Workbook questions & answers

[The Tabasco Kid]

Is it OK to post possible answers the workbook questions in this forum or should they be sent to Mr. Lamkin or another AKLA instructor?

[administrator]

Is it OK to post possible answers the workbook questions in this forum or should they be sent to Mr. Lamkin or another AKLA instructor?

It is a good idea to share your ideas and get feedback from others who are working through the material. I prefer this type of dialogue on the forum rather than through email.

Kevin Lamkin
Site Administrator

[The Tabasco Kid]

Thanks!

Ok, here's a question that actually comes from the DVD: In the lecture on Gift of Destruction, it's mentioned that the word "Destruction" is used to indicate that we will be doing something with the left hand. But why is the word used in Sword of Destruction where the left hand is only placed to block as needed?

[administrator]

What is the attack of Sword of Destruction? That should answer your question.

Kevin Lamkin
Site Administrator

[The Tabasco Kid]

Well, the attacker is using a left roundhouse, but I guess my confusion is due to the lecture saying the the defender is the one using the left side as the action side when "Destruction" is mentioned. In Gift of Destruction, the attacker is not using the left side to attack.


Study Questions - Clutching Feathers

2) What changes, if any, would you make to adapt this technique to shoulder grabs and punches?

Attacker - Left hand grab to right shoulder
Change 1a to "Pin attacker's hand with left hand" and execute the rest of the technique as written.

Attacker - Left hand grab to right shoulder followed by right punch to face
1a - Pin attackers hand to shoulder with right hand
1b - Step to 6:00 and form right neutral bow
1c - Left vertical outward extended block to right punch
2a - Rotate into right foward bow
2b - Release right pin and bring right arm down and up clockwise to execute right outward extended block on attackers left arm
2c - Execute left inward vertical heel palm strike to attackers jaw
3a - Rotate to right neutral bow
3b - Right inward finger rake across attackers face
3c - Double cover out

Attacker - Left punch
Use Sword of Destruction

3) Find two strikes to add at end of this technique

Push/drag forward to deliver Right inward horizontal elbow strike to chest followed by a right outward back knuckle strike to attacker's left side.
Add the two elbow strikes from Mace of Aggression

[The Tabasco Kid]

Locking Horns - Lecture question

At the end of the Locking Horns lecture, Mr. Lamkin asks that the student think about how to use this technique against a left-side headlock without mirroring the technique.

I'm stumped. How can a right-side technique be used against a left side attack of this type without mirroring?

[administrator]

Work on this one. You have to use an opponent and see. Once you do this you will understand the underlying principles better.

I am starting anew thread for these types of questions. They are good questions, but I think they will get lost in this thread. The new thread is entitled, "What If" solutions. Feel free to post there.

Kevin Lamkin

[The Tabasco Kid]

Work on this one. You have to use an opponent and see. Once you do this you will understand the underlying principles better.

Well, I played with this for a while. I tried stepping further in with the right foot, checking his left knee with my left hand and then a right uppercut to the left kidney. This was followed by a left upward heel palm strike to his chin as I push his left elbow down and off with my right hand.

After reading the material on Grip of Death, I think that the knee check could be replaced with a good, old-fashioned reverse handsword to the groin.

How'd I do?

[The Tabasco Kid]

My answer to Question 2:

Q: Can you find the hidden arm lock in this technique?

A: I think that an arm lock is possible by

1 - Collapse the attacker's right elbow with the crane hand
2a - Using the hold you have on the attacker's right hand, grasp his hand and rotate it so that his right palm faces him.
2b - As you drag the crane hand down, rotating the attacker's arm, step forward with the left foot towards 12 o'clock into a left forward bow, forcing the attacker's forearm back.
3 - When the crane hand is clear of the attacker's arm, circle it counterclockwise under the attacker's arm to reach up and grab his right wrist.
4 - Pull down with the right arm and you rotate into a left neutral bow facing 2:00.

Question 3

Q: What if a punch was en route before your palm strike? How can you block the punch without changing the technique?

A: Use a right inward thrusting block to counter the punch. Keep going after the block to execute the rest of the technique as written.

[administrator]

Good answers.
Keep the study up. Also, allow yourself for the possibility of many other answers. The beauty of Kenpo is that the more concepts and tactics that you digest, the more answers that you can come up with for any given situtation.
Kevin Lamkin

[Tombo]

Just to share my answers to these same two questions in order to share some insight.

2. Can you find the hidden arm lock in this technique?

There are several places in this technique that you can perform a lock. I came up with 8 different locking opportunities. Some of the names of the locks are what we happen to use at my school so may not be Parker Kenpo correct. The one I think that works the smoothest is by replacing the uppercut to the body with the following...

s6. Snake your right arm under and up behind your attacker's arm (above the elbow)
s6. While directing their hand towards their head with your left hand
7. Anchor your elbow as you grab the top of your left wrist with your right hand placing the attacker in a figure 4 arm lock
s8. Take a small step towards 4:30 with your left foot
s8. Press your hands down and away to tighten the lock and prevent your attacker's left hand from striking.

There is a way to turn this into a wing lock behind the attacker's back instead but I haven't figured how to say it other than doing it.

At the initial right crane hand strike to the attacker's arm you have the following options for locks:

1. instead pulling them down and to the right, you can roll the arm into a shoulder lock as in Defying the Storm which you can then...
2. turn that into an arm bar by sliding their hand up over your shoulder and then pressing down on their tricep with both hands.
3. You could also pull off that wing lock after bringing their arm down and to the right, but I don't like it too much as it is a bit more time consuming and leaves them an opportunity to slip out.
4. You can also pull off a centerlock here by grabbing underneath their elbow with your right hand, pull that to your right hip as your left hand pushes their hand DOWN and AWAY from you towards 10:30
5. You can do a bicep crush but putting the meatier portion of your forarm inside their elbow joint as your slam their hand towards their head with your left hand (then you can grab your left forearm with your right hand to lock it -- it will look similar to a figure four lock but you are actually crushing the bicep with your forearm

Lastly you can get a good head trap/arm lock combination going by doing the following:

1. At the point of impact of your outward elbow you can extend your right arm reaching around behind the attacker's head guiding their head under your right arm, at which point you loop their hand on top of their back and you slide your right arm under their left arm to grab your own hand essentially locking their head and both arms at the same time.

3. Consider this. What if a punch was en route before your palm strike? How can you block the punch without changing the technique?

I looked at this two ways. The first way I looked at this was as if this was a trick question of sorts because realistically that punch should never be on its way (unless you failed to react) unless the attacker was punching at the same time he was pushing (which wouldn't make sense) in which case you would treat this as a two-handed push instead of a straight arm push.

Considering it is a what-if, you have to assume that you failed to react, lost focus etc.. somehow skipping a beat allowing the attacker to push then punch. In that case, my answer would be one of the two following:


Continue with the palm strike as the palm strike itself puts your arm in such a position that it serves as the block itself
Convert the palm strike into a block and then follow through with the rest of the technique as prescribed.