Australia's Youth Self Defence Karate

Fun affordable martial arts for kids

  • Home
  • About
    • Our Karate Success Stories
  • Why Karate?
  • Why Us?
  • Locations
  • Galleries
  • Contact
  • FAQ
  • Blog

Active Kids Provider

Active Kids Provider

Copyright © 2009 to 2020 Australia's Youth Self Defence Karate

Home » Blog » Kenpo Freestyle Sydney Logo: What Does it Mean?

Kenpo Freestyle Sydney Logo: What Does it Mean?

July 30, 2010 By Sensei Matt Klein

0 Flares Twitter 0 Facebook 0 Google+ 0 Pin It Share 0 StumbleUpon 0 LinkedIn 0 Filament.io 0 Flares ×
the kenpo freestyle logo

The Kenpo Freestyle Logo has many meanings behind it.

History of Kenpo Freestyle Logo

Kenpo Freestyle Academy, located in Sydney, was founded in 2000 by Matt Klein, now a 6th Degree black belt. It is based on American Kenpo Karate, with the addition of boxing, kickboxing, grappling, and additional weapons skills. It is the system under which all students of Australia’s Youth Self Defence Karate grade.

The logo was created in 2000 at the same time Kenpo Freestyle was founded. Many of my students have asked me what the graphic elements on the logo mean, so I have devoted this blog post to the explanation of the elements.

The Elements of the Logo

Like American Kenpo Karate, the main characters of the logo are the dragon and the tiger.

The Tiger–The tiger represents strength and determination. The tiger never fights unless it is cornered or if needed to eat for survival. When attacking, the tiger fights with a ferocity rarely matched in the animal kingdom. The student of Kenpo Freestyle fights in self defence only, but like the tiger, is able to be ferocious when the situation calls for it.

The Dragon–The dragon represents wisdom and flexibility. A mythical beast, the dragon can turn into any other creature. This means it can adapt to any circumstances. The dragon’s head is above the tiger’s on the logo, because although the tiger is strong and ferocious, the dragon combines this strength with wisdom. The student of Kenpo Freestyle is expected to become flexible and wise in time, and to use these qualities in a positive way to help others.

The Covered Fist–The covered fist means the student of Kenpo Freestyle has the ability to defend himself or herself, but chooses the path of non-violence.

The Yin/Yang–The Yin/Yang symbol means balance. You have day and night, strong and weak, hot and cold. All are necessary. This means the Kenpo Freestyle student must train hard, but get plenty of rest. You must do your best in karate, but realize that other things in life are important too, like family and school. You must build your body, but also develop your mind.

The Everlasting Flame of Knowledge–The everlasting flame symbolizes that learning is a life-long process and that we can never know everything. A black belt soon realizes that there is so much more to learn in the martial arts.

Students, wear your Kenpo Freestyle logo with pride and always remember what it represents.

Sensei Matt Klein

Find out more about our Sydney kids karate classes

0 Flares Twitter 0 Facebook 0 Google+ 0 Pin It Share 0 StumbleUpon 0 LinkedIn 0 Filament.io 0 Flares ×

Filed Under: For the Martial Artist, Kenpo

Comments

  1. SueC says

    August 4, 2010 at 12:46 am

    What a find your blog is! I’m clearly going to learn a lot about teaching karate to kids from you. I love the meaning of your logo – it has such a rich meaning.

    Thanks for visiting my blog by the way.

  2. Medical Jobs says

    August 7, 2010 at 8:05 am

    Great information! I’ve been looking for something like this for a while now. Thanks!

  3. Sensei Matt Klein says

    August 8, 2010 at 12:58 am

    Glad you enjoyed it Sue. You are welcome here any time. Thanks Medical Jobs, whatever your name is.

  4. MMA Bart says

    October 11, 2010 at 1:44 pm

    Thanks for the explanation. I come from an American Kenpo background, and love to hear your take on the symbols. One thing I had an instructor point out to me was how the tiger and the dragon were intertwined, or playing. (In some illustrations the tiger and dragon actually form a yin/yang symbol). Such is the nature of power and wisdom. Too much tiger-nature and one becomes tyrannical; too much dragon-nature and one becomes impotent/inactive. Why have power if you cannot control and direct it? Why have wisdom if you cannot act upon it?

  5. Sensei Matt Klein says

    October 11, 2010 at 4:42 pm

    Hi Bart. Yes, the tiger and dragon can be playing, or in some cases, fighting, and I have seen them forming the yin/yang symbol as well. Which style did your background include, Parker, Tracy, or other? Am always interested in comparing and contrasting them. Your tyrannical vs. impotent/inactive analogy is a good point. Power vs. wisdom–maybe a future post, as we can write a lot about it. Thanks for visiting.

