It’s a two person drill with one person holding a set of focus mitts and the other acting as the striker. We run through the drill where each person goes 10 times each on base and opposite side.

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• The partners face each other in a closed stance situation. We usually start left neutral bow to left neutral bow.
• The pad holder has the focus mitts in position with the back hand by the face and the front hand down, turned to the side, and just past the ribs.
• The striker starts the drill with a hit from a rear hand punch to the focus mitt by the pad holder’s head. Remember to turn the hips generating power through torque.
• The pad holder will emulate a rear hand strike, the striker will duck their head away from the punch, and the pad holder will tap the striker on rear shoulder with a pad.
• The striker will throw a front hand hook punch to the low mitt.
• Immediately following, the striker will stand back up and throw a rear hand punch to the mitt back by the pad holders head.
• The striker will move their back foot up the circle until they are in a perpendicular position to the pad holder’s centerline. At the same time, the pad holder will bring their front hand pad up near their head.
• The striker will hit with a front hand, rear hand combination to the pad holder’s front hand mitt.
• The pad holder will move their back foot so they are again back in line with the striker, resetting the drill.
• Repeat with each person being the striker and pad holder, on both base and opposite sides.

With this karate drill, we discuss how striking power is generated, foot positioning, managing distance, fluidity, and much more. It’s a good drill which gets much faster with practice and familiarity with your partner.

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Sam Bowley

Bowley Kenpo Karate

Kenpo Karate for McKinney, TX

So the meme’s below are our shot at adding a little humor (we’re being very generous with the term “humor”) to Kenpo training. Hat tip to Mr. Dennis Conatser for the Delayed Sword Meme. That’s all his and was blatantly stolen from his Facebook Wall. The second meme “What I really do” was found on the internet. The rest were created using meme generator.

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Sam Bowley

Bowley Kenpo Karate

Kenpo Karate for McKinney, TX

Allison vs Luke at Bowley Kenpo Karate. Both age 8 and testing for their 2nd purple stripe on this evening.

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Serra sparring with some of the students at Disciple Martial Arts in Edmond, OK. All the students she sparred in this video were testing that day.

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Allison vs Nate at Bowley Kenpo Karate during Allison’s 2nd purple stripe test. Brother vs Sister.

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Luke vs Nate at Bowley Kenpo Karate during Luke’s 2nd purple stripe test.

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Sam Bowley

Bowley Kenpo Karate

Kenpo Karate for McKinney, TX

In recent years I’ve had the opportunity to participate in three tests where someone was testing for their black belt. One of them was my own. Each of these tests was at Brian Duffy’s Kenpo School in Austin Texas, and they’ve all had a number of similar characteristics. The tests were attached to the annual Spirit Camp weekend, usually performed on Friday night before the Saturday seminars. It’s generally a 3 to 4 hour test with portions for reciting all the pledges, demonstrating forms, working techniques, and sparring.

Post test at Spirit Camp 2011

In 2010, while testing for my third degree brown belt, there were three people testing that same night for their first degree black belt: Mr. Ray Gilbert, Mr. Colin Duffy, and Mr. Todd Agers. That night there or 9 or 10 of us testing. The testing board included Mr. Duffy, Mr. Dennis Conatser, and a number of Mr. Duffy’s other black belts. Before the test began, my brown belt thesis was submitted. We did all the forms through Long 3, a few of the sets, techniques in the air, then techniques on a body (base and opposite side). We probably did 75 to 80 techniques, chosen across the belt charts but with a heavy emphasis on the front part of the curriculum. Before sparring, we did Bull-in-the-ring, without pads, and it got pretty intense. Sparring consisted of rotating one-on-one matches. The testers for Black Belt also each fought a two-on-one match. Afterwards they then did Long Form 4. Biggest memory of that test was the look on their faces when Mr. Conatser asked them to do Long 4 on opposite side. All three black belt testers were presented with their belts at the conclusion of the evening.

In 2011 there was a total of four of us testing. Mr. John Guzman was going for his first degree black belt. I was testing for my first degree brown belt. The testing board including Mr. Duffy, Mr. Conatser, Mr. Ray McCallum, and a number of Mr. Duffy’s black belts who were not testing. Similar to the prior year’s exam, we did forms & sets, techniques, and sparring. Again, we did about 70 techniques, though this time we did them all via technique line on base and opposite sides. Forms were done all the way through Long Form 3 with many sets sprinkled in. Sparring matches for Mr. Guzman and myself included 3 one-on-one’s, a two-on-one, and a three-on-one. We were almost completely dead-on-our-feet as we waited for the testing board to discuss our performances.

