American Kenpo
Encyclopedia
American Kenpo or Kenpo Karate is a system of martial arts
created by Ed Parker
, characterized by the use of quick moves in rapid-fire succession intended to overwhelm an opponent. It is largely marketed as a self-defense
system, and is derived from traditional Japanese martial arts
and other martial arts such as Southern Chinese kung fu found in the cultural melting pot of Hawaii
.
Parker introduced significant modifications in his art, including principles, theories, and concepts of motion as well as terminology, throughout his life. He left behind a large number of instructors who teach many different versions of American Kenpo as Ed Parker
died before he named a successor to his art.
(1916–1981) started teaching his ancestral Japanese martial art, Kosho-Ryu Kenpo, in Hawaii. Mitose's art, later called Kenpo Jiu-Jitsu
, traditionally traces its origin to Shaolin Kung Fu
and Bodhidharma
. Kenpo Jiu-Jitsu emphasizes punching, striking, kicking, locking, and throwing. Mitose's art was very linear, lacking the circular motions in American Kenpo.
William K. S. Chow
studied Kenpo under James Mitose, eventually earning a first-degree black belt. He had also studied Chinese Kung Fu from his father. Chow began teaching an art, which he called Kenpo Karate, that blended the circular movements he had learned from his father with the system he had learned from Mitose. Chow experimented and modified his art, adapting it to meet the needs of American students.
Ed Parker learned Kenpo Karate from William Chow, eventually earning a black belt, Setting History Right 1954-1956] Al Tracy
claims that Chow promoted Parker to sandan (3rd-degree black belt) in December 1961.
The system known as American Kenpo was developed by Ed Parker as a successor to Chow's art. Parker revised older methods to work in modern day fighting scenarios. He heavily restructured American Kenpo's forms and techniques during this period. He moved away from methods that were recognizably descended from other arts (such as forms that were familiar within Hung Gar
) and established a more definitive relationship between forms and the self-defense technique curriculum of American Kenpo. Parker also eschewed esoteric Eastern concepts (e.g. qi
) and sought to express the art in terms of scientific principles and western metaphors.
in Provo, Utah in 1954. By 1956, he was teaching commercially in Provo. Late in 1956, he opened a studio in Pasadena, California
. He published a book about his early system in 1960. This has been characterized as having a very Japanese influence, including the use of linear and circular movements, "focused" techniques and jujutsu
-style locks, holds, and throws.
Ed Parker's Kenpo techniques were modifications of the techniques taught by William Chow, combined with modifications that incorporated moves from Boxing
, Judo
, and Lua
.
, 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 James Wing Woo.
. During this period, he de-emphasized techniques and principles organized in the same manner as in Chinese and Japanese arts in favor of his own curriculum of forms and techniques.
Parker took his art through continual changes. Parker always suggested that once a student learns the lesson embodied in the "ideal phase" of the technique he should search for some aspect that can be tailored to his own personal needs and strengths. 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.
One of the best-known students and honorable black belt of Ed Parker was Elvis Presley
.
Within American Kenpo there is a basic belt system consisting of White, Yellow, Orange, Purple, Blue, Green, Third Kyu Brown, Second Kyu Brown, First Kyu Brown, and First through Tenth Black. Different organizations have different belt systems. For example, the WKKA (World Kenpo Karate Association) includes an "advanced" rank for each belt, signified by a stripe of the next full belt's color worn on one end of the belt. They also include a 3 degree Red belt prior to first degree black. The black belt
rank
s are indicated by half-inch red 'strips' up to the 4th degree, then a 5 inch 'block' for 5th. Thereafter, additional half-inch stripes are added up to the 9th degree. For 10th degree black belt, two 5 inch 'blocks' separated by a half-inch space are used.
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
created by Ed Parker
Ed Parker
Edmund Kealoha "Ed" Parker was an American martial artist, promoter, teacher, and author.-Life:Parker was born in Hawaii, and raised a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He began his training in the martial arts at a young age in judo and later boxing...
