Animal Techniques

The branch of Shaolin Kempo I study has a lot of "kempo" techniques.  These are similar to the combinations, but are not numbered, and are not rank required techniques.

Personally, I like teaching kempos.  Plenty of interesting techniques that isn't in the forms and combinations.  I throw a lot of them at my students, with the goal of having them remember the ones that work well them.

Some are sorted by the traditional five Shaolin animals.  That method helps in remembering them as well.  If you have two of each animal, you have ten kempos right off the bat.

When the students hit the brown/black levels, I want them to start identifying the animal techniques by principle, not just because their teacher told them so. So I put together short description of the principles of each of the five animals.  Here is the description of tiger techniques.  I'm starting with Tiger, because I like Tiger techniques.

 Tiger is an offensive strategy that deals with using committed force and structural alignment to attack with maximum power. The Tiger represents courage, tenacity and power.  By learning to use their whole body as a single unit, students exposed to Tiger are able to generate the most power possible. The Tiger relies on frontal assault, aggression, and power. Ripping and tearing as it moves always pressing. The Tiger is very powerful, direct and aggressive. The Tiger commits its entire mind and body into each move. There is no hesitation in the Tigers mind.  Tiger strategy is very effective when an opponent is trying to maintain distance using Crane.

Quart of Blood Technique

I'm a big movie buff, so I have a habit of using obscure movie references.

A classic example is the "Quart of Blood Technique."

The term comes from the 1983 comedy "Trading Places."

In order to establish cred (and not get his ass kicked) in jail, one of the characters demonstrates a martial arts move called the "Quart of Blood Technique."  That is because when you are finished with the technique, a quart of blood drops out of your opponent.  He learned because he is a "Chain Belt."

I use the term for a technique that will seriously harm your opponent.  "If you have to drop your foe quickly, and you don't want them getting back up, and there are no witnesses, what technique would you use?  That would be your "Quart of Blood Technique.""

Ya, it's goofy, but then so am I, and I teach a lot of teenagers.  It sticks in their head and makes them think.

How much is a quart of blood?  It's two pints, or double what you lose in a standard blood donation.
There are approximately 10 pints in an adult human.  So a quart is about 20% of the total amount of blood.  Loss of 40% (two quarts) is considered fatal.   Losing 20% quickly is no fun either.  Rapid drop in blood pressure.  Then they will probably continue to bleed.  So an actual Quart of Blood technique is nothing to joke about.

Eight hands of the Leopard

One of the other black belts at the school (Tom) found this technique.

I like it.  Interested in your opinions.



I like that the opening block is counted in the "eight hands."  That fits with my "blocking is striking, striking is blocking" mantra.

Joe Lewis, Kempo Black Belt

I have a copy of Circle of Iron on Blu-Ray, and IMHO, the best feature is a thirty minute interview with Joe Lewis.  While stationed in Okinawa during his stint in the US Marines, Joe Lewis earned three  Black Belts in three different systems, including Okinawan Kempo.

He also had some interesting statements on why he got called in to reshoot most of the fight scenes after the principle photography was shot.

I like the movie, but the Joe Lewis interview really is the best part of the Blu-Ray release.

Good interviews for Kempo people

I've been listening some of the Martial Arts Lineage Project podcasts and there are two with Kempo instructors.

The first was with Senior Grandmaster George Pesare, the man who brought Kempo to the East Coast.  Grandmaster Pesare was Nick Cerio's Kempo instructor and the first person to promote Cerio to Black Belt. A lot of good "no shit, I was there" history in this interview.

The second was with Shihan John James. Shihan James was a personal student of the late Grandmaster Nick Cerio and was one of the people selected by Cerio to be on the Board of Directors of Cerio's Kenpo after Cerio's death in 1998.  I exchanged several emails with Shihan James around that time.  He was always polite and very much a gentleman of the old school.  That came across in this interview.

I recommend listening to them both.

Really old school Kempo

I picked up a copy of Dr. Bruce Clayton's book, Shotokan's Secret: Expanded Edition. This books dives into the roots of Japanese Karate, Okinawan Karate. This "history of Shotokan" book doesn't even mention Gichin Funakoshi until page 140!

However, this is a Kempo blog, not a Shotokan blog, so bringing things back to the topic at hand, is the short passage on Okinawan Kempo on page 136.

"For the record, we also see a fourth kind of karate in Japan and Okinawa, usually labeled kempo. "Kenpo" is the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese "chuan fa' kanji. Kenpo is originally kung fu in a Japanese uniform, but in recent years it has mixed in liberal amounts of other martial arts."

This quote was in a section on the three main, distinct schools of Okinawan Karate (Naha-te, Shuri-te and the arts based on ChotokuKyan).

