remember, I'm not just talking about their brown belts, I'm talking about their top black belts, typically the ones directly under Hans, out there fighting, without hesitation, in front of their students. The Spaniards. Same thing. Same contagious spirit.

Ironically, the German group was smaller, although Rainer Schulte played a huge role in early European growth of Kenpo. But although his lineage is solid, some of his influence followed "meandering" paths, working side by side with Roy Macdonald (Jersey) and simply supporting the (very) few other countries who came on board back then, when Mr. Parker was still alive in the 80s.

The European Kenpo black belts overcame their reservations (if they even had any in the first place) to fight in front of each other, and in front of their students, providing the needed great examples of leadership.

And the proof is "in the pudding": Modeling an unbridled, non pretentious attitude in front of their students created a new generation of students who seem eager to follow in those footsteps.

Now, lest I am perceived as bashing my American peers, particularly my seniors, let me point the light at q few of them:

Particularly Ralph Castellanos, Tom Kelly, Bob White, and Frank Trejo. 

Not the only ones. Brian Duffy was out there representing, so was Vinton Kocklich, and I'm probably forgetting some.

As a matter of fact, the influence of these "seniors" was one of the primary reasons I invited them to my schools in the 90s.

I never did have the opportunity to get Ralph Castellanos to my schools, although I interacted with him at the IKCs a few times. The fact that he trusted me to teach his grandnieces, and bring them up to black belt meant a lot to me. (Danielle and Brittany Castellanos, together with their mother, Ursula Castellanos are all black belts of mine).

His accomplishments in the ring are the stuff of legends now, and can be quickly observed in his fight against Joe Lewis, which I believe he won. (that video is easy to find on YouTube.)

There were others who impressed me with their "step out of your comfort zone" attitude, which, in my view, plays a huge part in this.

Skip Hancock, while I don't even know if he ever fought in a ring (I'll let him enlighten me on that, if he wants), impressed me when he and I conducted the very first European IKKA seminar tour after Mr. Parker passed in '91.

After we both taught several seminars at Chris Spinger's (Rainer Schulte black belt) school, Skip, without even asking me, lined up the entire group that attended into two lines. He took one half of the group, and gave me the second half. 

He then announced "O.K, now we spar." 

I'm glad I was in shape, as we then took on one person after the other, each for about close to a minute, and sparred ALL the German students in attendance.

I thought that was an incredible effective example of role modeling and my respect for Skip went up significantly as a result.

And I cannot leave out my first Kenpo instructor, the late Douglas Gavin McLeod (on the family tree, also a direct student of Ed Parker's). You can catch a glimpse of his old school in some of the Ed Parker seminar videos (red carpet) on YouTube by searching Ed Parker seminar Santa Cruz Liles).

While McLeod was not too focused on point fighting, he did require all of his black belt candidates (including me) to engage in full contact fighting. If we didn't rock each other's heads, it wasn't realistic, in his view (yes we wore gloves and headgear). And he was absolutely correct. It was his training philosophy that prepared me for the street before anyone else did. 

The toughest fighter I have ever faced in the ring was Raymund Daniels, not a Kenpo guy, and 18 years my junior.

The first time I had the privilege to face him in the ring was after I placed first in my age division (35 and over) at Bob White's Karate on the Beach back in '98.

With Frank Trejo as center judge, Raymond eliminated me in the first semi final round for Grand Champion, but not without "enjoying" several of my Kenpo groin kicks, and what turned out to be very effective positioned blocks that seemed to be a challenge for him.

I lost by one point. Anyone who knows this man, knows that that is something to be proud of. (The Jamaicans have a saying: "A new broom sweeps deep, but the old one knows the corners. I believe I confirmed the usefulness of that analogy on that day.)

Frank Trejo congratulated me after the match. That meant a lot to me.

While I had more street fights than point fights throughout my life (I had worked in security, many years ago), I feel that preparing for point fighting overall gave me the greatest edge. 

Mr. Parker had taught me about "depth deception" as a means to control a competition fight. In my view, nobody is better with that than are champion point fighters, it is extremely frustrating to attempt to get the upper hand against an opponent who is never where you just thought he was. And who never let's you choose the exact timing of commitment. 

Top notch point fighters are masters at controlling distance and timing. Additionally, repeated point fighting in tournaments calms down our tendency for desperation.

"Desperation hinders Inspiration" (Zen of Kenpo).

When it came to surviving in the street, the vast knowledge of Kenpo counters was invaluable to me, as was being used to take a hit. But ultimately it was point fighting that made a street fight much easier to handle, simply because it was point fighting that taught me (more than any other training) to make my opponent miss. To read my opponent's attempts at countering early enough to check them. To frustrate my opponent's by more accurately and calmly predicting anything they did. 

Additionally, point fighting provides a similar "one chance only" simulation. A full contact fighter, or boxer, isn't too concerned about taking a few shots. But a point fighter is, just as is a street fighter. Each individual exchange in a point fight carries greater consequence, just like a street fight. And the ego tends to be just as worried, regarding the first 1 to 5 seconds of engagement. 

I hope this all is helpful as well as cautionary. Black belts should know how to fight. We have an entire club of 10th degrees who may be guilty of having avoided that aspect of training (not all, of course) , and an experienced fighter can spot that from a mile away.

What are you doing?

(recently posted on Facebook by Mr. Ron Chapél)

For many if not most, everything they understand about Kenpo comes from a Modern Ed Parker Kenpo Karate perspective. That’s not a bad thing but it has some significant limitations because its origin is as much a business model as a martial arts model. The good news is both can and have been enormously successful. But, for obvious reasons, they both have significant limitations outside of the stated goals of either. Ed Parker’s Kenpo Karate from the perspective of those that came before its inception could be easily characterized as the “big compromise.”

Has anyone taken notice that senior practitioners, that trained and studied with Mr. Parker before it was created did not or do not teach it? While modern senior practitioners embrace strictly embrace the “manuals,” Esteemed Seniors like Sullivan, Hebler, Inosanto, Dimmick, etc., and the many late seniors that have left us didn’t teach it while they were still alive and thriving during the heyday of the new Modern System. So, what gives?

The reason is simple and when being candid, they will tell you. The Modern Kenpo System was based on a business plan utilized by the Arthur Murray Dance Studios and a huge and significant compromise departure from what Mr. Parker was training and teaching before. The Seniors mentioned above are from the Chinese Kenpo era as am I when training was much different.

Only Chuck Sullivan transcends all of the eras, and he too while being quite active, still does not teach it. Having insight into the multiple interpretations and changes of Kenpo perspectives changes how we view what most are doing currently with the interpretations in general, and specifically this new Modern System. No one can argue the effectiveness of the teachings of these “pre-EP Kenpo Karate” seniors and yet none of them transitioned to the “new” system for a reason. So, what gives?

Many are ignorant and arrogant enough to suggest older senior practitioners are “changing” Ed Parker’s Kenpo Karate not understanding we’re not changing something we didn’t do and are only continuing to explore and interpret Ed Parker’s teachings from previous eras, often before they were born, something Ed Parker Sr. himself strongly encouraged.

Understanding this singular fact alone should change anyone’s perspective and hopefully cause one to look at “Kenpo” with a broader more open understanding and a more holistic approach to learning and teaching. Had Mr. Parker himself not taken a more inclusive less identity-centric approach, the Modern System would probably not have come into existence.

The Modern Systems' strength is also its weakness. It is more conceptual, and open-ended, and encourages interpretations and tailoring over the old-school rigid methods of early on. Great for business because it makes room for everyone, and no one is turned away. For the diligent self-disciplined this yields positive results. However, for the more casual student looking for the next belt, pajama party participant, the results will be no better than the lackluster effort they put into their training three (3) hours a week. Genius on Mr. Parker's part because it allowed students of all ages, interests, and capabilities to settle in and study where they feel most comfortable. But Mr. Parker also cautioned when you tailor your training to your liking, you must also take responsibility for the results good and bad.

