| Kempo Defense Systems ~ Frequently Asked Questions |
:: Kempo Defense Systems ::
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What is your lineage?
We claim no lineage, we learned our Kempo from various local area schools. Most recently we are students of
Master Amarone, he is a 6th degree master of the Art, and he has a school in North Haven. K.D.S. is not affiliated
with his or any other school, and we don’t teach the same brand of Kempo that we are students of.
How long will it take for me to get a Black Belt?
I know people who have dedicated their lives to the Martial Arts and never achieved the rank of Black Belt, and I
know people who have Black Belts that shouldn't have one. At Kempo Defense Systems, come to class and work
hard. Learn the lessons taught and the practical applications; learn the theories and physics of Momentum and its
conservation, circular motion, collisional energy as they apply to Kempo. This will take some time, more than a
couple years and less than a lifetime. If Black Belt is your chosen destination and the focal point of your training, be
careful not to miss the journey. Rather than focus on something that is tangible, the belt. Focus on the path that
brings you there, showing up, training hard, and becoming a martial artist. Anyone can earn a black belt; the world
is full of them, but to become a black belt, that’s a completely different goal.
I quit my last school because I watched people get promoted that weren't as good as I was. Is this going
to happen to me at Kempo Defense Systems?
Welcome to the inequities of the world. Rather than judge a peer and hold them to your benchmark for excellence,
judge only yourself. Strive to be and achieve all that you can become. Your abilities may be less than or more than
the person next to you in class, our journey through the martial arts is unique and shared with no one else. Our
failures become our most valuables lessons, our victories are to be won and not revisited. Humility, not egotism is
the path of the warrior, the scholar, and the sage. If we choose not to contend, then and only then can no one hold
us in contention.
I went to a school and they placed a strong emphasis on forms, I think forms are a waste of time. Do you
teach forms at Kempo Defense?
Forms are a very important part of training in the Martial Arts. Forms are a completely useless part of training in the
Martial Arts. Both statements are true depending on your ability to understand and comprehend what it is the form
is an interpretation of. If you learn a form in its entirety, and you've not been taught why the movements are as
such, then you've wasted your time. If you've learned a form in its entirety, then you have a complete understanding
of the stances and why they are important, the transitions and how they help you to achieve efficiency in motion, the
blocks and strikes and how they cause the most collisional energy, and proper kicking techniques, the set up and
the delivery. Forms are a representation of all things necessary to achieve perfection in form and expression as a
Martial Artist. Form is like reading for comprehension, if you understand the individual elements of the form, you will
be able to understand the language that is Kempo.
I watched a couple of classes, and can’t figure out why people step and punch in for their opponent to
practice their techniques. No one fights like this.
You are absolutely correct, no one fights like this. If I rained down punches on my student, they would never learn
anything except how to retreat with a black eye or a broken nose. That being said let me explain why we train
unrealistically when we learn a technique. When we do our techniques on a partner, we need to first learn the
mechanics of that technique with full range of motion, this will seem cumbersome and ineffective, but this is a
learning tool. After we learn the mechanics, we will learn the dynamics of the technique, what makes it work, and
what makes it ineffective, the physics of what we are doing. Then we learn the critical distance or what our body
position needs to be in reference to our opponents in order for our technique to work. We will practice this until we
completely understand what we are doing, then and only then will this technique work from a fighter’s delivery of a
combination of punches. Basically, students need to learn to walk before they can run, If you possess cat like
reflexes and the ability to strike with perfect mechanics, we can skip this part of your training, but until then, we train
slow at first then we pick up speed.
What makes your school better than the Kempo School down the street?
There are no superior Martial Arts. Not all Forms of Karate are Martial in nature. Some sporting arts and
tournament arts are very effective forms of self defense. Our school is different than any other school, not better
but different. What makes us different, we've taken a Martial Art and that has roots back to the Shaolin Temple,
and we teach it scientifically with modern day application. We do not promote you unless you are confident and
competent. We are not arrogant, we are humble. If you train with us, you become a member of our family. If you
want a complete understanding of the Martial Art of Kempo Karate, you must train with an instructor that allows you
to question what it is you are learning. Boxing, Ju Jitsu, unarmed fighting skills, this is Kempo, this is what we live,
this is what we teach.
