The concepts of Ryukyu Kempo
bridge the gap between styles and aid students in defining
their techniques - regardless of style.
Ryukyu Kempo (also known as Chinese Kempo, Te, Tote,
ect) has been the way of martial arts in Okinawa
hundreds of years. This is what martial arts was
before the transition into what most people know as
'modern karate'. Ryukyu Kempo is not a 'style' of
martial arts like Goju-Ryu, Shorin-Ryu, Shuri-ryu, Tai
Kwon Do and the list goes on. Rather, Ryukyu Kempo
encompasses Okinawan arts with emphasis on
life-protection techniques, regardless of an
individual's size. The concepts of Ryukyu Kempo bridge
the gap between styles and aid the student in defining
his or her techniques, regardless of style.
Ryukyu Kempo incorporates many of the same concepts as 'Acupuncture';
dealing with over 300 pressure points of the body, chi
flow (also call Qi, Ki, or Bio-electric energy), yin &
yang (positive & negative), the 12 bi-lateral body
meridians, and the 5 elements (earth, wood, fire, metal,
water).
Ryukyu Kempo consists of
two areas that are not included in Modern Karate and most
other modern Martial Arts:
Kyusho-Jitsu is
the pressure point striking of Ryukyu Kempo. To perform a
Kyusho-Jitsu technique, a student must be trained in
striking a combination of points. Strikes to the proper
points - in the correct order, angle, and direction -
can disorient, disable, or cause death to an attacker. The
map of these pressure point combinations are hidden within
Kata. With correct understanding and adequate practice
of the techniques contained within
Kata, Ryukyu Kempo techniques and combinations can be
interpreted.
Tuite, or "grab hand". This refers to the
grappling and joint manipulations contained in
Ryukyu Kempo. Everyone's body is weak in the same manor.
These weaknesses occur near joints, nerves, tendons, and
muscles. Tuite should not be thought of as an art unto
itself. Tuite works in conjunction with Kyusho-Jitsu in
that the pressure points are the keys to releasing the
joints attacked by Tuite.
Parts of the text on this
page have come from Grandmaster George Dillman's 2nd
book: Ryukyu Kempo: Advance Pressure Point Fighting.
Coinciding information on this page also comes from a
continuous study of different works both online and in
books. One such book -for example-is The Bible of
Karate, Bubishi; published by Tuttle Martial
Arts. If you truly study the history of Martial Arts,
you will come to find that the roots of all arts are
from similar -if not the same- sources.