And, while many still don’t understand there is no such thing as an “ideal” in Kenpo until you create it, while they are still arguing the correct way to perform a technique in a book, real students are exploring how to survive the street attacks he suggested you explore, and expanding their understanding of all arts, and are refraining from making general statements about Kenpo other than their own.

Old School Kenpo was ridged in structure and drilling basics were everything. Now, there are so many ways taught to do a technique with so many moves, students don’t know what to do and it shows in real life. Teachers are as much in the dark as students. Many have resorted to a form of “kick-fight” sparring, bringing everything back to a common denominator dictated by sport application rules and cross-training aerobics.

Ed Parker’s Modern Kenpo Karate gives students and teachers alike a lot of freedom to develop. Unfortunately, most are not interested in studying what’s there. They’re so busy memorizing material for their next belt, they don’t have time to learn it.

EPAKS, Inc. guidebooks - Forms 1 through 3

Comprehensive guidebooks designed for everyone - from beginners to experts.

to purchase - https://www.epaks.com/books-catalog.php

Long Form 2 Applications

Short Form 2 Applications

Ang Lee Casts His Son to Play Bruce Lee in Upcoming Biopic

(from cbr.com)

Director Ang Lee is keeping things in the family for his next project as the two-time Oscar-winner has cast his son, Mason Lee, as Bruce Lee in an upcoming biopic on the iconic martial artist.

"Accepted as neither fully American nor fully Chinese, Bruce Lee was a bridge between East and West who introduced Chinese Kung Fu to the world, a scientist of combat and an iconic performing artist who revolutionized both the martial arts and action cinema," Ang Lee told Deadline. "I feel compelled to tell the story of this brilliant, unique human being who yearned for belonging, possessed tremendous power in a 135-pound-frame, and who, through tireless hard work, made impossible dreams into reality."

The director is well-acquainted with the martial arts genre, having helmed 2000's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The Taiwanese feature won Best Foreign Language Film (now known as Best International Film) at the 73rd Academy Awards and remains the highest-grossing international film in the United States. Lee was nominated for his directorial work on the film, going on to win the coveted statue twice (for 2005's Brokeback Mountain and 2012's Life of Pi). He made history with his Oscar for Brokeback Mountain as the first Asian filmmaker and first person of color to win Best Director.

Lee is said to have been working on a biopic of Bruce Lee for some time and has prepped his son Mason to play the lead role. The actor has been training for the last three years to play the martial arts master. His previous acting experience includes appearances in his father's 2016 film Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, 2011's The Hangover Part II, the Taiwanese films Stand By Me (2019) and Who Killed Cock Robin (2017), and the Hong Kong feature Limbo (2021). At 32-years-old, he is also the same age Bruce Lee was when the latter unexpectedly passed in 1973.

Bruce Lee rose to prominence as Kato in The Green Hornet (1966) but became best known for his work in Hong Kong martial arts films like Fist of Fury (1972), Way of the Dragon (1972) and Enter the Dragon (1973). Today he is considered a trailblazer who helped break down the barriers in the North American market for other Asian actors. In addition to his acting work, Lee trained actors like Steve McQueen and James Coburn in Jeet Kune Do, a form of martial arts that Lee created.

The famous martial artist has been the subject of documentaries and biopics in the past in films like 1993's Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, 2016's Birth of the Dragon, and 2020's Be Water. Director Quentin Tarantino famously included a fictional version of Lee (played by Mike Moh) in 2019's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Lee's inclusion in the film became a source of controversy after the actor's daughter, Shannon Lee spoke against Tarantino's depiction of her late father and of the filmmaker's comments defending his interpretation. Sharon Tate, who Margot Robbie played in Tarantino's film, was also a famous student of Lee's. Unlike Tarantino's film, Shannon Lee has given her stamp of approval on Ang Lee's upcoming biopic as she will also serve as a producer on the project.

No release date is set for Ang Lee's Bruce Lee, and little else is known about the plot or the rest of the cast, but the film will see the director re-team with his Life of Pi producers Marisa Paiva, Elizabeth Gabler and Tom Rothman at Sony's 3000 Pictures. Writer Dan Futterman (Capote, Foxcatcher) is penning the most recent draft of the script.

https://www.cbr.com/bruce-lee-biopic-director-ang-lee/

Professor Chow's class

 (from the Ed Parker Sr. Facebook page)

Professor Chow’s class was a select group. Only upon recommendation of another class member, could one be accepted as a student. Ed wrote, “I felt privileged to have known Frank Chow and grateful for my introduction to his brother, William.” Witnessing the professor move and appraising the ability of his students was, for the young enthusiast, a deeply moving and spiritual experience. Later, he would write, “At that moment, a strong spiritual feeling penetrated the very depth’s of my soul communicating to me that Kenpo would become my life’s work.”

(Book: Memories of Ed Parker by Leilani Parker)

Old school photo of Mr. Trejo

 

Mr. Chapél on the Kenpo salutation

(a post from Mr. Chapél on Facebook, July 2022)

As a "greeting" or acknowledgment of another person, the left hand simply "covers" the closed right fist and there is no footwork involved. Think of it as similar to a "bow" used in Japanese Culture. However, it is presented differently when used as a part of the Traditional Chinese Martial Salute. Beginning "covered" with a right clenched fist over (not below) your right shoulder as you step forward into a "twist stance," you begin "covered." From there as you step out into a cat stance the left hand opens as your hands come forward to display the now uncovered fist. From this position, both hands are thrust forward to an individual or moved from side-to-side to a group displaying the fist thus announcing your intentions to "display" your knowledge or to "challenge" those it is directed towards. 

The Ed Parker Kenpo Salute (and Salutation) are a combination of the "old and the new.” Divided into two parts (Salute and Salutation), they are interchangeable depending on the circumstances in which they are used. The salute honors the originators of the science, the Chinese. 

Before the establishment of what was called "Shaolin," a left hand “grasping” a clenched right fist was used as a greeting. It is a gesture that says, "I am friendly and unarmed." When the left hand however is “open” and resting on a clenched fist, it is then considered a “salute." So, if you are greeting someone and showing respect, the left hand “covers” your right hand. When the left hand is “open” and resting on the right clenched fist to indicate a forthcoming “expression” of the science, friendly or otherwise. Some of the meanings of these gestures are:

(1) Respect to the originator of the particular system, including all who had studied before him, with him, and presently study under him.

(2) Respect to those who would observe the movements.

(3) Respect to both scholars and warriors who were practitioners alike, since the left hand (open) of this salutation represented the scholar and the right hand (clenched), means the men who actually executed the science.

During the period of the Shaolin in the Ch'ing Dynasty, the meaning of the gestures changed when two additional movements were added.

The change was that the left hand represented the sun, the right hand the moon. With this change, the combination of sun and moon represented the Chinese character Ming, thus meaning "revolutionary defenders for the cause of the Ming restoration." The two additional movements that were added to the sun and the moon were formed by placing the back of the hands together with both palms out. The fingers at this point were in a claw-like- fashion and raised to the chest and heart. This gesture meant, "We are against foreign invasion and our hearts are for China." The last movement was to clench both hands and draw them to the sides of the waist. This pulling gesture meant, "By pulling and working together we can take our country back."

The Hungs, who were secret triad societies in China, perpetuated these movements. In short, "Scholar and warrior united together, back to back, pulling together, to defend against the foreign intruders.” The variations arise from practitioners over the years adding "flair" for competition presentations or simply to be different from others, but the Traditional Chinese Methodology is steeped in Traditional Symbolism therefore there is the way of its origin, and the way many have chosen to do it. 

