2014 Kenpo Senior Conference

We had to skip 2013 due to scheduling conflicts with other groups. I was told people were mad at me but it is what it is. Steve White and I want to promote peace and cooperation in the kenpo community and throwing another event in a crowded schedule would not help.
The date as of now is May 2-4, 2014 here in Texas. The Omni hotel we used for the first event is not available so I'm looking for another. The same kenpo seniors have agreed on the date, those being myself, Bob White, John Sepulveda and Steve LaBounty. That weekend is also the birthdate of the late Sibok Tom Kelly, so we'll dedicate the event to his memory.
  We plan to expand the schedule to have some sessions during the day on Friday. We'll limit your choice to one of two sessions versus the three in 2012. That being the only complaint we heard, not being able to decide between interesting subjects.
  This is a "lineage" event. That means we select our assistant instructors from the lineages represented by the four seniors. We term them "lieutenants" and wish to showcase those on the way up be becoming the next generation of senior instructors. Of course, some of us have a right-hand man who is senior in their own right, but we still call them lieutenants.
  We're lining up female instructors, too. Barbara White from CA and Denise Plowman of ID are already on board. Steve White, 8th degree is committed. Graham Lelliott and Ron Sanchez are on the list.
  As I write this I am getting ready to head down to the San Antonio area to look at venues that will include the possibility of doing it at a ranch. These facilities have a variety of rooms, dining halls, fitness facility, pools, Jacuzzi, hiking trails, horseback riding, campfires and more. That makes them a good thing if you want to bring the family. More later on this.
  Steve White and I are looking forward to hosting you again in 2014.
  Remember, we call it the Kenpo Senior Conference because it's a chance for seniors to get together, not because it's for old people.

The KSC Sunday wrap-up

Some people had to bail early due to Hurricane Sandy heading for their homes in the Northeast. But the hangover-less ones met at 8AM for the "Iron Monkey". I led this forms workout, which was to run forms and sets back-to-back from One thru Six and the Star Block and Finger Sets. With a too-short break, my student, Bruce Meyer suggested we run them from the top down, Six to the sets. So we did. It took about twenty minutes and we had all ranks working. I salute those of you who got in there and did it with us. As I came up through the ranks it was a rare thing to see a senior run an entire form at speed. Since there are those who say the seniors sit on their butts, I want them to know "t'aint so".
  Tommy Burks from Ft. Worth, TX ran an abbreviated knife class. Good stuff. It was a pleasure to have him there. I hadn't seen him since the early 1990s in Pasadena and we reconnected at SiBok Tom Kelly's funeral.
  Tommy was followed by Tommy. Thomas Kozitzky of Willich, Germany taught his first seminar in the US. He is the highest ranking kenpo black belt in Germany at 5th degree. He chose footwork challenges in techniques as his subject. The feedback I got was that he fixed some problems for people.
  Those two classes concluded the event. Goodbyes were said, certificates collected and out-of-towners checked out of their rooms.
  There was some time before going to the airport, so the seniors and others had some time to hang out and talk. Brian and Lee Duffy got John Sepulveda and SiGung to the airport while I had the opportunity to take Bob White, Ron Sanchez and Graham Lelliott downtown. We went to the State Capitol for a look around and learn some Texas history. Turns out Mr. White comes from a line that came from Texas. We didn't get to see much as there was an event there that included Dan Rather speaking, so it was crowded. The guys managed to get their hands on some jalapeno candy, which drew an interesting reaction.

