|
There will be no disclaimer on this
section due to
the nature of the information covered revolving around American Kenpo
Karate
training. Granted the concepts and principles will be broken down
more than usual, however the tips described in this training page will
be Kenpo training in it's basic form. Some of the concepts
discussed
will come from SGM Ed Parker's books and reference materials, others
will
come from past and on-going Kenpo Karate training. When the tips
discussed are taken from SGM Parker's reference materials then the
quote
or concept where it can be found in the material will be placed for
further
study.
For the second installment on the Dragon Tales Training Concepts, there
will be a cross-over discussion that will directly tie into both empty
hand and weapons training. This initial discussion will be on the
quickest concept in American Kenpo, and also the easiest to forget
about.
American Kenpo has many techniques to choose from that will
unequivocally
aid the student in self-preservation. However, few of them will
work
very well without one of the key principles in the art of Kenpo, that
principle
being LAUNCHING. The quickest definition of the concept of
launching
is just that, quick definition or the use speed and solidity in your
movement
to keep your opponents action from having any affect. In other
words,
moving as fast as you can without losing any form in the process.
Since we at Dragon Tales like to use analogies and visual aids to help
illustrate concepts and principles, as good American Kenpo instructors
have always done, one will be described now. Whether you like
video
games or not, few can argue that they do offer a great deal of hand/eye
coordination, use of strategy, and many other benefits depending on the
game (along with the chance to loose a lot of money depending on one's
skill at the game). Sometimes video games can even enhance Kenpo
Training.
Although that statement may seem silly to some, if you have the
availability
in your area to a new game called the STAR WARS TRILOGY, take a look
that
the Lightsaber elements in the game. If you watch really closely you
might
just see a Kenpo Blocking Set called Star Block.
And if you were wondering where this discussion is leading, well here
we
go. There is a live action or cinema styled shooting game on the
market called FAST DRAW SHOWDOWN from American Lazer Games. The
game
is based in the Old West and the concept of the game is to draw your
firearm
faster than your electronic opponent. If you don't shoot your
opponent
fast enough you loose a life on the game, and if you do draw the gun
and
fire fast enough, your opponent has a rather dramatic passing into
electronic
oblivion.
Now I am sure the question has been raised again, "What does that have
to do with Kenpo Training?" Well, one of the finest martial
artists
and fastest quick draw artist in the world would be able to give you
the
answer to that question. He has stated in numerous seminars that
the principles involved in those types of showdowns are directly
related
to Kenpo Training. He has even showed students similar concepts
between
the two at these seminars, generally doubling the speed and accuracy in
the students movements. The individual I am speaking of is Master
of the Arts Paul Mills, student of SGM Ed Parker and founder of the
American
Kenpo Karate International association. Granted, I don't know
that
he would advocate a video game over actual Kenpo training, that is why
this game is used as an analogy
Launching is one of the key elements in Kenpo Training and directly
ties
into quick draw showdowns. Whoever can draw the weapon the
fastest
has the greatest chance of surviving the situation. And
whoever
can draw the fastest accurately will certainly rule the day. For
instance, with any empty hand technique, from Delayed Sword to
Unfurling
Crane, the faster you can control your opponents attack, the more
likely
you will survive. As it was mentioned many times in my training,
"It doesn't matter if you can hit someone 20 times in a second if you
get
hit in the nose by your opponent."
Beyond working launching or speed in your movements, one of the other
important
principles is definite, direct, or pin-point action. In either
the
Quick Draw game or Kenpo Training, no matter how fast you are, there
has
to be the ability to hit your mark or complete the action you
started.
With the video game, even if you can draw the gun in .27 milliseconds,
the draw doesn't mean anything if you aren't able to hit your
target.
In Kenpo Training, practice not only moving with a great deal of speed,
but also with pin-point accuracy to the target you wish to meet.
Finally, even through Launching and Definition in the students action
is
generally thought of only for the beginning or defensive action in the
technique; these concepts actually encompass the entire technique
sequence. From start to finish in Kenpo Training, launching and
pin-point
action are two of the important concepts to study in any
technique.
At any level in Kenpo it is best to work techniques for flow at first
to
make the action second nature, but the end result should always be
executed
as quickly as possible with good definition.
Should you, while training, have problems executing certain aspects of
launching or direct action, try analyzing other techniques you have
learned.
If you can execute them with no difficulty, try to find what is
involved
in the technique and transfer that knowledge over. Generally,
there
are speed drills inherent in every technique to aid and increase the
ease
in execution for the student making those movements instinctive.
Give it a try, you might find it works for you.
|
