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Iain Abernethy
Iain Abernethy's picture
Which Martial Art Is Right For You? (online quiz)

Which Martial Art Is Right For You?

http://www.gotoquiz.com/which_martial_art_is_right_for_you

A little bit of unscientific fun sent to me via email :-) I did the quiz and apparently the right art for me is “Kempo” :-) I scored 82% on that one. Next was Karate at 77%, and then MMA at 75%.

What is says about Kenpo:

“Kenpo has deep roots in Japan, China and even India, as one of the oldest styles to date. Although Kenpo has emphasis on tradition, it remains a living Martial Art, constantly improving and adapting techniques to accommodate any challenges. Many would agree Kenpo to be the best example of blending Chinese and Japanese, hard style and soft styles together. Pending on different teaching styles, Kenpo also employs various weapons into it’s arsenal. Kenpo training includes Kata, conditioning, solo drills, and working with partners.”

Karate is obviously my art of choice in reality, and it’s good that it came in at number two. The emphasis on a blend of methods, constant evolution, and kata as well as partner drills in that definition of “kenpo” certainly fits “karate” as I perceive it too. I’m also a fan of MMAs training methods and openness to innovation. So maybe the quiz has something about it?

What art does it recommend for you? Anywhere near reality?

All the best,

Iain

ky0han
ky0han's picture

Hi Iain,

Kempo and Karate with 90 percent, then Judo with 72 percent, Taekwondo and Aikido with 70 percent and MMA with 68 percent.

I guess I chose right :o).

Regards Holger

Iain Abernethy
Iain Abernethy's picture

ky0han wrote:
Kempo and Karate with 90 percent, then Judo with 72 percent, Taekwondo and Aikido with 70 percent and MMA with 68 percent.

I wonder if all us "bunkai types" are going to get high kempo marks? :-)

Leigh Simms
Leigh Simms's picture

I got Kenpo too, with 83%.

My next highest was TKD at 66%, then Ninjitsu and MMA at 61%,  JuJitsu at 59% and finally Karate at 57%.

Paul_D
Paul_D's picture

I also got Kenpo, starting to wonder if this quiz was written by a kenpo instructor looking for more students ;-)

Gavin J Poffley
Gavin J Poffley's picture

In a way it is fitting that most people seem to get kempo as the word can mean pretty much anything you like!

Often simply translated as "boxing", It is a very general term for unarmed martial arts that are either A: of Chinese origin (due to the word actually being a loan from Chinese into Japanese) or B: focus mainly on striking (due to the inherent literal meaning of the word being "fist method"). Karate fits both of those criteria pretty well and has even been referred to as Ryukyu Kempo or Okinawa Kempo by various groups and individuals throughout its history. 

It is not common at all but I have even seen references to Muay Thai as "Tai Kempo" (Thai kempo/ thai boxing) and western boxing as "Seiyo Kempo" (lit western kempo/ boxing).

In the modern day there are a number of styles in Japan that use the name, the most prominent of which are Shorinji Kempo (technically a hybrid of aiki jujutsu and Chinese inspired striking methods) and Nippon Kempo (a sport focussed hybrid of judo and karate).

Zach Zinn
Zach Zinn's picture

Ha, I got Karate 80%, then Kenpo, then uhh..TKD, which mystifies me.

Stan Meador
Stan Meador's picture

Fun!

I got 81% MMA followed by Kenpo at 77%. For me, Ju Jitsu, Wing Chun, TKD, Karate and Ninjutsu were all in the 50% range. I guess this goes well with the ecclectic nature of my martial arts training.

Thanks for sharing this Iain!

JWT
JWT's picture

78% Kempo, 64% Karate, 61% MMA were my top three listings.

I guess someone really wants us to do kempo. :)

Tau
Tau's picture

Kempo (78%,) Karate (70%) and Judo (65%.) Interestingly my greatest experiences are in Aiki-Jujitsu, then Kempo Jujitsu, then Karate.

Wastelander
Wastelander's picture

I got 79% Kenpo, 66% Karate, 64% Wing Chun, and 63% Judo. I practice karate, and have a background in judo, as well. My Sensei has a background in Taika Seiyu Oyata's Ryukyu Kempo system, so I guess that kind of counts toward my "Kenpo" score? :P. The Wing Chun thing is kind of funny to me, because we have a running joke in some of the karate study groups I'm a part of that came from discussing Masaji Taira Sensei's material, which says that any time karate doesn't look like "block, punch, kick" basics, it "looks just like Wing Chun!"