Bowley Kenpo Karate » Belt Promotion
Kids Karate Sparring March 2013
March has been a testing season both at our school and also at Disciple Martial Arts in Edmond, OK. All the students testing did fantastic. Below are a few of the sparring videos captured during the exams. (The headgear has been equipped with a GoPro camera.) Allison vs Luke at Bowley Kenpo Karate. Both age 8 and testing for their 2nd purple stripe on this evening. Serra sparring with some of the students at Disciple Martial Arts … Read entire article »
Filed under: Belt Promotion, Sparring
What’s a Black Belt Test Like?
A frequent question from coworkers and friends, what is a karate test like? What’s a black belt test like? Most other hobbies, extracurricular activities, or even passions don’t have a similar evaluation system built in as martial arts does. There is a certain “mystique” to what people believe about karate exams. What follows are stories of my experiences. Keep in mind, other martial arts styles, other schools, even other instructors could do their testing differently. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Belt Promotion, Personal Stories, Sparring
Kenpo – From the eyes of a parent
Last weekend our school had its quarterly’s karate test. One of our students, Nate, earned his second junior blue stripe. In response to pictures of the test being in our weekly newsletter, we received this email from Nate’s mother. Sam, Just reading your newsletter and thinking that you should write something about how people (like Nate) with different/varying abilities can be successful in Kenpo. You do an awesome job with Nate and he is so proud of … Read entire article »
Filed under: Belt Promotion, Personal Stories
Black Belt Thesis: How Blogging Can Help a Karate School Grow
Like the Brown Belt Thesis post, this is a long article. You’ve been warned. I tested for my Black Belt recently. Though I didn’t pass (this time), and have further improvements to make, this is the Black Belt thesis I submitted. Each martial artist in Kenpo is tasked with creating a black belt thesis to show what they can give back to the art. The topics are far reaching and can cover anything. The goal of mine … Read entire article »
Filed under: Belt Promotion, Philosophy, School Information
Karate Drills: Bad Guy Won’t Die
One of the karate drills we like to use, especially for belt and stripe tests, is Bad Guy Won’t Die. In this exercise, students run a series of back-to-back techniques against an opponent who won’t seem to stay down. Usually it’s 5 techniques strung together, though for higher ranks 10 is good too. We’ve found, kids work their techniques better on adults due to being able to hit harder (hitting with intent). In Kenpo karate, students testing for intermediate and advanced belt ranks are often asked to create their own forms built from techniques. These are techniques each student has created. Bad Guy Won’t Die is a good precursor to that concept. While it isn’t technically a form, students begin to see how one technique can flow into another, especially when … Read entire article »
Filed under: At Disciple Martial Arts, Belt Promotion
My Green Belt Test
My daughter, Serra, age 13 has been doing Kenpo with me since she just turning 10. Serra learns in our school, helps teach the kids class, and has trained (and sparred) with most of the black belts in Mr. Duffy’s American Kenpo Federation. She’s worked hard and has developed into her own martial artist. Back in November 2011, she tested for her Junior Green Belt under Mr. Damian Wilson. For a school paper this year, … Read entire article »
Filed under: At Disciple Martial Arts, Belt Promotion, Personal Stories
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
Brown Belt Thesis
Fair warning up front, this is a long post. For my 3rd degree brown belt test in October 2010, Mr. Brian Duffy asked me to write a Brown Belt Thesis. The purpose behind the thesis, and the subsequent one necessary for black belt, should be what you can offer the Art. While I don’t believe there is a requirement for the length of the thesis, it should be long enough to convey the point adequately. My … Read entire article »
Filed under: Belt Promotion, Personal Stories
Karate Drill: Defending the Line
For each Kenpo karate belt and/or stripe test in our AKF organization, there is sparring involved. Usually it’s the last part of the test and lasts 45 minutes to an hour. The opening sparring portion is traditionally one-on-one matches with the goal being to see good movement, use of the basics, and solid technique incorporation. The last portion is designed to raise it up a notch and find the top end point for each person. The method used most often right now, especially for the kids, is the drill Defending the Line. The person being tested has a point on the mat they need to defend, usually it’s a piece of tape: The Line. On the other end of the mat are 4 or 5 other students. One at a time, … Read entire article »
Filed under: Belt Promotion, Sparring
Demos and Sparring at Disciple Martial Arts Fall Festival
In early November, a few students of Bowley Kenpo Karate participated in demos at the Disciple Martial Arts Fall Festival. It’s a great event we are thrilled to support. Kids and adults did a mix of forms and “Bad Guy Won’t Die” techniques. The night prior to the demo was a belt test for all the junior students. Following are a few videos from the demo. The first video shows all the junior students doing Short Form 2, Long Form 1, Short Form 1, and Linear Short Form 1 choreographed together. In this video, adults as attackers where the kids have to do 5 techniques. The drill is called “Bad Guy Won’t Die” and each student was able to chose their techniques. The next video is the adults doing 5 techniques in “Bad Guy … Read entire article »
Filed under: At Disciple Martial Arts, Belt Promotion, Sparring
