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Now that the reader understands the overall idea of American Kenpo forms as it relates to the system, it is a logical next step to understand how Form Five fits into this conceptual framework. To help in understanding Form Five better, it is first necessary to also understand an American Kenpo concept that is used within another division of the system, self-defense, and apply it to this division, basics. That concept is: three (3) points of view.

 

The three (3) points of view concept may be summarized as having the practitioner placed in a given self-defense scenario from the point of view of three (3) potential entities within that situation. Those entities are defined as: first person (aka the defender), second person (aka the attacker), and third person (aka the observer).

 

The purpose of this tool is to help better visualize all angles of a given situation; both physically and mentally. It is proposed that by placing yourself into the given scenario not only from the point of view of the defender; but also, the attacker and the observer, one may better recognize weaknesses and visualize potential opportunities, of both defense and offense, for the defender, that may otherwise be overlooked.

 

Another way to look at this concept is that one should try to see things from a different point of view, and not be stuck in their own head. And by doing so, one will open up both potential problems and solutions, giving them a chance to solve and/or understand a given situation more completely.

 

Looked at from a slightly different way, this concept also subtly exposes another concept: the concept of opposites. In this case, there are two opposites. You, the defender (the starting point), can also be the attacker (first opposite) and an observer (second opposite). And through this relationship to the overall definition of an American Kenpo form, it becomes more obvious that this tool can then be applied to the forms.

 

The application of this mental exercise, can result in the following observations:

 

First, that the one's and the two's are known as the dictionary forms. In other words, they define motion. This can be thought of as third person perspective. The observer, watching the motions be defined.

 

Next, that the three's, four, and above are known as the encyclopedic forms. This generally means that they not only further define motion, but they also expand into further exploring concepts within the rules and principles of motion. In the case of the three's and four, this exploration is done mainly through second person perspective. In other words, more skewed from the perspective of what the attacker is doing to the defender.

 

This mental progression then leaves the one final item from the perspective list: first person perspective. Or, what is the defender (again me) doing to the attacker. And, although Form Five is still considered part of the encyclopedic category, it expands upon this general grouping very distinctly - by flipping perspective from second person to first person. This is one major purpose of Form Five.

 

Another way to state this observation is that Form Five is the first form of the system to be executed primarily from a first person's perspective. Or expressed more succinctly: what the defender is doing to the attacker.

 

But, applying this mental tool only goes part of the way in our understanding of Form Five. It still doesn't explain a few things, like:

 

Why is Form Five known as the take-down form, the out of position form, and the hanging hands form?

 

To help better understand these aspects of the form, one must go back to the definition of an American Kenpo form. Namely, opposites and reverses and giving an example (even though the rules and principles are expressed through the physical application). Looking back at the previous forms, one can clearly see that, for the most part, both the defender and the potential attacker were always standing and the defender was generally in a relatively good position to deal with the potential attack.

 

Logically applying the definition to the forms, leads to the following conclusions; that the forms are missing:

 

•the attacker is taken to the ground (most of the form)

•the attacker starts from the ground (Hopping Crane)

•the defender starts from a poor starting position (most of the form) or a non-ready position (hanging hands)

•the defender needs to deal with an opponent on the ground (large portions of the form)

 

And through further observation, the following related various subjects also fall into place:

 

•the form more thoroughly examines lower body and upper body coordination (complimentary and opposing forces)

•the form expresses more lower body maneuvering (buckles, sweeps, knees, stomps, leaps, jumps, hops, etc.) than previous forms

•the form specifically expands upon kicking variations (new types, timing, etc.)

•the form specifically expands upon target striking variations (weapon to target and target to weapon, vise-like [aka backed], etc.)

•the form specifically expands upon the use of the environment (both natural and man-made)

•the form explores optimal positioning of the defender in relation to the potential attacker (front vs rear) and how to achieve that positioning

 

To summarize, Form Five is the next logical progression from Form Four. It expands on subjects that were only lightly touched upon in the previous forms. Subjects that needed to be explored further in order to make the system more cohesive and all encompassing. And from the opposite perspective, if not explored would have left the system with gaping holes that would have needed to be filled at some point.

 

One may argue that through logical progression there is still another area to be expanded into. What about the situation where the opponent is on the ground with the attacker? While this is a valid observation, one must keep in mind that American Kenpo is a self-defense system. And as such, needs to always deal with the very real possibility of multiple attackers.

 

Looked at from the perspective of multiple attackers, being stuck concentrating on a single attacker while on the ground leaves one seriously exposed to a second, third, or more attackers. Therefore, a situation such as this should be avoided; and if placed in such a position, should be terminated as quickly as possible. In other words, one should attempt to get back on their feet and mobile as quickly and efficiently as possible.

 

Likewise, American Kenpo, like many other martial arts, concentrates the vast majority of its studies toward stand-up combat, while leaving ground fighting as an adjunct, rather than a primary area of expertise and study.

 

And, although the ground fighting scenario is an interesting one to explore, and some modern arts do just that; one should also keep in mind that it has some serious limitations and goes against some basic principles - from a real combat scenario perspective.

 

The primary way that ground fighting systems deal with these mentioned issues is to add governing elements. This includes assuming a single opponent and adding rules as to what can and cannot be done in a ground fighting situation (e.g. off-limit targets, illegal maneuvers, etc.). This is primarily done to help protect the practitioners. Looked at from one perspective, the opposite of what we want to do in a combat scenario. But, useful in a sporting scenario.

 

Also, adding governing factors shifts the entire situation from pure combat (i.e. war) more towards a sporting situation (i.e. boxing, wrestling, etc.). This is yet another reason American Kenpo purposely does not specifically explore this situation in detail. Instead, Ed Parker's American Kenpo recognizes this scenario and leaves it up to the practitioner to explore on their own; and in a manner of their choosing. Although, some variations of the base system do exist and do explore this area of combat further. But that is beyond the scope of these books and the subject at hand.

 

In conclusion, one of the main observations the reader should come to in understanding Form Five is that the subjects that this form deals with are not trivial nor simple; on the contrary, they are important, complex, and require skill to implement. That is why Form Five is positioned at such a high level within the system. The subjects explored within the form are some of the most complex that an empty-handed system has to deal with. And as such, need an experienced practitioner to fully understand and correctly implement them.