Kempo Blog

As with the other Pillars, Service is built into Kempo both in its propagation as well as in its implementation. It is true that Shaolin Kempo would not exist today if it were not for the Service — in the form of teaching — of untold generations of instructors. But it is perhaps more interesting…

In the distant past, hand-to-hand combat was the basis for military power. Knowing a more effective way of blocking was akin to a state secret and was guarded just as tightly. In some settings only immediate family members were taught the family martial art so as to prevent an outsider from learning defensive secrets. In…

There is an old saying that, “When the student is ready, the master will appear.” This phrase is not referring to a list of duties that, when completed, will magically bring a master into a student’s life. On the contrary, the one thing a student needs to do in order to be ready is to…

  The study of Shaolin Kempo Karate, as taught at Potomac Kempo, is an analogy for living. The methods for growing and excelling as a practitioner of Kempo are the same methods employed for living life well. The purpose of this chapter is to define the Pillars of Kempo℠ as the means by which a…

Kempo training is a cooperative enterprise. We help our partners get better, just as they help us get better. In particular, by modulating our power, range, and speed we can create the optimal environment for us both to benefit from each drill. In order to ever get good enough at a technique to do it…