Karate to Kenpo – Making the Switch

by Sean Fitzpatrick

Hardly a week goes by at Kenpo Karate Wellington that I do not get at least one enquiry
from a practitioner of a traditional Japanese karate style looking for something new. A
common question that comes up - especially from practitioners of traditional Japanese
styles (such as Kyokushin, Seido or, God forbid, GKR) - is what it is that makes Kenpo so
different from what they themselves practice and if their previous experience will be a
help or a hindrance in taking up Kenpo.
This is a good question and is no doubt stimulated by a recognition that between the
different 'ryu' of Japanese karate there is very little (if anything) to distinguish them
from each other. The basics are identical, they usually teach from the same pool of
Okinawan derived kata and while they do tend to differ most noticeably on what is
allowed in competition, the day to day goings on in the various traditional 'dojo' are
pretty interchangeable.
For a start I should point out that I am someone who spent the first ten years of their
karate training in a traditional system. As such I feel I am in a position to parse out the
basic differences between it and the American Kenpo of Ed Parker and what one can
expect to find while making the switch. My own reasons for making the switch may well
be made obvious within what is written below but for any other traditionalist they need
to find their own reasons for 'jumping the fence'.
Initially there are a few superficial differences that will be immediately obvious; Kenpo
classes are conducted in English and such Japanese cultural elements as Shinto shrines
and hierarchical titles (sempai, sensei, shihan, kancho, kyoshi and so forth) are absent.
These simply reflect the fact that unlike Japanese styles, Kenpo is not aimed at being an
exercise in cultural preservation.
In general, the basics training of Traditional Japanese Karate (TJK) will hold you in good
stead for the first half year or so of training; say up to about orange belt (the second
colour in the system). As in TJK at this level Kenpo mainly focuses on stable stances and
liner motion; things heavily emphasized in Japanese styles.
Beyond this level more circular moves are introduced into the students 'vocabulary of
motion'. More reminiscent of the Chinese kung-fu systems that influenced the
Okinawans in the development of karate, most TJK systems have all but abandoned
circular concepts. It is this balance of circular and linear motion that most characterises
Kenpo in comparison to Japanese styles.
A common analogy is learning to write. When we first pick up a pencil we are taught to
write in print and later to write in script. TJK and Kenpo alike starts the student off, in
a sense, 'printing'. However while the traditionalist is then encouraged to spend the rest
of their life 'perfecting' their printing with ever straighter lines and angles, the Kenpoist
moves onto script - learning to flow seamlessly from one move to the next. Ultimately
one moves on to write in shorthand, where a single, simple move carries a sophisticated
range of meaning.
A major difference is the heavy emphasis on self defence in Kenpo classes. Unlike TJK
styles who trace their roots back to the advent of recreational karate in the early 20th
century, Kenpo maintains it's combative heritage. At every level a major part of the
Kenpo syllabus is the self defence techniques. For the traditionalist accustomed to a
diet of mainly basics repeated ad infinitum, one step sparring and kata but devoid of
practical applications this can be a major but satisfying adjustment.
A common frustration for karate stylists is the need to memorise formal patterns, or
kata, that seem to have no practical value beyond being a requirement for the next belt
test. The formal patterns in Kenpo (sets and forms) by comparison reveal the rationale
of Kenpo study in that every form in Kenpo builds on the information contained in the
previous forms in a logical progression. Traditional forms, or kata, generally involve no
clear progression or even (in many cases) any useful explanation as to what the form
contains or why it is relevant to the student.
In conclusion there is no question that a background in a traditional system can be a
great value when taking up Kenpo from a physical and technical point of view. From the
mental point of view however it can be a help or a hindrance depending on your
attitude. Come along willing and open to the possibility of having the few solid skills
you have so far developed expanded into levels of depth of understanding beyond what
you have grasped so far and a lifetime of exploration and new learning will be your true
satisfaction.
Sean Fitzpatrick

This article first published on the Karate Wellington blog.