10/02/2026
Attended Mr. Durgan's advanced class last night. Normal start with foot maneuvers/basics. Spent a good amount of time on front and back rolls and transition from breakfall to back roll. Fun!... no. Necessary yes.
The remainder of class spent a great deal of time working striking aspects of the techniques. Focused on timing & launching, reach & angles, hips/rotation & stances, power & position and rebounding.
Being an old Kenpo guy having had the benefit of spending some
time with some Seniors, I cannot help but notice PKI is not your grandfather's Kenpo; so to speak. Nor is it a commercial version geared towards belt promotions or fees. PKI does however enhance the over skilled not overkill aspect of Kenpo. Better to have trained and have specialized tools to choose from and not need them then to never have trained and have an empty toolbox.
There was an old example that roughly said, "it is not necessary to strike a drunk 15 times with deadly blows simply because they touch you". However, when faced with a stronger looking, bigger and maybe faster or trained attacker those 15 strikes might just come in handy. The class also focused on correct structures, power, targets, ex*****on..... not speed. The ability to ramp up when necessary or regulate how quickly or how much time it takes to end a threat is paramount or should be anyway to effective and efficient combat tactics.
When all this is said and done, one of my big regrets will be not having spent enough time on the floor with Mr. Durgan and his students. Thank you again Sir for the opportunity to learn and grow all the while exploring options and tactics necessary for effective combat ex*****on.
Robert Ashmore