TX State Capitol with Ron and Graham

   I was pleased to get some time to get to know Bob White better. We've been crossing paths for years but never really connected. Better late than never. Meeting Ron Sanchez was good, too, since I remember seeing the captain of the Bob White team just kicking butt at the IKC in the 70s and it was Ron.
  The event was a success. We originally planned to move this around the country, this Kenpo Senior Conference concept, and we probably will. But Steve White and I plan to hold KSC-Texas here in Austin again in 2013.
  The four seniors are definitely of like mind with a vision of the future of kenpo. The instructors behind us are doing a great job and the system is expanding to meet the needs today. The grappling/ground work is addressed through people like Steve White and Glenn Haley. Instruction technique is addressed by myself and people like Bruce Meyer. Freestyle applications well-covered by Bob White and his crew. Integrating Western Boxing was illustrated by Ed Cabrera. Understanding conceptual basics was well-done by Graham Lelliott and Tom Graves. The psychology of combat as taught by Ron Sanchez and SiGung Steve LaBounty was impressive. Contact manipulation and nerve center work by Brian Duffy and Marc Sigle, along with the weapon work and foundational work of Tommy Burks and Thomas Kozitzky go to show "We have it covered."
   Future KSC events will include internal aspects, anatomy/physiology, and we're planning to get one or two female instructors on the staff.
  Thanks again to our seniors and the other instructors who volunteered to be a part of the event and make it a success. Of course, without the support of those who came from near and far, we'd be almost alone out there, so thanks to you all for choosing to spend your money and your time with us here in Texas.

Comments and posts on the KSC

Quite possibly the best weekend I've ever had in Kenpo! Thank you to all the Seniors and all the additional instructors that shared their time and knowledge. It was a fantastic event!

Carol-Le Elliot - Missouri

One of the best weekends I've had in a long, long time! Truly inspiring to see all of the seniors at work!

Bill Damewood -  Florida

The Conference was perfect. I am always impressed by what you have to say. The weekend was an experience I will always remember. There is nothing better than being part of such a motivational group with the same cause in mind. Thanks for your help and guidance.

 

Pete Galvano -  Alabama

 

I'm very glad that I could be there and took a lot of insights back home - not only
regarding to Kenpo. Hope I will manage to put them all into practice. Listening and observing I feel, the word "lead by example" matches perfectly well with what you do, not only regarding Kenpo but also in the little things of everyday life. From what I have heard, I understand, that this must also have been the way Mr. Parker used to be an example. "Follow by choice" comes around by itself.

Claudia Neumann -  Germany

KSC 2012, Pt. 4

The dinner Saturday night was attended by approximately 80. The dress was casual and I don't remember seeing any t-shirts and shorts being worn. I'd asked people to bring their state flag for their table and many did. Of course, everything is bigger in Texas and one table pretty much had a centerpiece with two Texas flags and what appeared to be part of a karate trophy. I saw a Louisiana flag and two German states along with their country flag.
As we were waiting for the room to fill, the seniors circulated to each table and had their photos taken with each. Each table got shots of the group of four with them and I thank the men for taking the time to do that.
Dinner was a Tex-Mex buffet and I expected the Texans to be pretty critical but all I heard was good.
After dinner Steve White said a few words to describe the Dr. Francis Rene award we were about to present. Francis Rene was a 4th degree who had passed away last year from cancer. He had been a friend of ours and knew everybody in the system. He was energetic and wanted nothing but the best for our system and it's people. We had polled a few seniors and based on their input, decided that Mr. Bob White would receive the award. Bob has been contributing to the system for many years and has a social conscience second to none. His work in the community, especially with the Royal Family Kids Camp, shows he is an example of what a martial artist should be. As Steve White described the award, which was an inscribed Gil Hibben knife, he choked up a bit. He later said it felt as if our friend was in the room. Bob White was gracious in his acceptance.

There were a few words from each of the seniors and then a short question and answer session.

    As with any other event, the hotel bar filled up quickly and some went downtown to 6th Street. It was close to Halloween and I was told the streets were full. That's why you may have seen the photo of Marc Sigle in his gi next to the people dressed like Superman and Superwoman.

Chicago and California participants

More on the Sunday close in the next entry.
 

KSC 2012, Pt. 3

The 9ths and their lieutentants.

