Foundations and Background
ACP is the current manifestation of the last decade of my experience in
martial arts ranging from, American Kenpo, Jeet Kun Do, Muay Thai, and
a Japanese form of street self defense. My own approach to martial arts
is not limited to any one of these styles but is certainly influenced
by them. The 360 degree awareness and subtle striking of Kenpo, the
quickness of JKD, the power of Muay Thai and the range awareness of
street self defense, are all to be found within ACP.
Despite
the wide array of my own experience in combative systems the ACP
approach is not a cumbersome one. Discovering oneself through martial
arts is a hermeneutic process. One begins with certain principles and
concepts, is challenged by new principles and concepts, then either
denies the new information because it is not directly in line with the
old approach, or lets the two competing approaches come together in
such a way to form a new and more encompassing whole. One’s martial art
can be limited to a system, or expanded as a hermeneutic, something
that is continually evolving to include a larger array possibilities.
Despite the growth in information at each new level of the
hermeneutical process, the whole approach remains relatively simple as
one becomes attuned with the hermeneutic at a given level. Some
techniques or concepts will continue to function within the new whole,
while others we be over ruled and thus discarded. This is all part of
the ACP process.
That said, ACP is not a “complete” system, it
is open ended and continually in the process of maturation. This occurs
within the system as well as within the various practitioners of the
system. Together, we as practitioners define and shape ACP.
As
is a necessity with such things, there must be individuals who serve as
guides within the system but each individual practitioner is equally
responsible for his or her personal development, this simply cannot be
left in the hands of the guide. As one begins to pick up the
fundamentals of ACP, he or must grow into it, this is not something
that can be done by anyone other than the individual in question.