Personally, because I cam from a Traditional Chinese background, I stay with the tradition but no one is going to castigate someone for their own interpretations.

Bruce Lee photo with Mr. Parker in the background

No real information on this somewhat odd photo.

You have a kenpo guy kind of grabbing a smiling Bruce Lee (check out the white dress shoes), in a crowded room (maybe a gymnasium) with a no smoking sign on the wall, Mr. Parker in a Hawaiian shirt standing there in the background, and a piano awkwardly taking up a lot of space.

Do Self-Defense Techniques Work?

(recently posted on Facebook by Mr. Rich Hale)

It was early in 1972, and I’d just learned Delayed Sword – I knew karate! In time, I learned more techniques, and eventually, I earned not only my yellow belt but my orange belt as well. Now, I really knew karate with enough techniques to use against any bully who came up against me. Or at least I thought I did.

Only as I eventually learned, my self-defense techniques didn’t really work that well on anyone who was actively resisting my techniques. They did work on cooperative partners, but if my partners were uncooperative, I’d struggle to get my techniques to work; so, do self-defense techniques really work, or are we merely brainwashed into thinking they do?

In short, yes, self-defense techniques work, but unless you understand how they work and what they work against, you’ll be mentally and physically struggling with self-defense techniques for the rest of your life.

The first thing you must understand is that Self-Defense Techniques are not Fighting Techniques!

The self-defense techniques of American Kenpo can generally be broken down into three phases. Avoiding and/or blocking the attack, then taking control of your attacker through a strike, series of strikes, body manipulation, etc., then injuring your attacker through additional strikes, etc.

Fighting techniques can generally be broken down into two phases – evading your opponent and striking him with enough force to end the fight.

Self-Defense techniques also include minor moves and checks, while fight techniques really don’t.

Let’s first look at minor moves. Minor moves are defined as subordinate moves that are not devastating but can cause ample damage and/or delay to allow the execution of major moves.  This is a perfectly good concept when dealing with a low-level attack. Someone pushing and shoving you around, an unskilled drunk trying to punch your lights out, etc.

On the other hand, fighters don’t feel pain or acknowledge damage. Not during the fight, anyway. Pain, blood, and physical damage mean nothing to a fighter. If anything, punching a fighter in the face might be just the wake-up call, he needs to crank the fight up to his most effective level. 

If the UFC has shown us anything, it’s how much damage a fighter can take without so much as blinking. Self-defense techniques consist of both minor moves and major moves because the average guy is affected by these things. Fighting techniques consist of major moves because fighters aren’t affected by anything else.

As for checking. In self-defense techniques, checking your opponent’s actions is critical to maintaining your control over him during a confrontation. Especially if you don’t want to inflict excessive damage. Checks can keep an average guy from grabbing, hitting, and so on.

Again, fighters are not average guys. These people know how to fight. They’ve hit people, and they’ve been hit by people. If you try to place a check on a trained fighter, all you’ve done is taken one of your weapons out of play. With that said, there’s a difference between passive and active checks. Passive checks are when you try to maintain a check against your opponent’s body. Active checks are more like swats or strikes in themselves. Active checks can hinder your opponent’s motion without taking your weapons out of play.

Now that I’ve briefly gone over the difference between self-defense techniques and fighting techniques let’s look at a few things that are needed to make any technique work.

To make any technique effective, you must understand the limitations of memorization when it comes to a technique. Memorizing a technique is essential to practicing a technique, and practicing is essential to developing the skill and physical attributes needed to make the technique effective.

The first stage in developing a technique is to memorize the technique. This is best done with a cooperative partner. The second stage is to practice the technique against varying degrees of progressive resistance. The third stage is to consider many of the what-if scenarios that surround every technique. What if he does this or that? What if he’s unaffected by a move, or over-affected by a move, etc.

Of these three stages, the most neglected is practicing against progressive resistance. Considering the time restraints in most karate schools, I can understand why this is so, but for a technique to be effective, it must be practiced against a resisting partner. The process is simple and straightforward; the partner starts out being cooperative, then less cooperative as the practice continues. 

It sounds simple, and it is, but there is one trick to making the idea work. It’s to keep the degree of resistance in the hands of the person doing the technique, not in the hands of the person defending against the technique. Left to the defender, the degree of resistance inevitably becomes too much for the practitioner to cope with. The uke should only increase their resistance at the request of the person doing the technique, as you’ll soon learn that even the slightest resistance can totally derail a well-rehearsed technique that has never been tested.

I cannot overstress the importance of progressive resistance in the development of self-defense and fighting techniques alike. I can only compare it to memorizing a bodybuilding book and practicing the exercises daily – with a broomstick.

SGM George Pesare

 (from USAdojo.com)

Senior Grandmaster George Pesare was a 10th degree Black Belt and was the undisputed founder of Kempo Karate in New England. The 10th degree Black Belt level is one of the highest achievements in the martial arts community and is at the Professorship level. SG Pesare began his martial arts career with Karazenpo-Go-Shinjutsu in 1958 with his instructor, Grandmaster Victor (Sonny) Gascon, one of the Kempo founders in America. When Grandmaster Gascon  retired, he gave over the responsibility of teaching the true Karazenpo-Go-Shinjutsu to SG George Pesare. Mr. Pesare continued his training in the following martial art disciplines:

5th degree Black Belt in Judo

4th degree Black Belt in Taekwondo

4th degree Black Belt in Eskrima

2nd degree Black Belt in Aikido

These martial arts ratings were accompanied with college degrees in advertising and science.

George Pesare had successfully fought in karate and judo competitions, and besides being active in competition himself, Mr. Pesare had also trained 2 World kickboxing Champions.

1958 Ryusaki Judo Championships

1959 Intramural Aloha Kempo Championships

1960 New England Team Champion

1968 Connecticut Team Champion

George Pesare was featured in numerous martial arts journals including:

The first Who’s Who in the Martial Arts

The Encyclopedia of the Martial Arts

Karate Illustrated

Professional Karate

Official Karate

Black Belt Magazine

Numerous articles in the Providence Journal, Providence, RI.

Mr. George Pesare was voted into the New England Black Belt Hall of Fame. “A student who has trained in Kenpo Karate in New England was either taught by Mr. Pesare or one of his pupils, or one of his pupils’ pupils…”

In the world of realistic self-defense, George Pesare was a law enforcement officer for over 20 years. During his tenure with the Providence Sheriff’s Department, he served as Training Officer and Range Master. During his tenure with the Kent County Sheriffs department, he also served as Training Officer and Range Master, teaching all aspects of firearms to Federal, State, and municipal agencies. Mr. Pesare was the coordinator of the National Rifle Associations’ Annual Police Pistol Regional Championships. He was also a member of the coveted ‘1490’ club. He was the 1994 Rhode Island State Police Pistol Champion, and was the Police Pistol Champion of the Prestigious Police Pistol Governors Twenty. Mr. Pesare was also the President and Rhode Island Match Director of the Rhode Island Police Pistol Combat League.

Pesare was also the founder and long-time head of the International Kenpo Council of Grandmasters, which has the goal of preserving traditional Kenpo training and documenting its lineage.

Senior Grand Master S. George Pesare died on October 14, 2012. His school, George Pesare’s Kaito Gakko (School of Schools) in Providence, Rhode Island, continues to operate as the “Kenpo Karate Institute” a namesake for the original school and operated by senior Black Belts Dolores Bastone, Hubert Paquette, Marc Ayotte, and Michael Mullens.

https://www.usadojo.com/george-pesare/

More knowledge from Mr. Conatser

"Keep in mind, Forms, sets, and all basics are the foundation to INITIALLY "teach" coordination, principles, and concepts to street combat. Agreed, you must continue the process by putting all that knowledge and training into APPLIED SKILL to actually transition from knowledge to actual reality in action."