Saturday morning saw the group meeting at 0845 for introductions and etiquette meeting. The day's schedule was four 1.5 hour seminars, lunch break, photos/autographs and then dinner.
 Mr. Sepulveda was the first teacher and his subject was Variable Expansion. I took the second spot and did a session on Principles of Instruction.
Steve White and I had decided that it was better to provide lunch than have people out looking for a place to eat, so we arranged it with the hotel. During lunch, the seniors met and discussed the future of kenpo and what we saw as out parts in it. One result of the discussion was that our lineages are becoming more cohesive. As we meet again in the future, a better picture will appear.
After lunch, Mr. Bob White taught entries and closing the gap. The final session was with Mr. LaBounty, "The SiGung" (teacher's teacher) on takedowns. He had some people in tears with his commentary. Closing his session he got into the heads of the participants with his "not me, not today" drill. You had to be there.
We had students of intermediate ranks all the way up to 8th blacks on the floor and working (yes, the 9ths work, too) during the sessions. You didn't see the red leaning against the walls.

2012 Kenpo Senior Conference

At the conclusion of the last session Mr. LaBounty promoted Mr. Gary Swan of San Antonio and Mr. Brian Duffy of Austin to 8th degree black. It was good to be present for this.

Next section will be about the dinner.

KSC 2012, Pt. 2

Steve LaBounty, Bob White, John Sepulveda, Lee Wedlake

Friday saw the seniors arriving, along with many of the volunteer instructors such as Tom Graves, Ed Cabrera, Bruce Meyer, Ron Sanchez and Tommy Burks. Classes started at 6pm.
 Glenn Haley lives in Austin and brought mats for the grappling sessions taught by himself, Steve White and Brian Duffy. As an example of what we were trying to show with combining the lineages, Glenn and Steve dove-tailed their presentations by coordinating. Steve did groundwork while Glenn did stand-up grappling. Brian Duffy's class was on joint manipulation. There was a lot of interest in the track, as we called it, and it was well-received. Thanks to Glenn for going the extra mile.
   Over in the striking track room, Ed Cabrera taught his blend of boxing and kenpo self-defense he calls the Fusion. Tom Graves intrigued people with his Expanded Knot concept for teaching related moves. Marc Sigle got on people's nerves, literally, with his pressure point segment. Ron Sanchez taught a very informative class on Pre-Fight Indicators, loaded with good material. In the Concept track,Graham Lelliott went thru the Universal Pattern and Motion Chart and Bruce Meyer focused on teaching children.
My plan was to be able to watch the various instructors but all I got was a few minutes here and there. What was notable was that in all these sessions I saw a lot of focus and nodding heads. Over the weekend I did not see one person sidelined and bored. I saw high-quality information being presented by the next generation of senior instructors.

The "lieutenants" who taught at the camp.

  By 10pm the session were over and old and new friends gathered to talk. The energy was high and would be maintained through the weekend.

Recap of the Kenpo Senior Conference, pt. 1

Steve White and I partnered up to make this event happen back in early 2012. Steve urged me to do this as we believed that after 22 years since Mr. Parker's passing that the four seniors we had teach were of like mind. The conference was named such because we wanted to talk with the seniors and see where, or if, this would go.
That's why we named it the Conference. This is not a resurrection of the Kenpo Senior Council/League of Kenpo Organizations. It is not intended to be an organization at all. It was an event. We did have our conference on Saturday and we are of like mind and will move forward as such. In the future you'll see more of our respective lineages working together.
People started arriving in Austin on Wednesday and Thursday. They came from Germany, Alabama, Louisiana, Florida, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, California, Kansas, Idaho, Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, Colorado, Washington state, South Carolina and Texas. Several associations were represented such as my PKS, the AKTS, AKF and NCKKA.
Steve White came down with Tim MacKenzie and Julie Stockwell. She and Tim helped out with registration and other things along with Janis Nyman. Graham Lelliott arrived from CA with Pete Valdez  on Thursday.
The Omni hotel Southpark is near the airport and was a venue that Brian and Lee Duffy use when she hosts the annual songwriter's conference in January. www.austinsongwritersgroup.com/ It turned out to be the perfect spot. The staff was efficient, rooms comfortable, meeting areas suitable and the food was good. The location lent itself to people being able to catch a quick cab ride down to the 6th Street party zone and other downtown attractions. The free shuttle made it easy for people to get there.

