 So a couple of weeks ago we released a video called The Different Types of Kempo. The reason we chose that topic is because I am frequently asked to compare Ed Parker's American Kempo system with other types of Kempo out there. So I wanted to set up an opportunity to introduce just a handful of other systems to present the idea that Kempo is comprised of many different arts, and they vary greatly between them. It was intended as a good starting discussion point, and discuss it you did. You guys blew me away with all the suggestions and feedback, so much so that I wanted to come back and address a few of the recommended additions. Now just like in the previous video, if I don't mention the Kempo system here, there is no disrespect to it. There are so many different systems that we couldn't cover them all in this one video if we tried, and also full disclosure, there's a lot of research to be done before we can even attempt something like that. So in today's episode, we're going to take a look at a few more different types of Kempo based on your recommendations. Now first I want to address a common remark that I didn't go very deep into Okinawan and Chinese Kempo. Now the reason for this is simply because I'm still learning and researching those histories. They have a very rich background, and they are honestly subjects that we want to come back to and add, and just like with our karate and kung fu playlist, we have a category for Kempo and we will be continually adding future episodes to explore these arts. Now a popular request in the comments and messages was the subject of Hawaiian Kempo. We kind of touched on this in the terms that we included Kajukenbo, which was developed and founded as a hybrid Hawaiian system of karate, judo, jiu-jitsu, Kempo, boxing, and even had elements of wrestling, tungsten, shodokan, and other trace arts. It's a great blend and a very well-rounded system. The Hawaiian Kempo we're talking about here is the branch off system developed and founded by John Hackleman, who in 1986 established his mixed martial arts association by the name of the Pitt. The Pitt is well known for producing formidable MMA fighters such as Chuck Liddell. Now the lineage of Hawaiian Kempo traces back to James Matosi, who we covered in the previous video and also as part of the foundation of American Kempo. James Matosi trained William K. S. Chow, who taught Kara Ho Kempo and produced a number of notable students who branched off with their own arts. One of those students was Adriano Imperato, founder of the Kajukenbo system. Adriano began teaching his Kajukenbo system with his younger brother Joseph. Now one of Joseph's students was Walter Godin, who trained at their school and later went back to training William K. S. Chow and other Hawaiian arts. John Hackleman was a student of Godin, and he went on to become a well disciplined and well respected fighter, earning many championships and was promoted to Grand Master status by Adriano Imperato himself. John Hackleman's school is renowned for its effective training in making professional fighters. Hackleman describes the system as a no-nonsense approach to the martial arts. The original focus of his schools was making serious professional fighters. There's a robust fitness program, and cut to some forms removed to focus on conditioning, bag work, and combat. Now my previous instructor went out to train at the pit for a brief stint several years ago, and he came back speaking very highly of Mr. Hackleman and the program. If you have a pit school near you, I definitely recommend checking them out. I would also love the opportunity to speak to Mr. Hackleman at some point. There's a good story here to tell, and maybe one day we can include that as a dedicated episode. I would also like to revisit the system I mentioned in the previous video. When I was going over to different schools under the Shaolin Kempo name, I first mentioned Shaolin Kempo Karate by Fred Valari, and then I touched on another school called Shaolin American Kempo by Grand Master Jim Versard. I had questioned some of the elements on the website, and I wasn't quite sure if the system was more fitness-based or self-defense-oriented. I put out a request for information so I could learn more. To my pleasure, many of you answered, and there are quite a few people who stepped forward to speak very highly of the system, so I felt it was worth taking another look. I also had the honor to speak with Mr. Versard himself, and he provided a lot of insight on his teaching methods and goals within the system. Jim Versard was originally a student under Fred Valari's Shaolin Kempo until the early 90s when there was a fracture in the community and many schools went their own ways. During this time, Mr. Versard began to formulate his own curriculum based on Shaolin Kempo, and Parker's American Kempo, and a handful of other systems that included Chinese arts and jujitsu. He began to sort through the material and remove anything that he felt was not useful, practical, or realistic in today's self-defense scenarios. He continues to teach and streamline his art, always seeking to improve it. He also said something to me that really stood out. He told me that he is continuously working and refining his system to make it better, but he doesn't want to make it better by adding to it, but rather stripping away. Getting rid of anything extraneous and doesn't work, and in his words, perfection is not when I can't add anything more to the system, perfection is when I can't remove anything else. That really resonated with me. You know, I come from a video production background, and I totally understand the concept of making something stronger by keeping it tight and concise, and editing out anything that isn't necessary. It's really easy to want to inject new material to present or sell, but sometimes it's really tough making the call on what to omit. I also asked him about his website. There were a couple of elements on there that I was a little bit wary of, particularly the claim that it was 100% effective. That is typically a red flag for school, however, I misinterpreted the context of the claim. Mr. Versard is not boasting that his system is 100% guaranteed most effective systems of all systems, but rather that getting in shape, being healthy, and learning the martial art was the most effective