William Shatner's Martial Arts Connection

by Robert Young blackbeltmag.com June 3, 2020

(This article was published in the April 1974 issue of Fighting Stars magazine, a sister publication of Black Belt. That means it appeared just five years after the original Star Trek was canceled and many years before the sci-fi series became a staple of film and television. At the time, William Shatner was not the international superstar he's recognized as today. He was just an actor who'd had a good run on a series that happened to be set in space. And he was a martial artist.)

When the USS Enterprise abruptly splashed down from its three-year trek to the stars, angry fans denounced the TV "high-thinkers" who chose to ground the space adventure with the hope of replacing it with an even higher-rated show. The industry captains never did find that higher-rated program, but the adventures of Capt. James T. Kirk and his Star Trek crew still delight science-fiction aficionados, even if only in syndication.

Life on board the Enterprise must have been something else. The crew traveled more space miles in prime time than the entire NASA program from John Glenn to Skylab. The adventures of Capt. Kirk made the void of space so convincingly alive that real astronauts in Houston and Cape Canaveral sheepishly confessed that they, too — like millions of collegians, housewives, doctors, lawyers and sci-fi fans — were addicted to the show.

For William Shatner, life during Star Trek must have seemed rigidly controlled and cautious. Capt. Kirk's adventures are not worth a moon rock compared to Shatner's off-screen exploits as a Shakespearian actor, an athlete and, lately, a karate practitioner.

While the 37-year-old does not present an image of a decathlon champ, the years before Star Trek saw him rise to just about every physical challenge offered him. Now that he's back on terra firma, Shatner's everyday activities range through a multitude of sports and, on any given day, he can be seen fencing, swimming, racing cars or even skydiving.

"Hell," he says with a satisfied-with-life grin, "I'll do anything once."

When he was still a novice at films — after having gained a good reputation in plays by the Bard — Shatner sent shivers up the spines of directors who found him to be an uncanny horseman and amateur acrobat during the making of Westerns and war pics. Even during the years Star Trek was on the air, Shatner always insisted on doing his own fight scenes.

"Looking back on the things I've done, I must be a little crazy," he reflects. "But I'm constantly testing myself, both in athletics and acting. I've always believed that if you don't define your limits by trying everything, you'll never know your capabilities."

Shatner has defined his limits, all right. He didn't set his sights on acting until after leaving McGill University in Montreal, where he majored in commerce. He then served a two-year stint as a member of the Stratford, Ontario, Shakespeare Festival, where the roles he played made him begin to practice fencing. He co-starred with such noted English stage stars as Alec Guinness, James Mason, Anthony Quayle and Ann Todd. Shatner even had a starring role as Henry V.

He studied more advanced sword and shield techniques and started lifting weights while preparing for a role in Alexander the Great. His successes distinguished him as a creative actor in such notable films as Judgment at Nuremberg and The Brothers Karamazov. More recently, he won kudos for his stunning performance in The Andersonville Trial on TV.

Shatner followed his early film appearances with increasingly larger guest roles on top TV shows. He tested for the demanding part of Capt. Kirk and eventually landed it. Today, Shatner is reluctant to discuss the end of Star Trek, but he says he has fond memories of his years working on the series.

The actor is a veteran boxer who, when time permitted, spent many arduous hours in the gym working with punching bags and a sparring partner. He's respected as a man who is very able to handle his own action.

"In various movies I've made, I was able to get rid of a lot of hostilities by punching the air, which is what film fights are all about," Shatner says. "One always stops short of hitting the opponent. This requires a certain amount of knowledge. A screen fight is more exaggerated, but the mechanics of the fight remain the same."

-Enter Karate-

In part, it was the physical demands put on William Shatner during the filming of Star Trek that aroused his curiosity about karate. While the show never depicted any of the crew members as skilled martial artists, the action was considerably more sophisticated than old-fashioned fisticuffs.

"There were all types of things I had to be adept at — things like kicks and leg work," Shatner says. "And all these things were constantly landing me on my ass. This made me realize I had a lot more to learn about combat, even for staged action. Stunt and fight work in films has been always a pet preoccupation of mine. I know when to let the stuntmen and true experts take over. But if I think I can do something without ending up in the hospital for too long, I'll do it."

Shatner's introduction to formal martial arts training came at the hands of an associate screen writer/karate teacher named Tom Bleecker. "I did not run out and seek help immediately," Shatner recalls. "In fact, I had to be pushed into the martial arts. The arts were an entirely new area for me, and I was not about to underestimate what an endeavor like taking karate would mean. I'd had a passing interest in karate, both the physical and philosophical aspects, but I wasn't sure that the investment would pay off on-screen. And frankly, my time was limited, and I didn't want to approach it half-baked.

"My immediate concern was solely the Star Trek action. If knowledge of a sport enhances a film or TV segment I'm doing, I'm pretty quick to jump into it. But I'm not one to take uncalculated risks. If a leading actor gets himself hurt, he can cost the studio thousands of dollars in delayed shooting costs and put a lot of people out of work. But I thought I'd try it and at least start to pick up the basics of karate. I was also fascinated by the discipline."

In the two years he's studied with Bleecker, Shatner has gained knowledge of how real fights happen. "Aside from the boxing and stunt techniques, I'd only had a few lessons in judo many years before," he says. "I did not want to become a martial artist who would abuse karate's fine skills. I was more than aware a little knowledge of karate could be dangerous, but I rarely get into physical hassles. In fact, in any unavoidable fight, the only thing my opponent would most often see is my back."

-Stimulation for an Active Life-

Despite his interest in the sport, Shatner admits to having found karate more of a stimulant than a drain of energy required for his work. "There are times when I am so tired, it's an effort to even put on the gi," he says. "But in making an effort to get out there and work for at least a half-hour, I find I get a second wind and go back to my acting with renewed vigor.

"This might sound like a cop-out, but if I had the time, I would go for a black belt. I would put everything I have into the martial arts. I may have my own limits, but karate is an open endeavor for the ablest of athletes."

How does Shatner's teacher feel about the actor's progress?

"His memory is incredible," Bleecker says. "His discipline as an actor and his gift for total recall make him a prime student of karate. He is strong, coordinated and fast. If we miss a week of work, when he returns, he finds it easy to remember exactly what he has learned and where we left off. He's right on all the time."

It was that athletic ability that prompted Shatner to consider becoming a professional athlete. Equestrian riding, swimming and football were possible goals for the young man. "I was a bit small for a pro football career," he says, "but I was mean."

He may be mean, but he also has a passion for nature and the outdoors. He recently shot the rapids of the Salmon River in a kayak for television's American Sportsman. And Shatner loves to take hunting trips where he can use his archery skills.

"Hunting with a bow and arrow is a prime example of man's need to be in harmony with nature," he says. "I have to be one with my environment. Man is constantly violating the natural environment through pollution and a hectic pace of life. Though hunting has been 'out' lately, it really has been in for hundreds of thousands of years as the fundamental way of obtaining food. I think that when hunting as an archer, it gives the animal an equal chance with the predator, man. With a bow and arrow, hunting becomes a one-to-one relationship. With a gun, hunting is a completely different story."

Shatner amusingly recalls many hunting expeditions that yielded no game. He points to the impossibility of bagging game with a bow and arrow from distances where a gun would easily score a kill. "That is part of the limitation and challenge of hunting with arrows," he says. "The basicness of archery appeals to me. But many times I have gone hunting with cameras, too."

Shatner sees the popularity of the martial arts as potential cause for concern. "I once bred German shepherds, and the thing that made the dogs great was that only a few of them existed," he says. "Now, the shepherd has had its fineness overbred because the demand for them has increased and breeders have to mass-produce them.

