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Kenpo Kung Fu & Belts
The belts are carefully organized to the right of this page in the order you obtain them from top to bottom. The exception is the brown belt as there are four degrees of brown.
Originally in ancient times there were no belts at all, colored belts weren’t even established until the mid 1900’s. Before then only white, brown and black existed.
Judo is of the only system that has a unified ranking system for their belts. When approaching America, belts were an eye catcher in which most practitioners of martial arts wanted to gobble up belts as quickly as possible.
In traditional aspect there is no way an individual could be proficient enough for a black belt level after just a couple of years of training. It took the ancients (meaning past masters in this case) at least 10 years to achieve this proficiency. In China it is rare for someone under the age of 20 to be at this level, if not unheard of. In America it is the opposite you see black belts who can barely see over a counter.
Originally one would rank under a banner system in a lot of traditional Chinese arts. Today many use sashes. For some arts white belt is the highest, or gold sash. In Chinese Kenpo, it is very confusing due to its long lineage and destination points along the way with a quite detailed history that takes nearly a life time to understand.
Since the belt system is progressively easy to understand and the Dan (Black Belt rank or higher, Duan or Blue Eagle in Chinese) ranking system is accepted internationally, a lot of arts with Chinese roots use this system alone or belts and sashes combined where one follows the belts, but the sashes are optional due to the difficulty for little ones to tie them.
The easiest way to acknowledge someone’s rank is by the number system since not all schools progress with the same colored belts in the same order. In Japan they go by Kyu, starting at 10th then when getting the next it is 9th, then 8th , then 7th , counting down to 1st and then when getting black belt it starts at 1st (Shodan) then goes to that arts highest count which could be 10th (Judan) perhaps. In Korea it is recognized as Gup instead of Kyu. Now in Chinese it is Pai Hong or Tuan Ge instead of Gup/Kyu. This is what we recognize more, but while educating the disciples (students) about all rankings for their extended knowledge of Wu shu (martial arts). Wow!!! That is a lot of information. Now let us take our mind of this a second to answer a little quiz so the information will sink in! How many corners does a triangle have? How about a square? The answer will be at the bottom.
Now, see how the belts to the right get darker as the higher up in rank you progress, in turn symbolizing the gaining of knowledge. This is much similar to other Kenpo/Kempo/Chuan Fa systems, except we have a red belt placed between the orange and purple. At this point of training where the student earns (we don’t give you anything, you earn it) a red belt and becomes more proficient at the craft, they transition into the warrior symbolization and obtains a black Gi (uniform). In ancient times this would mean one would move up in rank on the battlefield if they lived long enough. Before this, the white Gi was worn symbolizing purity and no knowledge of the arts.
This transition shows that our kenpo/chuan fa is a war-like art meant for self defense and protection, and survival of the fittest per say and not a sport to where one throws on gloves and pounds each other's heads in. I’d much rather see my students learn this art for self improvement, the history of it and to handle their self on the street when avoiding the situation failed and pursue college becoming an engineer, doctor, lawyer, accountant or a degree of their interest. We do go to competitions however for those who wish to compete but it is not mandatory for them to do so. Most of our targets are not legal in tournaments however but are for the essence of street defense.
To give better meaning to the rank they are as described in brief analysis of the entirety. We go by the Chinese number system " Pai Hong" . Beginners: White (no knowledge) is 11th, Yellow (awareness) is 10th, Orange (combat readiness) is 9th, and Red (battlefield conditions) is 8th. Intermediate: Purple-7th, Blue-6th, Green-5th. After the intermediate ranks the student works on learning the 5 animals and is allowed to wear the Yifu (kung fu uniform). Advanced: 1st Brown (crane) is 4th, 2nd Brown (snake) is 3rd, 3rd Brown (tiger) is 2nd and 4th Brown (leopard) is 1st Pai Hong. Now considering our art is a 10 year school (8 years with hard work), because there is so much to learn, at this point the student learns the requirements for the Black Belt/Sash (dragon) which is 1st Dan (Duan Wei). 1st to 3rd Dan in Chinese are Blue Eagle while 4th through 6th are Silver Tiger and 7th through 9th are Golden Dragon.
Once all is learned, the student reviews everything if needed and prepares for the very long and enduring 8 week test for the Black Belt. After Black Belt this symbolizes the “real beginning” where one understands the walk and now can walk on their own. I have pointed the way and they have moved their feet. Much like a Bachelor’s degree, this is when you actually begin to understand the path and any further learning would be a Master’s and then PHD. They now have the option to learn Mantis for 2nd Black which completes the traditional animals.
Now along this life changing, altering, realization, influential journey, many attributes are learned. All ranks learn techniques, kuen (forms, known as kata in Japanese), basics (punches, kicks, stances, blocks, parries, stepping, and strikes), drills to improve their abilities and condition, and specialty training take downs, grab attacks, stick fighting, knife fighting, belt defense against knife and stick/club, multiple man fighting (10 people at once), chin na (see chin na section), tai chi (see tai chi section), and ground fighting.
In advanced specialized training you learn methods that enhance the 5 animals and also learning…..oops, sorry!!! You have to be an advanced student to learn about more advanced training due to secrecy and highly skilled tactics (we don’t play around with this training)!!!
Anyhow, once tested for Black Belt the student remains in limbo and wears no belt or sash until certain tasks are completed for improving the self but most of all, the mind. This is because one without a good mind will not learn advanced material due to its content and how one may use it. It could be like putting a loaded gun in the hands of a fool, but if you’re willing and remain calm, patient, and peaceful you will learn much useful material through this journey.
Then the ceremony takes place honoring the hard earned achievement, very inspirational!!!! Oh, did I mention along the exhilarating path you learn weaponry, just see the weapons page to see what we share with you.
Oh…I almost forgot… the answer to the little quiz. Triangle-6 corners, three inside corners and three outside corners. Square-8 corners, four inside corners and four outside corners. Just like to make you think - a good sharp mind ready for anything has several possibilities in life! Nothing will work for you, you must work for it. Nothing will be handed to you, one must do it themselves. In order to be admirable, you must take our “secret path” meaning there is no secret, because in order to be first-rate in something, one must start at the beginning and work their way to the top!
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The Kenpo Styles
Due to Kenpo’s long history and its lineage in China at the Shaolin Temples where it was known as Chuan Fa (both meaning the first fist law or law of the fist in which the Bodhisattva warriors fist was the protector of their land and religion), and the fact of it being a big blanket term for martial arts like wu shu means martial arts in Chinese, because in the Shaolin Temples they used whatever was necessary much like before in the Han Dynasty during times of war.
With this said, in Chinese Kenpo, you can take just about any segment out of this vast system and it would make a single style of expression (either if it is the kicks, strikes, chin na, tai chi, ground fighting, weaponry, or the five animals).
The five animals are in our advanced training since the animals were derived during its reign in the Shaolin Temples which was later than the feudal wars in early China during the 200-400 A.D. rule of the Han dynasty that was later broken apart. Beginner training in our Chinese Kenpo consists of war like defense for survival. Today it is street defense.
- The Five Animals are:
- CRANE
- SNAKE
- TIGER
- LEOPARD
- DRAGON
