is this fast? why?

good kenpo-meaning Parker/Tracy, not to be confused with Villari offshoots etc, is something to see. Yes, it is fast and someo of the guys who've put in the time are very, very fast and powerful. There is alot of body connection going on. Sure, it's cooperative, but he is also isolating specific techniques as well. Most kenpo techniques are done in rapid-fire, with one hand always checking the opponent,each strike creating a body reponse(strike to groin doubles him over for the upward knee strike to the face, or downward strike to base of skull, etc)so it's not the"guy stands there like a statue while you do your dance of death technique" The stomps,slaps, etc are not all show and no go, but methods of creating a quick body response within yourself to either drop your weight into a strike,or ricochette off your body to create a rapid acceleration iinto the strike. Weird stuff, that Kenpo. William Kwai-Sun Chow, the founder is said to have learned first from his father Chow Hoon a Southern Siu-Lum system, before combining it with more linear Karate techniques he garnered from James Mitose. It seems to have elements of Hung-Ga mostly, with bits from Fukien, CLF (many sow choy,gwa,charp,etc)as well as Hawaiian Lua and Fillippino. Not bad stuff.

“	good kenpo-meaning Parker/Tracy	”

...........................?

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Rock On!
Cam
"Raise up your mind....."

Chow taught Ed Parker,who taught Jim and Al Tracy. This was in the 50's and 60's.
Parker turned out some outstanding guys-Tatum, McSweeny,Trejo, etc

Not many people teaching Chinese Hawaiian kempo these days, and what is taught has been watered down mixed with other things or just poorly done.

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If the road that you are on brought you here then what good is the road?

“	Parker turned out some outstanding guys-Tatum, McSweeny,Trejo, etc	”

Define "outstanding".....

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Cam
"Raise up your mind....."

as opposed to inside and sitting.
Where ya goin with this? Don't beat around the bush, out with it. You have twenty odd years in MA and now coach MMA, so you've been around the block. It would be interesting to hear from a non-TMA perspective-especially someone who is not young and naieve. What are your views?

“	as opposed to inside and sitting.	”

Oh, OK. I thought you had intended it to mean something else.

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Rock On!
Cam
"Raise up your mind....."

I dont think I have seen anything in this kempo that i woud associate with hung family arts. Though southern family hakk type influence seems there use use of the body for short range power. I would say someone back in that lineage had Southern short fist training. I dont think it came from the Mitose Line.

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One hit, see blood.

It's not enough to just not get hit

well, since I have over twenty years in Hung, and used to teach Kenpo, I might have a more experienced eye for it than you. There are definately many "Hung-isms" in the older kenpo techniques, some of which are verbatum out of the forms. There also has been much cross pollenation between styles, so many elements are present.
Mitose seems to have very little influence on earlier Kenpo, Chow being the main source.
Ed Parker said in his "Infinite Insights to Kenpo" books that there was a time that Mitose came and visited his school, and demonstrated some technique. Parker and his Black belts were quite perplexed as Mitose's technique contained none of the circular fluidity that Chow had, and many movementys left him in vulnerable posityions in relation to his opponent.

thats why I said "in this kempo " I have seen some of the older stuff from the island. Its's quite different.

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One hit, see blood.

It's not enough to just not get hit

yeah, I hear ya. I don't wanna open up a can of worms, but since Chow died, people have been coming out of the woodwork making all sorts of claims. Since I don't teach kenpo anymore,not since the early 80's, I am out of the loop anyway. But some of the recent incarnations turn my stomach.

Parker huh? No mention of Emperado in this kempo conversation?

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It's all about the nitty gritty.......

“	Originally Posted By: jawsman Parker huh? No mention of Emperado in this kempo conversation?	”

LOL! You mean the guy that started it in Hawaii ?

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Hawaii? I didnt know anything about Hawaiian Kenpo..or Kempo..or whatever. It is offered at one of the schools I am looking to going to. An American MA?

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Man for Sale: House-broken, current vaccinations, almost never humps your leg.

Prof. Chow is a distant relative of mine, and he used to come hang out with my current Sifu back in the day, quite a character from what i gather...
Not one to be messed with either....

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