, characterized by the use of quick moves in rapid-fire succession intended to overwhelm an opponent. It is largely marketed as a self-defense
Self-defense
Self-defense, self-defence or private defense is a countermeasure that involves defending oneself, one's property or the well-being of another from physical harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of force in times of danger is available in many...
system, and is derived from traditional Japanese martial arts
Japanese martial arts
Japanese martial arts refers to the enormous variety of martial arts native to Japan. At least three Japanese terms are often used interchangeably with the English phrase "Japanese martial arts": , literally meaning "martial way", , which has no perfect translation but means something like science,...
and other martial arts such as Southern Chinese kung fu found in the cultural melting pot of Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
.
Parker introduced significant modifications in his art, including principles, theories, and concepts of motion as well as terminology, throughout his life. He left behind a large number of instructors who teach many different versions of American Kenpo as Ed Parker
Ed Parker
Edmund Kealoha "Ed" Parker was an American martial artist, promoter, teacher, and author.-Life:Parker was born in Hawaii, and raised a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He began his training in the martial arts at a young age in judo and later boxing...
died before he named a successor to his art.
Kenpo Creed
Origins of American Kenpo
The modern history of American Kenpo began in the 1940s, when Great Grandmaster James MitoseJames Mitose
James Masayoshi Mitose James Masayoshi Mitose James Masayoshi Mitose (born Masayoshi Mitose, (December 30, 1916 — March 26, 1981) was a Japanese American martial artist who brought the art of Kenpo to the United States starting in the late 1930s....
(1916–1981) started teaching his ancestral Japanese martial art, Kosho-Ryu Kenpo, in Hawaii. Mitose's art, later called Kenpo Jiu-Jitsu
Jujutsu
Jujutsu , also known as jujitsu, ju-jitsu, or Japanese jiu-jitsu, is a Japanese martial art and a method of close combat for defeating an armed and armored opponent in which one uses no weapon, or only a short weapon....
, traditionally traces its origin to Shaolin Kung Fu
Shaolin kung fu
Shaolin Kung Fu refers to a collection of Chinese martial arts that claim affiliation with the Shaolin Monastery.Of the multitude styles of kung fu and wushu, only some are actually related to Shaolin...
and Bodhidharma
Bodhidharma
Bodhidharma was a Buddhist monk who lived during the 5th/6th century AD. He is traditionally credited as the transmitter of Ch'an to China, and regarded as the first Chinese patriarch...
. Kenpo Jiu-Jitsu emphasizes punching, striking, kicking, locking, and throwing. Mitose's art was very linear, lacking the circular motions in American Kenpo.
William K. S. Chow
William Kwai Sun Chow
William Kwai Sun Chow was instrumental in the development of the martial arts in the United States, specifically the family of styles referred to as kenpo/kempo....
studied Kenpo under James Mitose, eventually earning a first-degree black belt. He had also studied Chinese Kung Fu from his father. Chow began teaching an art, which he called Kenpo Karate, that blended the circular movements he had learned from his father with the system he had learned from Mitose. Chow experimented and modified his art, adapting it to meet the needs of American students.
Ed Parker learned Kenpo Karate from William Chow, eventually earning a black belt, Setting History Right 1954-1956] Al Tracy
Tracy Kenpo
Tracy's Kenpo is a Kenpo martial arts style with historical roots back to William Chow and James Mitose.- Origins :Kenpo is an unarmed fighting style that came to Japan from China around the twelfth century. Kenpo continued to evolve separately in both countries over the centuries...
claims that Chow promoted Parker to sandan (3rd-degree black belt) in December 1961.
The system known as American Kenpo was developed by Ed Parker as a successor to Chow's art. Parker revised older methods to work in modern day fighting scenarios. He heavily restructured American Kenpo's forms and techniques during this period. He moved away from methods that were recognizably descended from other arts (such as forms that were familiar within Hung Gar
Hung Gar
Hung Ga 洪家, Hung Kuen 洪拳, or Hung Ga Kuen 洪家拳 is a southern Chinese martial art associated with the Chinese folk hero Wong Fei Hung, who was a master of Hung Ga....
