User:Dianhsuhe/Kara Ho Kempo

Kara-Ho Kempo or more specifically, "Chinese Kara-Ho Kempo Karate" is the art founded fifty years ago by Professor William Kwai Sun Chow of Hawaii.

Professor Chow started his martial arts training with his father Hoon Chow, an immigrant and Buddhist Priest from Shanghai China. William's training with his father was intense yet William did not think this art was practical in the lawless streets of Hawaii so he began innovating what he had learned from his father. William also sought out other martial artists to train with and this led him to a man named James Mitose. Mitose ran a Kenpo-Jujitsu dojo (taken from Mitose's book titled; What is Self- defense? Copyright 1953) and William soon became a part of that dojo. It is often said that William (Chow) did indeed learn from Mitose, but men who trained with both agree that Mitose ran the business side of it all while Chow taught the majority of the martial arts classes. The union proved to be short and soon both men parted ways with Mitose eventually using the name "Kosho-Ryu Kenpo" and Chow "Chinese Kempo of Kara-Ho Karate". As word spread about Chow's innovative art so did the interest of potential students, many of whom would become martial arts legends in their own rite. Edmond Parker (American Kenpo), Adriano Emperado (Kajukenbo), Bill Chun Sr. (Go Shin Jitsu Kai Chinese Kenpo)and Sam Kuoha (Chosen successor of Professor Chow of Kara-Ho) are just a few who trained with Professor Chow and have cemented their own legacy as a result. Due to the rigorous training methods of Professor Chow, few people remained with him for any period of time but those who did were rewarded with a powerful and visciously effective street-fighting style of self-defense. Because of the popularity and no nonsense training of Professor Chow, the majority of Kenpo/Kempo systems in the United States can trace their roots to the famed Professor William K.S. Chow.

Professor Chow was also known as "Thunderbolt" Chow because of his explosive strikes to vital areas of the body, he was referred to as the man that struck like a "thunderbolt".

>"Kara-Ho is to protect yourself in the street first, everything else is secondary." (Professor William Chow) </blockquote