Shawn Armstrong

Instructors must also communicate clearly and be comfortable and confident teaching large groups. Ideally, they will know basic first aid to handle injuries that might occur in class. Duties and Responsibilities Martial arts instructors must plan classes and tailor them to the skill level of the students. Classes might include teaching new techniques, practicing strikes on pads or heavy bags, sparring, meditation, stretching, conditioning and discussing the history or philosophy of the art. Instructors should be available before and after class to speak with students, answer questions and make sure students are on track to reach their goals. Instructors also administer exams for students to advance to the next belt level.

Instructors will often travel to competitions to coach students. In many schools, instructors also handle administrative duties such as calling and enrolling prospective students, monthly billing, and maintaining inventory of uniforms, belts and other training equipment and gear. Related Reading: How to Discuss Your Job Description With Your Boss Working Conditions Martial arts instructors typically work in a martial arts studio or dojo. Some classes are run in community centers or gymnasiums. They usually work in the afternoon or evening, although some schools also offer morning or lunch time classes.

They also often teach classes or attend competitions on the weekends. In addition to time spent teaching, instructors must devote time to their own training. Certification Certification requirements vary by martial arts school. Some schools do not require certification beyond belt rank and ability. Many schools have their own certification program or instructors course.

Others may require a national certification from an organization such as the American Martial Arts Certified Professionals. Certification programs usually include training in teaching techniques, philosophy and tradition, first aid, conditioning, and stretching techniques Kenpo is a Japanese unarmed fighting art that was brought from China to Japan about 700 years ago by the Yoshida Clan and was quickly adopted by the Komatsu Clan. The word Kenpo means literally, "Fist Law," and also refers to its Chinese origin. The Japanese adaptation of this Chinese style was well suited to defend against the various unarmed Japanese martial arts of the 12th century. Few modifications were required for Kenpo to overcome the new unarmed systems that developed over the next 7 centuries that came to be known as Karate (Japanese of "Empty Hand").

But for the Yoshida and Komatsu Clans who developed their art into a truly Japanese style, the term was simply Kenpo. During this same period the Chinese system from which Kenpo was derived underwent so many changes that, while most of the Kenpo techniques can be found scattered among the hundreds of Chinese fighting systems, there is no single system in China today that resembles Kenpo. "Chinese Kenpo" is a term coined by Ed Parker in 1960, when he found there was no kung fu style that resembled Kenpo. But adding Chinese forms and Chinese terms did not change the nature or Japanese origin of Kenpo. It has, however, imbued the "Chinese connection" with an "ignorance is bliss" mentality.

One of Ed Parkers students at the time was Jerry Meyers who went on to train with Bruce Lee and Danny Inosanto, and combined their style with Kenpo to make it a true Chinese Kenpo style. 90 years ago Kenpo was so well known as an effective fighting art in Japan that many Japanese styles that had no connection with Kenpo claimed their art was derived from Kenpo. Some even went so far as to claim their masters had training directly under Chinese Kenpo masters. Similar claims have continued to this day, even though there has never been a Chinese Kenpo master; nor has there been a master of the Chinese style that gave rise to Kenpo in centuries. What's even more ridiculous are the Korean schools that claim to teach Kenpo as part of Tai Kwon Do.

This Chinese Kenpo is not to be confused with the styles developed by Kenpo students who went on to train with Bruce Lee and created their own systems of Chinese Kenpo. Kenpo was brought to Hawaii shortly after the turn of the century by Great Grand Master Kiyoka Komatsu. In 1920 her 3 year old son, James Mitose, was sent to Japan where he was raised by his maternal grandfather, Great Grand Master Sakuhi Yoshida. There he studied Kenpo and became the first Mitose to Master the Komatsu/Yoshida art of Kenpo. His father, Otokichi Mitose, never trained in Kenpo, or any martial art for that matter, and since his son was sent to Japan when he was only 3 years old, Otokichi Mitose had no influence on his training.

James Mitose returned to Hawaii after his father's death in 1936, then after the Japanese attack of Pearl Harbor, James Mitose began openly teaching what he called Kempo Ju-Jitsu, though the spelling was later changed to Kenpo Jiu Jitsu. Great Grand Master James Mitose, was the ranking Kenpo master in Hawaii in 1942, and with the exception of his sisters, Great Grand Master Fusae, and Shizue, the other eight Kenpo Grand Masters, and four Masters, did not teach openly. However, Grand Master Sadake Takamori and Grand Master Matsuichi Yamashito did teach exclusively to close members of the Hawaiian Japanese community. Mitose retired in 1953, and his Head Instructor (and first Shodan), Thomas Young, took over his club. This left Shizue and Fusae as the ranking Great Grand Masters of Kenpo, but neither taught openly as their brother had.