In 2012 there were just three of us testing. I was going through my first degree black belt, Mr. Wilson, my instructor, was going for his second degree as was Mr. Jason Bugg. The testing board included Mr. Duffy, Mr. Bob White, and Mr. John Sepulveda , as well as a number of Mr. Duffy’s other black belts. Like prior years, we did 70 to 80 techniques via technique line on base and opposite side. Forms and sets were done through Long Form 4, including our personal forms. Mr. Wilson and Mr. Bugg did Long Form 5 as well. Sparring matches consisted of 3 one-on-one matches, 2 two-on-one matches, and 2 three-on-one matches. Mr. Wilson and Mr. Bugg did one less three-on-one, but did a team sparring match. That was a crazy match to watch. Though I didn’t pass this test, I still felt it was the best I’d done at a test, especially the sparring portion.

This is what we did at each exam. How did it feel during the test? In a single word, Intense. Even though you may be on the mat with your martial arts family, these experiences can be daunting. All eyes are watching, and it’s the focal point for months or years of training. The gravity of the moment is immense. A secondary description would be Humbling. These tests are designed to push you to your limit and then push you further. It can come mentally through the stamina of sustained performance or physically grinding through sparring. But it doesn’t come free, and you’re a stronger person for it.

When it’s done, new rank or not, you understand a lot more about yourself. Maybe it’s understanding what you need to work on next. Perhaps it’s pride in seeing what you’ve accomplished.

In the comments below, please share your martial arts testing experiences.

Sam Bowley

Bowley Kenpo Karate

Kenpo Karate for McKinney, TX

3 Words for 2012

How did last year’s 3 words wind up?

Grow - Our school added a student. (Positive Growth) The students grew beyond their boundaries and achieved recognition with new rank. (Positive Growth) Memories were grown as were new friendships and experiences. The table is set for continued growth for 2013.

Content - The content goal had two portions. The first was to find captivating stories from other martial artists. To this end, 2012 was great having attend seminars from some of the all time Kenpo greats. The second goal was to include great content in class and share it through the blog. Readership for the website seemed to increase steadily through the year, so looks good there as well.

Consistent - Consistency was certainly up and down for 2012. Classes occurred regularly, and the students attended regularly. Everyone’s spirits remained upbeat and progressive. All good things. Blog publishing was sporadic, averaging closer to 2 posts per month than 4 over the last half of the year. Room for continued improvement.

3 Words for 2013:

Health - When the 3 words for 2013 were being brainstormed, Health seemed fitting as a reminder to slow down and let injuries heal without rushing back too soon. But 2013 seemed to hammer that concept home with a nagging stomach virus lasting most of the month of January. Mental, physical, and spiritual health are the pillars holding the body up. When even one falters, the whole structure collapses. Care must be given to health at all times.

Balance - Keeping your knees bent contributes to better balance while on your feet. This could certainly be a metaphor for life off the mat as well. Balance between training and family time, between work and play, between personal and professional growth.

Roots - Roots provide a tree with stability, nourishment, and a strong foundation. So too do basics and understanding of core principles in martial arts. As do family and friends in everyday life. Feeding them regularly will be a major focus this year.

Health, Balance, and Roots will be the underlying themes for growth in 2013. How about you? What are your three words this year?

Sam Bowley
Bowley Kenpo Karate
McKinney, TX

These are the top 10 blog posts published in 2012 on www.bowleykenpokarate.com as determined by the number of readers for each post.

10 – Blood, Loyalty, and Family – “Blood makes you related. Loyalty makes you family.” is a saying relevant in daily life and the martial arts community.

9 – My Green Belt Test – Guest Bowley Kenpo Karate blog post by Serra telling the tale of her Junior Green Belt test.

8 – How Young Should Kids Start Karate – Kids can really benefit from starting martial arts at an early age. How early they should begin depends upon the instructor and parent’s expectations.

7 – Pickpockets in Rome -A lesson-learned tale of martial arts training helping to avoid pickpockets while in Rome, Italy.

6 – Brown Belt Thesis -This is the brown belt thesis Sam Bowley submitted to Mr. Brian Duffy in October 2010 for his 3rd degree brown belt test.

5 – Kenpo Senior Conference Reflections – A few thoughts on the Kenpo Senior Conference from Austin, Texas in October 2012.

4 – Review: Empty Hand the Real Karate Kids Movie -A review of Empty Hand The Real Karate Kids movie

3 – Karate Drills The Technique Line – The technique line drill helps you to develop the skills of coordination, manipulation, and intent.

