Kenpo Karate: The Art of Slapping

If you've watched videos of Kenpoists for any length of time, you will begin to notice that many tend to slap themselves while executing or demonstrating their technique. 

The first time I ever saw American Kenpo Karate was at the West Los Angeles school in the fall of 1990. (It's kind of a funny story that I'll share some other time...)

During my visit, a couple of black belts were kind enough to do a demonstration for me. Coming from a hard style Karate background (Kyokushinkai) and boxing, three things struck me:

1. "Wow! They have fast hands!!! I have never seen people move like this before"
2. "Why does it sound like they're slapping themselves?"
3. "I want to learn this!"

Later it became clear to me that there was a purpose to the slapping that I saw and heard during this first encounter with American Kenpo.

Later I had a neighbor who was of a relatively high rank in Yoshinkan Aikido (one of the arts trained by the Tokyo Riot police). We often got together and share various ideas, including some Kenpo. 

Ever since then, every time he'd see me he'd slap himself all over and ask how my Kenpo training was going. (I'll be honest, it used to bug the heck out of me... lol)

At that time I didn't really have the full understanding of what was involved with the slapping, besides some basic ideas of checking and rebounding. Hence, I was unable to articulate the lessons involved.

Over the years I've spent quite a bit of time studying Kenpo, even as far as trying to go back to other arts and lineages that influenced American Kenpo Karate to uncover the commonalities and differences. 

What I outline below are some of the lessons I've learned by various teachers of Kenpo and Chinese martial arts.

The Role of the Slap in Kenpo

The slapping serves multiple purposes in Kenpo, some more obvious than others. Here are some of the common uses for the slap in Kenpo:

• Coordination and Symmetry In Motion:
  Slapping helps coordinate one side of the body with the other while executing blocks or strikes, creating symmetry in your motion. This balance is becomes more important as you advance in Kenpo, particularly as you begin to use simultaneous action with both hands.
  
  For example, when performing a block and a check, the slap ensures that both movements are harmonized, maximizing efficiency and impact ("directional harmony" or "opposing forces"). It will help practitioners develop a better sense of body awareness, allowing them to execute techniques with more power, fluidity and precision.
•  Conditioning: the conditioning effects of the slap are profound. As we repeatedly engage in slapping motions, our bodies become adept at absorbing and responding to impacts, which strengthens our overall resilience in combat scenarios. 
• Alteration of Speed and Timing: 
  Timing and speed are crucial elements in martial arts, and the slap plays a significant role in enhancing both.
  
  
  • Creating Half-Beats: In Kenpo, the slap can create what we call “half-beats,” moments in a sequence where timing is altered to surprise the opponent. Using the slap allows you to rebound / ricochet off your body to create stochastic patterns and effectively breaking rhythm. This unexpected timing can catch an opponent off guard, creating additional openings for attack.
  • Increasing Speed: Slapping against your body as you withdraw a block or a strike allows you to reuse this energy by rebounding off your body, as opposed to overcoming inertia to strike in another direction without the use of rebounding.
  • Rhythmic Flow: The slap adds rhythm to movements, helping practitioners establish a cadence in their techniques. By slapping at specific intervals, they can train their bodies to move in a fluid, rhythmic manner, enhancing overall performance and flow in their practice.
  • Solo Training and Drills: We also use slaps in lieu of striking an opponent’s body or limb. Instead we may strike for example our wrist / forearm and the body. You will often see this during solo training, where we practice self-defense techniques without a partner.
    
    In our school, we often drill these "Master Key Timing Patterns" either on heavy bags or with a partner. These will help develop a heightened sense of timing and rhythm in the practitioner. The patterns involve what appears as "slapping" to quickly redirect and ricochet strikes with accelerated timing to use within a technique.
• Double Factor:
  The slap represents a double factor while blocking, creating a more dynamic defense. This also coincides with the first point as it can create more coordination and symmetry in technique.
• Redirection and Ricochet:
  We talked about this a bit already. But the slap is also an effective tool for redirecting a striking tool and incidentally also redirect an opponent’s force and/or misalign the attacker's weapon / body via checks / traps / parries / pins etc.
  