In 1959, Fusae took on a single non Japanese student, and awarded him the rank of Shodan/Instructor and then Sandan in 1961. NOTE:"Kenpo", while spelled with an N is pronounced Kempo (with an M); and either kenpo or kempo is acceptable. The general rule for Japanese to English translation is, when N is followed by P, the N is pronounced M. There are some who claim the spelling was changed from Kenpo to Kempo by one master or another. This is true.

Some instructors wanted to distinguish their style from Kenpo, and some changed from Kempo to Kenpo when they learned what the more acceptable spelling was. Often, however, Mitose's students spelled Kenpo as Kempo, because that's the way is sounded. One of Mitose's top students was William, "Willy", K. S. Chow, who became Mitose's second Shodan (black belt) and Assistant Instructor; although Chow was actually promoted to Shodan by Thomas Young who was Mitose's first Shodan. After being promoted to the rank of Instructor William K. S. Chow taught with Mitose and Young until mid 1949 (May/June), when he opened his own Kenpo club and called his style, "Kenpo Karate". In doing so, Chow is rightfully credited as being the founder of Kenpo Karate, although the term, Kenpo Karate, had probably been used as early at the 1920 in promoting karate demonstrations. By adopting Kenpo Karate, Chow distinguished his system from Mitose's Kenpo Jiu-Jitsu.

Kenpo Karate and Kenpo Jiu-Jitsu where, however, virtually identical except for forms, or katas. There were no forms in Chow's Kenpo Karate, while Kenpo Ju-Jitsu had four katas, Nihanchi 1 & 2, the Bear Kata and Old Man Kata. Paul Yamaguchi had originally trained with Henry Okazaki before going to James Mitose, where William Chow was his instructor. When Chow opened his own club in 1949, Yamaguchi went with him and received his Shodan from Chow in 1950. Mitose, however, refused to recognize the rank, and Yamaguchi went back to study with Mitose where he received his Shodan that same year, and two years later, (1952) he received the rank of Head Instructor.

 This was a blow to Chow, as Paul Yamaguchi, his student, now had a higher rank (Head Instructor) while he was only an Instructor. But there was more. Not only was Yamaguchi a higher rank than Chow, but Mitose had refused to recognize Chow's Shodan rank. A Shodan could promote Shodan's because Shodan was the only Kenpo black belt rank at the time. However, only Mitose could make a Shodan an Instructor.

Chow avoided this instructor problem by taking the title "Professor", which is the title Professor James Mitose had given himself. Chow then renamed his system, "Go-Shinjutsu", (sometimes spelled Go-Shinjitsu) which he said was the name Daruma had called his original system in 525 A.D. The name is, of course, Japanese, but Go-Shinjutsu is the name Professor Chow used on the 1953 Shodan certificate of his top student, Masaichi Oshiro. Oshiro, however, received his Instructor rank from Mitose, which was granted without the objection Mitose had to Yamaguchi.

It should also be noted that James Mitose used the term Go Shinjutsu to mean the Art of self-defense and Mitose only attributes the Kenpo style, and not the name Kenpo to Daruma.

NOTE: Mitose's title was "Professor" Grand Master, Great Grand Master and the like are not titles in Kenpo, but are used as signs of generational respect.

Mitose only called himself "Professor" while he was teaching in Hawaii. Once he moved to the Mainland he developed the "Master" ranking.

NOTE: Professor Chow continued to call his system Go-Shinjutsu into the 1960's and made a slight change in the name to "Go-Shinjutsu kai" (kai meaning school) in 1959, and that was the name that appeared on my 1961 Shodan certificate. Some time later Professor Chow began to use the name "Kara Ho Kenpo", and although some of his later students would claim Kara Ho was Chow's original system, Professor Chow did not call his system Kara Ho when I studied with him, and there is nothing in writing that uses Kara Ho before the 1970's. My 1965 Godan certificate signed by Professor Chow awarded me "Kenpo Karate Godan Hawaii Go-Shinjutsu Kai". There has been a great deal of criticism of James Mitose's Kenpo abilities. If, as some claim, Mitose was so inept, then one has to ask why so many of Henry Okazaki's students came to train with Mitose.

