Kenpo, which means "law of the fist," is a martial arts technique that focuses on self-defense, according to Kenpo Karate. In practice, Kenpo uses more than just the hands, as elbows, knees and feet are weapons in the defense. Many regard Kenpo as the most realistic combat scenario system for self-defense. Kenpo employs more than 700 self-defense techniques and has an intricate belt system. Some of the more common techniques include grabs, blocks and strikes.
Grabs
In the grab family of Kenpo self-defense, common techniques are the sword and hammer grab for long-range defense and the obscure wing grab for close contact grabs. These techniques are useful if you are grabbed by the shoulder or lapel from the front. If grabbed at the wrist, you can use the gripping talon or the glancing spear. In the sword and hammer and obscure wing, the left hand grabs the shoulder of the opponent. In the gripping talon, the defender advances to the inside of the attacker’s leg and then takes him down. The glancing spear technique involves a retreat to the outside of the attacker’s leg and then a takedown.
Blocks
Blocks in Kenpo self-defense techniques aim not to destroy the attacker but to provide enough force to block the attack and avoid being hit. The goal is to achieve either an angle of incidence, which means you stop the attack, or an angle of deflection, which means you deflect the attack. An upward block creates an angle of deflection to an attack from overhead. A vertical outward block creates an angle of incidence and uses the inside of the arm to block. A downward block defends against a kick to the lower body and ends with a hand strike to the opponent’s leg. A push-down block uses the palm of the hand to push and block an attack.
Strikes and Punches
Strikes in Kenpo are used after an attack and the initial technique to get out of a dangerous situation. Strikes can be thought of as a counterattack. A punch in Kenpo means hitting with the knuckles, while you can perform a strike with any part of the body, including elbows and knees. Punches in Kenpo include uppercuts in which the fist comes from below the chin and in an upward motion as well as horizontal thrusts straight out from the body. Inward hand sword and outward hand sword involve holding the hand straight and striking the attacker’s neck with the elbow bent. Elbows can be used to strike from any angle, including upward, rear and side.
Kicks
In Kenpo self-defense techniques, a kick has four parts: up, out, in and down. This means that the kick is prepared and loaded, delivered, and brought back to the starting position. Kicks can be aimed at the front, side and rear of the defender. You can start a kick from either a standing or a bow position. A front kick uses the ball of the foot to strike to the front, and a rear kick uses the ball of the foot to strike behind the defender. A roundhouse kick has the foot snap toward the attacker as the defender pivots on the ground foot. It is also called a detour from doom.
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