kenpo karate or Chinese kempo

Discussion in 'Kenpo' started by GrandmasterRoku, Mar 18, 2012.

  1. GrandmasterRoku

    GrandmasterRoku New Member

    Which one is better for the street?

    What are the differences in technique?

    On average how long would it take to become a 1st Dan?
     
  2. monkeywrench

    monkeywrench Valued Member

    Your only real way to answer this is to try both and decide for yourself. And don't worry about rank. Just train and be happy.
    :)
     
  3. Raven001

    Raven001 New Member

    Kenpo Karate and Chinese Kempo are pretty much the samething. Almost all the styles of kenpo or kempo come from Hawaii eg. Tracys Kenpo,American Kenpo, Kara-Ho Kempo except for Okinawan kempo that i can think of right now.
    No martial art covers everything and is best for the street a good pair for running shoes and running track is your best option.
    Ive done Tracys Kenpo and it took about 4 years to achive 1st Dan the average is about 4-5 years.
    You are better off looking in your area for for what styles they are offering and go check them out. I would suggest Boxing,Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu or Judo a good start as they train with resistance compared to most kenpo schools.
     
  4. Hannibal

    Hannibal Cry HAVOC and let slip the Dogs of War!!! Supporter

    What happened to your Systema fetish OP?
     
  5. Demain

    Demain Valued Member

    I trained in the Ed Parker American Kenpo System.
    I trained in these both for years--
    Kenpo 2000 by Skip Hancock - a first generation BB under GM Ed Parker -- I trained for 5 years
    White Dragon Kenpo by Al Farnsworth - a first generation BB under GM Ed Parker -- I trained for 2 years
    In White Dragon Kenpo Al Farnsworth added some kung fu, and many other arts.
    There are differences in techniques that vary depending on the instructor.
    In the system - Kenpo 2000 by Skip Hancock, he stays true to the EPS system & they added BJJ ground techniques.
    Skip also created new sets based on kenpo principles.
    He used to live with GM Parker. There are many off-shoots of both kenpo and chinese kenpo.
    The main difference Ed Parker said himself is that his combines both linear and circular motions and that he changed many techniques because of his street fighting experience.
    Chinese Kenpo is different, it is the older art that Ed Parker studied when he was younger. It was a blend of chuan fa kung fu and jui-jitsu.
    There are also many different Chinese Kenpo styles such as - Kajukenbo and others already mentioned above.
     
    Last edited: Mar 19, 2012
  6. RobP

    RobP Valued Member

    Who is Grandmaster Roku?

    Which of his questions is most interesting?

    How quickly can he become a black belt?

    On average how long before he asks a question about karate?

    Does he prefer aikido or muay thai?
     
  7. shootodog

    shootodog restless native

    What happened to your plan to take up Krav maga and sambo and systema?
     
  8. GrandmasterRoku

    GrandmasterRoku New Member

    Sadly none are offered in my country.
    But anyway sometimes you take what you can get. Btw what techniques do you generally learn in kenpo? Is the use of blocking, elbow and knees effective? Do they have any throws or counters? Does that knife hand thing really work in fights or is it just for show?
     
  9. Hannibal

    Hannibal Cry HAVOC and let slip the Dogs of War!!! Supporter

    In all seriousness have you actually tried ANY system before? If I could get a grasp on your points of reference it would help me offer advice
     
  10. GrandmasterRoku

    GrandmasterRoku New Member

    Nope ive got Zero Martial Arts experience
     
  11. Rebel Wado

    Rebel Wado Valued Member

    You may want to read online or books about the martial arts systems you are interested in. Then come back with specific questions and make sure to list the reference where you got the information from. This way we get some kind of context from where you are coming from.

    I mean one of your questions was "Does that knife hand thing really work in fights or is it just for show?"

    What knife hand thing are you referring to? What source (video, print, etc.) did you see it in?
     
  12. Mitch

    Mitch Lord Mitch of MAP Admin

    You need to find out what arts are offered within your travelling range on days you can make.

    You need to visit all those clubs and list the few you like best.

    You need to go train at those clubs.

    You need to pick the one you like best after a little experience and train in it,

    Easy :)

    Mitch
     
  13. shootodog

    shootodog restless native

    is there kenpo or kempo in your area?
     
  14. GrandmasterRoku

    GrandmasterRoku New Member

    By knife hand I meant A knifehand strike using
    the part of the hand opposite the
    thumb (from the little finger to the
    wrist), familiar to many people as a
    karate chop
     
  15. Rebel Wado

    Rebel Wado Valued Member

    Thanks for the clarification. I was actually more asking about which specific knife hand strikes you might be referring to.

    For example, a weapon should match the target, much the same as you would pick a particular tool for a task. e.g. you would not normally use a screw driver to pound in a nail given that a hammer is designed for that task.

    So a knife hand strike can be done in many different ways but each way is specific to the target and application.

    What I will say is that when most talk about knife hand strikes, they are really addressing open hand strikes. So they may be including palm strikes, slaps, knife hand strikes, spears to the eyes or throat, pokes, eye rakes, etc.

    So I will say that open hand strikes are very effective. A good slap boxer, for example, in a prison fight can often tear apart a conventional boxer, given the nature of the encounter... IMHO.
     
  16. shootodog

    shootodog restless native

    so, is there kenpo in your area?
     

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