Personally, I like Dr. Clayton's description of Kempo, even though he gives in a fairly dismissive and offhand matter. It does actually describe the early history of Kempo in the United States, and in particular, the martial arts melting pot of Hawaii in the 1950s and 1960s.

Butterfly Swords

I picked up a set of practice Butterfly Swords, steel ones, not the lightweight aluminum ones.

These are really fun! They come in pairs, one for each hand, and are pretty heavy for their size. Using them is an upper body workout in itself!

They are not a common weapon system in most martial arts. They come from a Southern Kung Fu tradition. I've only seen reference to them in Hung Gar and Wing Chun. Here is a Wing Chun form I found.

Back to teaching

I haven't been teaching very much the past couple of months. I was taking another class that met on the same night I usually teach.

Tonight, it's back to my regular class and I'm looking forward to it. I really enjoy teaching and it's a great way to refine your technique as well.

Recent Black Belt Test

MetroWest Martial Arts and Wellness in Westborough, MA recently held another Black Belt test.

I was one of the people giving the test. It's only been three years since my last test, so I'm good for awhile. :-)

The test went well and the folks going for Shodan & Nidan really shined.

In case any of my dear readers are still spreading that myth about belts slowly getting dirtier over time until the advanced students belts were black, here is the true history of using colored belts for ranking.

Basics, basics & more basics

If you are a martial arts instructor, and just don't know what you are going to cover in your next class, here is a good suggestion.

Basics, basics and then more basics.

The basics are the core, the foundation you build more advanced techniques from.

You get more power from a good punch thrown from a solid stance than you do from a good punch made while off balance (OK, you Drunken Monkey stylists are an exception, but then you practice a lot to do that).

Practice, practice and more practice. You want to be able to hit that nerve bundle with that Leopard Paw strike in a fight, then you have to practice punching over, and over again.

There are all sorts of cool and fun drills to do to keep things interesting, but it all comes back to the basics.

Customizing Kempo

One of the basic principles of teaching Kempo is that Kempo changes to fit the student.

This doesn't mean you don't have to learn the basics. It means that as an instructor, you should modify techniques you teach to fit the student.

A petite female who weighs 110 pounds soaking wet is going to have a different fighting style than a 200 pound man a foot or more taller.

There are differences beyond the obvious size and weight difference. They have a very different center of balance. The man will generally have much more upper body strength. Then there is overall social conditioning that the different genders gets.

You want to successfully teach women and young girls in your school, you will need to understand these differences and be able to adjust your teaching style for each different kind of student you have.

Fifth Law of Kempo

Law of Kicking

Kempo's mandate to kick low is based on logic. A roundhouse kick and spinning reverse crescent kick to the head maybe flashy and impressive, but such maneuvers take longer to execute because your legs has to travel farther. They also expose your groin to your opponent's kick.

Kicking high requires superior balance and focus, you should practice your leg techniques high, and deliver them low for self-defense. Kicking low to the legs, executing a "pillar attack" can break your opponent's balance and legs.

As I tell my students, when your opponent is on the ground is the best time to kick them in the head.

Fourth Law of Kempo

Law of Targets

You are not going to break your knuckles punching an attacker's temple. A kick to the groin will not fracture your instep. A knife hand strike to the throat will hurt the throat more than your hand.

Kempo teaches you to choose your targets in order to maximize damage to your opponent while minimizing damage to yourself.

Third Law of Kempo

Law of Multiple Strikes

Kempo teaches you to strike first and strike often in rapid succession. You train to hit high, low, straight in, and along a circular path.

First you stun, distract, and slow your opponent. Then you take him/her/whatever out.

Second Law of Kempo

Law of the First Strike

If a confrontation is inevitable, you should not wait for the aggressor to attack first! You need to hit him first with your foot, fist, elbow, knee, etc. You need to hit the attacker hard and hit continuously until they are subdued.

First Law of Kempo

Law of the Circle and Line

The first law of Kempo states that when your opponent charges straight in and attacks, you should use your feet to move your body along a circular path, while moving your arms in a circular pattern to deflect the oncoming force. When your opponent attacks you in a circular pattern, you should respond with a fast linear attack along a straight line.

Teaching today

I'm off to teach the Saturday Adult Kempo class.

Kempo FAQ

There is a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) list for the Kempo/Kempo Martial Arts.

Animal styles in Shaolin Gung Fu

Animal styles in Shaolin Gung Fu

School in Milbury closed.

The Villari Shaolin Kempo school in Milbury recently closed.

The students should do what some of the black belts did, and go to MetroWest Martial Arts in Westborough.