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Fremont, CA 94536
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Training
The training is physically intense and very demanding. Warm-up, calisthenics and stretching; the exercise part of the class is part of the base structure of Kajukenbo. This is to insure that the Kajukenbo practitioner will be physically capable of defending themselves outside of the dojo. Emphasis is placed on kicking, punching, elbows and knees as well as sparring and grappling with controlled contact.

Pinan (kata/forms) Training:
Pinans are performed to fine-tune the Kajukenbo practitioners movements. Repitition of the Kajukenbo Pinans enstill a second nature in the practitioners mind and body of how one flows during a confrontational situation.

Self-defense Training:
The instructor will teach evaluate each student to determine if he or she is throwing a correct punch for a defender at the time of training. When this has been determined, students will begin to throw real punches at each other and their partner is expected to react appropriately or face the consequences.

Working with partners for self defense teaches a student how to manipulate an opponent and follow up (with ground work) on his / her reactions.

The Four Stations of a Proper Kick:

1. Raise the Knee.
2. Snap or Thrust the kick.
3. Recoil the kicking leg.
4. Regain control of your balance and stance and prepare for the execution of the next technique.

Always remember that the base of a good kick comes from the energy that is created from hip of the kicking leg. Think of the kicking leg as a whip. The hip, knee and ankle joints of the leg as a whole becoming the flexible whipping parts of the leg; the hip acts like the handle of the whip.

Power is generated at the hip and released at the point of contact, the top, knife edge or heel of the foot.

Also keep in your mind that the kick should always be thrown to go approximately three inches beyond the target. If this is accomplished, the point of impact will be mostly if not always devastating, without over extending.

The four stations of a proper kick can be executed from a horse stance, right and left 45 stance and a good balanced fighting stance.

Proper Reverse Punch:

1. Hands up and in a good balanced fighting-stance.
2. Upper body should be loose and mobile, capable of moving on a center pivot point at the waist (when the punch is actually thrown, the power will come from this pivot point).
3. Step forward with head up eyes focusing on the point of impact at the center line of the opponent or attackers body.
4. At this point the upper body should be pivoting arm and fist thrusting out in a whip type motion with speed, to the point of impact. The power of the punch will be released at last three inches of the punch before impact occurs.
5. Continue through the impact of the target about three inches. At this time when you have reached beyond the three inches of the target, the pivoting motion of the upper torso should be recoiled at the same time the punch is being recoiled.
6. Regain control of your balanced fighting stance and prepare for the execution of the next technique.

Balance, Speed and Power
Over the years I have come to learn that balance is the awareness of ones mind, body, spirit and warrior spirit.

Balance while being a Kajukenbo practitioner is very much the same, with focus and speed added to the mix. Focus and speed naturally equating into power.

While practicing Kajukenbo one will gain overall balance through training. Training repetitions of Pinions (katas) allows the Kajukenbo practitioner to come as close to perfection of each element technique performed in each Pinion. Horse-stance, 45-stance, punches, elbow strikes, side kicks, hook kicks, front kicks, blocking techniques and ki-ais’.

Balance in Horse-stances and 45-stances are absolutely essential in a good Kajukenbo practitioner. From a balanced stance, the Kajukenbo practitioner is able to position himself to be ready to repel an attacker or advance on an attacker without placing himself in the position of over extending or letting himself being caught off balance.

With proper horse-stance, proper 45-stance and proper fighting stance the Kajukenbo practitioner is able to counteract and counterbalance an aggressive attack placing the attacker into a vunerable position or nullify the attack altogether with devastating force.

Balance from proper stances also allows the Kajukenbo practitioner to throw a punch, ridge hand strike, kick, elbow or knee more accurately while transferring maximum energy to the attacker or target.

While good balance will allow the Kajukenbo practitioner to nullify and deliver maximum energy to an attacker with devastating results, good balance will also make you more aware of your surrounding environment. You will find that your well-tuned balance will allow your eyes to noticed more details around you. Your hearing will be more tuned-in and if you ever do find yourself in the middle of an aggressive action, your eyes, ears, nose and whole body will be scanning your immediate area for more possible threats.

I know that much of these things that you read on this site may seem like much of the same thing that you may have read or heard from other mystical kind of karate guys out of magazines or in the movies but throughout my life have been involved in more than my share(a dozen or more) street fights and altercations. And, I have found that not through mystical forces or sitting in a lotus position for hours on end have I gained this knowledge but I have gained it through training and the actual experiences in my life.