"It may be the same with karate. With so many people taking it, the beauty that is karate may be lost. The millions of novices, possibly including myself at this point, may be reducing the arts to a point of compromise where the greatness is left to only those very few dedicated masters. That would be a tragedy, but I suspect it's what's happening."

While Shatner has every intention of pursuing karate when and if he's able, competition will play no part in his martial arts future. "There are too many accidents," he says. "I've heard of people getting killed in competition. Also, my interest is in self-satisfaction through self-mastery of the arts. I don't much care about proving that I can do someone else in."

-Martial Art Entertainment-

Despite his acclaimed dramatic background, Shatner admits to being just a plain old popcorn-munching fan when it comes to escapist entertainment. "I'd rather go see a double feature of karate films than many Academy Award winners," he says. "The cheaper, the better. It drives my wife up the wall. I love them!"

On a more serious note, he doesn't see much of a future in purely action-oriented martial arts films. And he says that the violence trend in movies may have reached its saturation point. "The arts can have a great future in movies if they are integrated into strong story structures," he says. "A movie about violence isn't a very lasting experience to behold. l think a film in which both the action and the serenity of the martial arts philosophy were blended would be a tremendous success with a wide-ranging audience."

Coincidentally, Shatner and writer-sensei Bleecker have just such a script that they're planning to produce. But at this stage, they're evasive about the details.

"Just as those studying martial arts must mature and hopefully explore the true depth of their endeavor, movies should do the same in their treatment of the arts," Shatner says. "Look at the Kurosawa samurai films. There's no reason why American moviemakers couldn't do that kind of justice to their subjects."

Shatner says he holds out the firm hope that the Eastern influence provided by karate's popularity in America may eventually prove beneficial to our violent society. "There's always the possibility of the opposite, but I like to think it may appeal to the better side of people. I hope the net result will be peace in the world rather than just an army of citizens with deadly hands."

Quick to recommend karate to other actors, Shatner goes so far — in a tongue-in-cheek vein — as to claim it could be more beneficial than actual acting classes. "Of all the things to study in terms of physical preparedness as an actor, karate is the best," he says. "You learn to give and take, to remember, to truly perceive — all the aspects of the ideal acting class. The essence of drama is conflict, as is the essence of the martial arts, whether it be internal or external."

-Meaning Behind Experience-

William Shatner has great regard for the enigmatic philosophies and morals inherent in the martial arts. "There are the apocryphal tales of the students who sit and wait in the rain for days, just to see the master for a moment," he says. "Then they have to do menial jobs like raking leaves for months in order to prove that they really want to study, like the opening segment on Kung Fu when Caine is a boy. That is an illustration of real dedication and desire, which is very seldom seen on any level in modern society."

He recalls that his sensei used similar psychology with him when his interest in the arts began to develop. "When I'd finally decided to study, Tom was very cagey about it," Shatner says. "And the cagier he was, the more I wanted to start studying. I found myself finally begging him to teach me. It was a good experience and just the kind of reverse-psychological kick I needed."

Although he enjoys Kung Fu as entertainment, Shatner finds flaws in the show in that Caine is never affected by his encounters with people in the Old West. He profoundly affects them, yet he's never forced to re-evaluate his attitudes.

"But on the other hand, I suppose the first time he got drunk in a bar and got into a brawl, that would be the end of the character," Shatner adds.

Although he doesn't recall having had any misconceptions about karate before he studied, Shatner, who's ranked as an orange belt, claims to have had pleasant discoveries in his current training. "The kata I found to be particularly intriguing in their rhythmic and symmetrical beauty," he says. "I have no formal dance training, but I greatly appreciate the dance-like kata. They're really open to interpretation and aren't just exercises to be done by rote."

Recalling his many physical endeavors squeezed into his busy life, Shatner is reflective. "I want to savor it all before I'm too old to do it," he says. "Some people might say that studying karate or even doing an occasional action film might limit my career — that afterwards, I'd be typecast in only those kinds of roles. I don't think that's a valid pitfall.

"I've never been typecast in the first place. If an actor can do only one thing, there is that danger. But if he's been fortunate enough to spread his ability around to a number of fields, he'll never be limited in what he does as an actor or as an individual.

"I may have spread myself too thin, and that is always a danger. I'm the kind of person who likes to advance and better myself in several things simultaneously."

The end result is the proof: William Shatner — athlete, martial artist, actor and ex-captain of the starship Enterprise — knows what he's talking about.

by Steve Jacques

https://blackbeltmag.com/william-shatners-martial-arts-connection-when-star-treks-capt-kirk-trained-in-karate

SGM Nancy Cerio teaching at the Rhode Island Municipal Police Academy

 

"I taught the police academy for 20 years. From 1973 to 1976 and then again from 1978 to May of 1996. This pic was taken by the Providence Journal when they were doing a special article on the R.I. Municipal Police Academy. They had just made the Flanagan Campus of CCRI the main headquarters for the police academy. The Journal (projo) was fascinated that they had a female defensive tactics instructor. I believe it was 1980/1981 or so when they came to do a photo shoot on me and my class. Later in 1981 PM Magazine ( a tv program) did a story on me teaching the academy. They followed me around from dojo to academy and my home filming that special.  I don't remember the candidate's name in the photo. I just always pick an uke at random. The bigger the better."

Deconstructing Kenpo: Uncovering Its Hidden Training Formula

(from Amazon)

Deconstructing Kenpo takes a unique approach to training Kenpo self-defense techniques. The book shows how a hidden formula in the systems' structure provide the basis for spontaneous development. Through this specific approach, the Kenpo student should flatten their learning curve as they strive to effectively bridge the gap between rote and spontaneous skills. Beyond that, the text offers a breakdown, analysis and opinion of the American Kenpo system of self defense techniques based on my forty years of experience in the martial arts.

https://www.amazon.com/Deconstructing-Kenpo-Uncovering-Training-Formula/dp/B0BJYGHYQ4/ref=sr_1_1?qid=1666832556&refinements=p_27%3AJim+Peacock&s=books&sr=1-1&text=Jim+Peacock

Finalization: Desired result

 (from Mr. Conatser's Facebook page 8-20-22)

The Kenpo Syllabus FGM Parker created was established as a beginning "guide" for Instructors and students.  The 3 major categories are:

                Basics

  Self Defense Techniques

          Forms & Sets

Basics being the KEY ingredient within all aspects of development.

I've observed that much  attention is given to learning the established hypothetical Technique "drills" which is necessary in the beginning  to establish a strong Base of coordination, skill, and knowledge.

As we advance in knowledge and skill, we must realize that continual attention to all our "DRILLS" is a never ending process.  (This is that -always remain a student- saying you always hear about).

I'd like to focus this [C'Mon Maaan] particularly  on the "application result" or FINALIZATION of our techniques.

Yes, EPAK is quite an  expansive Art with much to learn, digest, consider, train, APPLY and FINALIZE  prior, during or after a confrontation or situation.

FGM Ed Parker's Kenpo is a "continual process of renewal and expansion".

Not just repetition of the base movements, rather greater understanding and mindset of our desired outcome.

My focus is, regardless of exactly which moves or combinations you execute to defend yourself during a situation, the "end result"  is to control, or disable any further exchange of action, and escape unharmed as minimally as possible.

In the more advanced levels of application, I utilize the base techniques  from Yellow Belt on and add or (graft) a Finalization] series which is a TAKEDOWN or BUCKLE.  

Many of our base drills focus on other developmental aspects, which is necessary initially, however, ultimately you want your opponent/s not only hindered but controlled and completely dominated  into submission.

Regardless of the "type" of takedown you choose (I hope you develop a variety), you must finish your opponent and greatly hinder or eliminate any further response so as to escape this opponent or potentially have to deal with additional attackers.

I teach a variety of take/ strike down maneuvers and ultimately let the student decide which is best per a specific technique situation.  This is easily accomplished by practicing the established syllabus with the addition of a finalization maneuver to each technique that is unscripted and added by the student.

