GM Villari is from the northern East coast and this could explain a big difference in our skk and other styles of kempo. Almost all of our techniques gets us in close and we start to manipulate the musculoskeletal system…why? Perhaps, because our west coast cousins do not need to deal with the clothing of winter when formulating and practicing their art. A big winter coat can provide a great deal of padding, snow and ice means that grounding and footwork must compensate for less traction. So take a look at your Shaolin Kempo compared to the West coast versions and see how the base techniques and concepts are perhaps built with the environment in mind and see what you find.
Winter and Kempo
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I think this is a great point, Marlon. There was a time I took a kick to the ribs while wearing a fairly thick leather jacket, and the kick was hardly noticeable. I also think about this when thinking of folks who rely on precise combinations of pressure points as the base of their art.
True enough and I know some compensate by increasing striking to the head but the two problems with such a focus means predictability and not taking height into consideration. These are some of the things about SKK that has me loving it!
Marlon first and foremost I think you are doing a great job with your insights into skk. I do have to say that as a whole there is too much kicking involved in skk to substantiate your findings on weather being a part of the formulation of the system. I think your findings of manipulating our opponent are truely there but I do believe there would be less kicking in the art as a whole if environment was truly a factor here. Funny enough this is why I left the American Karate school I had started in twenty years ago because there was too much emphasis on kicking and I asked the instructor “what about the snow and the ice?” the question was shrugged off and I went my seperate ways shortly after.
Hello Justin. Good to here from you. Since many sk schools have a great deal of variation in much of the curricullum, let’s look at my idea and your response using the first 45 combos.
1,2,3,10,11,13,15,17,18,20,22,23,24,25,26,29,31,34,36,37,38,39,41,42,43,and 44 do not use kicks
now combo’s 16,19,27,30,32,33,40 and 45 all use low kicks and for the most part are entry moves
so now 4 as we do it the defender slips the attack and the circling motion brings the head down before you kick, 8 we step down after the shot to the groin allowing the attacker to bend so the kick to the head comes to a low target. 21 the kick is after the attacker is kneeling.
considering the TDK influence from GM Pesare this is not a system laden with kicks. We kick because we are not boxing or doing jujitsu. Most of these low kicks and enrty moves are equivalent to aggressively walking through your attacker and is suited for a northern climate. so i may be very wrong in this but i still see many of the differences in our skk and ak and other arts as being due to climate.
I think it is a great thought process but I don’t think you can discount low kicks and entry kicks as any disruption in your base while on an icy surface can send you on your butt. So that would mean 1/3 of the techs through 45 disrupt your own base and there for would not be a viable option in a blizzard. BUT were we to utilize a grab after the block, which I firlmy believe in, then we utilize the attackers base as well and would be easier to keep us upright. Again I like where you are going with these insights I’m just not convinced here. Keep up the good work.
Well what are you fighting in a blizzard for? 🙂
Seriously Justin I see your point, but we sink when we kick, correct ? And. we keep our spinal alignment and of course, we do not reach with our kicks…so, essentially, there should be no more disruption of our base than taking a step. I, for one, do not plan to stand still in a blizzard…whether i am fighting or not…
As for the grab, i do not trust it unless i am seriously disrupting the attacker’s balance and i certainly would not recommend borrowing thier balance to keep upright, as then, they would have control over us. When i grab, i tend to jerk them around or press them into the ground or in some way mess with thier balance right away.
I enjoy the exchange of thought, so, i hope in my thinking out these things i do not offend you as that is not my goal
No offense taken, this is what a debate should look like for those who do chat boards. Two differing opinions without someone whining crying or calling names. As I was doing my deliveries yesterday in the snow, rain, and slush I thought of this thread and thought of the fights we see in hockey where you hold on to one another and play rockem sockem robot and thought to myself “yeah no kicking in this”. So I think we probably just agree to disagree here and thats ok because as these ideas, concepts and principles are discussed there are no hard and fast answers and more often than not there are more then one answer.
I would figure that if we were fighting in a blizzard we would use the other 2/3 of the tech. that do not do kicks — and sorry to disrail but when Justin brought up the hockey I could only think of Adam Sandler saying he held the only title for stabbing someone with his skate while he was playing.. now thats Kempo. Not sure how I pulled it off – but i did get caught in a bad altercation in a Blizzard once (I grew up in Syracuse NY where Blizzards happen ever 2 weeks in the winter) and ended up doing a Tumanagi throw (monkey throw) it worked perfectly and was able to mount. I just love this system because it has so much in it you never know what your body memorizes until the scenario presents itself.
Jesse
(ps – i hate being on the ground so the fact that i did that was even a surprise to me)
It’s funny, I pulled a surprise Tomeo Nage throw as well once. I ended up rolling to guillotine, but yep, I tacked it on to a yellow belt kempo. Isn’t that one of those ‘flashy’ throws that you can’t pull off in real life? How come we both fell back on that one in parkinglot-jutsu?
Hah, that’s the throw (potentially) in five dragons face the four winds…or as Shihan likes to call it…the Captain Kirk throw.
So, even though I train regularly outside in all seasons, I decded to take it to the class last Saturday. Nwe had kempo in the snow. We had a drill, bag work, forms, practiced techniques, a dragon circle and a gauntlet / shaolin ally. We all applied our skills at rooting and staying aligned in the snow and on the ice. A great work out and so far we are not bad at all.