Shaolin Kempo Karate

Shaolin Kempo Karate (or SKK) is a martial art style that combines the Five Animals of Shaolin Kung Fu (Shaolinquan), the core competency of Kenpo, the hard-hitting linear explosiveness of traditional Karate, as well as the power of Western boxing and the felling and grappling arts of Jujutsu, Chin Na, and Mongolian wrestling. This system was founded and developed by Fredrick J. Villari (a former black belt student of Nick Cerio and William Kwai Sun Chow), who devised a hybrid system which integrated the four ways of fighting: striking, kicking, felling, and grappling to eliminate the inherent weakness of martial arts systems that focus on just one or two of fighting techniques.

Shaolin Kempo Karate is primarily taught through a chain of Villari's Martial Arts Centers in the United States and Canada, although there are several unaffiliated organizations that teach variations of the style. These include schools founded by former students of Fred Villari. One of these is Master's Stuidos of Self Defense, these schools are scattered throughout the country, the primary one of which is in Charleston South Carolina.

What makes it different from other martial arts

Shaolin Kempo Karate focuses on the following during training:

Kempos: Systems of moves reminiscent of the fighting styles of the five animals.

Combinations: These are primarily take-downs and there are 20 of them that are learned before black belt.

Forms: These are broken into two categories into which most of the fighting forms fall into. These two main categories are Katas and Pinans. There are 5 of each that are learned before black belt in addition to a fan form, a bo staff form and one similar to the fan form called Stature of the crane.