Tracy Kenpo
Encyclopedia
Tracy's Kenpo is a Kenpo
martial arts
style with historical roots back to William Chow and James Mitose
.
from China
around the twelfth century. Kenpo continued to evolve separately in both countries over the centuries. The Tracy's Kenpo style derives from the Japanese branch, brought to America through Hawaii
by James Mitose. Mitose began teaching kenpo to family members in Hawaii in 1936. After the attack on Pearl Harbor
in 1941, Mitose began to teach Kenpo Jiu-Jitsu more openly and, for the first time, outside his family and to students outside the Japanese community. A student, William K.S. Chow, opened a kenpo karate studio in Hawaii. One of his more notable students, Ed Parker
(founder of American Kenpo
) moved to the mainland United States, and was the kenpo instructor of Al and Jim Tracy, the Tracy brothers.
Tracy's Kenpo was founded by the Tracy Brothers, Al and Jim. The Tracy brothers began their martial arts training in fencing
, boxing
, and wrestling
. They embarked on their study of Kenpo with Ed Parker
and his black belt
student James Ibrao in 1957, while attending college as pre-law students. Over time they developed a close relationship with Parker, and soon after Parker turned the teaching of all beginner and intermediate classes over to the brothers. They developed an order in which the techniques would be taught; the advanced classes were run by Ibrao.
ranks and the Kenpo "colored belt system". They sorted the techniques into groups of 40 and divided the white belt into four levels instead of two. There would be two katas per belt. The color system for belts was due in part to the availability of belts from Japanese distributors.
As stated on their website, "But what would we use as the 4th color? Our suppliers from Japan contacted us with a offer for 'orange' belts that had come about as a mistake in the dying process. Originally we would never have considered an "Orange" belt.- Back then we were all pretty 'macho' - and what adult male would wear an Orange Belt? As fate would have it, they offered us such low price on over 1000 orange belts we could not turn it down."
Ultimately, the colored belt system became: Orange Belt - Shichikyu; Purple Belt - Rokkyu; Blue Belt - Gokyu; Green Belt - Yonkyu. Later, the Tracys added a Yellow Belt - Hachikyu - as a Youth Belt, with 10 self defense techniques as opposed to 40 for other belts. Ed Parker rejected the colored belts until finally converting to the Tracy color belt system in 1966. The Tracy brothers also created belt manuals (which contained 40 techniques per belt at that time) and gave the techniques names, like "Attacking Circle", "Raising the Staff", etc.
The Tracy brothers opened a second school, in Sacramento
, in 1962, and a third, in San Jose, California
, in 1963. They later changed the name of the schools to Tracy’s Kenpo Karate. Ed Parker turned the Kenpo Karate Association of America (KKAA) over to the Tracy brothers and then formed the International Kenpo Karate Association (IKKA). The Tracy brothers agreed to join the IKKA on the condition that they could keep the teaching standards of the KKAA for their own students.
Ed Parker promoted Al Tracy to 3rd degree black belt on December 4, 1964. The certificate is from the IKKA and is signed by Ed Parker, Mills Crenshaw, Stan Hall, and Charles Sullivan
, and witnessed by Charlotte Connor, the wife of Tom Connor
.
The Tracy brothers later opened more schools throughout California and other states, forming Tracy’s International Studios of Self-Defense. By 1982, Ed Parker had changed the Kenpo he had originally learned and taught so much as to make it, in Parker’s own words, "no more than 10% Kenpo", so that he changed the name to American Kenpo
. It was around this time that the Tracys completely broke from Ed Parker. Some students stayed with one group and others with the other; Jay T. Will
, a noted martial arts referee, held high ranks from both groups.
