Dear Mr. Mattson:

First, let me say that I truly enjoyed the two days of Uechi-Ryu seminars that you provided to us here in Chicago. Your knowledge and years of experience are greatly appriciated.

Second, in response to your request to write down our thoughts on what we learned at the seminars, I would like to share with you the following thoughts:

The first thing that you emphasized was “A Return to the Basics.” constantly throughout the seminar you always wents back to the very basics of Uechi-Ryu Karate-Do and its Katas. Proper form in Sanchin was always stressed in regards to arm positioning, whether the Sanchin stance was too wide or too narrow, and whether one was properly balanced in his/her Sanchin stance. We all know what proper form is, or at least we like to think we know what it is, but as you pointed out at the seminar one has to constantly be aware of proper form and stance or bad habits creep in over time that later on become very difficult to correct.

Next, was proper body mechanics, or the execution of strikes and stepping in Sanchin. Again, emphasis was put on form, but also something else that I found very easy to understand, but very difficult to execute to, although Mr. Kahn has worked very hard with me to develop, and that is one’s strength and proper stance comes from locking into proper Sanchin positioning, and not from any muscle strength we may, or may not, have. For example, my shoulder’s pop-up because I like the feel of generating power with my shoulder while executing my Sanchin strikes, which then translates into the rest of my strikes in all my Kata. However, what you emphasized is that shoulders must be down and power generated from the hips as well as appling the principles of TC (i.e Tourque & Compression).

Further, powerful Sanchin strikes are also produced from acceleration, which I understood it as different from speed. Speed as I understand it usually I aasociate with muscle force and, sometimes, lack of focus in the strike. However, what you were teaching us was that we needed to be relaxed. That our strikes needed to accelerate with power that then culminates at the end with a focused attack that has behind it all of our generated strength and power. Yet, all of this is performed with no muscle strength.

A point you made continually through the seminar is that its ok to be powerful when you are young because a young practitioner needs to get it out of his system so to speak. That it is when you are young that one can muscle through Karate, and have the strong strikes and kicks, but when you get older and more experienced in your Karate power can be generated, and I would argue more power, through proper Sanchin form, rotation of hips, bladding of Sanchin strikes and accelerating one’s punches and kicks into one focused attack.

It is these basics that you taught us, and brought as back to, as well as putting a new and fresh perspective on proper Sanchin form and the generating of power through focused acceleration that made a very great impressing on me.

Next, I liked what I termed “Reality Katare.” What you taught us is the same thing Sensei Kahn has been teaching us, which is, that in a fight our big beautiful flowery blocks will not block nothing. With the rush of adreniline and the suddeness of your opponent’s attacks, one’s blocks must be short, sweet and effective. A circle block on an initial attack, as in Kyu Kumite, becomes simply one’s arms popping up into Sanchin position protecting your body and face. We execute big circle block because in the heat of battle that big block will compress into a small block, but whether big or small it MUST be effective!

The exercises we performed, through the use of Kyu Kumite, showed us the suddeness of attacks and the effectiveness, or ineffectiveness, of our blocks when we attempted to protect ourselves against attacks we knew were coming and from what side of our opponent’s body. I learned that one must “Get His Arms Up” and into proper position, i.e. Sanchin Arm Positioning, so as to execute a proper block.

Further, you emphasized that in our guide blocks, we must not break the center-line of our bodies as this takes us out of Sanchin, which decreases our power, as well as not to block with our palm, but our whole forearm.

After, these concepts and principles were hammered home with Sanchin and the Kyu-Kumite exercises, we moved into Kata.

When it came to Kata we again returned to the basics in perfoming, and making sure we performed, traditional katas. This was very much welcomed as Sensei Kahn has always emphasized that good traditional kata must be perfomed with varying levels of acceleration and intensity. Kanchiwa is only perfomed a certain way, Seisan is only perfomed a certain way, etc. This is what we at Chicago Uechi-Ryu have constantly been working on, i.e. to perfect our Katas as much as possible.

Yet your approach to Kata was predicated upon your teachings on Sanchin. Foe what we do in Sanchin translated to our Katas. If we cannot generate power and proper acceleration in Sanchin we will not do it in the remainder of our Katas. This means that if we have been muscling it in Sanchin we will do the same in Kanchu, Seisan, etc. Thus, all goes back to Sanchin.

