American Kenpo
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Ed Parker’s American Kenpo is a martial arts style characterized by the use of quick moves in rapid-fire succession intended to overwhelm an opponent. It is largely taught as a "street" self-defense style and is derived from traditional Southern Chinese martial arts and martial arts from the cultural melting pot of Hawaii. Parker introduced significant modifications in his art, including its theories and its terminology, throughout his life. He left behind a large number of instructors who teach many different styles and methodologies that fall under the American Kenpo umbrella.
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[edit] Parker's Training
As a young man, Edmund Parker, Sr. came to Brigham Young University from his native Hawaii and began to teach. By the time he achieved the rank of black belt, he was already interpreting ideas he had learned from his Chinese-Hawaiian teacher, Kwai (William) Sun Chow. Chow learned all of his kenpo from James Mitose, through the Official Self Defense Club.
It was during this period that Parker was significantly influenced by the Japanese and Okinawan interpretations prevalent in Hawaii. Parker's Book Kenpo Karate, published in 1962, shows the many hard linear movements, albeit with significant modifications, that set his interpretations apart. While most karate instructors were executing one or two move techniques, Parker was using linear rapid fire multiple strikes as well as jujutsu influenced grabs and hold attacks.
All of the influences up to that time were reflected in Parker's rigid, linear, method of "Kenpo Karate," as it was called. Between writing and publishing, however, he began to be influenced by the Chinese arts, and included this information in his system. Once established on the mainland after leaving the military, finishing his education, and finally settling in Southern California, Parker found himself in a rich martial arts cultural demographic.
Arts of all kinds and nationalities settled in California early, and while many were available to the knowledgeable, many Asian instructors were secretive about their methodologies, and rarely taught non-Asians. Nevertheless, Parker made contact with people like James (Jimmy) W. Woo (a.k.a. Chin Siu Dek), Lau Bun and Ark Wong. These martial artists were known for their skills in the Hung Gar, Tai Chi, and San Soo martial arts, and this influence remains visible in both historical material (such as forms that Parker taught for a period within his system) and current principles.
Exposed to new Chinese training concepts and history, which he used to write and publish his second book, Secrets of Chinese Karate. Parker drew associations in this and other books between karate (a better known art in the United States at that time) and the Chinese methods he adopted and taught.
[edit] Origins of American Kenpo
Once Parker had accumulated significant information and skills, he decided to title his art "American Kenpo" because the system was created on American soil. Although the word 'karate' was later less favored by Parker, the general public more quickly understood that word as opposed to the word 'Kenpo'. Continued efforts to shape the art into a distinct form led to replacing most Asian language terms with English terms. This also involved inventing entirely new principles to express ideas that had previously been encapsulated within traditional metaphors such as qi, but which Parker aimed to harmonize with scientific principles and American culture.
Parker also heavily restructured American Kenpo's forms and techniques during this period. In many cases, he moved away from methods that were recognizably descended from another art (such as forms that were familiar within Hung Gar) and established a more definitive relationship between forms and the technique curriculum.
Ed Parker personally continued to study and grow. He experimented with the use of film and video, as a training tool, leaving records of his work. In the final 4 years of his life Ed Parker Sr. put down the final version of his art, American Kenpo.
[edit] Evolution of American Kenpo
Although there were varying degrees of crossover from one evolving method to another, there were at least three clear and distinct philosophies or styles created by Ed Parker Sr.
[edit] Kenpo Karate
When Ed Parker arrived on the mainland he studied Kenpo Karate, opening shop in Pasadena around 1954. He wrote the book of the same name and published it in 1961. This has been characterized as having a very Japanese influence, including the use of linear, "focused" techniques and jujutsu-style techniques.
[edit] Chinese Kenpo
When Ed Parker embraced the Chinese Arts he began to refer to his art as Chinese Kenpo. Based on this influence he wrote Secrets of Chinese Karate, published in 1963, only very shortly after Kenpo Karate. The technical syllabus has recognizable similarities to the Hung Gar, Choy Li Fut and other Southern Chinese Martial Arts, including two forms (Tiger-Crane and Panther or "Book Set") and one training practice ("Star Block") that can be traced back to Hung Gar in particular. This is no surprise, as Parker's known teachers claimed these martial arts in their respective lineages.
[edit] American Kenpo
Parker began the codification process of his early understandings of Chinese Kenpo into a distinct evolving American interpretation. Here he dropped all Asian language elements and many traditions in favour of American English. During this period, he deemphasized techniques and principles directly derived from Chinese and Japanese arts as well, in favour of a distinct curriculum of forms and techniques.
Parker took his art through constant evolution. Students from various parts of the country and world seem to produce varied interpretations on American Kenpo's applications, much of it can be credited to an American Kenpo concept known as tailoring. Parker always suggested that once you learn the lesson of the "ideal phase" one should search for some aspect that can be tailored to your personal needs. Furthermore, Parker's students learned a different curriculum depending on when they studied with him. Some students preferred older material to newer material, wanted to maintain older material that Parker intended to replace, or wanted to supplement the kenpo they learned from a particular period with other martial arts training.
American Kenpo is noted for using colorful descriptions to help students remember techniques. Some of the original Ed Parker techniques include "Dance Of Death", "Squeezing The Peach", "Twist Of Fate", "Crossing Talon", "Calming The Storm", "Crashing Wings", "Gathering Of The Snakes", and "Snapping Twig".
Some notable students of Ed Parker are Bryan Hawkins, actor Jeff Speakman, Howard Silva, Jack Autry, Albert Cornejo, music legend Elvis Presley, Paul Dye and current Kenpo icons Al Tracy, Frank Trejo, Mike Pick, Dennis Nackord, and Larry Tatum. Some of the famed tournament players include Chris McBride, John Payton, Gaffar Adam, Jerry Maloney, Richard Barefield, Steve Babcock and Don Togisala.
[edit] Belt Rankings
Within American Kenpo there exists a basic belt system consisting of White, Yellow, Orange, Purple, Blue, Green, Brown, and Black. Different schools have different belt, some have advanced green belts, some orange with stripes and others.
When a student passes the test for Brown, they receive a brown belt with one black stripe. At this point they have obtained the rank of 3rd degree brown belt. AFter this test, several things will happen, different schools choose different ways to signify a higher rank of brown belt, some with different style of stripes, or they just add atripes. After there are three differen brown belts, 3rd. 2nd. and 1st.
Every belt after 1st brown is a rank of black, that is, 1st degree black belt, 2nd degree, 3rd degree, and so on.
