Kenpo Karate: In Regards to Art

Every martial art is special... Does that sound as cheesy to you as it does to me? Regardless, every martial art, whether it be kenpo karate or kung fu, brings something good to the table. But what is also created when a martial artist begins to learn a way is an integration of personality and art.

Every martial artist is different. This goes primarily to body type. Usually big martial artists are strong and built to take a hit, whereas smaller martial artist are more agile and have to be more precise in their targets.

This is not a rule, however. At my school, my master loved jumping kicks. Being a big kid, I wasn't great at them, but as I grew up in the school, I became much more agile than I would had I not had to do all those jumping kicks.

Each master teaches skills to what they excel at, that is why so many schools are broken off and also why so many arts teach different techniques. This is not to say that kenpo karate and kung fu are the same but rehashed arts. Every art has it's home, but every master makes it their own and in turn teaches their pupils the techniques and skills they excel at as well as the skills they not excel at, giving more emphasis on their own style.

This is good because every artist is different. My school loved kicks, however I was more into punching and hand techniques. Therefore, hand techniques are a strong center in my art. I still know the kicks and can perform some of the more advanced techniques, however I preferred to keep my legs grounded at the time.

This was strictly because (and here I am, handing out my darkest secrets) I believed that kicking was like handing your foot to your opponent.This is erroneous in the fact the same can be said for a hand, but loosing your balance and falling to the ground could lead to loss--depending on your confidence in the grappling arts.

This comes to my next point: whatever art you study, it is important to remember that it is only a foundation art. Foundation art meaning it is the art that sets the ground for further study. Study all arts and learn the weaknesses and strengths. Continue until you are confident in your ability completely. That is the Way.