What impressed me the most is the porper body mechanics and balance one gets from Sanchin, which you showed us, and how this flows into all aspects of our Karate. In fact, what came through the seminars, from day one, was that you were teaching us from the ground up. Proper Sanchin means proper Kata. Proper Kata means properly executed strikes, blocks and kicks. Properly executed techniques means properly executed free fighting (i.e. sparring). Finally, proper free sparring means proper Karate-do that will protect you if the need arises, which will then allow you to live and go home in one piece.

Also, the over-arching theme, at least as I interpreted it, was acceleration and fluidity. Blocking and countering as one sigle flowing movement, and being able to sustain this fludity and acceleration from technique to technique. Further, what I also noticed that was taught, but may have not been called this, was “Imagination.” What I mean by this is that many of us get “Locked” into doing Kata and Kumite and Bunkai a certain way. We anticipate certain punches coming from certain sides as well as certain kicks coming at us with a certain speed. That locks us into many bad habits.

Constantly throughout the seminar you taught us that if your hands are up and in proper Sanchin positioning it should not matter what the technique is and off of what side it comes–YOU WILL BE ABLE TO BLOCK IT! This is imagination. It forces the student to think on his feet and act on the fly. In fact, this is the very essence of our Karate. We do not do the Katas and the Bunkais for the sake of doing them, but to learn the techniques they give us and to apply them in avarity of ways in any given situation and altercation that may arise.

This is why, I believe you gave us all a piece of Seisan Bunkai and told us to put a variation on that piece of it that you gave us. One Bushkin to the face turns into many bushkins to the face, nose or throat. Also, after performing the Bushkins, you opponent is now dazed as well as injured, and, if the situation calls for it, add a take-down with a finishing move, etc. This is where the student’s imagination is allowed to run free and it must run free otherwise they are just fancy looking techniques that are not applied in the real world (i.e. Reality Karate) nor applied properly (i.e. Basics). In fact, I would argue that a student’s imagination, in the application of his Karate, is the very goal in the practice of Karate.

This is what I got out of the seminars Sensei Mattson. I hope I understood what you were attempting to teach us, and I will endeavor to apply what you taught us in my Karate. However, Sensei Kahn does a good job of keeping us all on the right track.

Very Truly Yours

Peter A. Papoutsis

By Ethan B. Miller

Among the discussions that commonly come up about Kyu and Dan Kumite is the effectiveness of the kumites as tools for training towards real confrontations. Sometimes the commentary seems to negate the worthiness of these drills entirely. This seems to me to be completely wrong-headed. If you take a commonsense approach to analysis the drills you might see what I mean. Both Uechi-Ryu kumites are in the mid-range of complexity in terms of the rank they were intended for – by this I mean the Kyu Kumite has a duration that is not the longest and not the shortest in comparison to other systems. The same goes for the Dan Kumite, which while more complex for the Dan grades, is of a medium duration. Anyone who remembers the Fukien fighters from the Year of the Tiger Summer Camp can remember the lengthy two-person sets they demonstrated. On the other hand many Japanese systems have individual sets of only 3 moves.

The intention of these two kumites is to bring about a physically better prepared karate student. It also does a few others things to a lesser degree. I believe the physical karate skills are what it teaches the best. What you learn in Kyu Kumite is basic Uechi-Ryu punching, kicking and blocking applied in a controlled fashion against another person. The kumites teach neuro-muscular programming and response to stimulus. They teach understanding distancing, and focusing on targets. Out of necessity they teach cooperation with a partner. If your blocks are lousy and punches are often off target the increased stressors of working with a partner will show it clearly – and allow an opportunity to correct it. They also stress the need for good body mechanics;

Hip motion, connectedness of hand to hip, hip to foot, general body control and efficiency.

What don’t they do? Well, they won’t teach you how to do a big back flip off a high board. And it won’t train you to fight in a NHB match. Since by nature the exercise is cooperative, it is not the best for contact sparring of a competitive nature. It is not going to harden your forearms or in do much in the way of increasing your flexibility. However, with certain enhancements that some gifted instructors are already doing you can work your mastery of these kumites to your advantage. Recently, we saw Sensei Jimmy Maloney demonstrate his enhanced Dan Kumite as an extremely efficient self-defense application enabling greater speed and effectiveness of his strikes and blocks – with a few surprising adaptations which you would have had to see to believe. Also at the “Hut” in Newton instructors are demonstrating an evolutionary adaptation where the competent Dan Kumises practitioner extends the steps in the Dan Kumite to expose different applications, again increase the mental and physical challenge that the kumite presents. So it is really in the hands of the practitioner once they have a good understanding of the drills.

