oceanside karate - our martial arts style - welcome to our virtual dojo

our style

what is the difference between Kempo and Kenpo?
Actually, the only difference is in the translation of the Kanji to its English form. The rules of kanji hold that when a character (written) word ends in an "n," the "n" is pronounced. When spoken with the exception that when the "n" is followed by another character (word) which begins with a "p," the two characters are unchanged in the written form, but the "n" is pronounced "kempo". It is only in transliteration that kenpo is written kempo. The word kenpo and "kempo" are both pronounced the same and both mean "Law of the Fist." It's sort of like saying "Qi" or "Chi". Generally though, the more "traditional" (lightly used) forms of Kempo use the "Kempo" form, while the more non-traditional or contemporary versions use "kenpo".

history
Shaolin Monks The style of karate at United Studios of Self Defense can trace it's roots back several hundred years to the Shaolin Temple on the Shao Shik Peak of Sonn Mountain in China. The Shaolin "Ch'uan Fa", or Kempo (also synomynous with "Kenpo") system was developed by monks studying at the Shaolin Temple as a means to defend themselves and their way of life. In order to create a superior fighting style the monks, using the basics of boxing brought from India, studied several animals and how they fought. These animals included the Tiger, Crane, Leopard, Snake and mythical Dragon. They incorporated these animal forms into the fighting style we use today. In fact, many of the most simple stances and movements in Kempo bear the names of the animals they represent, including the Crane Stance, the Cat Stance and the Flamingo Stance.

today
USSD Staff Our Shaolin Kempo has been honed over the years to become a self defense force to be reckoned with, and it has been specially modernized to accomodate today's self defense needs including common street weapon defenses encountered on any street in America.

Click for details on the USSD belt ranking system (728 KB / PDF file)

what sets us apart?
Shaolin Monks United Studios of Self Defense Kempo is a combination of several fighting basics to accomplish a well rounded self defense technique. Where other forms of Martial Arts may focus mainly on kicking, punching or grappling, USSD Kempo studies all three to produce a system that is applicable in any self defense situation. Our system does utilize techniques from many Martial Arts forms including Kung-Fu, Karate and Jujitsu, but instead of focusing on one technique we bridge all of the techniques to provide balance.

In addition to having balance in our system, we are also nationwide. This means that you can study across the United States and are never far from a dojo should you find yourself away from home and in need of a workout.