General Information Study Guide & Test

Karate: a Japanese term meaning empty hands; Kara- empty, te- hand.

Kenpo: a Japanese term meaning fist law; Ken- fist, po- law . In Chinese, Chuan-fa.

Kenpo is a study of motion based on Rules & Principles.

Salutation: We the warriors and the scholars come together to go forth to fight , back to back to pull the country together. We have no weapons, we hide our secret and pray for forgiveness if we are forced to use them.

Black and Blue

It was originally in the Infinite Insights as Speed / Power / Accuracy but it would be more correct to say Accuracy / Power / Speed.

If you don't have Accuracy and can't hit your target, who cares how fast or powerful you are.

Reading is the ability to recognize a “telegraph”, or improper motion, from the opponent. Action is faster than reaction. You must have enough time/distance to react properly. In order to have reading time you need to A) make your opponents travel time greater or longer and that will allow you time to read the strike or B) use your opponents improper motion, like chambering as a separate motion, to have more time and distance.

Always finish on the strong side of the body. Since 90% of people are right handed, Kenpo was designed as a right handed system. As we progress through the ranks we become closer and closer to equal left versus right. In Long 3 and above we practice our techniques on both sides to increase our abilities even further (that's also why when you see someone performing one of those kata's the left side sometimes looks 'different' or 'off time' from the right, you have to take the time to get them equal).

The Blocking Formula : Vertical against Horizontal or Horizontal for Vertical to oppose the angle

When blocking against an arm:

Inside - below the elbow (from the wrist to forearm area)

Outside - above the elbow (just above the elbow joint but not past the triceps area)

Thought Cancellation and Learning. When someone gets hit hard enough that it hurts, they're not thinking about hitting you back, where their feet are, or what you're going to do next. Pain also causes learning! You learn quickly how to block if you keep getting hit. (It's amazing how fast students learn if they get hit with a shinai when they do something wrong! LOL)

Kenpo is based on pain and realistic body reaction. If you punch someone in the nose hard enough, they're going to put their hands up to their nose which leaves other targets open.