Bowley Kenpo Karate » Entries tagged with "videos"
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
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
Our Sparring Class Examples
Sparring class is an important (and fun) part of our school, and each month we try to have 2 classes independent of the regular curriculum classes. For our school, it usually means one Wednesday evening and one Saturday morning with each about an hour and a half long. A typical class has everyone on the mat doing a 1 or 2 minute warm up round with each other student (kids and adults) focusing on getting loose and making light contact. We go over the goals for the class, which recently have been move in and move out, throwing more than single or double attacks, and zone blocking. After the warm up rounds, we move to 2 rings and keep the matches going. Based on who and how many have come … Read entire article »
Filed under: Sparring
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
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
Sparring Multiple Attackers – Videos
Sparring with multiple opponents is a drill you begin to practice further down your path as a martial artist. Ideally, you should first be comfortable with your skill to defend yourself one-on-one before moving to two-on-one and three-on-one. When you’re ready though, these drills provide a huge adrenaline rush. Remember though, this type of fighting is a drill. In a fight-or-flight scenario, fighting multiple opponents is almost always a no-win situation. The longer you engage multiple attackers, the larger the likelihood of getting injured. Your goal is to survive long enough to flee. When the opening is available to escape, take it. Some of the items we work on when we practice this type of sparring: Keep moving. Try not to get backed into a corner or trapped between attackers. Grab an opponent … Read entire article »
Filed under: At Disciple Martial Arts, Sparring
FPS – First Person Sparring Videos
One of the keys to fully understanding martial arts, like Kenpo, is to observe and learn from all three points of view. The view points are yours, your opponent’s, and the bystander (third person) watching both. Using video of your sparring sessions is a great way to improve your skills. You can see how you performed and consider alternatives of what to do in the future. A difficulty though is while you’re sparring, you are in … Read entire article »
Filed under: Sparring
