Orange Belts

	Arizona Shaolin Kenpo Academy
	Orange Belt

Attitude

For years, you have likely heard many students and instructors
mention "proper attitude", but if you're like most of us, you have yet
to hear anyone define just what a "proper attitude" is or should be,
only that someone has a "good or bad attitude." It's difficult to have a
proper attitude toward the martial arts if we're are not taught what is
expected of us. The following is a brief explanation of what we at
Arizona Shaolin Kenpo Academy consider to be a healthy attitude. We hope
that this will help you in your studies.
First of all, what is attitude? It is how you perceive things --
your point of view. Attitudes can come in a variety "flavors", ranging
from the very negative to the very positive. At Arizona Shaolin Kenpo
Academy, we believe that attitude is like clay, it can be molded and
shaped any way one chooses and that you are not "stuck" with your
present attitude--if you are not happy with it, you can change it.
The first element of a good training attitude is respect. Not just
the respect for your instructor and the more advanced students, but
respect for your peers, parents, and other elders, and most importantly,
for yourself. The key to understanding and respecting others is to first
understand and respect yourself. At Arizona Shaolin Kenpo Academy, you
will learn a great deal about yourself during the course of your
training.
Ego is another important aspect that will have an impact on your
attitude. Some people will tell you that they "do not have an ego", but
this is not quite the case. We all have an ego to one extent or another,
but what they mean to say is they are not ruled by their egos; they
don't take themselves too seriously or feel that they have to prove
themselves to anyone. You should never direct your ego towards comparing
yourself with others. The only person you are competing with in the dojo
or in daily life is yourself. You should simply seek to be a better
person today than you were yesterday, this week than the last, and so
forth, because in the end, this is all that really matters. Never waste
energy being concerned with anyone else's level of achievement or
progress, instead use that energy for your own goals and purposes.
Throughout your life, you will meet many people who have major "ego
problems" in that they insist on telling or showing you how great they
are. Such people are frequently building themselves up to hide feelings
of inferiority and are actually insecure and unsure of themselves. Try
to recognize such people for what they really are, and don't let them
get to you. It's only by recognizing that we all have both strengths to
sustain us as well as weaknesses to overcome that we can be free to
better ourselves rather than scramble to prove ourselves each day. This
type of humility is very important, not just in training, but in
everyday life. Many people today have become hyper-focused on showing
everyone how great they are rather than on truly doing a good job. The
irony here is that if they were more concerned about doing good things
and turning out fine work, their greatness would speak for itself and
they'd never need prove themselves in the first place!
Patience is also an essential attribute as you progress in
training. The masters of ancient times would not train students until
they demonstrated their resolve by demonstrating their patience by doing
menial chores in the instructor's household for months, or even years.
After that, they might work on one element of training, such the horse
stance, for quite some time to master it before learning something new.
Today, we are taught we should expect instant results; quickie
breakfasts, instant cures, fast money, express lanes at the bank and to
work, fast foods for lunch and all kinds of quick "short cuts" to
accomplish nearly everything. There are no short cuts in the training,
just good, old-fashioned practice and hard work! It will require
dedication, practice, and much patience to achieve your black belt, so
don't expect it to come fast and easy! The values of the ancient monks
who created and practiced this type of training have much to teach us,
if we're willing to slow down and take the time to look.
One last point, always remember to try keep a positive, optimistic
attitude--it's just as easy to have a good attitude as a bad one! Some
times this will be easier than others, but just as with any other habit,
the more you practice, the easier it will become. Only not trying at all
would constitute true failure. We've all had negative experiences in
life, but we should not let these experiences stop us from achieving our
maximum potential. There are approximately 6 billion people on this
planet, and we're all struggling to find our way through life, so you
are not alone when you feel frightened, sad, lost, lonely, incompetent,
or other negative feelings! We have all felt these things! A key to
maintaining a positive attitude is to never take life too seriously. We
all get dumped on, hassled in some way, hurt, and are at times
unappreciated. Keep and cultivate your sense of humor to get you through
the time when this will happen, and it will, and stay focused on
accomplishing things that are meaningful to you regardless of what
others think!

Orange Belt Requirements:

Strikes:
Swordhand: Note: this strike is the same as the classic "karate chop"
you've seen so often in the movies! Bring your fingers and thumb in
tight to your hand. Strike with a diagonal motion as if you are drawing
one part of a large "X" in front of you.

Spearhand: Start with the same hand position as you do in the
"swordhand" strike, with fingers and thumb close to the hand. Instead of
striking with the diagonal motion of the swordhand, use a thrusting
movement as if you were poking in at an opponent's throat level.

Tiger Claw: Strike first using the bottom of the palm as you would in a
palm strike, then form your hand in a "claw" position, and claw with a
downward raking motion as if your were clawing an opponent's face.

Chicken Wrist: Begin by "flicking" your hand down in front of you as if
doing a downward palm strike/block in front of you at your center.
Continue by snapping your wrist upwards in a bent position, your thumb
and fingers all touching, and pointing back towards your face at the 9
o'clock position. Imagine you are striking your opponent under the chin
with the top part (thumb-side up!) of your bent wrist.

Kicks:
Roundhouse: Begin by facing your target in a forward stance. Bring your
the knee of your back leg (the kicking leg) up to the chambered
position, pivot around 180 degrees and kick your target with the top
(instep) of your foot. Withdraw your foot as fast as you sent it out
("snap" the kick), then return your knee to the chambered position while
pivoting to face your target. Set your leg back down behind you,
returning to the same forward stance you began in.

