Confidence Discipline Respect Self-Defense

Kenpo is a martial art with origins that can be historically traced back to the Shaolin Temple. While often referred to as "Karate", many Kenpo movements retain similarities with those seen in Chinese styles of Kung fu. There are many styles of Kenpo, each with their own perspective on combat; however, most Kenpo styles utilize continuous flows of strikes designed to control the attacking intentions of an aggressor.

We proudly teach "Five Animal Kenpo" at our studio. This system of Kenpo, founded by Trevor Haines, separates all of fighting into five distinct strategies, each represented by an animal. More than just hitting an opponent with a “Tiger Claw” or “Crane Beak”, each of these “animals” have strengths and weakness in combat that can be used or exploited. Similar in concept to the game "rock, paper, scissors", understanding the Five Animal Fighting Theory allows one to analyze his opponent’s actions and choose an appropriate strategy that will naturally defeat him.

Kenpo is primarily a striking art. Through the course of their training, a Kenpo student will learn how to effectively strike with punches, kicks, knees, elbows, and a variety of other natural weapons. A student will also learn about timing, positioning, and leverage, allowing the student to use an assortment of sweeps, takedowns, throws, controls, and locks that can either immobilize an opponent or use his own momentum against himself.

As a system of self-defense, the goal of Five Animal Kenpo is to avoid conflict whenever possible. The training drills and techniques used at our school are designed to teach a student how to deal with an attacker until a safe escape is possible. Our training includes defenses against a variety of locks, holds, strikes, and weapon attacks. Multiple approaches are presented for each scenario, allowing the student to chose the defense that best suits them and their own personal fighting style. Proper focus on basic fundamentals and connecting principles ensures students have the ability to successfully defend themselves if presented with a situation not specifically covered inside the dojo.