In closing, I firmly believe this course of training and skill acquisition will greatly enhance our odds of success in application.

Now get back on the mat and instruct, create and  continue to practice these concepts until you acquire/develop the additional tools needed in  your repertoire.

Web of Knowledge and the Universal Pattern

Eight categories of attacks, eight sides to the Universal Pattern.

Arranged clockwise from easiest techniques, Grabs and Tackles, to the most difficult, Multiple Attackers. 
 

Linda Jean Herzog - kenpo's first female black belt

Already a champion in numerous New England karate tournaments Linda Jean Herzog was up for promotion to black belt at SGM George Pesare's Kenpo Karate Institute in August of 1977.

Legend has it Ms. Herzog "went through the grueling 3-day black belt test with great pressure from the then (all male) Black Belts to try to ensure that she would not complete her testing." 

Ms. Herzog passed the 3-day test and was promoted to 1st Degree Black Belt becoming the first woman to achieve such rank in the United States.

Ms. Herzog is currently a 9th Degree Black Belt and is retired from the United States Secret Service.

USSD Final Sparring - (some pretty intense sparring)

Kenpo in Japan circa 1955

Interesting photo of kenpo being taught in Japan around 1955.

Notice they are doing a type of "lunge punch" or maybe a boxing style right jab, very "kenpo-ish" instead of traditional Japanese karate.

Also of note is how some are wearing black gi bottoms with a white top while others are wearing all white. 

Even more interesting is both men and women are training together, you would almost think back in those days men and women would train separately. On the other hand maybe their training was so hard core it didn't matter if you were a man or woman, you were tough as nails either way.

photo from - https://what-when-how.com/martial-arts/kenpo-martial-arts/

The Physics of Rebounding for Super Speed

from blackbeltmag.com - https://blackbeltmag.com/physics-and-kenpo/wrap-up

(part 1)

Every session in the dojo should be another step towards our ultimate goal, which is why we must take our training seriously. However, we also need to be able to appreciate moments of levity. That’s why I’d like to start today’s discussion with a quote from Master Ken regarding fighting a Kenpoist.

“In Kenpo, students are actually encouraged to hit themselves during a fight. Which means if you fight a Kenpo black belt long enough, eventually he’ll kick his own a**.”

This is, of course, a joke about the rebounding slap seen performed by Kenpoists all over the world. If you are a Kenpo practitioner, you are most likely aware of the reason behind this action of rebounding and its potential applications. If your art doesn’t employ this concept, then it may appear funny and foolish. To an outsider it can look like a guy slapping himself for no apparent reason, which may be true in some cases. However, a skilled and self-aware Kenpoist is conscious of their actions and uses rebounding to harnesses and immediately rerelease power.

“Harness and immediately rerelease power.” What does this mean?

Let’s take a moment to consider a baseball and what happens to it from pitch to a homerun hit. A pitcher throws a baseball at roughly 90mph. The batter swings his bat to strike the ball with a barrel speed of his bat around 80mph. There’s a loud cracking sound as the bat smacks the ball and, nearly instantaneously, the ball is sent off in a direction nearly opposite of its original path at over 100mph. Both the bat and the ball act upon one another. The heavier and continuously powered bat absorbs the energy of the ball and continues on its path. A homerun ball results from the bat’s massive force acting on the baseball creating huge acceleration of the ball opposite its original path when it left the pitcher’s hand.

Now that we have a visual example in mind, let’s get into the science of this action. A force from the bat is acting upon the ball to change its direction. The physics equations for what is happening in this example are as follows:

F=ma

Force = mass x acceleration

Force is equal to the mass of an object multiplied by the acceleration of that same object.

To deeper understand the resulting change of direction of the ball we must define “acceleration.” That is where the following equation comes into play.

a = (vf–vi)/Δt

Acceleration is equal to the change in velocity (resulting velocity – initial velocity) of an object divided by the amount of time it takes for that change to happen. We plug these pieces of the “Acceleration equation” into the original “Force” equation (F=ma) for “a” and end up with the following representation of the force exercised on the ball while it is in contact with the bat.

F = (mvf–mvi)/Δt

Here we are shown that the FORCE exerted on the ball by the bat is equal to the mass of the ball (m) multiplied by the final velocity (vf) of the ball minus the mass of the ball times the initial speed of the ball (vi). Pay special attention to how the positive and negative of the velocity affects the outcome. Because they are moving in opposite directions the initial velocity is considered a negative because it’s going in the opposite direction of where it ends up heading. The net result of the subtraction in the equation is that it is added to the first part of the equation. The (mvf-mvi) is then divided by the amount of time (Δt) the bat is in contact with the ball for our final understanding of the force used to create that change in speed and direction.

As we wrap our mind around these equations and how they relate to speed and acceleration, the overall take-home message I want to impart is the following:

The greater the change in directional speed of an object and the shorter the time frame in which the change of speed happens the greater the observed force must be.

The exact numbers for the speeds of the bat and ball are not the important part here. What is important is the overall concept. The speed at which the ball leaves the bat is enhanced and is greater than the speed of either object’s original movement. Imagine for a moment that the batter no longer had a bat. Instead, he was forced to catch the ball barehanded and, with the same hand, throw it back as fast as he could. He would have to decelerate the pitched ball’s speed by absorbing the moving ball’s force with his musculature and then reaccelerate it to throw it towards the outfield wall. It’s safe to say that it would take longer to get the ball moving towards the outfield and would also leave his hand with less velocity than in the previous example where it was hammered off the bat.

You may be wondering how this baseball analogy applies to Martial Arts. The idea of this parallel to baseball is to have us look at our torso compared to the bat and our hands to the baseball. After a hand strike is thrown, it returns to us. We don’t simply leave it out there for an attacker to grab or manipulate. So, as it returns toward the bulk of our body, we must instantaneously decide if it is to be deployed again or will it stay back in a fighting or checking position. If we’re deploying it once more, we can reduce the time out of battery and increase its velocity back into the fight by rebounding the hand off our torso. Like in the baseball example, the projectile bounces off the heavier object and it forced back towards whence it came.

In Part 2, we will delve further into the practical application, the lab of the dojo if you will, and increase our understanding of the rebounding principle.

Salute,

Ian Lauer

B.A. Chemistry

from blackbeltmag.com - https://blackbeltmag.com/rebounding-for-speed-part-2

(part 2)

In Part 1 of “The Physics of Rebounding for Superspeed” we took an in depth look at the physics behind the force production necessary to change the direction of our hands and quickly create effective weapons. In case you have forgotten or missed Part 1, the take home message of all the fancy physics equations is:

The greater the change in directional speed of an object and the shorter the time frame in which the change of speed happens the greater the observed force must be.

Now that you’re here reading part 2, it means you intellectually understand this concept and are curious how to apply it to your Martial Arts training. Or you already use rebounding and wish to maximize its effectiveness. Allow me a moment to share the first experience I had of a rebounding happening in my body and me simply being along for the ride.

I remember it like it was yesterday. I had been told the principle before but still had to consciously think about how to apply it. It wasn’t something that just happened naturally. Because I was still thinking through each move within the attempt to rebound, everything was choppy without flow. That was up until around the time I was a purple belt working towards blue in American Kenpo. That’s when it changed for me. I was practicing the Parting Wings technique and I heard the rebound happen, and it occurred without conscious thought to make it happen.

For those unfamiliar with the Parting Wings technique, allow me to explain. An attacker tries to push you in the chest with both hands. In response, you step back with your right foot into a left neutral bow and do two simultaneous outward hand sword blocks. Then you settle into a forward bow with a right inward hand sword to the ribs. As the strike happens, your left-hand bounces from its previous block and recoils to your upper chest. It smacks against your chest at the same time your right-hand sword hits your opponent.