  6. Kenpo says

    May 12, 2011 at 5:17 pm

    With havin so much content and articles do you ever run into any issues of plagorism or copyright infringement? My website has a lot of exclusive content I’ve either written myself or outsourced but it looks like a lot of it is popping it up all over the internet without my authorization. Do you know any methods to help stop content from being ripped off? I’d genuinely appreciate it.

  7. Sensei Matt Klein says

    May 13, 2011 at 1:16 am

    Thanks for commenting Kenpo, yes I have had several articles stolen. You can detect it using Google alerts for your keywords and for your name. If their site uses Google AdSense, you can report them to Google and they will come down on them. It works. I first contact the person who “borrowed” my content and try to get them to remove it from their site. I contact Google as a last resort. Google hates spammers and content scrapers.

  8. Black Belt says

    May 14, 2011 at 9:23 pm

    great site matt i might come back to kenpo soon

  9. Sensei Matt Klein says

    May 14, 2011 at 9:36 pm

    Thanks Black Belt!

Testimonials

Australia's Youth Self Defence Karate
mihir-joshi-kenpo-freestyle-sydneyOver the years, through Karate, I found that my confidence and self-esteem levels had sky rocketed to heights I never thought it would go. I thank Sensei Matt, and all those who have helped me in Karate, for helping me understand such values in a fun and social learning environment.
Mihir Joshi

See our Karate Success Stories Page for Mihir's story.
09/01/2014
Australia's Youth Self Defence Karate
mihir-joshi-kenpo-freestyle-sydneyOver the years, through Karate, I found that my confidence and self-esteem levels had sky rocketed to heights I never thought it would go. I thank Sensei Matt, and all those who have helped me in Karate, for helping me understand such values in a fun and social learning environment.
Mihir Joshi

See our Karate Success Stories Page for Mihir's story.
09/01/2014
Australia's Youth Self Defence Karate
Friendly yet disciplined approach towards karate at Australia’s Youth has helped enormously. It enabled Mihir to build a sense of belonging and improved his motivation to excel. It’s amazing how learning the Martial Arts helps build confidence and improve overall personality.
Yogendra Joshi, father of Mihir JoshiImage
09/01/2014
Australia's Youth Self Defence Karate
I like Karate because it is really fun and I love going on the weekend to see all my friends and Senseis. Karate makes me feel safe because I don’t worry about bullies at school because I know they can’t really hurt me.Tyvian-Macfarlne-Kenpo-Freestyle-Sydney
Tyvian Macfarlane

See our Karate Success Stories Page for Tyvian's story.
09/08/2014
Australia's Youth Self Defence Karate
The confidence karate has given Tyvian is amazing. He is takes pride in himself and he has matured. The focus, confidence and discipline he has gained through karate has transferred to other areas of his life such as educational tasks, looking after younger children both in and out of his family and demonstrating empathy for others.Robert-Macfarlane
Robert Macfarlane, father of Tyvian Macfarlane
09/08/2014
Australia's Youth Self Defence Karate
I owe my confidence, strength, fitness and leadership skills to Karate. It has taught me to persist with everything and that the only way to improve is to try harder.Adam-Loader-Kenpo-Freestyle-Sydney
Adam Loader

See our Karate Success Stories Page for Adam's story.
09/01/2014
Australia's Youth Self Defence Karate
Look at what you have achieved Matt, we can’t thank you enough for your contribution to shaping these two young men. We are often complimented about the maturity of the boys and we know their Karate has played an important part in developing that maturity. Brings a tear to my eye!
loadersRobert Loader, father of Adam and Jacob Loader
09/01/2014

Sensei Matt’s Blog Topics

  • Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
  • Bullying and Self Defence for Kids
  • For the Martial Artist
  • For the Martial Arts Instructor
  • Kenpo
  • Martial Arts Movies for Kids
  • Martial Arts Resources for Parents
  • MMA
  • Sensei Matt Klein's Guest Posts
  • Stranger Danger
  • Teaching Martial Arts to Kids
  • Uncategorized

Recent Posts

  • 17 Things I Learned as a Blue Belt In BJJ
  • Teaching Children Martial Arts: Silent Stretches as a Powerful Tool
  • Get on the Ride!
  • A Hidden Benefit of BJJ and Yoga That You May Have Missed

Recent Comments

  • Sensei Matt Klein on 17 Things I Learned as a Blue Belt In BJJ
  • Mick Parker on 17 Things I Learned as a Blue Belt In BJJ
  • Sensei Matt Klein on Teaching Children Martial Arts: Silent Stretches as a Powerful Tool
  • Zoltan Levitt on Teaching Children Martial Arts: Silent Stretches as a Powerful Tool
  • Sensei Matt Klein on Teaching Children Martial Arts: Silent Stretches as a Powerful Tool

Friends

  • Just A Thought
  • Kid Town Sydney
  • My journey to black belt
  • My Self Defense Blog
  • TDA Training
  • The Kids' Karate Workbook