American Kenpo Karate Yellow Belt Techniques

DELAYED SWORD

Defense against right lapel grab
Step back with your left foot into a right Neutral Bow while doing a right Inward Block and checking low with your left hand.

Technique Flow
1. Five Swords
2. Unfurling Crane
3. Defying The Storm
Do a right Front Ball Kick to attackers groin.

Technique Flow
1. End of Defying The Storm
2. Circling Fans
3. Middle of Scraping Hooves Ext.
As you land from the kick (towards 11:00 in a right High Wide Kneel checking attackers right leg), do a right Outward Hand Sword to attackers neck. Keep your hand on attackers neck as positional check.

Technique Flow
1. End of Spiraling Twig
2. Defying The Storm
3. End of Circling Wing
4. Twisted Twig
5. Five Swords
6. Desperate Falcons
7. End of Entwined Maces

Main Power Principle
Marriage of Gravity

SWORD OF DESTRUCTION

Defense against left hook
Step back with your left foot into a right Neutral Bow while doing a left Inward Parry with an eye slice (optional) and a right Outward Extended Block as your left hand circles down and checks low kick.

Technique Flow
1. Shielding Hammer
2. End of Clutching Feathers
Do a right Front Ball Kick to attackers groin.

Technique Flow
1. Hooking Wings
As you land from the kick (towards 11:00 in a High Wide Kneel checking attackers right leg) do an Inward Hand Sword to the left side of attackers neck. Bring your right hand back slightly to check attackers arm at the shoulder, keeping your elbow in tight.
Technique Flow

1. Spreading Branch
2. End of Circling Wing
3. Twisted Twig
4. Desperate Falcons
5. End of Entwined Maces

Main Power Principle
Marriage of Gravity

AGGRESSIVE TWINS

Defense against two handed push
Step back with your left foot into a right Neutral Bow while doing a right Inward Block to close attackers center line. Check low kick with left hand.

Technique Flow
1. Reversing Mace
2. Repeating Mace
3. Shield & Sword
Do a right Side Kick to attackers left knee to open their center line. The kick should be to top of knee going down to maximize the break.

Technique Flow
1. Hooking Wings
2. Begging Hands
Rear Ball Kick to chest, landing forward in a left Neutral Bow. Kick high on attacker to move them back so you can land forward.

Technique Flow
1. End of Hooking Wings
2. End of Begging Hands

Main Power Principle
Torque

DEFLECTING HAMMER

Defense against a right front ball kick
Hands up in Passive Defensive position. Step back with your left foot into a right Neutral Bow while doing a right Downward Block to deflect the kick past you and cock your right hand at your waist.

Technique Flow
1. Leaping Crane
2. Retreating Pendulum
3. Middle of Flashing Mace
Left hand checks (grab) attackers right arm against their body while doing a right Inward Elbow to their face (Push Drag if necessary).

Technique Flow
1. End of Circling Destruction
2. End of Backbreaker

Main Power Principle
Back-up Mass

GRASP OF DEATH /GRIP OF DEATH

Defense against a left flank headlock
Turn your head to the left to clear your windpipe as you grab attackers right arm with your right hand and pinch attackers hamstring (or grab groin) while stepping forward with your right leg towards 12:00. The pinch, done properly, should cause attacker to loosen their grip.

Technique Flow
1. Grip Of Death
Move your left foot past attackers right foot to 1:00 into a left High Wide Kneel as you pull attackers right arm away from your neck and drive your left forearm/elbow into attackers armpit, pushing with your left forearm and pulling with your right hand to move attacker across your body. Attacker is now bent over in front of you.

Technique Flow
1. Crossing Talons
2. Returning The Storm
Slide your left forearm down attackers arm to pin the arm down against your left thigh with your left forearm as you do a right inverted Vertical Thrust punch to attackers mastoid.

Main Power Principle
Torque

CHECKING THE STORM

Defense against a right roundhouse club strike
Push Drag back to 3:00 into a left Cat Stance while doing a right inward eye-slice across face (optional) into a right Inward Parry and left Outward Extended Block. Right hand circles down from parry to check low.