2 – Karate Drills Bad Guy Won’t Die – Bad Guy Won’t Die is a karate drill where students string together techniques against an opponent who won’t seem to stay down.

1 – 5 Karate Drills to Practice at Home – The majority of practice repetitions should be done outside of class. Here are 5 drill ideas to work on at home.

Which post was your favorite? Please share your thoughts in the comments below or on your favorite social network.

Sam Bowley
Bowley Kenpo Karate
McKinney, TX

Kids at our school

My perspective this weekend has been a little different. Teaching 6 year olds about martial arts is a major driving factor in my life. But this horrible tragedy has been a harsh reminder there is only so much a 6 year old can do against a 20 year old. Size does matter sometimes. And even the most hardened, experienced martial artist has problems with unarmed versus armed (heavily armed). My thoughts have dwelled on, how do we teach for these instances? I still don’t know.

Maybe the biggest contribution we can make is to the kids already in class and the new ones coming. We can show them how much they are loved and appreciated. Help guide them to be better people. Learning self defense will be the vessel to build strong, moral character. And hopefully the kids (our kids) won’t become the perpetuator of the next horrific headline.

It’s naivety to believe this will work all the time and for every student. For all we know, the school attacker could have been in martial arts as a kid too. But if this lesson teaches us nothing else, protection is more than just fighting back. Protection is also about being a good person. As teachers, as parents, as people, how can we do any less than this for our students?

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Sam Bowley
McKinney, TX

If your read no further into this post, the quick takeaway is Empty Hand The Real Karate Kids is a very good movie for the casual fan and also a must-watch for any dedicated karate practitioner.

Empty Hand The Real Karate Kids

The movie is a documentary, filmed in 2009, following 4 martial artists and their families as they prepare for a world championship tournament in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. You are exposed to their backgrounds, training habits, motivations, and most importantly, their determination. For many people who’ve competed in tournaments, you know how much you have to practice leading up to the event. But for those who’ve never competed, this movie demonstrates the level if commitment and mental fortitude necessary to compete at one of the highest levels.

The tournament life isn’t for everyone and likely isn’t a primary reason people come to the martial arts, but for those who are thinking seriously about competition, this movie is great. To be the best isn’t easy, but if you want it bad enough, you can do amazing things. The kids in Empty Hand exemplify that.

One of the things that attracted our attention to the film, besides the subject matter, was how the movie wasn’t originally available for home watching. The producers used screenings as fund raisers for local dojos and tournaments. It has only recently been available for purchase. The producers’ dedication to helping the martial arts community grow, regardless of style or discipline, is very much respected.

I highly recommend watching the film and expect we’ll be loaning out our copy often. You can follow updates on this movie and their other documentaries on the Empty Hand the Movie Facebook page.

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Sam Bowley
McKinney, TX

All of the Kenpo Senior Conference instructors

There were a variety of classes on Friday night taught by some of the chief lieutenants under each of the senior instructors. The four Senior Instructors each taught on Saturday followed by two classes on Sunday, also from top students. It was very much information overload (in a good way) but here are just a few thoughts and non-technical takeaways from the classes that we attended. Technical information is being integrated into our regular school practice.

Friday Classes:

Mr. Steve White, 8th degree – Kenpo counters to common grappling attacks – This was our first exposure to Mr. White, and the energy he brings to the mat was contagious. We spent an hour moving to-grappling and out-of-grappling situations within the technique of Five Swords. It was tremendous fun but the teaching style of Mr. White was money in the bank. We will definitely make every effort to try to train with Mr. White again.

Mr. Glenn Haley, 4th degree – 2nd Point of View where the Opponent is a grappler – Having trained alongside Mr. Haley before at some of Mr. Duffy‘s Spirit Camps, this was the first time to be taught by Mr. Haley in a class. Let me tell you, he is as good as advertised. His background in multi-discipline training always related back to Kenpo. The premise was learning how grapplers think so Kenpoists can better know how to counter the attack. The drills were very well done. Mr. Haley is another instructor who, if teaching, we will try to be there.

Mr. Bruce Meyer, 6th degree – Teaching Children – Mr. Myers perspective on teaching children very much echoes my own. A martial arts instructor is absolutely in character development mode for teaching children because most of society isn’t going to do it. Just thought that for young children in martial arts instructor has a very good chance of becoming a childhood hero is a deep thought that you need a lot of consideration given more responsibility to protect.

The martial artists at the Kenpo Senior Conference

Saturday Classes:

Mr. John Sepulveda, 9th degree – Variable Expansion – We were fortunate with two opportunities to train with Mr. Sepulveda last month. In each class he really pushed us to think beyond what the techniques are and delve more into what could come next. It was both fun and eye-opening to transform hard-hitting techniques into brutal devastation.