way to protect yourself. I appeared to have judged the book on his cover, and I apologize for that, and I actually agree with that clarification. Now I asked him if his system was more self-defense oriented or more of a fitness program, and he explained that he doesn't really separate the two concepts. In order to be at your absolute best performance and have the best chance to defend yourself, you need to be in shape, have good energy, be well conditioned, and overall live a healthy lifestyle. So physical fitness is placed on equal necessity as the school's curriculum, and I really respect that philosophy. So thank you so much to Mr. Versard for taking the time to speak with me and answer my questions, and also a big thank you to his students for coming forward to share your experience. You all taught me something today. Now for some honorable mentions. Nippon Kampo was founded in 1932 by Sawa Yama Muneyumi, and it translates to Japanese way of the fist or fist method. Nippon Kampo is a mixture of karate and judo, and was developed as a sport martial art that emphasizes equal focus on striking techniques, joint locks, and takedowns. Now they train in techniques that are effective in one-on-one competition, and the tournaments are full contacts for practitioners wear protective armor called bogu, which includes head, chest, groin protection, with padded gloves for striking full contact. Now with judo being part of its roots, takedowns, joint locks, and stand-up grappling are allowed, as are elbow and knee shots in close range. Competitors also train to practice mobility, being able to move and dodge strikes as head hunting is common, which your opponents continuously go after your head. Nippon Kampo is a good blend of competitive fighting infused with the culture that is part of many Japanese arts. It is also an art that sometimes is used to train police officers in Japan, and since its establishment, it has found its way to England, France, Italy, Ukraine, Mexico, United States, and all over the world. Lima Lama is an interesting study as it is teeming with Polynesian culture. The founder, who went by the name of Tino, and whose name I'm not gonna butcher today, created the art in the 50s after growing up learning Polynesian fighting and dance movements from his father and uncle. After also studying Aikido, Shaolin Kung Fu, Hungar, Boxing, and judo, Tino developed his own fighting techniques and blended them with the movements. He was also a decorated soldier with the United States Marines in the Korean War, and he taught hand-to-hand combat. The name Lima Lama is a combination of the Samoan words for five and understanding, and he referred to the name as to mean hand of wisdom. Now, I have been asked if Lima Lama had anything to do with it in Parker's American Kempo, as on the surface, a lot of the techniques look similar. Now, Mr. Parker, who was also Hawaiian, trained with many people, and he drew from a lot of influences when developing his system, so there is definitely some influence from Lima Lama. You can see it. However, upon closer inspection, you can also see that Lima Lama incorporates a lot more kicking techniques in the American Kempo, more reminiscent of what you would find in the Korean arts. Now, on the surface, it kind of resembles Kempo mixed with Taekwondo. The art incorporates stick fighting, pressure points, joint locks, heavy kicking, palm strikes, and Santa grappling. Now, if it was something that you guys, as viewers, would want, we could definitely start another playlist just to categorize Polynesian arts. We could start with the arts such as Hathelman's Hawaiian Kempo, Konjukan Bo, Lima Lama, and other Polynesian martial arts, so please let me know if that's something you want to see. I also want to take a moment to address another comment that popped up a lot in the last video and that I left out Larry Tatum. A few viewer I rate that I did not include him on the list of different types of Kempo and asked me if I admitted him on purpose. The primary reason he wasn't on the list is because he doesn't run a different type of Kempo. He was a student of Ed Parker and he teaches Ed Parker's American Kempo. Yes, he has his own stylistic changes and nuances to it, but the curriculum is American Kempo. I did not leave him off the list out of any disrespect. Actually, quite the contrary, I hold a lot of respect for Mr. Tatum. He's a great Kempoist and he has a great set of instructional videos and YouTube videos, and he also has a robust online training series, so if you're interested in online training, check his system out. Now, his technique is solid as hell and I am particularly impressed with the quality of material taught to the very young students. If you check out his website, he's got a couple of videos of young kids, I'm talking like four or five, delivering some very solid techniques. So that being said, I did not include him because he didn't fall under a unique type of Kempo, but rather his own flavor of Ed Parker's American Kempo. And the same goes with Richard Huck Palanis whose name came up as well in the same context. So I will definitely be doing my homework as I got a lot of great suggestions including Aloe Kempo, Fusion Kempo, White Dragon Kempo, Black Dragon Kempo, Mantis Kempo, and the list could roll on for days. I am especially pleased with the turnout of the previous video. You all brought a wealth of information and I was very happy reading the discussions and I wanted to do today's video to let you all know that I do read your messages and I'm listening to all of you. So thank you so much for building this channel into something special. Now, as far as we've come in this past year and a half, there's plenty of road ahead as there's a lot more special additions we want to add to the channel. So please support us on Patreon. We've got two fundraising goals set up right now. The first one will allow us to bring live streaming content to you and you can believe we have some special plans for that. The second goal is to help us dedicate more production time and resources to producing more of these art history videos but we need your help and we need your support in order to do that. So please go to our Patreon. All members get exclusive content that isn't released on the main channel. 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