Teen Vox
Kenpo karate instills confidence
By Shaun Anich, Gloversville High SchoolArticle Photos
Kenpo karate can be traced back as far as 527 A.D. to the Hunan Province of China. A Buddhist monk by the name of Tamo developed the original 18-hand movements and postures that serve as the foundation of Kenpo.
At the time, the art was called “Chuan Shu,” meaning temple boxing. Over time, the art became known as Kenpo, meaning “Law of the fist.”
American Kenpo was founded by Ed Parker, who opened the first martial arts studio in America in Utah while attending Brigham Young University. While developing American Kenpo karate, Parker utilized principles of geometry, physics, anatomy, kinesiology and many others. The combination of these principles is what makes Kenpo practical and efficient in today’s environment.
On May 15, I visited Upstate Kenpo Karate in Glenville. This is a martial arts studio that is owned and run by Daryl Perkins and is part of the American Kenpo Training System. Perkins is a fourth-degree black belt and has been practicing Kenpo for more than 38 years. Perkins explained that Upstate Kenpo Karate has about 27 members that practice the sport, ranging in age from 6 to 71.
While visiting Upstate Kenpo Karate, I observed a regular class of youngsters. The class began with a vigorous set of warm-ups that had most of the children sweating. They started with jumping jacks, and moved on to running in place, more jumping jacks, thrust punches, double punches, triple punches, double punches, thrust punches, etc.
Next, the students practiced techniques. There are 154 techniques of American Kenpo karate.
These are the techniques used to defend yourself from an attacker. A lot of memorization is involved to remember the names of each technique and how they are executed. Even the youngest student seemed to have a firm grasp on many of the techniques.
Some of the techniques include Charging Ram, Destructive Twins, Wings of Silk, and Defying the Storm. There is a whole different technique for similar attacks, such as a gun to the chest versus a gun to the head.
After the practice of these techniques, the kids split into groups to help each other work on various moves. The older students often help the younger students work on material to earn their next belt. At the end of the class, there is a ceremonious activity called the pass-down, where the highest-ranked person slaps the chest of the next highest-ranked person, and so on.
After the student class was the advanced class. This class consists of mainly black belts of various degrees.
Again, there is a series of warm-ups before the guys break off into groups of two to practice moves on each other. While practicing, it is obvious that no one student is better than another, as a 16-year-old gave instructions to a 50-year-old, and vice versa.
After this, it is obvious that all the men have had a good workout, as their Gi’s (a black Gi is worn by a higher ranking martial artist) are drenched with sweat. When entering and leaving the dojo, it is customary to bow, showing respect for those who have learned before you, and respect for what you yourself are about to learn.
Kenpo karate is an exciting thing for anyone of any age to learn. Kenpo provides cardiovascular exercise and strength training as well as the development of balance, coordination and flexibility.
Most importantly, those who study Kenpo have the confidence of knowing they can defend themselves and their loved ones with the most effective martial arts system today. After just a few weeks of the most basic training, any child can feel confident to defend himself.
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