Okazaki and Mitose were close friends, and Okazaki is, even today, considered to be one of the greatest Jiu Jitsu instructors in Hawaii. Both Professor Chow and Sonny Emperado have told me that Mitose was the best Jiu-Jitsu instructor in Hawaii. It would be wise for those who claim a Kenpo heritage to heed the claims of those who know, and put aside their petty disdain for someone who was not their instructor, and about whom they have no personal knowledge. There is an obscure insight into Mitose told me by his sister, and that is that Mitose founded the White Tigers at the beginning of the Second World War and was held in high esteem and honor by the United States government for this. Adriano (Sonny) Emperado was Professor Chow's top student when he and his brother Joe Emperado left Chow in late 1950 to create "Kajukenbo" with Frank Ordonez, P.Y.Y. Choo, Joe Holck and Clarence Changhis. Ed Parker began his Kenpo training with Sonny Emperado where he trained for two weeks before going to learn from Professor Chow in 1952.

Another Mitose Shodan, Edward "Boddy" Lowe had originally trained with Okazaki before going with Mitose. In 1952 he became a devoted student of Mas Oyama, and trained with him in Japan before returning to Hawaii where he opened the first Kyokushin Kai (school) in 1959. In March 1953 another Young/Mitose Shodan, Paul Pung, was promoted to Head Instructor by Mitose, and moved to San Francisco where he opened the "Paul's Karate" school. This was the first commercial Kenpo school (Mitose style) on the mainland. Paul's Karate had its own building and was open to the public and held classes four nights a week.

NOTE: The first commercial Karate school in the United States was founded by Robert Trias in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1946, and the first karate organization was the United States Karate Association (USJA), founded by Trias in 1948.

There was some controversy over who had the first commercial karate school in the United States until the late 1970's. This was mostly fueled by Ed Parker students who were claiming Ed Parker was the first to teach on the Mainland. That argument was put to rest the Chief Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court, stepped forward and stated that he had begun training with Trias in 1947.

NOTE: Paul Pung, not Ed Parker, was the first to open a commercial Kenpo school on the mainland which was in 1953.

Ed Parker was still in the Coast Guard until August, 1954 and did not start teaching commercially until 1956. Again, many ignorant Ed Parker students make the false claim that Ed Parker was the first. In 1955, Masaichi Oshiro left Professor Chow and opened the "Go-Shin-Kenpo Club", which was a variation of Professor Chow's Go-Shinjutsu Club; and the following year, (1956) he changed the name to the "Te-Ken Jutsu Kai," (hand-fist jutsu school). Then in 1959, Oshiro went to Japan to train in Goju-Ryu under Gogen Yamaguchi. It was at this time that Chow created the "Go-Shinjutsu Kai", (adding Kai to the name) with Bill Chun, who was his highest ranked black belt student at the time and who had been made Instructor by Mitose.

Ed Parker, was a Judo Shodan by the time he was 18 (1949), and took his first Kenpo lesson at Adriano (Sonny) Emperado's club when he was in the Coast Guard in 1952. Ed Parker trained with Emperado for two weeks before going to train with Professor Chow. This is of course quite different from what Ed Parker has written and from what I had previously written. But after asking the right questions of the right people, it is now time to set history right. To do this, I have set out the history by the years that marked great change in Kenpo Karate.

Armstrong Dragon Kenpo

Introduction

The art of Dragon Kenpo is a method of empty hand and foot fighting based on the scientific use of the body in self-defense. The instruction in Dragon Kenpo is designed to provide you with the ability to coordinate your mind, body and spirit into an efficient weapon. Moreover, you will find that Dragon Kenpo stresses development of individual character, integrity, and respect for others. As individuals advance in the art they realize that Kenpo is a way of life. They gain a new way of thinking and acting which can guide them in all areas of life so that you will be happier, healthier, and wiser. The methods and techniques of Dragon Kenpo are only a guide to illustrate various principles and scenarios; only real practice and the experience you gain will teach you how to use your hands and feet in such a manner that you will be able to defend yourself from an armed or unarmed opponent. Hard work is always the key to success.

The Dragon Kenpo Creed

The classical martial arts present themselves as rivals. One a "hard" style, the other "soft". This one emphasizing kicks, that one specializing in punches, the other takes each opponent to the ground and wrestles. Yet the underlying premise is the same for each, in that a narrow system is presented as not only superior but holy. Laws are laid down, rituals are set in stone and rigid patterns are put in place. A shrine to the fixed knowledge is created, complete with ceremonies, rites and masters. None may transcend, or even question the institution's unbending view of reality because of its sacredness.

The Dragon Kenpo way, however, is the way of never ending learning and discovery. The techniques taught are guides that develop greater skill, not boundaries that no one may cross. Greatness, after all, is not achieved by thinking within limits prescribed by convention. Greatness required engaging the unknown. It is there, in the mystery, that new discoveries are found.

The traditional arts are in the business of setting limitations. Their primary task is the creation of an imposed order and the production of conformity. Yet to adopt that order is to close out everything not included within it. By banishing the unknown the traditional martial artist advance by learning more and more about less and less. To the "Masters" of the traditional styles, an unlimited mind is a dangerous thing. A lot of folks have a lot invested in the status quo. Those who choose growth and expansion should not be surprised to find resistance from those devoted to tradition. Choosing to cross boundaries, or even erase them, means coming into conflict with the imposed order.

