By Gavin King, 2nd Dan Go So Kempo

There was a joke that was circulated round internet which described Kempo as, “A percussion art played with people!”.  Although said in jest, this perfectly describes our system of fighting.  We do literally play our opponent like an instrument.  

When Kempo practitioners defend themselves, our strikes are determined by the targets available.  We learn the effect that striking particular targets have on the body, studying how they affect the posture, balance and which targets will open up.  Knowing how the body will react when struck, allows follow up attacks, maximizing the effect on our opponent.  For example, a strike to the groin will cause an opponent to lurch their body forward exposing the face and throat, and cause them to drop their hands leaving no means of blocking a follow up strike.  If you follow up with a strike up under their nose, their head will shoot upwards, they will rise up onto the balls of their feet and arch their hips forwards exposing the groin, and their hands will shoot outward.  With the groin exposed, you could strike it again, bringing the body forward exposing head again, allowing a follow up strike to the nose again, and again expose the groin which could be struck again, and so on.

Armed with the understanding of the bodily reaction, we can literally play with our opponents to our hearts content (or until they fall over). 

The secret in successfully defending yourself is taking the opponent off balance, and keeping them off balance.  When they are off balance, they are not in a position to mount a counter attack.  This is why we practice a constant flow of attack. Once striking, a Kempo practitioner should keep flowing from one attack to the next, until the threat has been eliminated.  Please note the “until the threat has been eliminated” part.  A downed opponent can still pose a threat; you must ensure your safety completely.  In Kempo we do not honour the Marquis of Queensbury code, if your opponent is stupid enough to still want to harm you from the ground, keep attacking until they receive enlightenment!

The principle motivation for someone to move their body when struck is pain.  While an opponent is in pain, all they will be concerned about is stopping it.  Pain is the body’s way of telling the brain that something is wrong, the brain will automatically try to get away from the pain.  If you burn your hand, your brain will automatically pull your hand away from the source of the heat (the source of the pain).  This is exactly the same mechanism that we use to control an opponents body.  Under normal conditions the brain will always try to move away from the source of the pain.  The only exception to this rule is if the person is under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Under these circumstances their body could be seriously damaged without the even registering it.  In these situations sometimes your only option is to seriously hurt them, or at the very least choke them out.

 In conclusion, understanding the human body’s reaction to pain allows dictate how an attacker will react, allowing us to play them like a drum.  So the old joke about Kempo is probably one of the truest statements someone could make about our art, the art of human percussion!