A few questions about Kenpo?

Question

I'm thinking of enrolling in a Kenpo class this fall. I want to improve my self-esteem and self-discipline, as well as get in shape.

I was just curious on hearing other people's experiences with Kenpo. Was it FUN? Did you improve your overall confidence? Is it hard work? Etc, etc..

Answer 1

its kempo

Answer 2

Kenpo is a very well rounded martial art where you will learn stand up fighting as well as some grappling and joint manipulation.  Kenpo is known for its street fighting and self defense.  You will think it is just like every other martial art in the beginning because it is very "hard".  That means, very powerful and snappy like shotokan or tae kwon do.  However, the more you learn, the more it begins to become "soft" kind of resembling Kung Fu.  Kenpo is also the fighting style of Chuck Liddell, if that matters to you.

Answer 3

it depens on the shaolin kempo. the first to call his art shaolin kempo was Ralph Castro. and he did it not to "trace his roots back to shaolin" but to give reckognition to the chinese influence on his art.

every kempo organization has some good too it, some truth. mattera, cerio, villari, whoever.

and for the record. kenpo and kempo are both acceptable, and interchangable.

however okinawans tend to get very upset if you call their art kenpo. they use kempo.

it might be the hogen dialect of okinawa's pronunciation of it.

but in japan they are both accepted. you say tomahto ..i say tomayto. we're both talking about the lil round yummy things in the garden.

seeing that you spell it kenpo i assume (maybe incorrectly) that its a take on Ed Parkers american kenpo.

yes it's good, and you'll see many improvements.

Answer 4

All schools are different in how much they expect out of you. Some schools don't really care and are just in it for whatever reason, and some really want you to succeed and kick a$$. When I did kempo, it was ok, but I got bored because I was young. Now I'm older and I've been more focused on judo and it really does help you with your confidence. Its physically and mentally a great way to improve yourself. It is hard work, but just have fun.

Answer 5

Depending on the instructor you train under and the effort you put in, you can improve a lot in any style, kenpo included. I use to do Shaolin Kempo for half a year and i saw great improvement overall.

Answer 6

First off I will admit that I am extremely biased with the Tracy system of kenpo.  I have been in the system since 1995 and have had nothing but rewarding experiences.

I've trained in many martial arts beginning with Tae Kwon Do in my teens to Jeet Kune Do, Kali, Aikido, Kung Fu etc and kenpo was where I stayed.  It is the most realistic self defense system that I've trained in, I'm not dissing other arts, this is just my opinion.

We cover every possible defense scenario from grabs, punches, pushes, tackles, groundfighting, knifes, clubs, sticks, guns, multiple attackers, kicks, you name it we have it.  This is the original system passed down and left minimally unchanged.

Its does take a lot of work but you see the results right away and you know that what you learn will work.

There are tons of kenpo styles and hybrids out there so the best advice I can give is take a free complimentary lesson in as many as you can and choose from there.  Best of luck to you!

Answer 7

Yes for me it is all those things(Confidence booster, hard work) and a whole lot more.  Chuck yourself in the deep end and give it ago!  you never know it might be just that thing you have been looking for and if its not at least you can say you gave it a go.

Answer 8

First off, both "KeMpo" and "KeNpo" are acceptable; confusion arose during the 1950s when a Hawaiin newspaper posted a misprint.

Kempo is a fast-paced, ecclectic martial art. It can be truly considered American since the discipline as it is known today essentially comes from Hawaii, with basis in both Chinese and Japanese methodologies. Some have even stated it has Chinese "hands" with Japanese "feet".

As another has stated, enrolling in Kempo can be a good or bad experience depending on the teacher.

While I respect the discipline itself, I don't have many nice things to say about many Kempo schools; one chain in particular where I used to train springs to mind. Why is this? On top of being a "McDojo", they claim themselves to be something they aren't: "Shaolin Kempo" (no disrespect intended for the one answerer who claims this to be his/her system of training). Since it is ecclectic with foundations in several different regions and culminating here in the United States, it can trace its roots directly back to Shaolin as easily as you or I could trace our heritage to Adam and Eve! Plus, the school of which I speak charges astronomical fees, doesn't pay their assistant instructors, and has an annual trip to China that is marked up roughly 200% their cost to train with so-called "monks" who have no idea the format this school follows.

All this considered, I do like Kempo, although I find many techniques to not be direct enough to my liking. As to what your liking is, maybe it fits, but it all boils down to the teacher and the school. If it helps you instill a VALID sense of self-confidence and get into shape, it has served your purposes.

Good luck in your training.

***EDIT: I suppose those who refer to the system as "Shaolin Kempo" or "Shorinji (Japanese word for Shaolin) Kempo" can further acknowledge the Chinese influence of their art by not wearing Japanese gis, calling their teachers "sensei", teaching the katana, or by kneeling before and after class (which they claim is for meditation but is historically used to show subserviance towards the emperor or school's head master in Japan)! The word "kempo" itself is a Japanese word that refers to Chinese martial arts anyway! It is the rough translation of "quanfa". So, why would one need to further acknowledge the Chinese influence when the original term itself essentially means Chinese martial arts? It's marketing, plain and simple. I'll respectfully disagree with anybody who says otherwise.