Five-Level Method
Five-Level Method / Shorin-Ju Kenpo is a martial art style founded in the late 1980's by Jerry Smith, co-founder of the Black Karate Federation (BKF) and former professional full-contact fighting coach.
History
In the late 1980's, Jerry Smith (see Jerry Smith (martial artist)) founded a martial art training system called "The Five-Level Method”, based on his decades of experience as a martial artist. Jerry formed his training system around what he learned during his own fighting career and his years as a trainer of world-rated full-contact fighters in the 1970’s and 1980’s. In addition to his coaching experience, Jerry was co-founder of the BKF (Black Karate Federation) in Los Angeles California, and was also in several TV specials, including ABC’s “I am somebody” and NBC’s 13-week series called “Secrets of the Martial Arts” starring John Saxton and co-hosted by Jerry.
The concepts and principles in The Five-Level Method were born from Jerry’s need to develop a template that assessed a professional athlete’s abilities in a combative sport, and then could be used to train those athletes to be professional fighters. Jerry wanted to teach young fighters about fighting principles and methods, in order to give them a competitive advantage over their opponents without sacrificing safety.
The Five-Level Method was also originally known as “Shorin-Do Kenpo”. That name was based on Jerry’s own formal training in Shorin-Ryu, Judo and Kenpo. Jerry later changed that name to “Shorin-Ju Kenpo” to give equal weight to his training in Jujitsu.
Attaining black belts in Shorin-Ryu under Jun Kina in Okinawa, American Kenpo in the Tracy system (see Tracy Kenpo ) and Jujitsu under John Chambers, as well as a brown belt in Judo, gave Jerry Smith the technical foundation for Shorin-Ju Kenpo. And engaging in years of competition and personal training with the martial arts legend Joe Lewis (see Joe Lewis (martial artist) ) gave Jerry practical experience for many of the principles on which he based Shorin-Ju Kenpo. As the Senior Grandmaster of this style, Jerry continues today to use his experience as a coach and former three-time international semi-contact champion fighter to train the next generation of students in the martial arts in Sunnyvale, California.
Shorin-Ju Kenpo teaches fighting principles as well as five levels of preparing for self-defense: physical, technical, mechanical, psychological and academic. Physical is about nutrition and conditioning; Technical is about the specific way a technique is performed; Mechanical is about how a technique is executed; Psychological is about your mindset when defending yourself; Academic is about why techniques are valid.
Shorin-Ju Kenpo uses a combination of sets to build coordination and mechanical proficiency, techniques to provide practical self-defense options and forms to train students on using strikes, blocks, kicks and techniques from any angle.
Credo of the Five-Level Method/Shorin-Ju Kenpo: "The ultimate goal of The Five-Level Method is neither victory nor defeat, but the perfection of ones character."
Required forms, sets and techniques
Square Blocking Set (Orange)
Punching Set (Orange)
Kicking Set (Orange)
Moving Set (Orange)
Long Blocking Set (Purple)
Stance Set (Purple)
Hidden Set (Purple-Blue)
Empty Hand Set (Blue)
Advanced Striking Set (Green)
Advanced Blocking Set (Green)
2-man Set (Brown-Black)
2-man Set, moving (Black)
Short Form 1 (Green-Brown)
Long Form 1 (Green-Brown)
Long Form 2 – part 1 (technique names only) - Brown: - Hidden Hammers - Folding Wings - Escaping Blades - Sweeping the Mace - Circling Hammers - Snapping the Twig - Crash of the Eagles - Parting Wings - Trapping Wings - Folding Fans
Long Form 2 – part 2 (technique names only) - Brown: - Seven Swords - Dance of Death - Kimono Grab - Twin Kimono Grab - Full Nelson - Bear Hug - Rear choke defense - Overhand knife defense - Thrust knife defense
Advanced Techniques - Attacking the Ram - Flashing Daggers - Thundering Hammers - Circling Winds - Smashing Hammers - Sweeping Fangs - Twisting the Twig - Weaving Ridges - Hooking Hammers - Circling Branches
Weapons Set - user defined (Brown-Black)
Five-Level Method / Shorin-Ju Kenpo: Belt Rankings and Approximate Timing Guidelines
White to Orange – approximately 3 months
Orange to Purple – approximately 3 months
Purple to Blue – approximately 3 months
Blue to Green – approximately 6 months
Green to Brown – approximately 9 months
Brown to 1st-degree Black – approximately 12 months
1st-degree Black (1st Dan) to 2nd-degree Black and beyond – dependent upon skills and discipline of individual students
Notable instructors and students
(Sorted by rank and then alphabetically by last name)
- Temple, Robert (10th Dan) 1;
- Dinu, Marius (7th Dan);
- Avila, Aristeo “Caruso” (5th Dan);
- Anderson, Ken (3rd Dan);
- Rabinovich, Felix (3rd Dan);
- Keels, Adam “Junior” (2nd Dan);
- Neeley, Brian (2nd Dan);
- August, Sara (1st Dan);
- Garlow, Brian (1st Dan);
- Heimbaugh, Alan (1st Dan);
- Kirschbaum, Rene (1st Dan);
- Marroquin, Adrian (1st Dan);
- Tran, Brian (1st Dan)