"The ultimate goal of The Five-Level Method is neither victory nor defeat, but the perfection of one's character."
Five-Level Method / Shorin Ju Kenpo is a martial art style founded in the late 1980s by Jerry Smith, and was developed from his varied experiences and training in martial arts. Jerry is one of the co-founders of the Black Karate Federation (BKF), a former professional full-contact fighting coach, and three-time international champion fighter.
The Shorin Ju Kenpo style teaches fighting principles based on five different levels of preparing for self-defense: physical, technical, mechanical, psychological and academic. Physical is about nutrition and conditioning; Technical is about the specific way a technique is performed; Mechanical is about how a technique is executed; Psychological is about one's mindset when defending oneself; Academic is about why the techniques are valid.
Students in Shorin Ju Kenpo use a combination of sets, techniques and forms to build their skills. The purpose of sets is to build coordination and mechanical proficiency; techniques provide practical self-defense options; and forms train students to use strikes, blocks, kicks and techniques from any angle as well as while moving.
For the past ten years, Jerry has been located in Sunnyuvale, California, training students in the Shorin Ju style. Jerry is the Senior Grand Master in Shorin Ju, and he draws on his experience as a coach and former three-time international semi-contact champion fighter while instructing the next generation of Shorin Ju Kenpo martial artists.