Here is an application for the contact fighter who needs to practice rhythm and awareness training. Rhythm is often forgotten or misunderstood, but as a tool to get to be a more complete fighter it is one of the most cheaply bought – at least to a certain level. Here is the exercise. Before starting the kumite with your partner, demonstrate three speeds you will be working with – slow, medium and fast. Medium is your normal (comfortable) speed for the kumite. I would stress that this is an exercise that you should do with a partner with whom you have experience and both partners must be honest when they demonstrate their 3 speeds. With the beginning of each set in the kumite the adversaries start from a complete standstill. The Defender must be ready for whichever speed the Attacker chooses. For the attacker it is his or her opportunity to be Pedro Martinez and “catch” his opponent. Pity the poor defender who gets caught by a good old fashioned “change-up.”

The idea behind this exercise is to enhance the difficulty and add a degree of competitiveness while not sacrificing the integrity of the movements or wasting the advantage of having learned such a valuable set in the first place! When the idea of three separate speeds and good “catching” of the same is mastered you can add another evolution: A new technique….

Best wishes training,
Ethan B. Miller

By Ethan Miller

Nukite training, or spearhand training is probably one of the more underestimated strikes in Uechi-Ryu and other styles of Karate. In sparring it’s generally not permitted or adaptable, while it becomes more accessible to the advanced user it appears to commonly become a grey area in usefulness. I had often downplayed its’ usefulness in the past. Partially this is due to the westerners’ overwhelming bias to the Seiken or closed fist (not always a bad thing). Partially, it is the result of lack of appreciation of the technique.

An innocuous Nukite strike without enough force to pierce a sheet of paper can cause significant distress and even damage to an adversary’s larynx. Imagine the reaction to such a hit: the assailant has trouble speaking, breathing and coughs. The hands fly to the throat, the chin tucks and often the eyes water. What has happened, is the assailant has become open to a number of other techniques and decisions by the defender.

This is not to downgrade the importance of hand toughening drills; such as the makiwara or thrusting hands into beans or sand, or piercing drills. I’ve heard of someone practicing a piercing drill on a stretched deer hide – in order resemble the act of hitting harder targets on the human body with confidence. I stress the with confidence part. What you are doing is adding an enhanced ability to a weapon.

In the opening of Sanchin kata the Nukite shows up very strongly. I like to think of this an excellent strengthening tool and also a good way to focus attention at the hip level. Repeating the Sanchin opening over and over is a very useful drill. On the other hand, often in Kata we emphasis hip movement to the detriment of the strike – by accident. I don’t believe that the hip movement in the Seiken strike is the same for the Nukite whether it is overhand or underhand. In fact, I think the mechanics for the lower body ideally should be adapted (maybe subtly) for whatever hand strikes are applied. I see it as adapting the force continuum for different weapons.

In a tie-up for instance a Nukite to points under the jaw line is very painful and requires smaller “thrusts” like a spear. While the training and confidence to use the technique requires time the actual conditioning of the hands (toughening) is not as necessary. The strike is going to hurt like hell.

Another thought on the matter is that Nukite hand shape is a good place to keep your hand while fighting. Good for defending, striking, moving into a kansetsu (jointlockng) approach or moving into Ukemi (falling) drills. So it can be used very successfully as a transitional shape. This can be over used, and over relied on, but it works in many situations.

Also, an application for fighting with the Nukite, which calls for the practice of hand toughening drills: This is an application you might not have considered. In a barroom “negotiation” a cowardly attack from a person sitting next to you would be to pin your hand flat out and bring a beer bottle down on it. (The assailant hoping to shock the defender with the first few strikes, then attempting to break the bottle on the hand in order to begin cutting) The trained Nukite practicioner might have valuable seconds to respond because they have conditioned their hands to withstand severe treatment – less feeling of shock. Similarly, a barroom altercation that goes to the ground, or a pile up, could result in an additional assailant getting it in their heads to stomp on a defenders’ free hand. The value of hand conditioning might save you valuable time and help maintain a cooler head. Though, I’d avoid that particular bar in the real world.

