QUALITIES

The following is a list of some of the qualities you should evaluate in critiquing yourself as a Black Belt in Ed Parker's American Kenpo:

1. Build a solid foundation of basics with knowledge of every component part.
2. Have a thorough knowledge and understanding of principles associated with your basics.
3. As you understand and internalise your principles, learn to logically assemble them so that your moves flow with continuity.
4. Once internalising all of the above in establishing basics that are competent, reliable, and dependable TAILORING is your next order of priority. Tailoring is the result of understanding what constitutes good basics. It is the ability to randomly convert your art from the IDEAL, to the WHAT IF, and finally to the FORMULATION PHASE.
5. Develop creativity once having knowledge of formulating your basics.
6. Know your forms from all levels -- skeletal to levels of intricacy.
7. Know how to create forms as well as the what's and the whys so that you'll be able to help the lower belts in their creations.
8. With your forms develop:

• Basic principles of technique movement, understand the central idea of each form and have both the ability and desire to discover what they teach and how to apply that knowledge to the art of self defence.
• Your individual style of movement.

9. Know as well as teach the IDEAL techniques and their associated themes and principles. Expand into the WHAT IF and the FORMULATION PHASES.
10. Continue to improve your freestyle skills by participating in it regularly. Include street freestyle in your class sessions and the logical criteria that it is based on. Pass on your skills to fellow members or students.
11. When freestyling remember:
12. Every angle that you choose as a defence your opponent may choose as an offence, and vice-versa.
13. Stances are the foundation of your art.
14. Develop Timing - know when to move in and when to move back.
15. Be a capable counter puncher.
16. Have a solid base move to build upon.
17. Be able to analyse motion so that you can employ proper angles and directions when entering or departing.
18. Develop your ability to teach others. Remember to teach others is to teach yourself.
19. Develop qualities of leadership that will influence, encourage and guide those of lesser rank. 20. Cultivate an attitude of respect and regard toward others no matter what their rank might be. 21. Develop diplomacy and use it wisely.
22. Encourage others to become association members.
23. Continue to seek higher goals. Endeavour to continue learning and updating your material.
24. Make every effort to continually improve yourself: physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
25. Remember that there are no stereotypes.
26. You will need years of training, but that should be ultimately measured in the number of quality, intelligent hours that you train.
27. You must put time back into your school (teaching, etc.).
28. Your attitude should be positive and confident. Believe in yourself.
29. For Black Belts to obtain advanced degrees, their names must be submitted for testing by their instructor.