Kempo's Tai Chi Connection

Fluidity and Continuous Motion Make the Link
by Shaun McCorkell

Kempo, by many, is believed to be an American style of martial arts. This is true for it was in America that people such as William Chow, Adriano Emperado, Walter Godin, Victor "Sonny" Gascone, Ed Parker, and Nick Cerio influenced the kempo we now know today. As you may notice, I did not say that they created kempo. All they did was add their own flavor to something that already existed. It is virtually impossible to create your own martial art system. Every system has its roots in another martial arts system, and kempo's roots are tightly intertwined in the martial arts of China and Japan. Presently, some kempo systems correlate more with their Japanese roots, while others emulate their Chinese roots. Through my own experiences in kempo, and in my studies of tai chi chuan, I find the connection between the two nearly inseparable.

Characteristics of Kempo
"Kempo is neither an exclusively hard nor soft style, but a well balanced system of both. The key to kempo is fluidity and continuous motion," as quoted by Professor Nick Cerio. Kempo, considered by many as an external style, is not as hard a style as Shotokan or Karate. The movements are not stiff and the power is not external (at least in the higher levels of training). The power that is developed is internal and comes from allowing your body to relax and from the movements of your hips. All kempo techniques are based on logic. You react depending on how your opponent reacts. Every technique executed also follows a particular pattern. First, the kempo practitioner starts off w/ a block, parry, redirection, or evasive maneuver.

The redirection and evasion techniques are principally based on tai chi chuan. In kempo, a block can also be a strike, and a strike a block. Then the practitioner closes the distance between himself and his opponent; this step is crucial. It limits the amount of options your attacker has and gives you better control over him. Being close to your opponent also allows you to send more force through him with your strikes. Next you must upset his balance, and at the same time stabilize and root yourself.

When someone's balance is broken his or her natural reaction is to regain it. Upsetting an opponent's balance also disables him from attacking you and stops him from defending against your attacks, as soon as you lose your balance you lose the fight. The same goes for when you upset your opponent?s balance you win the fight. This pattern (block, close distance, break balance) doesn't have to necessarily be pulled off in this order, but all the characteristics will be there, and some can actually be executed simultaneously. All these characteristics must also be executed in a fluid and continuous motion. The goal of all kempo practitioners should be: how to conquer their opponent(s) with as little or no effort as possible. Here we see another principle of tai chi chuan. It shouldn't be a struggle. Remember that it is your technique that will determine the outcome of a situation.

Principles of Tai Chi Chuan
Tai chi chuan is widely practiced for its health benefits, but in reality it is also a martial art, and a very effective one at that. The principles of tai chi chuan demand that the practitioner maintain proper body alignment, such as keeping your spine as straight as possible and correlating the movements of your knees with your elbows and your shoulders with your hips. One must also execute the Tai chi form continuously and allow their Qi to direct their bodily movements. Practitioners must clear their minds, which in return allows them to relax their bodies and release unwanted stress and tension. Last, but not least, one must learn to root themselves into the ground and allow their stress and any negativity they have to flow down through their legs and disperse into the ground.

Tai chi chuan, when studied for health purposes, should be practiced on a daily basis, and can be considered a system of non-strenuous exercise. The slow and relaxed movements of the form strengthen the ligaments and tendons, which in return increases balance. The stances and techniques executed in the form help tone the muscles of the body while the deep breathing messages internal organs. This is accomplished when the lower lungs fill with air and expand, causing the other organs to move against each other. Tai chi chuan is symmetrical and provides for balanced development of the body. The practice of tai chi also helps one to release stress and to clear the mind. This allows for greater focus and higher development of sensitivity. Blood pressure is also reduced and circulation is improved. The importance of bodily alignment will help one improve posture and allow for better energy flow. Benefits from tai chi are both physical and physiological. Tai chi can also be considered a form of meditation that allows one to release emotional tension and find and inner peace.

Tai chi, when used in a combative or a defensive method, requires the practitioner to stick with their opponent. When the opponent delivers a force, lets say in the means of a punch, the tai chi practitioner will yield to it, absorb it, and then redirect it back to the opponent. In essence, the tai chi practitioner uses little or none of his own energy; he uses only what his opponent gives him. This can be accomplished through proper rooting, and acute awareness. This method of self-defense puts little strain on the practitioner's body and wastes little of his energy. This can be very useful in confrontations involving multiple aggressors.

The Connection
I have been studying Tai Chi Chuan (Yang style) under the guidance of Sifu Joe Bruzzese for 3 years, and have been studying kempo for 8 years under the tutelage of Master Rich Fescina. When I first started tai chi, I found it quite different then the kempo I was studying. After about a year of studying tai chi, I had an understanding of what the principles were and how to practice my tai chi to make it effective. Besides teaching us just the Yang style tai chi form, my instructor also included Qi Gong exercises and practical applications taken from the form itself.

Whether you are practicing tai chi for its health benefits or as a martial art, to truly understand and experience this art your instructor must expand on all of its areas. These include Qi gong exercises, partner drills, the tai chi form and its self-defense applications, and the philosophy behind it all. One day while reviewing my techniques with my uke (someone who punches in for you) I realized that kempo wasn't that different from tai chi. Many of the combinations that are within our kempo system incorporate the ideas of tai chi chuan. These include the redirection of a force, sensitivity to others physical and mental actions, the use of little or no self-energy to disable an opponent, and the importance of rooting and fluidity of your movements. These ideas have always been at the core of my kempo techniques but were not understood by me until my study of Tai Chi. The ability to relax has also improved my speed and the power in which I can strike. Sifu Joe Bruzzese, also a 4th dan in kempo, has told me that kempo and many other external arts are actually internal arts once perfected.

Kempo is a complete martial art but not a superior one. What makes it so popular and street effective is its flexibility. Kempo is a blend art of what works, and to me Tai Chi Chuan makes a very effective and practical counterpart.

About Shaun McCorkell:
Shaun McCorkell was promoted to black belt by Master Rich Fescina and is an Instructor at the Kempo Martial Arts Dojo of Farmingdale, L.I. Shaun is also an Architecture major at New York Institute of Technology (NYIT). You can reach him at www.kempomartialarts.com.