Kempo has its roots in the ancient art form of Kung Fu. It was practiced in Shaolin temples as early as the 7th century. It’s a very strenuous style which focuses more on striking techniques than grappling ones. In other words, the practitioner is trained to be more offensive than defensive.

Kempo is often categorized as a style of Karate. It’s common association with Karate stems from the fact that this art form was brought to the island of Okinawa in the 16th century and was therefore very influential in the creation of Okinawa-te, which later became Karate.