Chinese Kara-ho Kempo, Volume 1: Fundamental Practice and Techniques [Paperback]

Sam Kuoha (Author), Kaiimi Kuoha (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2001

The art of Chinese kara-ho kempo was developed in the late 1930s by Professor William Chow, who summed up the philosophy of his art as follows: "You study kara-ho to protect yourself in the street first - everything else is second". In this volume, grandmaster Sam Kuoha presents the fundamental training methods and basic techniques of this "street" oriented martial art. The kara-ho system is designed to provide defense against an attacker with or without a weapon. Included in this book are techniques to defend against grappling, clubs or sticks, guns, knives and multiple attackers. Besides an illustration of defensive techniques, this volume reveals kara-ho kempo training secrets designed to prepare you for street combat. With over 500 photographs illustrating stances, blocks, parries, strikes, training exercises and self-defense techniques, this volume provides the tools you need to defend yourself.

Product Details

• Paperback: 150 pages
• Publisher: Unique Pubns (June 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1892515121
• ISBN-13: 978-1892515124
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,268,767 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars more, May 28, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Chinese Kara-ho Kempo, Volume 1: Fundamental Practice and Techniques (Paperback)

I missed the one page on Sam's training partners, mostly because the photo of his ice-breaking stunt was a real turnoff. The author should have written that he studied a number of non-Kenpo arts and trained with proficient partners. One line reads that he collected black belts in several other arts. The more I read, the fishier it gets. Kuoha will have to write a detailed chronicle of his training to explain his lineage. Right now, it appears that he has difficulty explaining how he inherited the top position of Chow's organization with a few years of off-site training.

After reading the book several times, I'm still left with the impression that Kuoha really needs a show to promote Chow's art. Somehow, I get the impression that the pressures of commercialism are great on the shoulders of Kuoha. Perhaps it's time to leave Kenpo and move on to disco karate.

4 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Don't bother, May 20, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Chinese Kara-ho Kempo, Volume 1: Fundamental Practice and Techniques (Paperback)

2 stars is earned by the unique historical information on Prof. Chow in Ch. 1. Obviously, I am unable to make comments on his art. Detailed history would get 5 stars. Ch. 2-3 is about stretching, stances, and a plug for pills. Yawn. The photos include complete bodies. The captions seldom describe form rather than function. Yawn. There are more pictures of conditioning and leaping high kicks than anything else. That's acrobatics, not street fighting. There are many pictures of a female holding a foot high in the air. This looks like a book about tournament-oriented kickboxing.

Then, there's the touchy subject of mastery. Ok. Here's the fishy part. How does one secure a promotion from 1st degree black belt to 5th degree in two years (1978-80, plus his training with Chow from age 18-21) and then to 9th degree in four years, 1978-1984? Mastery takes a long time. Hand out grades do not. Kuoha writes that he was training remotely because he visited Chow weeks at a time. He insults all of the schools in California and doesn't mention a training partner in California. So, unless he names his training situation in California, we can only assume solo practice. In one chapter, Kuoha writes that these training sessions were 14-15 hrs/day. In another, 15-16 hrs/day. Didn't he check his own book? Also, he states that he medically retired from the police force and then renewed his studies with Chow. How does someone so physically-challenged manage to train hard core martial arts? This makes little sense to me. This situation deserves a more detailed explanation to rescue it from a a Grand Canyon in credibility.

Kuoha should write a detailed book on Kempo, specifically the training methods and demeanor of Chow. Little is written on the life of this Hawaiian pioneer. I bet Kuoha has a *lot* to offer, but it's not in this book.