Technique Flow
1. Calming The Storm
2. Defying The Storm
Grab attackers wrist with your left hand (if possible) and pull their arm past your left hip while doing a left Front Ball Kick to attackers groin, landing in a left Front Twist stance, as your right fist comes to the left side of your chest.

Technique Flow
1. End of Circling Fans
2. End of Fatal Deviation
3. Triggered Salute
4. Five Swords
5. End of Spiraling Twig
6. Defying The Storm
7. End of Circling Wing
8. Twisted Twig
Do a right Side Kick to attackers right knee. As you land from the kick, pull with your left hand while doing a right Back Knuckle to attackers face.

Technique Flow
Main Power Principle
Back-up Mass

GIFT OF DESTRUCTION

Defense against an unfriendly handshake.
While pulling towards you with your right hand (to get attacker off balance), do a left inward/upward Heel Palm to jam attackers elbow upward. At the same time, lift your left knee up then jump up and forward (leaning slightly left to avoid a head butt), driving your right knee into attackers groin or stomach.

Technique Flow
1. Entwined Maces
As you land forward in a right Neutral Bow, check attackers right arm with your left hand (simply roll your hand clockwise to move from under attackers arm to the top of attackers arm) as you do a right Inward Elbow to attackers face.

Technique Flow

Main Power Principle
Back-up mass

MACE OF AGGRESSION

Defense against a two handed lapel grab and pull
Pin attackers hands onto your chest with your left hand as your right foot steps to 11:00, stomping attackers right foot. At the same time, do a right raking Hammerfist (angled from 1:30 to 7:30) across attackers temple, nose and down onto their arms. This will draw attacker into you, so keep your back straight and your head upright.

Technique Flow

1. Spiraling Twig
2. Circling Wing
Right Inward Elbow to left side of attackers face.

Technique Flow

Release attackers hands as you Push Drag forward while doing a right Side Elbow to attackers face.

Technique Flow
1. Five Swords
2. End of Thrusting Wedge

Main Power Principle
Marriage of Gravity

ATTACKING MACE
Defense against a right straight punch
Step backwithyour left foot into a left Neutral Bow while doing a left Inward Block, closing attackers center line. Right hand checks at waist.

Technique Flow
1. Thundering Hammers
2. Flashing Wings
3. Flashing Mace
Open left hand as a check and move into a left Forward Bow while doing a right Horizontal Thrust punch to attackers ribs to open their center line.

Technique Flow
1. Protecting Fans
Slide your right hand down attackers arm, grabbing their wrist and pull attacker into you while doing a Rear Ball Kick to their groin.

Technique Flow
1.
Land from the kick just in front of attackers right knee and do an Uppercut punch to ribs. Keep holding wrist of attackers punching arm.

Technique Flow
1. Crossing Talons
2. End of Grasp Of Death
3. Glancing Salute
4. End of Evading The Storm
5. Destructive Kneel

Main Power Principle
Back-up Mass

INTELLECTUAL DEPARTURE

Defense against a right Front Ball Kick
Step back to 4:30 with your left foot as you turn backwards into a reverse Cat Stance while doing a right Inside Downward (palm down) block with right forearm on kick.

Technique Flow

1.Do a right Rear Kick to attackers groin before their kicking leg lands.

Technique Flow
1.
As you land from the Rear Kick into a right Neutral Bow facing attacker, do a right Back Knuckle to attackers temple. This may or may not make contact, depending on how far you moved them with the kick.

Technique Flow
1.Right Slide-Up Side Kick to attackers chest, landing forward in a right Neutral Bow.

Technique Flow

Main Power Principle
Back-up Mass

Mr. Mark Schiffman started his martial arts training, like so many of us, with Judo at the local "Y" in 1972. After finding that Judo did not meet the need for self-defense, he moved on to join a local "American Karate Studios", and attained the rank of Black Belt in 1983, from Mr. Dennis Nackord. Mr. Schiffman first met Mr. Ed Parker at a tournament in York, Pennsylvania, where Mr. Parker was a guest. After driving for 3 hours in the snow and arriving late, the tournament director said; "you are too late to enter", Mr. Parker countermanded that order with a final; "let them in". Coincidentally, this was the first time that Mr. Schiffman won first place in competition, he was a purple belt.