At the time of this smack, the body is rotating towards the attacker due to your transition from neutral bow to forward bow. The left hand then bounces off your chest with a smacking sound and is redeployed into battle and consequently very quickly strikes the adversary with an outward hand sword to the neck as you return to neutral bow. There is a more to the Parting Wings technique, but this was the very moment when my eyes were opened to rebounding and its potential applications.

After this realization, I started looking back at previously learned techniques and found that many of them also use this principle. For example, a few of my favorites that have rebounding applications learned at earlier levels in the American Kenpo curriculum are the purple belt technique Leaping Crane, orange belt technique Five Swords, and yellow belt technique Alternating Maces, among others.

If you are a Kenpoist and know these techniques, might I suggest you try working them through for a few reps and identify the rebounding opportunities. If you study an art that doesn’t utilize rebounding, revisit the described actions in the beginning phase of Parting Wings above and see if rebounding is something you can assimilate to enhance your hand speed.

Kenpoist or not, if you wish to incorporate this principle, it is important to keep an eye out for opportunities to effectively apply rebounding and practice, practice, practice. That’s what it takes to get good at any skill. And the greater our mastery of rebounding, the faster our strikes become and the more rapidly they can be consistently deployed. By digging back into our training techniques with rebounding in mind, we afford ourselves the opportunity to tighten up and improve our overall skill set as a Martial Artist.

After this realization, I started looking back at previously learned techniques and found that many of them also use this principle. For example, a few of my favorites that have rebounding applications learned at earlier levels in the American Kenpo curriculum are the purple belt technique Leaping Crane, orange belt technique Five Swords, and yellow belt technique Alternating Maces, among others.

If you are a Kenpoist and know these techniques, might I suggest you try working them through for a few reps and identify the rebounding opportunities. If you study an art that doesn’t utilize rebounding, revisit the described actions in the beginning phase of Parting Wings above and see if rebounding is something you can assimilate to enhance your hand speed.

Kenpoist or not, if you wish to incorporate this principle, it is important to keep an eye out for opportunities to effectively apply rebounding and practice, practice, practice. That’s what it takes to get good at any skill. And the greater our mastery of rebounding, the faster our strikes become and the more rapidly they can be consistently deployed. By digging back into our training techniques with rebounding in mind, we afford ourselves the opportunity to tighten up and improve our overall skill set as a Martial Artist.

Salute,

Ian Lauer

B.A. Chemistry

Dan Inosanto talks about friendship with Bruce Lee, mentions Ed Parker

Mr. Chapél on Bruce Lee and JKD

(a post from Mr. Chapél on Facebook, August 2022)

A reminder that Bruce Lee's JKD is not a style of martial arts any more than Ed Parker's Kenpo Karate. 

Both were designed to suggest students should follow a particular regimen to achieve the best outcome for the individual. Unfortunately, JKD doesn't actually set any parameters or even suggest specifics for encounters beyond a straight punch reflecting the rudiments of its roots in Wing Chun. This is not surprising considering Bruce's youth and time having a formal teacher, which was relatively short and done by the age of 18. 

A perusal of Bruce Lee's written works is mostly philosophical with much of his Tao of JKD being little drawings and quotes from other philosophers and was compiled after his death. Most of his written works surfaced after he had passed and most displayed essentially the same lead leg knife edge kick to the knee, back-fist combination trapping the lead hand. Classic Wing Chun. 

Although his association with Dan Inosanto brought additional knowledge to him, as well as with Gene LeBell, and others. Bruce's genius was his gift to assimilate physical movement, and he did that with everyone he came in contact with, while his celebrity students paid the bills. 

So in many ways, JKD is like EPKK. But, Ed Parker's version is light years ahead of the concept. By creating an actual guideline curriculum, and providing concepts of execution, as well as suggesting specific encounter scenarios, Mr. Parker was constantly pointing students in the correct direction while giving them the flexibility to tailor to their liking. None of this exists in JKD, and even Bruce's number one training partner, Dan Inosanto doesn't teach JKD, essentially because it only exists philosophically on a conceptual level. 

So in that sense, there is a definite connection between the two (JKD & EPKK), and Bruce's relationship with Ed Parker and others had a definite impact. It was even Mr. Parker who suggested Bruce Lee needed to learn to kick. Imagine that, but at the time Bruce only had Wing Chun experience with very limited kicking skills. So Mr. Parker sent Bruce to Sea Oh Choi of Hapkido over on 3rd and Fairfax, (in L.A. ) at the time and we (Cliff Stewart, Hugh Van Putten, and myself) got to watch Mr. Choi "teach" Bruce "how" to kick, especially for the movies. 

Mr. Parker said Bruce was a tremendous athletic talent, He said, "If you show Bruce something the first time he might do it almost as good as you. A second time he could do it as well as you, and if you weren't careful and showed him a third time, he might do it better than you." 

That was his gift, although he was not knowledgeable, he continued to grow and absorb from those around him without having a formal teacher. 

Had he lived, and if he had chosen to, he would have been a tremendous martial artist beyond the screen stuff. But, you see, Bruce was not interested in being the best martial artist in the world. Bruce wanted to be an actor, he wanted to be Steve McQueen, and had he achieved that status who knows if he would have continued to grow beyond the obvious screen prowess he already possessed. 

However, my biggest complaint about Bruce devotees is they tend to take his screen persona as real life instead of the "reel life" that it is. On top of that, the philosophy of training he espoused was major league flawed for anyone but himself. To do what Bruce did, you would have needed to have Bruce Lee's gift. Most do not. 

Bruce told people to throw away the inessential, but how do you know what is and isn't essential when you have no training and no experience? Interestingly, Bruce hated forms, but he did them before he discarded them, and is famously depicted in full Gung-Fu uniform on the cover of his first book doing a form. 

So Bruce gave good advice, but only from his own gifted and extremely talented perspective. Those significantly interested in Bruce Lee and his life should obtain a copy of Tom Bleecker's Book, "Unsettled Matters."

Chun-Li - Street Fighter kenpo

(from streetfighter.fandom)

Chun-Li is a world-class martial artist. She uses a mix of Tai Chi and Kempo. Earlier versions of the game erroneously stated her style to be Wu Shu. Many of her acrobatic moves do resemble this, but her actual attacks are based on the aforementioned styles.

Chun-Li's name is Mandarin for "spring beauty" (春 chūn, "spring"; 麗 lì, "beautiful"). It is properly romanized as Chunli in pinyin and pronounced "Chuen-lee", despite westerners commonly pronouncing it as "Chuhn-lee". The Japanese on'yomi rendering of the name is Shunrei.

Chun-Li's signature hairstyle is called "ox horns", a typical style in which Chinese children dress their hair; depictions of girls in Chinese paintings frequently show girls in ox horns.

Chun-Li wears a qipao, a Chinese dress imported over from Manchuria that became popular among girls during the early 20th century. Her outfit is modified to allow a far wider range of movement than a normal qipao. She also wears white combat/boxing boots of varying height (around calf-length in games such as the Street Fighter II series and older vs. Capcom titles, or around knee-high in games based around her 3rd Strike sprite) and a blue leotard with dark brown sheer pantyhose and a blue thong underneath with her qipao. Her qipao is blue with golden accents. She was originally supposed to wear a peach-colored qipao, as seen in her in-game profile and ending in the original Street Fighter II. Large spiked bracelets, whose ring is black steel and spikes are white/chrome polished steel are worn on both arms. According to supplementary materials, she wears the qipao in honor of her late mother, who passed away in her early childhood and whose only photo showed her in a qipao similar to her daughter's. The spiked metal bracelets she is known to wear are made of iron, and weigh approximately 7-10 kg (15-22 lbs) each. Chun-Li also wears them to help tone and exercise her body; the qipao is fitted with weights to help build body strength and finesse, while her bracelets are for the purpose of balancing her body when performing her kicking moves, including helping stabilize her center of gravity during a Hyakuretsukyaku and limit her during supers such as the Senretsukyaku to avoid overexerting her muscles. The spikes are also used for the purpose of intimidation.

link for t-shirt 

https://superareshop.com/

Nicki Minaj even did a rap/song called Chun-Li, although it has nothing to do with Chun-Li really. 

link to a clean version

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsEB2rFGbSI

Kenpo Companion by Mr. Lee Wedlake

 (from Amazon)

Written in a uniquely accessible way and in-depth in its content, Lee Wedlake's Kenpo Companion is a comprehensive look at American Kenpo. With information from how to run a class to the intricacies of how the system is put together to real-life case studies of Kenpo in action, Senior Master Of The Arts Lee Wedlake, 10th Degree Black Belt, takes you through many different aspects of this unique and popular martial art.

