Bowley Kenpo Karate » Archive
When do you start teaching?
During a recent Kenpo class, one of the students asked “When do you start teaching?” The girl who asked is a pretty sharp 12 year old. She clarified to mean do all black belts teach or learn to teach. At the time of this writing, I’m not yet a black belt, but have been teaching for a while at our school because Kenpo is something I’m very passionate about. Students learn best from people who … Read entire article »
Filed under: Personal Stories, Philosophy
Kenpo Lessons Sink In
The other night, while driving home from the movies, my oldest daughter and I saw an electronic billboard on the side of the highway. The sign had been updated to say a child had been kidnapped in our home town of McKinney, Texas earlier in the day. The description of the car and license plate were also listed. My daughter, age 13, asked why would someone kidnap a child. She was clearly rattled by the situation. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Personal Stories
Kenpo Bucket List
After a recent sparring class, Mr. Wilson, a few fellow Kenpoists, and I were discussing upcoming seminars we would like to attend. Mr. Wilson and I shared the wisdom Mr. Duffy had imparted us many times: Go attend as many seminars as you can. Learn from as many people as you can. You never know when a different instructor, presenting material you may have heard before, is going to present that material in a new way, … Read entire article »
Filed under: Personal Stories, Philosophy
Testing Your Limit
Our school and the Kenpo sister schools we associate with are part of a pretty great Kenpo organization. Specifically when it comes to testing. It’s very rare to fail a test now. If your instructor doesn’t believe you’re ready, you aren’t even asked test. Don’t confuse this with meaning the tests are easy or full of sunshine and rainbows. You’re tested alright, but on something deeper than just curriculum. Because tests occur so infrequently, they provide … Read entire article »
Filed under: Belt Promotion, Philosophy, School Information
Trying new sparring styles
During a recent Saturday sparring class at our school, we were visited by Mr. Johnny Guzman, a black belt from Mr. Duffy’s Kenpo school in Austin. He fought all of us with a sparring style I hadn’t seen before. Mr. Guzman would stay in a much closer range then you’d traditionally see, and he’d keep his front hand or forearm pressed against his opponent’s front arm. It acted as almost a radar, measuring the distance between him and his opponent. If the opponent moved to go right, he’d slip his front hand in for a quick rib shot. If the opponent moved to the left, it acted as a trigger, allowing him to move toward the opponent’s center line. It was pretty interesting to watch (and feel), and I began … Read entire article »
Filed under: At Disciple Martial Arts, Sparring