Best wishes training,
EBM

By Ethan Miller, nidan

While testing for my shodan test in 1994 one of the questions I was asked by the test board was to name a strike that was being shown. It was the hiraken, and I was then asked to explain how it was used. After I did this, I of course wondered. What was I missing? The hiraken strike often shows up as a single or double strike to the temple area. This is convenient, because the trusted “iron arm” position also acts to deflect a strike or lift the arms of an opponent. My experience with the hand position is that it is much more versatile. In fact it seems to me to be the most composite of the strikes seen in Uechi-Ryu. I have seen the hiraken demonstrated two different ways by very senior practitioners. I call the first “flat” and the second “closed”. The flat position has a gap between the top thumb knuckle and the fingertips. The closed position has the fingertips tucked behind the thumb knuckle tightly. These two positions alter the fist shape and stress one weapon over another. In fact other styles may name the two positions differently.

Here are the five weapons for the hiraken position: 1) A strengthened but shorter ridge hand strike. 2) A strengthened but shorter knife edge hand. To me the both these positions are best used in the “flat” position. 3) A very durable percussion strike surface in the closed position with the front of the hand. 4) A stronger middle knuckle punch in the closed position and a weaker knuckle position in the flat position. 5) A “cutter” position.

Some of the applications of the strikes are easy to see, the “ridge” hand strike, (1) is effective as an attack, the arm makes a hooking motion targeting the neck area. Less intuitive is the short knife edge (2) to the neck in the following scenario: The defender gets caught in a bear hug with at least one arm free, and the adversary’s head is often lower and to the side of the arm that is intending to defend with the hiraken. The defender can attack the head and neck by actually striking as he is pulling his arm to himself. This technique would require a lot of confidence with the hiraken.

The face (3) of the hiraken position is very strong and it can be used to glance off the head in the temple area or higher. A direct strike to this area would rattle the opponent’s brains enough to create other openings. It is advantageous in a situation where one faces a helmeted opponent. Another shorter technique from a tie-up could be bringing it down on the bridge of the nose – possibly causing facial fractures.

Hiraken strikes, because of their design are good for many close in techniques, semi-grappling situations. The closed position in an uppercut mode is effective in this on the ground scenario: Many ju-jitsu practitioners when in the guard position favor pulling the adversary into them. Since I have a wrestling background I have never been that comfortable on my back for very long. However, an alternative for the practice of pulling the adversary into the guard would be to attack the floating rib area of the mounted adversary with short hiraken uppercuts, which would cause significant pain and reaction, while still allowing one to guard.

The “cutter” hiraken as I like to call it is evident when the practitioner runs the knuckles against the soft-tissue areas of the human body. The jagged knuckles are not unlike the serrations found in many fighting knives these days. This is a disrupting strike though the pain level is not always evident. It is dangerous to the neck and other areas – using this strike requires a significant level of knowledge and consistent practice.

Best wishes training,
Ethan Miller

by Ethan Miller

Many people use the heavy bag for practicing hand strikes. I generally do about 100 strikes left, right with a seiken fist, then do combinations in threes also with a seiken fist. I will then usually practice shuto left and right on the edge of the bag and boshiken strikes to the sides of the bag. Everyone knows Mr. H. Bag never quits.

All that is pretty ordinary for a martial artist doing solo work. So what do you do when your Not at the dojo in a class, or working out on your own? With a busy schedule or a regular job do your time for additional training is scarce and the risk of creating problems increase. Or do you just want to gab your was to greatness over a couple of lattes? Here’s something that worked for me.

Write down 3, 5 or even 10 of your favorite hand strikes. Currently I chose Seiken, Shuto, Boshiken, Shoken or Hiraken. Write them down in a couple of different sequences. As you say the names shift your hand from one to the other strike positions. Sensei Mike Aceto once described a good fist as a “snug fist” I think he got it from Sifu Calvin Chin. That to me, is a good description of a desirable position, not straining more like fitting into a good position or groove. After a while you might find it surprisingly difficult, and find flaws in your hand positions and other weaknesses. Go from one to the other for a few minutes or a much time as you have. Maybe before meditating or in bed before you go to sleep. If your mate is sick of karate stories tell them that you are practicing sign language for a deaf co-worker.

This creates a low level training technique that requires little prep and can be done at any time even traffic stops, for example. The idea was inspired by reading Toughness Training for Sports by Jim Loehrer a sports psychologist who works with pros. I recommend his book, his description of what to do with your down time, like in between points in a tennis match is valuable and gets the idea across. The result is I found my self much more confident trying different strikes or more target specific strikes, say in a light sparring contest. It works, your hands flow into position much more naturally. I would bet that the health benefits of this type of training are there as well. Have to check with a TCM practitioner though, to be certain….