) and established a more definitive relationship between forms and the self-defense technique curriculum of American Kenpo. Parker also eschewed esoteric Eastern concepts (e.g. qi
Qi
In traditional Chinese culture, qì is an active principle forming part of any living thing. Qi is frequently translated as life energy, lifeforce, or energy flow. Qi is the central underlying principle in traditional Chinese medicine and martial arts...
) and sought to express the art in terms of scientific principles and western metaphors.
Kenpo Karate
Ed Parker initially called his art Kenpo Jujitsu. He started teaching other Hawaiian Islanders attending Brigham Young UniversityBrigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
in Provo, Utah in 1954. By 1956, he was teaching commercially in Provo. Late in 1956, he opened a studio in Pasadena, California
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
. He published a book about his early system in 1960. This has been characterized as having a very Japanese influence, including the use of linear and circular movements, "focused" techniques and jujutsu
Jujutsu
Jujutsu , also known as jujitsu, ju-jitsu, or Japanese jiu-jitsu, is a Japanese martial art and a method of close combat for defeating an armed and armored opponent in which one uses no weapon, or only a short weapon....
-style locks, holds, and throws.
Ed Parker's Kenpo techniques were modifications of the techniques taught by William Chow, combined with modifications that incorporated moves from Boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, Judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
, and Lua
Kapu Kuialua
Kapu Kuialua; Kuialua; or just Lua; is an ancient Hawaiian martial art based on bone breaking, joint locks, throws, pressure point manipulation, strikes, usage of various weapons, battlefield strategy, open ocean warfare as well as the usage of introduced firearms from the Europeans.The actual name...
.
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 Hung GarHung Gar
Hung Ga 洪家, Hung Kuen 洪拳, or Hung Ga Kuen 洪家拳 is a southern Chinese martial art associated with the Chinese folk hero Wong Fei Hung, who was a master of Hung Ga....
, 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 James Wing Woo.
American Kenpo
Parker began codifiying his early understandings of Chinese Kenpo into a distinct and evolving personal interpretation of the art. Here he dropped all Asian language elements and many traditions in favor of American EnglishAmerican English
American English is a set of dialects of the English language used mostly in the United States. Approximately two-thirds of the world's native speakers of English live in the United States....
. During this period, he de-emphasized techniques and principles organized in the same manner as in Chinese and Japanese arts in favor of his own curriculum of forms and techniques.
Parker took his art through continual changes. Parker always suggested that once a student learns the lesson embodied in the "ideal phase" of the technique he should search for some aspect that can be tailored to his own personal needs and strengths. 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.
One of the best-known students and honorable black belt of Ed Parker was Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
.
Belt rankings
| White |
 |
| Yellow |
 |
| Orange |
 |
| Purple |
 |
| Blue |
 |
| Green |
 |
| Brown (3 degrees) |
 |
| Black (10 degrees) |
 |
Within American Kenpo there is a basic belt system consisting of White, Yellow, Orange, Purple, Blue, Green, Third Kyu Brown, Second Kyu Brown, First Kyu Brown, and First through Tenth Black. Different organizations have different belt systems. For example, the WKKA (World Kenpo Karate Association) includes an "advanced" rank for each belt, signified by a stripe of the next full belt's color worn on one end of the belt. They also include a 3 degree Red belt prior to first degree black. The black belt
Black belt (martial arts)
In martial arts, the black belt is a way to describe a graduate of a field where a practitioner's level is often marked by the color of the belt. The black belt is commonly the highest belt color used and denotes a degree of competence. It is often associated with a teaching grade though...
rank
Dan rank
The ranking system is a Japanese mark of level, which is used in modern fine arts and martial arts. Originally invented in a Go school in the Edo period, this system was applied to martial arts by Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo and later introduced to other East Asia countries.In the modern...
s are indicated by half-inch red 'strips' up to the 4th degree, then a 5 inch 'block' for 5th. Thereafter, additional half-inch stripes are added up to the 9th degree. For 10th degree black belt, two 5 inch 'blocks' separated by a half-inch space are used.
