The
Missoula American Kenpo Karate school has been teaching Mr. Ed Parker’s art to
the best of our abilities since November 1985. It is a system of movement which
is based on logic and physics. We believe that if a technique doesn’t make
sense, we don’t want a student to do it.
We
focus on the physics of movement. Mr. Parker said that you can put all kinds of
names on the martial arts, Tae Kwon Do, Kung Fu, Kenpo, it doesn’t matter. The
martial arts are nothing more than the art of applied physics, and the physics
are very black and white. You are either a quarter inch on the roof of a
building, or quarter inch off. At which point the principle of gravity will
introduce itself to you. That principle relates directly to the martial arts –
if you don’t have body alignment, you won’t have backup mass. If you do not
contour your own body to the movement, you will not have leverage.
When
teaching, we explain how to do a technique and why it works. Next we show the
student how to perform the technique. Finally, we have the student perform it
themselves. By using this approach, we teach everything audially, visually, and
kinetically to maximize the retention of the student by using the three most
common learning styles.
Mr.
Parker called Kenpo a “body language” and that is the approach our school
takes. Students learn the basics of the language and vocabulary. We continue to
build on this, adding vocabulary and structure until the student can speak in
complete sentences. Knowing 500 sentences does not mean that you can speak the
language. But knowing how to rearrange 100 sentences can let you communicate
effectively.
By
utilizing these principles, then our student can develop true self-confidence
and be able to defend themselves in any given situation. And as we teach people
to defend themselves, we also teach how to avoid the situations that could lead
up to physical violence in the first place.
When children are involved, we want them to have a fun learning environment, but we stress self-control, discipline, confidence, and respect for others.