While my wife and I were in Los Angeles visiting her family last weekend I had the opportunity to train with two of the many talented Kenpo instructors in the area.
I had the pleasure of attending a class at Mr. Larry Tatums’s school in Pasadena on Saturday morning. (Mr. Tatum began his study of Kenpo Karate with Mr. Parker in Pasadena, California in 1966. He is now a 10th Degree Black Belt and is considered one of the foremost authorities on American Kenpo Karate.) I met Mr. Tatum for the first time and took a class from one of his black belts, Robert. It was a good mixed level class and Robert did a great job drilling us on our basics and reminding us of the importance of footowork. I also had the pleasure of meeting and working with another of Mr. Tatums black belts, Angela.
On Sunday morning I joined Mr. Angelo Collado’s group in Glendora. (Mr. Collado is an 8 time International Champion and 5 time European Champion. Mr. Collado is a 5th Degree Black Belt and is considered one of Kenpo Karate’s top Kenpo Forms Practitioners and competitors.) It is very rare that I train outdoors in Seattle and it felt great to practice forms and techniques in the park on a beautiful California morning. Mr. Collado was EXTREMELY generous in sharing his knowledge of Long Form 4 and various self defense techniques. He is one of the best Kenpoists that I have had the chance to work with.
I am very grateful to both schools for sharing their time and knowlege and can’t wait to share some of what I learned with my students at Alpha Martial Arts.
