kempoinfo.com

Animal Techniques joined Shaolin Kempo in the ’70s, and forms later on than that besides statue of the crane. Given the popularity of ‘Kung Fu Fighting’ in the 1970s, it seems that it was unavoidable to add animal forms. Bak Sil Lum and Praying Mantis forms were borrowed, and Experts like Yao Lee and Tak Wah Eng were brought in eventually to provide kung fu training. Here’s an example of forms you might see in a Shaolin Kempo school that does animal forms.

Hanshi Bruce Juchnik created a video capturing a broad overview of Kempo forms and you might enjoy the clear views of Circle of the Tiger and Hansuki. However, you probably should stick around for the Castro Shaolin Kenpo and Kosho Ryu forms (among others) to see how all of our other Kempo family does their thing. Click below to watch it on Youtube – embedding is disabled.

Bill Ryusaki is a seminal figure in the history of Kempo, and for East coast Kempo folks, you should recognize his name as many of the early videos shared by SGM George Pesare were filmed in his yard. It’s interesting to see that Naihanchi appears in some form in one of the kata.