subject: How Many Forms and Self Defense Techniques Does It Take to Master Kenpo? [print this page] How Many Forms and Self Defense Techniques Does It Take to Master Kenpo?
When I first started studying the martial arts, a branch of chinese American Kung Fu Kenpo Karate, I was told it would take three lifetimes to master Kenpo. Over time I realized that this was just a type of ignorance, and possibly even racism, but I did start to wonder how long it would take. I've been practicing martial arts for over forty years now, and I think I have an answer. Sort of.
The example I have encountered, over the years, is that it takes a 1000 repetitions to learn a form, and 10,000 repetitions to master. This would include, of course, self defense techniques, appropriate types of freestyle, assorted drills, and so on.
Taking just the Kenpo forms, you can increase the numbers I am about to tell you according to your individual method of training, we can come up with some interesting times to mastery.
If you have 15 forms to Mastery, which is close to the number of forms in such styles as Ed Parker Kenpo and James Mitose Kempo, and so on, then you need to do 15,000 repetitions.
15,000 forms = 15,000 minutes = 250 hours
If you practice five hours a week, you could master Kenpo within a year.
Here are a few things wrong with this formula.
Most people will not practice five hours a week.
Most styles are not logically arranged, which increases the time, sometimes considerably.
Most styles are not logically taught, which, again, increases the time, sometimes considerably.
Most styles have been compromised, mixed with other systems, or otherwise tainted, which increases time considerably.
This doesn't include, as I stated before, times needed for self defense techniques, freestyle, various drills, and so on.
Now, you can probably use the information I have given you here to find the times to master Tae Kwon Do, or master Kung Fu, but you will have to work it a bit.
The point here, however, is that the numbers I have given you seem appropriate to my own journey through the martial arts.
And, I give you this information to encourage people to take the long view, and to dedicate themselves, and to become more streamlined and efficient in their pursuit of the arts.