We have to thank Steve White's program director at his studio, Lee McDonald for the work he did on the flyers, t-shirt design and participation certificates.
Part 2 to come.

Senior Conference

The Kenpo Senior Conference is almost here. There's a lot of buzz about it and I'm looking forward to seeing old friends and meeting people whose names I know but have never met.
We have people coming from coast to coast and from Germany. Registration has been good and the Saturday night dinner is pretty packed.
Late registration is open a another few days at www.wedlakekenpotv.com/kenposeniorconference.

This is the t-shirt design. We ordered a few extras, so if you did not pre-order, you should be able to get one at the event.

Kenpo Senior Conference

Here's the proposed schedule for the event here in Austin, TX on Oct 26-28.
Register at www.wedlakekenpotv.com/kenposeniorconference

Kenpo Senior Conference Schedule                         May be altered as required             

Friday Oct 26 evening schedule
S= Striking Track Omni A
C= Concept Track             Omni B
G= Grappling Track           Omni C

You may switch tracks at any time but the track sessions will be assigned to one room.

6pm
(G) Steve White, 8^th degree from Manchester, NH  Kenpo counters to common grappling attacks
(S) Ed Cabrera 4^th degree from Tampa, FL  Kenpo Fusion
(C)Tom Graves 7^th degree from Seattle, WA        Expanded Knot Concept

7:05
(G) Glenn Haley 4^th degree from Austin, TX   2nd Point of View where the Opponent is a grappler
(S) Marc Sigle 4^th degree from Esslingen, Germany     Integrating Pressure Points
(C) Graham Lelliott  8^th degree from Clovis, CA Ed Parker’s Motion Chart and the Universal Pattern

8:10
(G) Brian Duffy 7^th degree from Austin, TX   Joint Manipulations in the weapon techniques
(S) Ron Sanchez  5^th degree from CA    Pre-fight indicators
(C)  Bruce Meyer 6^th degree from Columbia, SC  Teaching Children

Saturday Oct 27 schedule   Omni ballroom

8:45 Opening remarks and bow in
9am – 1030         Mr. Sepulveda  Variable Expansion
10:45 -  12:15     Mr. Wedlake  Principles of Instructing
1:30 – 3pm          Mr. White  Closing the Gap/Technique Entries
3:15 -  4:45          Mr. LaBounty Rough and Tumble strike-downs and wind-downs
4:45-5pm             Closing Remarks and bow-out

Dinner Buffet 7-9pm
Presentation of the Dr. Francis Rene award
Question and Answer period after dinner

Sunday Oct 28   Omni ballroom
8am Iron Monkey forms workout
0830  Tommy Burks 8^th degree from Ft. Worth, TX  2 man knife drills

Private lessons if previously scheduled with the instructor

Noon - Check out and “head for the ranch”.

Kenpo Senior Conference - Texas

Steve White urged me to get this rolling so we did. The last weekend of October here in Austin, TX I have arranged to have four 9th degree seniors meet and teach.
  The place is the Omni hotel in south Austin, a very nice facility. We got a decent room rate on 50 rooms, especially since it's the beginning of football season here and the UT Longhorns are HUGE!
  Four lineages will be represented; mine, Bob White's, Steve LaBounty's and John Sepulveda's. Each of us will have some of our senior students teach short sessions on Friday evening and Sunday morning. Some of the subjects so far include "Being a Hard Target" and pressure points.
  The four seniors will teach in Saturday, Oct 27 and a dinner will be held that evening.
There's much more info to come and the flyers are in the works. A website link will be available to register at. If you're looking for flights, go into AUS. A free shuttle bus to the hotel is available.
   This is named as it is because we would like to see this move around the country. Tentative plans are to have it in California next year.
  Y'all come down to Texas!