Mr. Lee Wedlake, 9th degree – Principles of Instructing – Mr. Wedlake is sought after to teach seminars worldwide, so he knows a thing or two about how to get the most out of people through instruction. Even if you’re already incorporating most of his suggested methodologies into your teaching practices, it always helps to have it regularly refreshed and become top of mind. His statement of “there’s a way to say something to get the best out of someone through coaching and a way to not say something because it can crush their spirit” really hit home. It’s a concept which should be practiced constantly.

Mr. Bob White, 9th degree – Closing the Gap/Technique Entries – Like Mr. Sepulveda, this was my second opportunity to train with Mr. White in a month. It’s extremely easy to become infected with his enthusiasm and passion for karate. All instructors should aspire to teach as he does. We all loved his equation of “basics plus conditioning plus unity equals success”. Unity refers to your family, people you associate with, training partners, classmates, and organization. The brotherhood of who you associate with plays a critical role in your opportunity for success; in every aspect of your life, not just Kenpo.

Mr. Stephen LaBounty, 9th degree – Rough and Tumble strike-downs and wind-downs – Sigung LaBounty was as memorable as advertised in articulation, humor, intensity, and being the teacher of teachers. He demanded we practice with the intensity as if we needed it for a real-life situation. But that intensity was leveled out with humor and an overwhelming caring that we and what we were doing absolutely mattered. He is a natural leader, and it’s easy to see why so many seek out his counsel and advice.

Sunday Classes:

My daughter and I with the Senior Instructors

Mr. Tommy Burks, 8th degree – 2 man knife drills – in a weekend deemed with practice like you would use the training, knife fighting is no joke. Mr. Burks prediction that if you get into a knife fight, you’re probably going to get cut, hits home profoundly. I also agree with his assessment that kids and under belts should not start training with a knife until at a maturity level to handle it.

Mr. Thomas Kozitsky, 5th degree – Footwork – Mr. Kozitsky took a few “trouble” techniques built around the seven step, and we worked through them to firmly establish our base. When you have a solid foundation in your stance, tricky footwork is much easier to accomplish.

One other story about the senior instructors and the power of a name. When you train with people you admire it easy to put them on a pedestal. These senior instructors certainly qualified in that regard. So when they recognize you and address you by your first name, especially in a crowd of many, it makes you feel good. All four senior instructors (independent of each other) recognized my instructor, Damian Wilson, and called him by his first name. It’s absolutely put him on cloud nine and made his weekend. Food for thought for those who are teachers (or those who aspire to be teachers) in addressing your students, acquaintances, or even coworkers.

This was the type of event where, if you let it, it made you not only a better martial artist, but a better person. Wherever or whenever this event happens, every Kenpoist should make the effort to participate and absorb as much as possible.

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Sam Bowley
McKinney, TX

Nate performing Long Form 1 during his test.

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 himself. Here are some of my favorite things about watching Nate learn Kenpo…It is somewhat self- pacing and individual, yet there is a family like support system that surrounds him. It is like having many mentors! He watches others meet their goals and it motivates him, but more importantly techniques/forms get modeled for him over and over by those around him. It gives him a sense of belonging and inclusion. Unlike many sports, progress is measurable with belts and stripes. – He can “see” goals that are tangible. Lastly, the sport engages his mind and his body, even more than most sports, the techniques and forms require a high level of concentration and focus. I know these points are helpful for everyone, but I think these things are even more important and valued for kids with special challenges.

I just got off thinking about all this. I hope you don’t mind me sharing my thoughts.

Blessings,
Kim

The smile says it all.

Through all the drills and technique work, sometimes it’s easy to lose track of the fact not everyone takes martial arts for self-defense training. Some people, like Nate, are here for other reasons. Martial arts training can be so much more than just knowing how to protect yourself in a fight or flight situation.

Nate also serves as a reminder for us all, that each student should not be compared/graded/judged only against their peers but (more importantly) against themselves. Sure, we have a common curriculum which everyone learns, but how each student improves inside the curriculum is the true measure of their progress. The Art is designed to be tailored for each body type, skill set, and individual capability.

Nate, his brother, and his sister have been training in our studio for over a year now. Prior to that they had trained with my instructor in Edmond, Oklahoma. (The Kenpo is strong with their family.) It was a blessing when they moved and joined our school. I hope every karate school has their version of Nate. He serves as a great example of the joy that comes from sharing the Art.

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Sam Bowley
McKinney, TX