Double Jumping Front Ball Kick: Begin by standing in a forward stance,
facing your target. Chamber your first knee, (the knee of the leg behind
you) and launch a front kick as normal. As your foot hits the floor
after the kick, immediately chamber your second knee and likewise launch
a second front ball kick.

Stances:
Cat Stance:(Right/Left)-Feet are positioned approximately shoulder width
apart. Note: 90% of your weight is on your back leg! The "empty" leg is
up on the ball of the foot.

"T" Stance:(Right/Left)-Feet are positioned with the front foot pointing

forward and the back foot sideways to it, with the heel of the front
foot touching the arch (middle-inside) of the back foot.

Archer's Stance: Same as the "Cat" stance, only the front foot is flat
on the floor.

8-Point Blocking System with Counter-strikes(from a Horse Stance):
Note: At this rank, the blocks and counters should be done with greater
accuracy, snap, and power than at the previous ranks!
1). Right Outward Block; Right front two knuckle
2). Left Outward Block; Left front two knuckle
3). Right Inward Block; Right back two knuckle
4). Left Inward Block; Left back two knuckle
5). Right Upper Block; Circle right/clockwise, claw to face
6). Left Upper Block; Circle left/counter-clockwise, claw to face
7). Right Downward Block; Right chicken wrist strike
8). Left Downward Block; Left chicken wrist strike

Orange Belt Combinations:

Combination #2: Note: This combination is a defense against a
left-handed punch!
1). Step back into a "T" stance with your left foot and execute a #3
block to your opponent's punching (left) arm.
2). Shuffle in with a back two-knuckle punch to your opponent's chin,
starting them going backwards while moving your right leg behind your
opponent's left leg.
3). Strike opponent's upper chest area with a right downward elbow
strike, knocking them the rest of the way backwards over your right leg.

4. As your opponent falls, continue circling around with your right hand
behind your opponent and scoop his/her left leg at the back of the ankle
with a shudo chop adding your left hand to the scoop to secure the leg
for the rest of the take-down.
5). Take your opponent's leg and move it out of your way to the right,
then "check" your opponent's open legs by dropping into a solid horse
stance and pushing forward with your knees to keep pressure on his/her
legs.
6). Deliver the finishing blow, a right shudo chop to the groin.

Combination #5:
1). Step forward with your right foot while doing a left back-hand parry
block (your palm will be facing towards you) to your opponent's incoming
punch.
2). Pivot 180 degrees to the left (turning towards your opponent) while
turning your left hand outward (your palm will be facing away from you)
and slide it down their arm grabbing and holding when you reach his/her
wrist.
3). Deliver a chicken wrist to the underside of the wrist breaking it.
4). Deliver a back two-knuckle punch to your opponent's chin.
5). Finish by delivering a side-kick to your opponent's groin or knee
while still holding on to them.

Orange Belt Kenpos: Four(4)Orange Belt Kenpos taken from Short Form #1.

Orange Belt JuJitsus:
Bear Hug:
1). Inch your arms from your sides to your front-middle (fists touching)
to give yourself some breathing room.
2). Drop your weight by bending at your knees (as if doing a squat)
keeping your back straight.
3). Arch your back slightly, reach back behind you with both hands
(while maintaining the same squat position as in #1), and attempt to
pinch the inner thigh/groin area of your opponent.
4). In one swift movement, raise both arms firmly forward (parallel to
the floor) breaking your opponent's grip while thrusting your backside
into your opponent's mid-section.
5). Finish the technique by applying a rearward elbow/hammerfist
combination to your opponent's mid-section and groin, and a back kick to
the knee.

One Hand Shoulder Grab:
1). Circle around your opponent's grabbing arm, wrapping and locking it
up.
2). Pivot towards your opponent while delivering a back two-knuckle
punch.

One Arm Hammerlock:
1). Grab hold of your opponent's grabbing hand.
2). Step back left, apply a high rearward elbow strike to your
opponent's face/jaw.
3). Step forward 180 degrees with your left foot, and extend yours and
your opponent's arm in the process.
4). Pull your opponent into a right (lead leg) side kick to the ribs or
side blade kick to the knee.

Orange Belt Form:

Short Form #1 with Counter-strikes:

Note: This is kata is known as a "retreating kata". This means that you
will be moving backwards throughout it!

Bow, salutation.

1). Half-moon back left while doing a #3 block with a back two-knuckle
punch.
2). Half-moon back right while doing a #4 block with a back two-knuckle
punch.
3). Half-moon forward 90 degrees to the left.
4). Execute a #2 block with a front punch.
5). Half-moon back left while doing a #1 block with an front punch.
6). Without drawing your right foot in any closer to you, move it to the
left side in front of you.
7). Pivot 180 degrees left, and execute a #6 block continuing around
counter-clockwise with a tiger claw going from right to left.
(Continued on the next page!)

8). Half-moon back right, and execute a #5 block continuing around
clockwise with a tiger claw going from left to right.
9). Half-moon forward, turning 90 degrees to the right.
10). Execute a #7 block with a chicken wrist.
11). Half-moon back right while doing a #8 block with a chicken wrist.
12). Step around to facing front (180 degrees) by moving your left foot.

Bow, salutation.

All students must have head and hand gear!

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