  When you slap a limb during a technique, you don’t just absorb the force; you channel and redirect the incoming force, thus creating openings for follow-up strikes or counter-attacks. This effect not only enhances your defensive capabilities but also emphasizes the importance of leveraging your opponent’s energy against them. The slap acts as a tactical maneuver, enabling practitioners to turn the tide of an engagement through clever use of force dynamics.
• Power Generation:
  The slap can serve as a vital mechanism for enhancing power in Kenpo:
  
  
  • Kinetic Linkage: The slap facilitates kinetic linking—the process of transferring energy through the body. When a practitioner slaps their own body, the energy generated travels through their limbs and into strikes, enhancing overall power output. This principle emphasizes the importance of utilizing the body as a cohesive unit rather than relying solely on individual muscle strength.
  • Increasing Power Through Dynamic Movement: The slap creates dynamic movement patterns that can generate additional power. For instance, as a practitioner moves into a strike, the motion of slapping their body can generate momentum that adds to the force of the attack, e.g. "Directional Harmony".
• Structural Support:
  In martial arts, proper body structure and alignment are essential for executing techniques efficiently and effectively. The slap contributes to structural support in several ways:
  
  
  • Reinforcement of Body Mechanics: When executing techniques, the slap can serve as an anchor point, helping to maintain proper posture and alignment. For example, when blocking an attack, the slap can reinforce the position of the blocking arm, ensuring that the practitioner’s structure remains intact, thus optimizing the force of the block.
  • Alignment through Proprioceptive Feedback: The sound and sensation of slapping one’s own body provide immediate feedback, reinforcing good body mechanics. If a practitioner’s alignment is off, the slap might feel less powerful or resonate differently. This feedback loop encourages continuous adjustment and improvement in technique.
  • Connection via Grounding: In Chinese martial arts you often hear the term "grounding". The slap allows for you to get feedback to settle your body and establish a connection with the ground. When a practitioner slaps their body, the force is transferred down through the legs and into the ground and thus achieving better stability. This connection is critical for maintaining balance during dynamic movements (think about doing this in the first move of a technique such as "Sword of Destruction).
• Esoteric Insights: In addition to its physical applications, the slap opens up a interesting realm of esoteric concepts, particularly concerning energy flow and disruptions since they are actively engaging with their body’s energy dynamics. Here’s how energy disruptions play a role:
  
  This notion is rooted in traditional martial arts philosophy, where the movement of qi (or chi), the vital life force, is a critical component in effective technique execution.
  
  
  • Disrupting Opponent’s Energy: The slap serves as a method of disrupting an opponent’s energy flow. If you slap (or brush) an opponent's limb / body while blocking or countering, you not only redirect their physical force but also interrupt their energy and intention, creating openings for follow-up strikes.
  • Chakra Alignment: The act of slapping can stimulate energy centers within the body, promoting better flow and alignment. For instance, slapping against the chest or abdomen can activate the heart and solar plexus chakras, enhancing emotional stability and personal power.
  • Channeling Energy for Strikes: The kinetic energy from the slap is funneled into strikes, maximizing impact. Understanding these energy dynamics can refine techniques and enhance training effectiveness.
  • Tapping into Intuition: Engaging in slapping techniques helps practitioners become more attuned to their body’s responses and energy states, enhancing their overall effectiveness in combat situations.

Newton’s Third Law of Motion in Kenpo

An often-overlooked aspect of the slap in Kenpo is its relationship to Newton's Third Law of Motion: "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." This principle is foundational in understanding how we generate and transfer power in martial arts. When executing a slap, the force exerted on our body not only delivers a strike but also prepares us for the subsequent movement.

For example, when performing a strike, the action of striking an opponent's body generates a reaction that we can harness to deliver a follow-up strike. Additionally, the follow-through of the strike can rebound / ricochet without loss of momentum. This chain reaction highlights the fluidity and responsiveness inherent in Kenpo, allowing us to capitalize on our opponent’s movements while maintaining our balance and stability.

By understanding the physics behind our movements, we can refine our techniques and enhance our training effectiveness.

Conclusion

Kenpo Karate is more than just fast hands and slaps; it’s a comprehensive system that incorporates science, strategy, and artistry. By understanding the multifaceted role of the slap—encompassing structural support, timing, speed alteration, power generation and even energy disruptions, —we honor the legacy of Kenpo while paving the way for its future. As we continue to train and evolve within this discipline, let’s challenge the misconceptions surrounding it and appreciate the intricate dynamics at play in this remarkable martial art.

End Note: These are just some of the lessons I've learned over the 30 years I've spent in Kenpo Karate and supporting arts. It is certainly not complete and I am certain things will reveal themselves to me through further training and understanding.