Best of luck training.
Ethan Miller

by David Nishimoto

The study of Kempo Karate requires a lifetime of diligent thought. Many hours of isolated study and concentrated thought and practice are necessary to build the inner strength found in Karate. Meditation builds the focus within the mind. The mind, focused, builds confidence and well being for the body. It is during these quiet hours of movement and reflection some of the most profound understanding and enlightenment occur, for the Karate man.

In an era of music, expensive cars, endless ranges of entertainment, and recreation; our society has acquired excessive levels of wealth; this wealth is producing children who seek pleasure above work. In my day pleasure could be acquired by reading a book or learning; by experiment how something works. Today, children expect information to arrive completely digested, microwave heated, and entertaining. Work is replaced by knowledge and this knowledge is controlled by the media. The question remains: what kind of karate men are we creating?

Karate equalizes the imbalance created by information rich societies. There is no respecter of person within the art of karate. A kick is a kick, a punch is a punch, and a man is a man. Karate seeks to return man back to an appreciation of quietness, peace, and harmony. In contrast, information and knowledge of itself is not in harmony and represents: contradiction, conflict, and disrespect for nature. The study and observation of force and motion is blindly ignored. The study of the animals’ forms by the ancients brought an awareness to the karate man of his environment. Understanding and moving in accordance to the forces of nature were manifest through animals, such as the snake, crane, leopard, bear, tiger, and ram. Year after year the teacher shares knowledge of this animal like movement, but only after much thought does the student realize the importance his relationship to obstruction and seeks to harmonize the with the force and neutralize it. Warmth, an excitement for personal development, and wisdom were imparted by the teacher.

Karate is not about fighting, even though the principles of fighting are taught. Karate is more about the development of man. Some theorists believe karate was used to measure the physical and mental condition of the practitioner. Only by building a strong mind, spirit, and body could the true forces of karate be manifest. The true force exhibited crushing power at a touch; intense paralyzing pain to a joint, nerve, or muscle group; and projection through the invisible energy of Chi. Experience was respected because it was expected that the practitioners’ chi increased through constant application of karate over time. Quality was produced by constant repetition over time. Those who possess chi measured the capability of the opponent by the level of chi they perceived. It was expected most would not fight; if they believe the other person possessed greater chi.

Karate is not combat. It’s the study of force and motion. What about groundwork and grappling? Both are still the study of force. All possibilities are not explored within ones life; only a general guideline of harmony. One should seek to gain a passive opposition to violence. It is immoral to inflict cruelty, pain, and injury upon another human being. In all cases, if the possibility of survival against high injury cannot be avoided violence must be inflicted. The injury should be done with a focused and clear mind, so that the degree of injury is proportional to the threat.

In all cases, the defender mind should be open to the Holy Spirit. So, at the very moment the impressions from heaven can be drawn to ones defense. Karate makes no claims to possess all the endless techniques or philosophies of man only that the need for personal revelation is required in a conflict.

Suppose a woman or child is suddenly attacked, it is possible the power of God would replace their fear with strength. Rather than seeing a monster they see a contest of force. The loser possesses less understanding of the way of motion and force. The attacker could be repulse by such power and thought. Further more, the very intent of the attack can be perceived and a path of escape found. Silently the forms teach to find the path of escape. So the quiet meditative practices put the practitioner in touch with energy in his environment, the thoughts and intents of man, and the power of God. Karate should never seek to put man at the center of the universe. Rather Karate should open the windows of heaven to the infinite possibilities of motion.

By David Nishimoto

Morality guides the training of Kempo practitioners. Because the attitude of competition is removed from Kempo the training in done in a spirit of mutual cooperation. Masters share information with students to improve and close observed openings. In competitive environments the students must either pay for advanced information or be a part of the teacher’s inner circle. A certain degree of information is always withheld allowing one party to have an advantage over another. In Kempo, the assumption is the withdrawal of information creates imperfections. The goal of Kempo is to help the student obtain harmony, speed, power, perfection, and intrinsic energy. Kempo students practice in an partnership environment rather than an environment of opponent contention. The karate handshake and hug exemplify the good heart of the sharing.