Tracy's Kenpo Karate today teaches what they describe as "Original, Traditional" Kenpo, as taught to Al and Jim Tracy by Ed Parker, and to Will Tracy by William Chow and Fusae Oshita. Al Tracy and Ted Sumner, the senior black belt in the organization, have spent many years and considerable resources researching the history of the Kenpo system, tracing its roots from the Yoshida
family of Japan
to its present western incarnations. Tracy's International Studios of Self Defense is a worldwide organization of over 1,000 schools, based out of Lexington, Kentucky
. It is the largest system of affiliated schools and the longest-running self-defense chain in the world.
In February 1999, Al Tracy organized the “Gathering of Eagles”, the largest gathering of Kenpoists in the world, which took place in Las Vegas, Nevada
. The Gathering brought together over seventy masters, representing Kenpo
, American Kenpo
, Shaolin Kenpo, Wun Hop Kuen Do, Lima Lama, Kajukenbo
and included some of the biggest names in Westernized Kenpo. James Ibrao, Thomas Mitose, the son of the late James Mitose, Roger Greene, Ted Sumner, Ray Arquilla, Al Dacascos, Ralph and Rob Castro, William Chun, Jr., Sonny Gascon, Bart Vale
, Larry Tatum, Adriano Emperado, Richard Lee, Sig Kufferath, Tino Tuiolosega, and John McSweeney all attended. Between 1100-1200 people attended the event, coming from all over the globe, with a choice of five seminars at any one time and eighty overall.
The second Gathering took place in 2001 and was attended by approximately 1500-1600 people. The event also included the son of Choki Motobu, Chosei Motobu, Koshiro Tanaka, Ron Sanchez, Steve Labounty, and Bob White.
In June 2007, Tracy's International Studios of Self Defense hosted the 3rd Gathering of Eagles and the inaugural induction ceremony for the International Kenpo Hall of Fame. A list of Charter Member Inductees may be found by following the link.
In 2006, Al Tracy was featured on the cover of "Art of the Warrior Magazine," under the heading, "Grandmaster Al Tracy, Founder of the world's largest system of Kenpo, renowned Kenpo historian, and business scholar." Black Belt Magazine
named Tracy's Kenpo 8th degree black belt and founder of the "International Shootfighting Association," Bart Vale, its 2006 Full Contact Fighter of the Year. In 2007, Tracy's Kenpo 3rd degree black belt, Addy Hernandez, co-founder of Ki Fighting Concepts, author of several martial arts DVDs, and wife of Joseph Simonet, was named Inside Kung Fu Magazine's Woman of the Year.
Kenpo
is the name of several Japanese martial arts. The word kenpō is a Japanese translation of the Chinese word "quánfǎ. This term is often informally transliterated as "kempo", as a result of applying Traditional Hepburn romanization, but failing to use a macron to indicate the long vowel...
martial arts
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....
style with historical roots back to William Chow and James Mitose
James 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....
.
Origins
Kenpo is an unarmed fighting style that came to JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
from China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
around the twelfth century. Kenpo continued to evolve separately in both countries over the centuries. The Tracy's Kenpo style derives from the Japanese branch, brought to America through 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...
by James Mitose. Mitose began teaching kenpo to family members in Hawaii in 1936. After the attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
in 1941, Mitose began to teach Kenpo Jiu-Jitsu more openly and, for the first time, outside his family and to students outside the Japanese community. A student, William K.S. Chow, opened a kenpo karate studio in Hawaii. One of his more notable students, 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...
(founder of American Kenpo
American Kenpo
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...
) moved to the mainland United States, and was the kenpo instructor of Al and Jim Tracy, the Tracy brothers.
Tracy's Kenpo was founded by the Tracy Brothers, Al and Jim. The Tracy brothers began their martial arts training in fencing
Fencing
Fencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
, 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...
, and wrestling
Wrestling
Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
. They embarked on their study of Kenpo with 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...
and his 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...
student James Ibrao in 1957, while attending college as pre-law students. Over time they developed a close relationship with Parker, and soon after Parker turned the teaching of all beginner and intermediate classes over to the brothers. They developed an order in which the techniques would be taught; the advanced classes were run by Ibrao.