Kenpo in the media
- The Perfect WeaponThe Perfect WeaponThe Perfect Weapon is an action 1991 film starring Jeff Speakman. It tells the story of a young man, Jeff, who is trained in the martial art of Kenpo, and his fight against the Korean mafia families....
(1991) starring Jeff SpeakmanJeff SpeakmanJeff Speakman is an American actor and a martial artist in the art of American kenpo karate and Japanese Goju-Ryu, earning blackbelts in each.-Early life:...
and directed by Mark DiSalle - When Kenpo Strikes - Red Cloud [SynTax Records] 2005
- Protecting The KingProtecting the KingProtecting the King is a 2007 drama film starring Peter Dobson as Elvis Presley. It tells the story of David Stanley , the stepbrother and bodyguard of Elvis.-Cast:* Peter Dobson as Elvis Presley* Matt Barr as David Stanley...
(2007) starring Matt BarrMatt BarrMatthew Jerome "Matt" Barr is an American television and film actor. He is best known for his roles as Mike Fleming in Commander in Chief, Ian Banks in One Tree Hill, Christopher Sullivan in the mystery horror series Harper's Island, and Dan Patch in The CW series Hellcats.-Early life:Matthew...
, Greg CollinsGreg CollinsGregory Vincent "Greg" Collins is an American actor and a former professional American football player who played in three National Football League seasons from 1975-1977 for the San Francisco 49ers, the Seattle Seahawks and the Buffalo Bills...
guest appearance Larry Tatum and directed by D. Edward Stanley - El Negocio (2010) starring Tim Bulot and Larry Tatum and directed by Tim Bulot
- Tekken 3Tekken 3Tekken 3 is the third installment in the popular Tekken fighting game series. It was released for Arcades in March 1997, and for the PlayStation in mid-1998. The original Arcade version of the game was released in 2005 for the PlayStation 2 as part of Tekken 5s Arcade History mode...
, Tekken 4Tekken 4Tekken 4 is the fifth installment in the Tekken series. It was developed and published by Namco. It was released as an arcade game in 2001 and on the PlayStation 2 in 2002. It is succeeded by Tekken 5.- Gameplay :...
, Tekken 5Tekken 5is the sixth installment in the popular Tekken series. It also marks the tenth anniversary of the series. It was updated for the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 3 as Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection and succeeded by Tekken 6.- Story :...
, Tekken 6Tekken 6is a fighting game developed and published by Namco Bandai. It is the eighth game in the Tekken franchise. It was released in Japanese arcades on November 26, 2007 as the first game running on the PlayStation 3-based System 357 arcade board. The game received an update, subtitled Bloodline...
Julia Chang's fighting style
Further reading
- Parker, E. (1982). Ed Parker's Infinite Insights into Kenpo, Vol. 1: Mental Stimulation. Delsby Publications ISBN 0910293007
- Parker, E. (1983). Ed Parker's Infinite Insights into Kenpo, Vol. 2: Physical Analyzation I. Delsby Publications ISBN 0910293023
- Parker, E. (1985). Ed Parker's Infinite Insights into Kenpo, Vol. 3: Physical Analyzation II. Delsby Publications ISBN 091029304X
- Parker, E. (1986). Ed Parker's Infinite Insights Into Kenpo, Vol. 4: Mental and Physical Constituents. Delsby Publications ISBN 0910293066
- Parker, E. (1987). Ed Parker's Infinite Insights Into Kenpo: Vol. 5: Mental and Physical Applications. Delsby Publications ISBN 0910293082
- Parker, L. (1997). Memories of Ed Parker - Sr. Grandmaster of American Kenpo Karate. Delsby Publications ISBN 0910293147
External links
- AKKI - American Kenpo Karate International - Paul Mills - 1st Generation Student of Ed Parker
- Kenpo Karate Italia - The site of the first kenpo italian school in Naples/Napoli (E.K.K.I.).
- KenpoTech.Net - A site dedicated to the preservation of Ed Parker's American Kenpo Karate. Includes full details on techniques, forms, sets & more.
- IKKO - International Kenpo Karate Organization - Dennis Conatser - 1st Generation Student of Ed Parker's American Kenpo Karate