Building Your Core Skills
Kempo Foundations is aimed primarily at beginners and lower grades, providing a structured introduction to the core skills of Kempo. However, the class is not exclusively for beginners. More experienced students and black belts regularly train alongside newer members, using the class to refine their fundamentals, deepen their understanding of key principles, and support the learning of others.
The purpose of the class is to help you develop the essential skills that underpin effective self-defence and prepare you for more advanced training.
Classes are structured and progressive, allowing you to build confidence through regular practice. Rather than trying to learn a large number of techniques quickly, the emphasis is on developing sound movement, good habits, and an understanding of the principles that make techniques effective.
Throughout the Foundations programme, you will develop skills in the following areas.
Safe Falling and Recovery Techniques
Learning how to fall safely is one of the first skills you will develop. Breakfalls teach you how to protect yourself if you lose your balance, are thrown, or fall unexpectedly. Just as importantly, you will learn how to recover quickly and regain a safe, stable position so you can continue to protect yourself.
Positioning and Movement for Self-Defence
Good self-defence is about more than techniques—it begins with where you stand and how you move. You will learn how to position yourself to stay balanced, create opportunities, reduce vulnerability, and respond effectively under pressure.
Footwork and Balance
Strong footwork forms the foundation of every technique. You will practise moving efficiently in all directions while maintaining good balance and posture. These skills improve your ability to strike, defend, escape and generate power without losing stability.
Striking Techniques
You will learn a range of practical striking techniques using your hands, elbows, knees and feet. Training focuses on correct body mechanics, accuracy, control and safe practice, allowing you to develop effective techniques that can be adapted to different situations.
Escapes from Grabs, Holds and Chokes
Many real confrontations begin with someone grabbing rather than striking. You will learn practical methods for escaping common wrist grabs, clothing grabs, holds and chokes using leverage, timing and positioning rather than relying solely on strength. As your confidence grows, you will also practise escaping from common ground positions, including situations where an opponent is on top of you.
Basic Throws and Finishing Techniques
Some escapes naturally create opportunities to take control of an attacker. Throughout the Foundations class, you will be introduced to basic throws, joint locks and chokes where they arise naturally as part of an escape, rather than treating them as separate techniques to memorise. This helps you understand how effective self-defence flows from good positioning, balance and timing. You will also learn how to receive these techniques safely, building confidence and trust with your training partners.
Awareness
The most effective self-defence is avoiding danger whenever possible. Throughout your training, you will develop greater awareness of your surroundings, learn to recognise potential risks, and understand practical strategies for preventing situations from escalating into physical confrontation.
Building Strong Foundations
The skills taught in the Foundations class provide the basis for everything that follows in your Kempo journey. As you progress, you will continue to revisit and refine these fundamentals while learning more advanced techniques and applications. Even the most experienced practitioners recognise that there is always more to learn from the basics.
For this reason, we encourage you to make the Foundations class a regular part of your weekly training routine. Consistent practice is one of the most effective ways to build confidence, improve your technique and develop a deeper understanding of Kempo. Whether you are attending your first class or preparing for a black belt grading, strong fundamentals remain the key to long-term progress.
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