Ch’uan Fa: Kajukenbo

Key Characteristics of Ch’uan Fa Kajukenbo

1. Historical Development:
   • In the early 1960s, Adriano Emperado, along with students Al Dacascos and Al Dela Cruz, began incorporating Chinese martial arts into Kajukenbo, initially under the Tum Pai branch (meaning “central way”). By 1965–1966, these developments evolved into a distinct branch named Ch’uan Fa, meaning “fist way” or “Chinese Kempo” in Japanese, to better reflect the inclusion of both Northern (long-range, acrobatic) and Southern (close-range, powerful) Kung Fu techniques.
      
      
      
   • Ch’uan Fa was officially recognized as the second branch of Kajukenbo in 1966, with Al Dacascos and Al Dela Cruz as key figures in its spread, particularly in Hawaii and Northern California.
      
2. Philosophical Approach:
   • Ch’uan Fa emphasizes a “soft style” philosophy, focusing on intercepting, absorbing, and redirecting an opponent’s attacks rather than meeting force with force. The core concept is to not “respect” an attack by giving it power, instead neutralizing it through fluid, adaptive movements. Practitioners are encouraged to go “all out” in self-defense, using simultaneous block-and-strike techniques or preemptive strikes to subdue an attacker decisively.
      
      
   • The motto of Kajukenbo, “Through this fist way, one gains long life and happiness,” is reflected in Ch’uan Fa’s balance of physical skill and mental discipline.
      
3. Techniques and Training:
   • Ch’uan Fa blends the hard, linear movements of Kajukenbo’s original method with softer, circular motions from Chinese martial arts, such as Northern Shaolin, Southern Sil-Lum, Fu-Hak Kung Fu, and forms like Limpo, Pak Si-Lum, and 18 Hands of Lohan.
      
   • It includes 82 training exercises and drills, replacing rigid stances (e.g., hard horse stances) with softer ones (e.g., low cat stances) and emphasizing circular hand movements, kicks, throws, counters, and grappling techniques like Chi Sao and Pak Sao.
      

     
   • Training focuses on four levels of defense: (1) block and strike, (2) block and strike simultaneously, (3) block becomes strike, and (4) strike then block, with Ch’uan Fa favoring the latter three for their fluidity and efficiency. Drills like “just touch it” teach students to deflect attacks lightly to rob them of power, followed by counterstrikes.
      
      
   • Forms (kata) and sparring are integral, including multi-opponent scenarios and weapon defense, aligning with Kajukenbo’s street-fighting roots.
      
      
4. Influence and Evolution:
   • Ch’uan Fa laid the groundwork for Wun Hop Kuen Do (WHKD), founded by Al Dacascos, which further refined Ch’uan Fa’s techniques into a more personalized, adaptive system. WHKD is considered a direct evolution, blending hard and soft movements with additional influences from Aikido, Eskrima, and other styles.
      
      
   • The Gaylord Method of Ch’uan Fa, practiced at schools like Hand to Hand Kajukenbo, is a notable lineage emphasizing practical self-defense.
      
      
5. Cultural and Practical Significance:
   • Ch’uan Fa Kajukenbo retains Kajukenbo’s street-oriented focus, developed in the violent Palama Settlement of Oahu, where techniques were tested for real-world effectiveness. Only moves that worked consistently were kept, ensuring practicality.
      
      
   • It promotes physical and mental growth, fostering confidence, discipline, and community through values like integrity, respect, and humility, often encapsulated in the Kajukenbo Prayer.