Image: ikkf.org
Kurt Lutgert maintains concurrent responsibilities as vice president of The Lutgert Companies and as an author and speaker in Naples, Florida. In his free time, Kurt Lutgert spends four hours a day engaging in various wellness activities, including Okinawan kenpo karate.
One of several styles of kenpo karate, the modern version of Okinawan kenpo traces its roots back to lifelong martial arts practitioner Seikichi Odo. After learning both judo and Okinawa-te during his childhood, he took up Okinawan kobudo in his 20s. This martial art involves the use of a wide array of ancient weapons, including the bo staff, tuifa, and kama. Over the next several years, Odo honed his abilities with these traditional weapons and studied under some of Okinawa’s most prominent martial arts masters, including Shigeru Nakamura, the founder of the original Okinawan kenpo style.
While training under Nakamura, Odo gradually assumed teaching responsibilities at Nakamura’s dojo and began combining the kobudo style with other karate practices at Nakamura’s request. In the mid-1970s, Odo created the Okinawa Kenpo Karate-Kobudo Association, which he later reorganized as the Okinawa Kenpo Karate Kobudo Federation. He changed the name again 1998 to the Ryukyu Hon Kenpo Kobujutsu Federation.
Today, Okinawan kenpo karate features training styles such as bogu kumite, which involves full-contact exercises and the use of specialized protective gear. Practitioners of this style study 50 different kata.
Kurt Lutgert on Wordpress 
You must be logged in to post a comment.