Mr. Schiffman opened his studio, AMERICAN KARATE SYSTEM in 1987. After opening his studio, he was again in the market for an instructor, the IKKA recommended Joe Palanzo. In 1990, just six weeks before he died, Mr. Parker promoted Mr. Schiffman to 4th Degree Black Belt at the last East Coast training camp. Mr. Schiffman is careful to point out that he was not a student of Mr. Parker, but trained with him. He never formally asked to be his student. "I don't want to be like some other people that go to a few seminars or a few camps, and then announce to the world that they were a personal student of Ed Parker". Mr. Schiffman met Mr. Sean Kelley in 1989 in New York, where Mr. Schiffman drove with Mr. Parker for a meeting with Curtis Sliwa of the Guardian Angels. Through Mr. Kelly, Mr. Schiffman has met and trained with; Mr. Lee Wedlake, Master Knife Maker Mr. Gil Hibben, and Bill "Superfoot" Wallace. It was at Mr. Parker's funeral in 1990 that
Mr. Schiffman and Mr. Kelley met Mr. Jeff Speakman, star of the movie THE PERFECT WEAPON. The first movie to showcase Ed Parker's American Kenpo.

When Mr. Parker died and the meeting was held to decide to form the WKKA, Mr. Schiffman met Mr. Huk Planas. At lunch, not even 3 hours after they met, they got into a philosophical discussion about the "how's and why's" of Kenpo. "Mr. Parker often spoke about 'my boy Huk'. Finally meeting him was quite an honor". In 1994, Mr. Schiffman was tested and promoted to 5th Degree Black Belt in front of a board that consisted of; Huk Planas, Joe Palanzo, Frank Trejo, Greg Silva, Dennis Nackord and Joe Bridenstein. After leaving the WKKA, Mr. Schiffman became a formal student of Mr. Huk Planas, and has been training with him ever since. He is the last word on how to do Kenpo, I wish I had met him 20 years ago."

Mr. Schiffman has also trained with undefeated World Champion Joe Lewis, Mike Stone, former Elvis Presley bodyguards and Kenpo Black Belts Mr. David Hebbler and Elvis's step brother Mr. David Stanley. Mr. Schiffman is still an active student and competitor. He has competed all over the United States and Canada, and won his first national tittle in 1979 as a Green Belt. In 1994, he won the National Black Belt League National Championships in Self-Defense. In 1999, after extensive boxing training with Mr. Frank Trejo, he won a full contact boxing match against an opponent 15 years younger and 35 pounds heavier. "It was a great experience,", Mr. Schiffman says of the intense training and the fight itself, "but not one that I am eager to repeat!". His most recent victories include, in 2001; 1st Place in the "Black Belt Battle" in King of Prussia, in 2003; 1st Place in the 1st annual "Kenpo Clash", and in 2004, 1st Places in Executive Black Belt Forms, and Fighting at the 2nd annual "Kenpo Clash" held in Southamton, PA.

Mr. Schiffman has also trained with local police, and the US Marshals. He has done speaking engagements, and demonstrations for Women's groups, the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Birthday Parties, Public and Private Schools, Gun Shows, Thanks Giving Parades, 4th of July Parade, Flyers Hockey games, Sixers Basketball games, The Charge Women's Soccer game (where he met "Gervis, from the first Survivor TV show!), and Movie Theaters.

In November of 2006, Mr. Schiffman moved to New Jersey where he is now teaching full time. See the website for details.
When not teaching, Mr. Schiffman attends as many training camps and Seminars as His time allows. Personal Quote: 'Live each day as if it were your last, it might be, and you will have a greater appreciation of all that is around you". .Teaching Philosophy: "Lead by Example, and be Accountable for Your Actions".

Mr. Schiffman may be contacted at (610) 574-1686, or on the net at
http://www.americankaratesystem.com