American Kenpo
From MartialTalk Online Martial Arts Encyclopedia Project
American Kenpo Karate, also known as Ed Parker's American Kenpo (EPAK), is one of the the martial arts created by Ed Parker. It is one of many arts that go by the name Kenpo or Kempo. It represents his modification of traditional Japanese and Southern Chinese martial arts into a business derived and based on the Arthur Murray Dance Studios business model.
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Overview
American Kenpo (from ken po, meaning "fist law") is characterized by the use of rapid strikes in quick succession with the intent of overwhelming the opponent. Although hand strikes are emphasized, the system includes many kicks, locks, and so on. Much of the instruction centers around the system's approximately 150+ techniques, meaning short prearranged self-defense scenarios.
The system went through many stages of development. At various times, it was referred to as Kenpo Karate, Chinese Kenpo, and related names. The EPAK version is associated with Mr. Parker's decision to promote a chain of commercial schools, and is sometimes referred to by Ron Chapel's SL-4 lineage students, and others as Motion Kenpo in this context. This has stirred controversy as some Kenpoists claim that Mr. Parker's personal version of the system was more complete than the version that came to be known as EPAK.
Ranking in American Kenpo is similar to that in most Japanese systems, but the dan rankings have English language titles associated with them. The title of Senior Grand Master (SGM) is reserved for Ed Parker.
Since Mr. Parker's death, several American Kenpo organizations and new branches of the art have sprung up. Many use different techniques and modify the number of techniques required per belt level. Some of the variants are Tracy's Kenpo and SL-4 Kenpo.
Notable practitioners include Ron Chapel, Dennis Conatser, Dave Hebler, Ed Parker Jr., Jeff Speakman, Stephen LaBounty, Chuck Sullivan, Al Tracy, and Jim Tracy, among many others.
Parker's Training
As a young man, Edmund Parker, Sr. came to Brigham Young University from his native Hawaii and began to teach as a brown belt. 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.
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 1961, shows the many hard linear movements, albeit with significant modifications, that set his interpretations apart. While most 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, some Chinese instructors were secretive about their methodologies, and rarely taught non-Asians. As a native Polynesian, however, Parker was embraced by many of the available Chinese Masters, who would have a significant influence on his philosophy and methodologies over the years.
Coming in contact with people like James (Jimmy) W. Woo, Parker was exposed to new Chinese training concepts and history, which he used to write and publish his second book, Secrets of Chinese Karate. In this book, Parker was attempting to educate the American public to the roots of the then fairly well known Karate, in an effort to gain public acceptance for his new found direction with the Chinese. This began an influence on his methodologies, but it was his meeting with Ark Yuey Wong, Grandmaster of Five Animal Kung-fu, And Haumea "Tiny" Lefit that triggered an explosion of fluidity in his art, now termed "Chinese Kenpo."
Origins of American Kenpo
Once Parker had accumulated significant information and skills, he decided to "Americanize" what he had learned into an American cultural style he chose to call "American Kenpo." Parker made a conscious decision to create a commercial product in order to spread the beginnings of his art, even though its core was still a work in progress. Deciding upon a "motion based concept", partly out of necessity, it allowed his many transfer black belt students to work with his conceptual ideas with significant flexibility to allow personal interpretations, and "Ed Parker's American Kenpo Karate" was born. As much as he hated using the word karate, he knew the public still had no idea what Kenpo was, so he relented. Parker saw most of his students infrequently as he traveled teaching seminars and promoted his commercial art for most of the year.
Ed Parker personally continued to study and grow, which is visible in film or video over the years. He added many elements to his personal art that are not represented in the commercial "American Kenpo-Karate."
Evolution of American Kenpo
Although there were varying degrees of crossover from one evolving method to another, there were at least five clear and distinct philosophies or styles created by Ed Parker Sr.
Kenpo Karate
When Ed Parker arrived on the mainland as a brown belt, he studied Kenpo Karate. Later as a black belt, He opened shop in Pasadena, California around 1954. He wrote the book of the same name and published it in 1961. Teachers like Chuck Sullivan draw from this era.
Chinese Kenpo
When Ed Parker discovered the vast knowledge available and embraced the Chinese Arts while studying with and under Ark Wong and Haumea Lefiti, he began to refer to his art as Chinese Kenpo. During this period, he met Jimmy (James Wing) Woo, and Danny Inosanto, and broke with the established "Yudansakai" governing board. Based on this influence, he wrote Secrets of Chinese Karate, published in 1963, very shortly after Kenpo Karate. People like Frank Trejo's instructor, Steve Hearring still teach this perspective in Pasadena, CA.
American Kenpo
Parker began the codification process of his early understandings of Chinese Kenpo into a distinct evolving American interpretation. Here he dropped all Japanese-Chinese language and non-essential non-American cultural accoutrements, particularly the word "karate", which can be considered an insult to the Chinese. Teachers such as Dave Hebler draw from the beginnings of this version.
Ed Parker's American Kenpo Karate
A series of personal issues caused Ed Parker to decide to enter the commercial marketplace and expand his school in the second half of the sixties. Looking for a method that differed from the Kenpo franchises that preceded him (that he felt were flawed), he drew upon his many "transfer" black belts from other styles. Using "motion" as a base concept allowed him to create loose conceptual guidelines for already competent black belts. This further gave him the freedom to travel, conducting seminars, belt tests, and selling, while seeing the majority of his "students" two or three times a year. Most of the well-known black belts came up under this system. Some came very late in the eighties and is the reason they are not on Parker’s published Family Tree. The rest came after Parker's death.
It is this style he shared with a few private students during the aftermath of publicity brought by Larry Tatum's student Jeff Speakman's movie, Perfect Weapon. Parker taught a simplified system in a possible attempt to rekindle a chain of schools that he once directly controlled.
Ed Parker's Personal Kenpo
The ever-evolving personal art of Ed Parker included elements left out of his commercial diversion or off shoots. However, in reality it is the "American Kenpo" Parker was himself utilizing before he passed away that was still evolving.