Rank Controversy
There has been controversy as to whether or not Al and Jim Tracy received their Black Belts (Shodan) from Ed Parker. In the Black Belt Family Tree listed in the original "Infinite Insights" book by Ed Parker, Al and Jim Tracy are listed as Black Belts under Ed Parker, first generation. They also have the largest number of black belts listed under their tree. Al Tracy was the fifth person promoted to black belt January 2, 1962. Certificate dated January 7, 1962. Jim Tracy was the sixth person promoted to black belt (January 2, 1962). Certificate dated January 7, 1962. The third Tracy brother, Will Tracy received his black belt in 1961, under both William K.S. Chow and Fusae Oshita (James Mitose’s sister).Opening Their Studios and Systematizing Their Style
In the spring of 1962, the Tracy brothers opened their first studio in San Francisco, which they named the Kenpo Karate Studio. As the northern branch of Ed Parker’s organization, it was there that the Tracy brothers created the three new KyuKyu
is a Japanese term used in martial arts, chadō, ikebana, go, shogi such as Japanese traditional culture, and academic tests and in other similar activities to designate various grades or levels or class of proficiency or experience...
ranks and the Kenpo "colored belt system". They sorted the techniques into groups of 40 and divided the white belt into four levels instead of two. There would be two katas per belt. The color system for belts was due in part to the availability of belts from Japanese distributors.
As stated on their website, "But what would we use as the 4th color? Our suppliers from Japan contacted us with a offer for 'orange' belts that had come about as a mistake in the dying process. Originally we would never have considered an "Orange" belt.- Back then we were all pretty 'macho' - and what adult male would wear an Orange Belt? As fate would have it, they offered us such low price on over 1000 orange belts we could not turn it down."
Ultimately, the colored belt system became: Orange Belt - Shichikyu; Purple Belt - Rokkyu; Blue Belt - Gokyu; Green Belt - Yonkyu. Later, the Tracys added a Yellow Belt - Hachikyu - as a Youth Belt, with 10 self defense techniques as opposed to 40 for other belts. Ed Parker rejected the colored belts until finally converting to the Tracy color belt system in 1966. The Tracy brothers also created belt manuals (which contained 40 techniques per belt at that time) and gave the techniques names, like "Attacking Circle", "Raising the Staff", etc.
The Tracy brothers opened a second school, in Sacramento
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
, in 1962, and a third, in San Jose, California
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
, in 1963. They later changed the name of the schools to Tracy’s Kenpo Karate. Ed Parker turned the Kenpo Karate Association of America (KKAA) over to the Tracy brothers and then formed the International Kenpo Karate Association (IKKA). The Tracy brothers agreed to join the IKKA on the condition that they could keep the teaching standards of the KKAA for their own students.
Ed Parker promoted Al Tracy to 3rd degree black belt on December 4, 1964. The certificate is from the IKKA and is signed by Ed Parker, Mills Crenshaw, Stan Hall, and Charles Sullivan
Charles Sullivan
Charles Sullivan may refer to:*Charles Sullivan , American jazz trumpeter*Charles F. Sullivan, Lieutenant Governor for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1949–1953...
, and witnessed by Charlotte Connor, the wife of Tom Connor
Tom Connor
Thomas Alexander Connor is an Australian goalkeeper.-Club career:Connor started his first season in senior football at NSW Premier League side APIA Leichhardt after impressing in the club's youth ranks...
.
The Tracy brothers later opened more schools throughout California and other states, forming Tracy’s International Studios of Self-Defense. By 1982, Ed Parker had changed the Kenpo he had originally learned and taught so much as to make it, in Parker’s own words, "no more than 10% Kenpo", so that he changed the name to American Kenpo
American Kenpo
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 was around this time that the Tracys completely broke from Ed Parker. Some students stayed with one group and others with the other; Jay T. Will
Jay T. Will
Jay T. Will was an American martial artist. He trained under Ed Parker and Al Tracy in American Kenpo and was promoted by the latter to the rank of 8th degree black belt.Jay T...