There are no rules in total combat, so the Dragon Kenpo way is the path of free expression. The methods taught begin the process of endless discovery. We have only two choices are martial artists and as human beings: To be ordinary or to be explorers; to be followers or leaders. Regardless of who approves.

History of Dragon Kenpo

Dragon Kenpo was organized by Ed Hutchison and has been continued and evolved by various practitioners today and there are several offshoot styles that owe their roots and lineage to Dragon Kenpo. To understand Dragon Kenpo we need to look at the roots of its origin and where it comes from. Kenpo legends trace its origins to the Shaolin Temple, in my opinion this is most likely southern shaolin, or perhaps styles from the Guangdong and Fukien provinces in China, as many elements of these styles can be seen reflected in Kenpo. Styles from these areas include what is generally termed Hakka Kuen, and styles like White Eyebrow, Dragon, Southern Mantis, even styles like Choy Lee Fut, Mok Gar, Chow Gar and a host of others share similar elements to Kenpo. Many of these Chinese styles claim origin in the 5 elders of Shaolin, many bear relation to the 5 families Hung, Lau, Choi, Lee, Mok, and many of these also contain the 5 animal styles tiger, crane, snake, leopard, and dragon.

Chinese boxing from Shaolin and styles from other regions made its way from China to Okinawa and Japan, and eventually to the United States. In Hawaii a man named James Mitose taught Kosho Ryu Kempo, one of his students was a man named William Kwai Sun Chow, Chow learned his family art of kung fu before becoming a student of Mitose. William Kwai Sun Chow blended the Kosho Ryu Kempo of Mitose with his family style of kung fu, eventually calling his system Kara-Ho Kempo. Notable students of William K.S. Chow were Adriano Emperado, one of the founders of Kajukenbo, and Ed Parker the founder of American Kenpo. Ed Parker's Kenpo has many variations from his students who have put their own imprint onto Kenpo, such as Al Tracy and Jay T. Will. Ed Hutchison learned Kenpo from Jay T. Will who studied under both Ed Parker and Al Tracy. Dragon Kenpo as organized by Ed Hutchison has continued by various students and within several offshoot systems as a streamlined self defense art that naturally incorporates aspects of Kenpo but also includes elements of other martial arts such as Jeet Kune Do, Kali, and Thai Boxing that fit the simple, direct, and efficient street fighting goal.

Dragon Kenpo Structure and training

One aspect that sets Dragon Kenpo apart from the Kenpo systems that are its roots is the lack of forms, common solo forms like those found in American Kenpo for example, have been removed from Dragon Kenpo practice. Although, the study of these older forms can be beneficial to the Dragon Kenpo practitioner. In the Dragon Kenpo as organized by Ed Hutchison, while not having forms, there were a series of standardized techniques presenting possible solutions to common street attacks like sucker punches, grabs, chokes, punches and kicks. These techniques were spread out through a system of colored belt ranking and several degrees of black belt. While these techniques were standardized to allow for some sort of grading structure and measuring of a students’ progress, these techniques ware not viewed as a final product but rather as a point of departure for the practitioners own self-study and exploration (refer to the Dragon Kenpo Creed above). While choreographed forms like those found in other Kenpo styles are not found within Dragon Kenpo, many practitioners do string together techniques for practice in a freestyle shadowboxing manner and therefore the same benefits of forms practice can be gained without the practitioner being confined by the limitations of a set pattern.

Many practitioners of Dragon Kenpo today and those systems derived from it have incorporated the weapons methods and energy training drills from the Filipino martial art of Kali (arnis, escrima, silat, kuntao also) as well as ground grappling skills, elements of Jun Fan kickboxing and Jeet Kune Do, Thai Boxing and other combative arts. Dragon Kenpo practitioners prefer hard, realistic fighting over the sport oriented forms of sparring, living by a motto of "if you want to fight hard, you'd better train fighting hard".

Dragon Kenpo as it stands today is a unique expression of a martial art customized by each individual practitioner. While Dragon Kenpo respects its lineage and pays tribute to the arts upon which is it founded, it maintains its independent stance as a unique system of martial arts.

Belts Earned

Dragon Kenpo Karate - Third Degree Black Belt 

Sun Chong Taekwondo - Yellow Belt

Jun Fan Gung Fu/Jeet Kune Do - White Sash

Koei Kan Karate Do - Green Belt

Judo - Brown Belt

Awards

Bronze Medal Koei Kan Karate Do Tai Kai 2014