Whether you are just starting out or are an experienced instructor, this is your must-have guidebook, and there is nobody better qualified than Lee Wedlake to be your guide.

(link to purchase)

https://www.amazon.com/Lee-Wedlakes-Kenpo-Companion-Wedlake/dp/B0BCSBNQX8

Grandmaster Villari

 (from the USSD Facebook page July 28, 2022)

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Grandmaster Frederick J. Villari a Great Figure and Legend in the Martial Arts Community and World Abroad. He was a Mentor, Teacher and Pioneer of the Shaolin Kempo Karate System. He will surely be missed and words cannot express the loss we feel today.

"Life and death are one thread,

the same line viewed from different sides"

- Lao Tzu

Mr. Kelly on extensions

USSD tournament posters

(from the USSD Instagram page)

Did you know that the VERY FIRST United Studios of Self Defense Tournament in California was held on June 17th, 1989? Check out this cool piece of USSD history, the very first USSD Tournament poster!

It's been over 33 years and the USSD Tournaments are still going strong. Swipe to see the contrast between our 1989 tournament poster and this year's tournament poster, pretty big difference! The posters may have stark differences throughout the years, but one thing remains the same: The United Studios of Self Defense Tournament has and always will be an exciting and fun event that brings like minded individuals and families together, develops confidence through competition, challenges competitor's minds and bodies, and builds a strong sense of community within the USSD family. We look forward to continuing this tradition at the 2nd Annual San Diego Tournament! 

Mr. Parker sporting an official "Elvis in Concert" jacket

 

An old photo of a very young Mr. Parker playing the ukulele

 

Colorized version of a famous photo of Mr. Parker and Bruce Lee

 

A history of belts and belt stripes in kenpo

(from a recent conversation on Facebook)

The colored belts were not there in the beginning. 

The basic belt structure that has been adopted by most martial arts in the world, even those that didn't traditionally use belts previously, was the result of Jigoro Kano and his creation of distilled jujitsu he called Judo. "Ju" meaning gentle, and "do" meaning way. That is, gentle in comparison to its predecessor, Jiujitsu. 

All of them borrowing from Chinese Chin Na. Jigoro Kano was an educator who created a cultural art for the schools based on the traditional partial Samurai Art that could be used in the schools as a form of physical education while instilling cultural values and a Japanese code of Conduct on and off the mat. Because it was designed as a partial art sport, randori or competition among students was a requirement for advancement. 

Originally, there were no colors other than Black, which actually mirrors the same evolution in Ed Parker's Lineage of Kenpo. In the beginning, everyone went as far as colors go, from white to black in Kenpo, while accumulating minor stripes or "tips" as they were known in the beginning along the way on their belts. Kano called the rank system "kyu rankings" until black when they changed to "dan rankings." Everyone began at 10th kyu and counted downward to dan ranks. 

That is also why brown belt ranks are backward. The lowest rank is the third brown and the higher rank is first or ikkyu. Mr. Parker didn't change that because, as he explained it to me, it mirrored American Military ranks, and much of what Mr. Parker did was modeled after his tenure in the Military American Coast Guard. ie 3rd Lieutenant is lower than the 1st Lt. Kyu ranks had no color until ultimately the brown belt was introduced. 

The westernization of the Kyu System created varying colors as the arts slowly morphed into "business" as much as anything else, and needed short-term goals in Western Culture to incentivize students who tended to be goal-oriented, over a lifelong cultural pursuit. Different styles and nationalities chose different colors and their progressions based on many factors, some of them cultural. 

Interestingly, the Koreans were the first to show respect to the Chinese Origin of the arts through the adoption of the "red" belt equivalent to the Japanese brown, showing respect to the Tang Dynasty in their Tang Soo Do. 

While Educator Kano was the first to create these belt classifications to insure reasonable and fair competition, he was the first in the arts to make a gender difference by creating the "striped belt" for women. In the modern world, everyone has decided what they wanted in terms of rank colors, and progressions. Some practical, many just to be different from the next guy. Traditionally in the Japanese Arts and their influences, the "red and white belt" is bestowed and may be worn at 5th Dan, which is the last physically earned rank. 

The Kenpo System in the Parker Lineage uses mostly traditional belt colors and rankings, but their progression is anything other than what it is now. In order of introduction; White, Black, Brown, Purple, Green, Blue, Orange, and finally Yellow. The marking of Black Belt ranks came much later with no one wearing stripes in the beginning, not even Mr. Parker. 

As the Modern System took shape with stripes being a part of the system, Mr. Parker began wearing them but not until he was 7th. Before that, he wore a plain black belt as I do personally today. When the stripes got out of hand, my buddy "Big" Tom Kelly suggested the now famous "brick" to designate 5th. 

However, even that was actually a mistake. The brick was supposed to represent five half-inch stripes, and so should have been two and one-half inches, but there was a misunderstanding and because it represented 5th-degree, it was made five inches. When it was pointed out it was a bit late and they just left it alone because it was kinda cool looking anyway. 

I do not know who originated the red stripes on black belts but I have an idea in So Cal. It was the business of Modern Kenpo that drove it in the Parker Lineage, even to the point of forcing Mr. Parker to wear them. Additionally, we expanded on the original Kyu System by adding intermediate ranks. Yellow got an Orange Stripe, Orange got a Purple Stripe, Purple got a Blue Stripe, etc. 

Once again to incentivize student retention, much like the modifications of the belt chart numbers. Only Brown didn't receive intermediate ranks because they were built into the progressions. 

In business, you have to strike a balance. Make it too hard to advance, you lose students. Make it too easy you ultimately lose students. By elongating the material up through the ranks, with incentivizing increments of progress, you keep your students as long as you can, and a few will stay in the program until black. Kids are really tough because they dominate the market. Rank them too soon, you lose them. Don't rank them and you lose them to the TKD guy down the street giving out rank like candy on Holloween. Either way, if they make black you lose them because they accomplished their goal and began looking at other activities. I personally hate the business of Kenpo, although there is very few like Coach Bob White who make it work. 

I have never been in the business because I refuse to compromise and never got into the arts for the business anyway. I'm selfish that way. Don't recruit, don't sell, just do and teach the nutjobs I can't get rid of. - Dr. Ron Chapel

Let me add, that FGM Parker started adding stripes because of the early criticism from some traditional Japanese systems. that American Kenpo had no advanced ranks. Thus the birth of the stripes.

Oddly enough early "traditional" Japanese systems felt that "showing" rank displayed arrogance.

Tom Kelly was the instigator of the 5" bar, however originally you wore "5" 1/2" stripes until you attained 6th Degree. At that point you then put on a 5" bar with 1 1/2" stripe,, which was unique and only used by Ed Parkers system.

Ultimately this was changed after a brief time then dropping the 1st 5 stripes and going directly to the 5" bar as we see today. - Mr. Dennis Conatser