Dont be afraid of lateral movement

Folks,

Despite zillions of examples of "why we dont", I still see a LOT of people retreating in a straight line. As we should all know by now, doing so will open you up to a whole variety of strikes and takedowns. I dont know about how much you guys are into boxing, but one of the things that they do best, is to move from side to side as opposed to in a straight line.

Maybe lateral movement is so difficult because it seems unnatural at first. One would think initially that moving your face straight back makes it more difficult to hit. NOT SO! It makes it much EASIER to hit. If you dont believe me, try this exercise. Start with yourself and your friend in a fighting position within kicking range of each other. I want you to back-peddle as fast as you can while your friend runs toward you throwing punches..........Didnt take long for you to get run down did it?

Lateral movement provides important angle and distance that allows you to effectively counterstrike. I COULD give you a million examples, but I dont want to. Just check out the matches of Floyd Mayweather jr or Lyoto Machida. Ta-Da!!! Move side to side.

Take a step back

and look at why you do what you do. I am a Kenpo Specialist, an expert if you will :) But the more I look into other styles and systems, the more I appreciate what I have learned, and from whom. To me ( Insert Sly Stone song )Kenpo is a family affair. My father and uncle taught me from when I was a pup. I dont care what people say that Kenpo" should be." In my family it boils down to rapid fire striking from any angle. I know that what my Kenpo lacks in flash, it more than makes up for in substance. I have defended myself and my loved ones with Kenpo, and that is all that matters.

I love to compete, but my Kenpo is not about competition. Competing is fun, but it can lack in some subtle ways. Most people cannot get into the next level of their training, because to them, martial arts is synonymous with competing. Now, I also know how to FIGHT. Not just self-defense, but FIGHT. If as a grown man, I am drawn into a physical altercation I cannot get out of, I am okay with that. I know that I am prepared to go mentally to places that are normally only associated with sadists and psychopaths. I can kill you. I am not proud or ashamed to say it. If you physically threaten my mother, and I have a knife, I will kill you. If I had a child and his life was in danger, I will lose no sleep if I have to stab you in the heart with my knife. I know it sounds gruesome, but...it is what it is.

Anyhow, I am glad to be a part of my Kenpo family. I mean my real family. Not Ed Parker, Tatum, Spry, or any of those other "masters." In my family, it is always Kenpo For Life.