{"id":630,"date":"2025-10-16T18:34:20","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T23:34:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myemptyhands.net\/?p=630"},"modified":"2025-10-16T20:18:31","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T01:18:31","slug":"episode-81-john-sepulveda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myemptyhands.net\/?p=630","title":{"rendered":"Episode 81 &#8211; John Sepulveda"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Host:<\/strong> Reggie Darden <strong>Guest:<\/strong> John Sepulveda <strong>URL:<\/strong> <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=lq5U2MSC9r0\">http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=lq5U2MSC9r0<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Reggie Darden sits down with Kempo Black Belt John Sepulveda to discuss his journey in the martial arts, the evolution of his teaching philosophy, the intellectual concepts of Kempo, and the importance of preserving Ed Parker&#8217;s legacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Show Notes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>John Sepulveda&#8217;s Kempo Journey<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>An Accidental Start:<\/strong> John recounts how he began Kempo in 1964 with a friend in San Jose, CA, who eventually quit, leaving John hooked on the art. [<a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=lq5U2MSC9r0&amp;t=123\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">02:03<\/a>]<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Hook:<\/strong> He was immediately drawn to the personal discipline and individual effort required in martial arts, a contrast to team sports. [<a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=lq5U2MSC9r0&amp;t=286\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">04:46<\/a>]<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Transition to Teaching:<\/strong> John wasn&#8217;t initially interested in teaching but was thrust into it as a Green Belt and later took a full-time position as a Brown Belt. [<a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=lq5U2MSC9r0&amp;t=349\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">05:49<\/a>]<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cross-Training:<\/strong> While his core is Kempo, he has explored Kajukenbo, stick, and knife work, and encourages his top black belts to cross-train and share the knowledge they gain. [<a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=lq5U2MSC9r0&amp;t=690\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">11:30<\/a>]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Teaching Philosophy &amp; The Future of Kempo<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Evolving as an Instructor:<\/strong> Sepulveda shares how his teaching style changed from the older &#8220;do it because I told you to&#8221; approach to one that emphasizes explaining the <em>why<\/em> to students. [<a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=lq5U2MSC9r0&amp;t=790\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">13:10<\/a>]<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Intellectual Art:<\/strong> He emphasizes that techniques aren&#8217;t meant to be performed exactly as presented, but to demonstrate a core theory or concept, leading to &#8220;variable expansions.&#8221; [<a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=lq5U2MSC9r0&amp;t=1153\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">19:13<\/a>]<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>&#8220;Position Recognition&#8221;:<\/strong> The idea that students must recognize where they are in relation to an opponent to determine the best response and opportunity. [<a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=lq5U2MSC9r0&amp;t=1283\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">21:23<\/a>]<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Preserving Ed Parker&#8217;s Legacy:<\/strong> He encourages students to seek out first and second-generation Black Belts to ensure the accurate interpretation of Mr. Parker&#8217;s teachings, which he structured for different levels of learning. [<a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=lq5U2MSC9r0&amp;t=1690\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">28:10<\/a>]<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Power of Eights:<\/strong> A fascinating insight into the structure of Ed Parker&#8217;s curriculum, noting the pattern of 40, 32, 24, and 16 techniques are all based on the number eight (binary). [<a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=lq5U2MSC9r0&amp;t=1851\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">30:51<\/a>]<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Less is More:<\/strong> Sepulveda favors the 16-technique curriculum, believing it allows students to internalize the information more deeply, rather than just memorizing a larger number of moves. [<a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=lq5U2MSC9r0&amp;t=2416\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">40:16<\/a>]<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Inspiration to Train:<\/strong> He is inspired by the hard work and &#8220;look on the students&#8217; faces&#8221; when they finally grasp a concept he&#8217;s teaching. [<a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=lq5U2MSC9r0&amp;t=3731\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">01:02:11<\/a>]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Lightning Round<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Favorite Technique\/Opening:<\/strong> &#8220;Self-Offense,&#8221; an opening move that utilizes the right side forward for a quick block and counter-strike. [<a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=lq5U2MSC9r0&amp;t=3315\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">55:15<\/a>]<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Favorite Set:<\/strong> <strong>Blocking Set One<\/strong>, for giving all the core elements of the system. [<a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=lq5U2MSC9r0&amp;t=3368\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">56:08<\/a>]<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Favorite Form:<\/strong> <strong>Long Form Five<\/strong>, which is obscure and is excellent for teaching opposites, reverses, and takedowns. [<a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=lq5U2MSC9r0&amp;t=3440\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">57:20<\/a>]<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Favorite Weapon:<\/strong> <strong>Kempo Sticks<\/strong> and <strong>Knives<\/strong>. (His advice on knives: &#8220;You see a knife, do a 180 and run as fast as you can.&#8221;) [<a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=lq5U2MSC9r0&amp;t=3510\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">58:30<\/a>]<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>One Person to Train With (Besides Ed Parker):<\/strong> <strong>Danny Inosanto<\/strong>, for his diversity, knowledge, and teaching style. [<a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=lq5U2MSC9r0&amp;t=3662\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">01:01:02<\/a>]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Final Advice<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Invest in Yourself:<\/strong> John encourages everyone to attend as many seminars and clinics as possible to explore, learn, and find what works best for them. [<a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=lq5U2MSC9r0&amp;t=3907\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">01:05:07<\/a>]<\/p>\n<div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_6678\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-630-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/myemptyhands.net\/podcast\/John_Sepulveda.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/myemptyhands.net\/podcast\/John_Sepulveda.mp3\">https:\/\/myemptyhands.net\/podcast\/John_Sepulveda.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"https:\/\/myemptyhands.net\/podcast\/John_Sepulveda.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/myemptyhands.net\/?powerpress_pinw=630-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/myemptyhands.net\/podcast\/John_Sepulveda.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"John_Sepulveda.mp3\">Download<\/a><\/p><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_subscribe_links\">Subscribe: <a href=\"https:\/\/myemptyhands.net\/?feed=podcast\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_rss\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Subscribe via RSS\" rel=\"nofollow\">RSS<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/myemptyhands.net\/?page_id=96\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_more\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"More\" rel=\"nofollow\">More<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Host: Reggie Darden Guest: John Sepulveda URL: http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=lq5U2MSC9r0 Reggie Darden sits down with Kempo Black Belt John Sepulveda to discuss [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-630","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-podcast"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/myemptyhands.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/630","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/myemptyhands.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/myemptyhands.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myemptyhands.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myemptyhands.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=630"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/myemptyhands.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/630\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":632,"href":"https:\/\/myemptyhands.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/630\/revisions\/632"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/myemptyhands.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=630"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myemptyhands.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=630"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myemptyhands.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=630"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}