In Kempo, the masters are always emphasizing the need for practice. Students must realize true learning does start until your exhausted from many hours of practice daily. Its during these times the movements are done without having to consciously think about them. The flow of energy and energy frequency creates a unique feeling. There was a reason the art flourished within the Shaolin Temples. Solitude and tranquility is a necessity to create the energy flow with the harassment of the interruption.

New movements become old movements and as natural as breathing. As the mind clears, divine inspiration to fills the void. Its during this period of time, enlightenment, innovation, and creativity exists within the individual. The insights are very stuble but the consequence have dramatic consequences. One insight, I realized after many hours of practice was the hidden strike is the one that knocks out the opponent. The half fist strike to the jaw proceeds around the opponents defense, it strikes without notice, and dislocates the jaw and traumatizes the neck.

The mind, body, and spirit integrating into one whole. If an student is in a fight, the process of response must be natural, direct, and relaxed. There is no right or wrong, only the process of the empty hand. The key word is empty. The mind must become empty. The reactions must have no pretext or assumption about their effectiveness. The range of motion will reveal itself, as the student feels the way, and responds. The feelings are quiet and the ability to listen to these feelings is the key. If a student must think about what the opponent is doing its to late. It they think that can smash them it the ground. Its more likely the intent will be revealed they end up getting smashed. For example, if an opponent is a boxer, thinking about the counter to a two hook punch, upper cut combination will result in a bad headache, the next day. The reaction may be an right outward crescent kick, left snap kick to the ribs; or a heel thrust to the knees, and a knee smash into the face of the opponent. The possibilities are really infinite and can only be expressed based on the experience and understanding of the practitioner.

What does it mean if the kempo student must hesitate during the performance of a maiming strike or a crushing kick to the groin, throat, or eyes? It means their morality is not good. The real question is why has the student engaged in such a dangerous activity. The danger itself forces a response. Not the other way around. The student does not force a response. It is not appropriate to second guess the response to real danger.

The first reaction in Kempo is to escape. Positioning away from the opponent is always a natural and prudent reaction. In nature, if you have the skill to approach a cat unnoticed and then scary it. The natural reaction of the cat is not to jump at your face. The reaction is leap away. If the cat is corner expect the claws and teeth of the cat, to cause injury. Kempo mastery of the art requires reactions to be deeply integrated into the individual. Perfection, is the uninhibited flow of motion. The three dimensional sphere around the individual is occupied with movement, energy, and flow. Nothing within in this sphere can become an obstacle. Kempo uses both the linear line and circle to strike directly or go around an obstacle presented by the opponent. The ability to project energy, listen to energy, and pure thought makes any obstacle a simple puzzle. I’ve observed how a snake fights. It remains coil and compressed ready to strike. Suppose, its fighting a cat, once the cat get in range; it strikes. The cat can be slashing at the snake, but its flexible enough to go around the strikes.

Its a myth that Kempo doesn’t use kicks. Kicking is an important part of self-defense. Its the long range weapon. Flexible and fast kicks are devastating. Kicks to the knees, groin, throat, head are all within easy execution and use. The mistake the kempo does not emphasis kicks comes from its consistent emphasis on the use of the continuous hands. The rule of Kempo is simple: the hands set up the leg strikes. Legs strikes provide the clearing technique.

So, creativity is the key to Kempo. The freestyle nature of the art allows the individual to use any and all motion. Morality restrains the individual from excessive force. Just enough force is required. However, extreme measures may be required. In those, circumstances the individual must decide to use intrinsic force to cause repairable damage. The effectiveness of Kempo is within the individual not the technique. This is the most awesome aspect of the art. All the techniques are of no value, and will seem weak and ineffective without the development of intrinsic power. The forms are dances, flow smoothly and with effort. Most martial systems of today pride themselves in their athletic prowess. They are fun to watch. If martial arts was about entertainment they will do fine. However, kempo practitioner must maintain the utmost commitment and dedication to their art. It is the concentrated and focused mind that learns to bring chi, into every punch. Intrinsic energy can be made to make the opponent feel heavy and weak. The striking capability with intrinsic energy does not require a wind up or a lot of body momentum. One to two inches more than enough to cause extreme damage. The strike starts with a physical motion, contact, the energy is already vibrating in the hand, the practitioner focus the vibration into the opponent after contact. Mental visualization, concentration, transfer the energy, and the effects go beyond anything most Martial Artist will ever understand. The key is the rooting of the body to the ground, years of continuous control of the energy in the hands, and the ability to move the intrinsic energy with the mind. Without this energy, Kempo would become another flashy and entertaining system to be toyed with. Critics would endlessly taunt the self-defense value of the art.

