Kempo is a martial art with roots in the traditional fighting systems of China, Okinawa and Japan, although its influences extend more widely across East and Southeast Asia. The word Kempo (sometimes written Kenpo) literally means “Fist Method”, but modern Kempo is about far more than punching and kicking.
At London Kempo, we practise Kempo as a traditional martial art with a strong emphasis on practical self-defence. Rather than specialising in a single aspect of fighting or training primarily for competition, Kempo develops a broad range of complementary skills that can be adapted to different situations and opponents.
Practical Self-Defence
The primary purpose of Kempo is practical self-defence rather than sport or competition.
You will learn to use the body’s natural weapons—including the hands, feet, elbows and knees—together with throws, takedowns, joint locks and chokes. This combination of striking and grappling allows you to respond effectively at different ranges and, in particular, in the close-quarter situations where many real confrontations occur.
Rather than relying on strength alone, Kempo emphasises good technique, timing and body mechanics, making it suitable for people of all ages, sizes and physical abilities.
A Broad Technical Tradition
The traditional techniques of Kempo span all the major elements of unarmed combat, including:
- Striking
- Throws and takedowns
- Joint locks
- Chokes and strangles
These techniques are then practised in the context of self-defence escapes, responses to unarmed attacks, weapons defences, and progressively more demanding pressure drills and controlled sparring.
Because Kempo is not developed around a sporting ruleset, its techniques have not become highly specialised for competition. Instead, the emphasis remains on developing practical skills that are applicable across a wide variety of self-defence situations.
Rather than viewing techniques in isolation, you will gradually learn to combine them naturally and fluently, selecting the most appropriate response according to the situation and your opponent’s reactions. The aim is to develop the judgement and adaptability needed to respond effectively in unpredictable situations.
Hard and Soft
One of Kempo’s defining characteristics is the way it blends hard and soft techniques.
Hard techniques meet an opponent’s attack with direct, decisive action, using speed, power and commitment to seize the initiative. Soft techniques, by contrast, emphasise yielding, redirection and using an opponent’s balance, movement and momentum against them.
Likewise, Kempo combines both linear and circular movement, allowing techniques to flow naturally from one to the next as situations change.
Learning Beyond Techniques
When you begin training, much of your attention will naturally be focused on learning individual techniques.
As your experience grows, however, you will begin to understand the principles that make those techniques work. Timing, balance, posture, distancing, body mechanics and decision-making become just as important as the techniques themselves.
The goal is not simply to memorise movements, but to develop the judgement and adaptability needed to respond appropriately in unpredictable situations. This is true Kempo.
Our Tradition
Our UK tradition developed in Leeds during the inter-war period, at a time when Britain’s martial arts landscape looked very different from today. Boxing clubs, wrestling halls and boys’ clubs often provided opportunities to study a mixture of boxing, wrestling, ju-jitsu and other methods of self-defence. Some instructors also brought experience of military combatives and fighting systems encountered overseas, creating an environment in which ideas and techniques from different traditions could be exchanged and adapted.
Alongside this exchange of ideas, there is good reason to believe that traditional Eastern fighting methods were also being taught by individuals who had lived, travelled or worked overseas, including members of the Merchant Navy and others with first-hand experience of Asia. At the time, such material was often described simply as “Kempo”, long before the term “karate” became widely known in Britain.
The Forms and traditional techniques practised at London Kempo have been carefully preserved through this lineage and remain an important part of the art today. They provide a direct link with the club’s earliest traditions while continuing to develop the technical understanding of modern students.
Tradition and Continued Development
Like many long-established martial arts schools, London Kempo has continued to evolve over time.
The traditional curriculum provides a broad foundation in striking, throwing, grappling and self-defence, while modern knowledge of biomechanics, coaching and skills development has influenced how techniques are taught and understood. We also recognise that modern combat sports have continued to refine many aspects of unarmed combat. Where these developments complement our emphasis on practical self-defence, they can help inform our teaching and technical understanding.
In this way, we seek to preserve an important martial arts tradition while continuing to develop it responsibly for modern students.
A Lifelong Practice
Kempo is a martial art that continues to reward study throughout life.
Some people begin training to learn practical self-defence. Others are attracted by the technical challenge, the physical exercise, the traditions of martial arts, or the opportunity for personal growth.
Whatever your reason for beginning, there is always something new to learn.
As you develop your martial arts, you will also develop qualities such as confidence, resilience, patience and self-discipline—qualities that extend well beyond the dojo.