We claim no lineage, we learned our Kempo from various local area schools. Most recently we are students of
Master Amarone, he is a 6th degree master of the Art, and he has a school in North Haven. K.D.S. is not affiliated
with his or any other school, and we don’t teach the same brand of Kempo that we are students of.
How long will it take for me to get a Black Belt?
I know people who have dedicated their lives to the Martial Arts and never achieved the rank of Black Belt, and I
know people who have Black Belts that shouldn't have one. At Kempo Defense Systems, come to class and work
hard. Learn the lessons taught and the practical applications; learn the theories and physics of Momentum and its
conservation, circular motion, collisional energy as they apply to Kempo. This will take some time, more than a
couple years and less than a lifetime. If Black Belt is your chosen destination and the focal point of your training, be
careful not to miss the journey. Rather than focus on something that is tangible, the belt. Focus on the path that
brings you there, showing up, training hard, and becoming a martial artist. Anyone can earn a black belt; the world
is full of them, but to become a black belt, that’s a completely different goal.
I quit my last school because I watched people get promoted that weren't as good as I was. Is this going
to happen to me at Kempo Defense Systems?
Welcome to the inequities of the world. Rather than judge a peer and hold them to your benchmark for excellence,
judge only yourself. Strive to be and achieve all that you can become. Your abilities may be less than or more than
the person next to you in class, our journey through the martial arts is unique and shared with no one else. Our
failures become our most valuables lessons, our victories are to be won and not revisited. Humility, not egotism is
the path of the warrior, the scholar, and the sage. If we choose not to contend, then and only then can no one hold
us in contention.
I went to a school and they placed a strong emphasis on forms, I think forms are a waste of time. Do you
teach forms at Kempo Defense?
Forms are a very important part of training in the Martial Arts. Forms are a completely useless part of training in the
Martial Arts. Both statements are true depending on your ability to understand and comprehend what it is the form
is an interpretation of. If you learn a form in its entirety, and you've not been taught why the movements are as
such, then you've wasted your time. If you've learned a form in its entirety, then you have a complete understanding
of the stances and why they are important, the transitions and how they help you to achieve efficiency in motion, the
blocks and strikes and how they cause the most collisional energy, and proper kicking techniques, the set up and
the delivery. Forms are a representation of all things necessary to achieve perfection in form and expression as a
Martial Artist. Form is like reading for comprehension, if you understand the individual elements of the form, you will
be able to understand the language that is Kempo.
I watched a couple of classes, and can’t figure out why people step and punch in for their opponent to
practice their techniques. No one fights like this.
You are absolutely correct, no one fights like this. If I rained down punches on my student, they would never learn
anything except how to retreat with a black eye or a broken nose. That being said let me explain why we train
unrealistically when we learn a technique. When we do our techniques on a partner, we need to first learn the
mechanics of that technique with full range of motion, this will seem cumbersome and ineffective, but this is a
learning tool. After we learn the mechanics, we will learn the dynamics of the technique, what makes it work, and
what makes it ineffective, the physics of what we are doing. Then we learn the critical distance or what our body
position needs to be in reference to our opponents in order for our technique to work. We will practice this until we
completely understand what we are doing, then and only then will this technique work from a fighter’s delivery of a
combination of punches. Basically, students need to learn to walk before they can run, If you possess cat like
reflexes and the ability to strike with perfect mechanics, we can skip this part of your training, but until then, we train
slow at first then we pick up speed.
What makes your school better than the Kempo School down the street?
There are no superior Martial Arts. Not all Forms of Karate are Martial in nature. Some sporting arts and
tournament arts are very effective forms of self defense. Our school is different than any other school, not better
but different. What makes us different, we've taken a Martial Art and that has roots back to the Shaolin Temple,
and we teach it scientifically with modern day application. We do not promote you unless you are confident and
competent. We are not arrogant, we are humble. If you train with us, you become a member of our family. If you
want a complete understanding of the Martial Art of Kempo Karate, you must train with an instructor that allows you
to question what it is you are learning. Boxing, Ju Jitsu, unarmed fighting skills, this is Kempo, this is what we live,
this is what we teach.
" We train like our life depends on it, because the dangers we face are real!"