New Site Feature: Forum

A picture of the forumOver the last while, I’ve received a few requests for a discussion forum. Personally, I use Martialtalk quite a bit, and lurk at quite a few others, but I understand that some folks wish for a very focussed experience. I’m not trying to replace the large, general purpose forums.  With that in mind, I added a ‘Kempoinfo Forum’ to the site. You can access it via the “Forum” link at the top of every page here. 

how to registerFor now, the forum can be read by anyone, but you must be registered to participate. I’ll keep it that way for now, but as we (the ones who will use it) get it rolling, we may decide to change how things work. As you get there, you will have to click on the upper right hand corner where it says ‘Sign in’, and if you aren’t already registered, you can ‘Apply for Membership’. I’ll be reviewing and approving by hand, so if you register at weird hours, you’ll probably have to wait before I get to approving you. 

I’m expecting it to be a cozy place, where we can really get into some good, pointed discussions without much distraction. However, there will be places for ‘other’ topics as we are all members of a community. Welcome aboard, tell me how it works for you, and let’s make it the community we want. 

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More fans of Kempoinfo



I guess the ‘cynical history of kempo’ market isn’t just mine anymore. Some folks at “All Jujutsu” have noted my articles and are apparently fans. I don’t necessarily endorse all their findings, (of find them particularly accurate) but it’s nice that they took a moment to list me (along with Ken Warner) as a reference for their kenpo information. The fellow that runs the site is a student of George Kirby, noted jujutsu stylist and author.

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Wushu Staff – the origin?

At about black belt level, I learned a form that was called “wushu staff”. I had always thought it was a cool staff form, and initially presumed it was imported / incorporated as the curriculum progressed from the hard ‘karate’ arts into the softer and more circular ‘kung fu’ aspects of the curriculum. Why not, as the sign outside said “karate – kung fu – tai chi” at the place I started. Later the more knowledgeable / cynical me figured it was a ‘made up pretend Chinese’ form like most of the upper level curriculum forms seem to be. Well, knock me down with a feather, it’s actually a wushu staff form. See here – anything look familiar?

If I had only asked the right someone before, I suppose this was an easy question to answer, but it seemed that nobody within the system had the answer ready at hand. I’m guessing any intermediate contemporary wushu student would identify our form in no time. If I had to guess, I would say it was imported during the time Steve Demasco studied wushu or through one of the many Kempo seniors that studied with Yao Lee as he has been, and continues to be an influence on kempo practitioners from the Boston area.

Most references are to the 32 move wushu staff, but it also goes under the names: gunshu basic taolu, 32 staff form, and fourth dan / level staff form in the contemporary wushu curriculum.

Does your school teach this form? For your interest, I’ve embedded a few more examples of the form after the jump.
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