How to Advance to a Yellow Belt in American Kenpo Karate

American Kenpo Karate teaches fundamentals of martial arts by incorporating Eastern and Western philosophies in Martial Arts training. American Kenpo Karate has a series of ten different colored belts. Each belt represents a new level of training the student has reached. Testing for the yellow belt takes approximately six months after receiving the white belt and is the second belt in the series.

Instructions

    • 1

      Memorize and recite the yellow belt creed. "I come to you with only karate, I have no weapons, but should I be forced to defend myself, my principles or my honor, should it be a matter of life or death, of right or wrong, then here are my weapons, karate, my empty hands."

    • 2

      Master and perform the basic maneuvers including stances, blocks, kicks and strikes. These basic maneuvers are the building blocks for more advanced self-defense moves. Some of the basic stances are attention, fighting stance, bracing forward bow and directional forward bow. The blocks are inward, extended outward, upward, downward and hammering and thrusting inward. The major kicks are the front, side and roundhouse kicks while the strikes that you need to perform are horizontal and vertical punches, back elbow and roundhouse punch.

    • 3

      Perfect the ten yellow belt techniques. The techniques are: delayed sword, alternating maces, sword of destruction, deflecting hammer, captured twigs, lone kimono, obstructing the storm, mace of aggression, attacking mace and sword and hammer.

    • 4

      Learn the first blocking set. Start with your right hand. Perform an upward block, inward block, extended outward block, downward block, back elbow, push down block, and back to a horse stance. Repeat this with your left hand. Then repeat with both hands.

    • 5

      Perform the first short form set. The theme of this self-defense form is "Retreating from a front Hand Block." There are ten movements to this form and you will be expected to perform them correctly. The purpose of this form to be able to defend yourself from a frontal attack.