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by TIMOTHY J. THOMPSON

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There are numerous forms of the Martial Arts. Each one is unique in its own special way. Each one has something special to give to its students. However, they are not all equal in effectiveness. That is what separates Kenpo from all the rest, and makes it the best form of the Martial Arts for self defense.

Shaolin Kenpo Kung Fu, or Kenpo for short, originated with the Monks of the Shaolin Temple in China. Kenpo is the foundation of the ancient tradition that is the Martial Arts. It is the basis from which all other forms are built upon. With the passage of time, the other types of Martail Arts study branched off from Kenpo taking certain aspects with them and choosing to focus and concentrate entirely upon those. There are many examples of this.

For instance, the Korean art form of Tae Kwon Do took the leg work and kicks taught in Kenpo and focused primarily upon them. Tang Su Do, another Korean art form, and Chuck Norris' original source of study, did much the same. Aikido, a Japanese art form made famous by Steven Segal, focused on Kenpo's strategy of utilizing an attacker's forward aggression against him. Tai Chi took the supple, fluid power of Kenpo's Kata's and Pinions and concentrated upon teaching them to its students. And Shotokan emphasized Kenpo's strong stances and powerful strikes.

As a Kenpo stylist, I have the utmost respect for these venerable forms of the Martial Arts. And, I mean that. However, I have an even greater level of respect for Kenpo. And, I will tell you why.

Stated succintly, Kenpo gives its repective students everything. It does not stop short like the other art forms do. When you focus and concentrate all of your effort on just one thing, you ignore all the rest. When attempting to learn the art of self defense, this can be deadly.

For example, a Tae Kwon Do Master could kill anyone with some of his kicks. There is no argument there. However, most of those dynamic kicks are literally useless in a street fight. Why? It's simple. Most attacks on the street occur from behind, by assailants who stalk their victims. Put another way, if someone leaps out of nowhere and suddenly puts you in a choke hold, how in the world are you going to use a spinning back kick to free yourself and get the assailant off you? The answer is: you can't. You won't. Similar problems exist with the other art forms as well.

Tang Su Do lacks the same critical hand techniques that befuddle Tae Kwon Do. Aikido has a tendency not to teach powerful counter strikes. And the slow, deliberate movements of Tai Chi, along with the extremely low stances of Shotokan, are simply unrealistic for street fighting.

Kenpo, on the other hand, is different. Kenpo prepares its students for the real world. And, it does so with the very first lesson.

Kenpo utilizes defense maneuvers, Pinions and Katas, and Weapons Forms to provide its students with the greatest breadth of knowledge possible with regard to self defense.

To begin with, there are more than 400 defense maneuvers in traditional Kenpo. Virtually every one ends with the attacker completely neutralized or dead. However, the very first one a student learns is the most simple, yet, one of the most effective. This maneuver, #6, is a front ball kick to the attacker's mid section or face. It is specifically designed to stop an aggressive frontal assault right in its tracks.

This is an important point worth noting becasue it displays Kenpo's strategy of "Keep It Simple Sam", of K.I.S.S., for short. What good is it to try and teach a brand new student a flying, spinning back kick, or a round house kick? They are both quite difficult and much more complicated to perform effectively. The front ball kick, however, is simple to learn, and even easier to master.

There is an old saying that states: "You must learn to crawl before you can walk; and you must first learn to walk before you can run". Kenpo teaches each new student with this very philosophy in mind. It provides its students with practical, useful and sensible methods for self defense. And, you begin to learn many of them right away.

In addition to defense maneuvers, Kenpo also utilizes Pinions and Katas to help its students learn practical self defense skills. For example, the famous eight point blocking system, which is taught at the White Belt level and must be mastered before one can advance to Yellow Belt, makes up much of Pinion 1 and Kata 1. These also must be mastered before a student can advance to Yellow Belt.

So, by practicing and eventually mastering both Pinion 1 and Kata 1, students further reinforce their ability to effectively block and strike; almost without even knowing or realizing it. Moreover, the higher you advance in rank, the more blocks and strikes are introduced, along with accompanying Pinions and Katas that further reinforce one's abilty to master such advanced techniques.

Kenpo's Weapons Forms, both rudimentary and advanced, also help students acquire self defense skills for practial use in the street. Kenpo students will learn the long bow, the short bow, the Chinese Broad Sword, the si, and the N.C.'s. Of these, the long and short bows are the most practical for street use. Why, becasue if you are attacked on the street, and you find yourself looking around for some type of weapon to aid in your survival, almost anything could substitute or suffice for a bow. It could be a piece of wood, a broken broom handle, and tree branch; almost anything. Whereas, being able to find a Chinese Broad Sword lying on the street is quite remote, obviously.

So, once more, you can see how Kenpo teaches practicality with regard to self defense. It does not waste time exposing new students to overly complicated techniques that only work in Hollywood films. Nor, does it narrowly focus upon kicks, reverse motion, supple fluency, or powerful stances, while ignoring everything else. There is a time and place for all of those wonderful maneuvers. And, they can all work if applied properly, in the proper situations. However, a student needs to learn the whole art, not just a portion of it. That is what separates Kenpo from all the rest.

In conclusion, all forms of the Martial Arts have something to give, yes. That is definitely true. However, Kenpo has, by far, the most to give, and is the best form of self defense.

Learn more about this author, TIMOTHY J. THOMPSON.

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