by David Nishimoto

Footwork provides the evasive qualities of kempo. A weight distribution of 50 percent between the front and back legs serves no purpose. Kempo uses a 60/40 distribution between the front and back leg. In a reverse cover the weight distribution of 40/60. A cat stance changes the weight to 20/80 between the front and back leg. The width of the stance is shoulder width. Wide stances reduce mobility and slow down response. The weight of the body is distributed on the ball of the foot. The heel maintains contact with the ground, but the weight move from the center of the foot to the ball of the foot.

Kempo Karate has an ancient form called “Sets” designed to teach the student lightness. The set works to create lightness throughout advancing and retreating movement, pivoting, and advancing and retreating stances with punches and kicks. The “Set” improves balance, coordination, and speed and encourages the student to focus on footwork. The cadence of the set is an eight count with portions of the set done in a half count. The last series in the “set” requires the practitioner to perform side step crossovers both front and in back. The feel of combat concentration and power is reveal by the “Set” to the student. The eight count is counted aloud in a robust manner and the students move in symmetry to the count.

The principles of the “Ancient Set” demonstrate how the feel can be used like a spring increasing speed. Basically, the foot is the spring to move the body forward or backward. As the tempo of the exercise is increased, the practitioner will expert a certain degree of lightness and greater mobility by applying this principle. Additionally, pivoting is doing on the ball of the foot and not the heel. After each pivot the individual returns to a kempo stance with a weight distribution of 60 percent on the front leg and 40 percent on the back leg. This stance is called a right or left cover stance.

One of the first movements taught to a student is called the right of left 45. The most dangerous part of a punch is at the end. So logical its better not to meet force with force, but to evade the income force. The diagonal 45 degree movement allows the practitioner either to move outside or inside dangerous force, while maintaining a counter strike distance. The movement along the diagonal can be either forward of back. Sometimes when moving in a backward diagonal, the opponent own movement is accelerated into the practitioner’s counter strike. This makes the counter strike more deadly because the opponent is helping compound the degree of injury. The 45 degree diagonal forms a triangular relationship between the individual and the opponent. The practitioner is put in the strongest possible position, and the opponent is in the weakest most vulnerable position. If the practitioner is inside or outside the vector of force, the greatest opportunities for throwing or controlling exist.

The next foot work exercise, is the half turn. The half turn rotates the body 90 degrees. It moves the body around the opponent. For example, the first half turn can be combined with a elbow strike to the ribs, the second movement extends a step into a right cover behind the opponent; and drops the opponent to the ground with twist pivot to a horse with the right forearm to upper body; the end result is the opponent falls over the practitioners right leg. The foot work – changes the position of the practitioner and puts the opponent in vulnerable positions where principles of leverage can be applied.

Torque is an important power principle in kempo. The cross behind stance allows the individual to spin 180 degrees into the opponent. The spin is done on the balls of the feet allow balance and speed to combine. Entry into the spin puts the individual into a weak stance. However, the element of surprise combined with the power of the circle reduced the chances of failure. Before a spin technique is engaged, its important to have stunned the opponent. Otherwise, the opponent could stop the spin by jamming at the back of the shoulder blade exposing: the spine, back of the knee, ribs, neck, and throat (body manipulation).

The fastest movement occurs along the outer perimeter of a circle. The end of the elbow follows an arch path along the outer perimeter of the circle, maximizing the force of impact. A followup chop compounds the damage of the elbow strike and provides the continuation of movement in the direction of the strike. The continuation makes kempo extremely dangerous.

Side to Side movement is not preferred in counter striking; however, side to side movement is excellent movement to open up the opponent for a grappling entry. Sometime side to side movement can be used to lure the opponent to kick. Once the kick is extended, entry for a take down becomes possible. The risk in side to side movement is the amount of body area exposed to the opponent. The horse stance or cover stances are preferred.

Light foot work, allows the practitioner to move inside the right range and outside the fight range. The ability to change remain light makes the hand and foot strikes appear effortless. Whether your at the center of the wheel or the perimeter it doesn’t matter. Understanding the dynamics of both positions should be at the heart of the practice. Sometimes it makes sense to be in the center, and sometimes it makes sense to be on the outside.