, a noted martial arts referee, held high ranks from both groups.
Tracy's Kenpo Karate today teaches what they describe as "Original, Traditional" Kenpo, as taught to Al and Jim Tracy by Ed Parker, and to Will Tracy by William Chow and Fusae Oshita. Al Tracy and Ted Sumner, the senior black belt in the organization, have spent many years and considerable resources researching the history of the Kenpo system, tracing its roots from the Yoshida
Yoshida
-People:Yoshida is the 12th most common Japanese surname.*Akihiko Yoshida , game artist*Ami Yoshida , vocalist*Bungo Yoshida , bunraku puppeteer*Hidehiko Yoshida , judoka and MMA fighter...
family of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
to its present western incarnations. Tracy's International Studios of Self Defense is a worldwide organization of over 1,000 schools, based out of Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
. It is the largest system of affiliated schools and the longest-running self-defense chain in the world.
In February 1999, Al Tracy organized the “Gathering of Eagles”, the largest gathering of Kenpoists in the world, which took place in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
. The Gathering brought together over seventy masters, representing Kenpo
Kenpo
is the name of several Japanese martial arts. The word kenpō is a Japanese translation of the Chinese word "quánfǎ. This term is often informally transliterated as "kempo", as a result of applying Traditional Hepburn romanization, but failing to use a macron to indicate the long vowel...
, American Kenpo
American Kenpo
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...
, Shaolin Kenpo, Wun Hop Kuen Do, Lima Lama, Kajukenbo
Kajukenbo
Kajukenbo is a hybrid martial art that combines Western Boxing, Judo, Jujutsu, Kenpo Karate, Eskrima, Tang Soo Do, and Kung Fu. It was founded in 1947 in Oahu, Hawaii, at the Palama Settlement. The original purpose of the art was to deal with local crime and to help the people defend themselves...
and included some of the biggest names in Westernized Kenpo. James Ibrao, Thomas Mitose, the son of the late James Mitose, Roger Greene, Ted Sumner, Ray Arquilla, Al Dacascos, Ralph and Rob Castro, William Chun, Jr., Sonny Gascon, Bart Vale
Bart Vale
Bart Vale is an American former kickboxer, mixed martial artist and professional wrestler. He is known for his "old school" American martial arts look, consisting of a mustache, mullet and American flag trunks...
, Larry Tatum, Adriano Emperado, Richard Lee, Sig Kufferath, Tino Tuiolosega, and John McSweeney all attended. Between 1100-1200 people attended the event, coming from all over the globe, with a choice of five seminars at any one time and eighty overall.
The second Gathering took place in 2001 and was attended by approximately 1500-1600 people. The event also included the son of Choki Motobu, Chosei Motobu, Koshiro Tanaka, Ron Sanchez, Steve Labounty, and Bob White.
In June 2007, Tracy's International Studios of Self Defense hosted the 3rd Gathering of Eagles and the inaugural induction ceremony for the International Kenpo Hall of Fame. A list of Charter Member Inductees may be found by following the link.
In 2006, Al Tracy was featured on the cover of "Art of the Warrior Magazine," under the heading, "Grandmaster Al Tracy, Founder of the world's largest system of Kenpo, renowned Kenpo historian, and business scholar." Black Belt Magazine
Black Belt Magazine
Black Belt is an American magazine covering martial arts and combat sports founded in 1961 by Mitoshi Uyehara. During the early years of the publication, Uyehara was a hands-on owner and publisher...
named Tracy's Kenpo 8th degree black belt and founder of the "International Shootfighting Association," Bart Vale, its 2006 Full Contact Fighter of the Year. In 2007, Tracy's Kenpo 3rd degree black belt, Addy Hernandez, co-founder of Ki Fighting Concepts, author of several martial arts DVDs, and wife of Joseph Simonet, was named Inside Kung Fu Magazine's Woman of the Year.