hrm...
K.C.? Kansas City? Nope.
Kelly Clarkson, Kurt Cobain? Nope. Nope.
K.C. and the Sunshine Band? Nope. Nope. Nope.
To me for a while, they were simply KC's. Numbered from 1 to 20, we practice them in class. They are more or less small sequences of moves (blocks, strikes, kicks) that once put together would form a kata. KC #1 is the only one needed to be able to do Pinan 1 while KC #2, #3, and #4 are needed to do Pinan 2.
Up until just a couple days ago, I had no idea how to translate the two letters. I'd only heard it said that way, KC, and since the school I go to is French, I wasn't even sure it was what was meant when we were asked to perform KC. That all started changing as I read some Kenpo history, especially the nicely put chronological line they have done over at Kempokan/Evolution Karate. The connection then came by itself: K.C. = Kempo Combinations!
That's just what they are, combinations of moves that you can use either inside a kata, or as extra self defense techniques. There's mention of Kempo/Kenpo Combinations in quite a few other pages, like this article about the Combinations of Karazenpo Go Shinjutsu (of which some of our katas came), or in the section dedicated to Nick Cerio on this page, where they mention some of the self-defense techniques by the name I know them (Buckling Branch, Menacing Twirl, and Bending Tree).
Why do I tell you about these combinations today? Well, that's what our whole hour of class yesterday was about, minus the usual warmup/elevate heartrate/sweating part, of course. ;)
We went through all 20 of them, in order at first. Some, even when you know they are coming, can be more challenging than others. Sometimes they include a block, a kick and a couple of punches, although sometimes they include simply a block and a punch. After doing them in order, we did something we had not done in a little while. The instructor told us to think about KC #1 through #9 only and that he would call out a number. We had to put the digits in order with the correct combinations. Think about it, 521 is KC#5, KC#2, KC#1, adding up to a sequence that could be part of a kata, although it isn't and as thus, was never "rehearsed" that way. Made for a nice challenge of the mind.
He then went on to call the KC #11 to #20 in random order. That too was challenging. I tell ya, I think we could hear all the little hamsters running wildly to make the brain gears churn faster and faster.
We finished class with again KC's but this time with an attacker. Think bunkai, this was very close to bunkai. Different types of attacks against which we used a few different KC to often first block then strike. Was very good and quite enlightening to me. The whole class actually made me realize one thing: I've still got a lot to learn, a lot to incorporate in the way I move, the way I strike, the way I stand in my stances. Blocks are not coming all that naturally. I mean, I'm don't think I look completely foolish out there, but there is so much work to be done.
Nowhere was this more evident than at the end of the class. We have four adult students who are getting ready to test for their black belt, on June 10 I think, and at the end of class, our instructor has taken the habit of having everybody stand to the back wall and have whoever of these four who are attending the class perform one of their katas. Sometimes, it's Cat three, the one kata I don't know before the black belt, but other times, like last night, he asks for a lower kata. Yesterday, he asks them to do Statue of the Crane and wow a lot of subtleties I saw in their movements that I know I'm probably not doing right. Yeah, they're student, just like me, but I fell that I learned by watching them.
Regarding these KC, or Kenpo Combinations, maybe other styles have them, maybe they're called something else. I invite my readers, all 5 of you ;) to let me know.
FM
PS: my wife's favorite translation is the KC and the Sunshine Band one. :) Whenever I come back from class end tell her we worked on our KC's, she will invariably reply with that name. :)
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3 comments:
I think your KC's are what we call waza's. They are just a small series of moves. Waza one is simply: step back and block up, punch, punch, block down and clear with a kia.
Hmmm.. I looked at the Kempo Combinations on the internet, are these them:
http://www.theryukyudojo.com/kempo/combos.html
In Shotokan, we do not have structured combinations like that.. but we do something similar. It's called Ippon Kumite. The attacker comes at us with one attack, he/she names the target, then the defender deflects, and counters. Now, the beginner students will only send one counter attack (like a punch to the middle), but the higher belts are expected to apply more and more techniques in combination, and to change our stance, even doing take downs, etc. Our combinations become more and more complicated as we advance in knowledge, and experience. You never know what Sensei is going to throw in your direction, or what your body is going to invent as you do your counters.
Are all of your KC done in the same stance?
thanks for your comments, I'll reply to both of you in a formal new post a little later on. I feel like expanding a bit on the combinations and the self defense techniques we learn and wouldn't want it to be lost in the middle of comments...
FM
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