# Mr. Parker Through the Years.



## Danjo (Sep 9, 2006)

This is from a question raised on another forum. I thought it'd be a good one to ask here of some people that actually trained with Ed Parker over the years.

There have been several videos of Mr. Parker put on the net of late showing him from the early 1960's through the last years of his life. One person said that he thought that in the early footage it looked as if Mr. Parker were trying to still figure out what he was doing, whereas in the middle years he looked very good. Then, in the later years, Mr. Parker looked as if he were starting to slip in terms of execution of his technique.

To my non-EPAK eye, it looked a bit different from the videos I've seen. It looked like he was doing three different things throughout the years. In the early tapes with Chuck Sullivan, the Kenpo looked totally different from the stuff we see in the later years, but it looked like Mr. Parker knew how to do it VERY well. I remember not being overly impressed wiht his kicks until Doc pointed out that he wasn't _trying_ to do Tae Kwon Do etc. and so shouldn't be compared to them.

So I guess my question is this: Did Ed Parker's skills diminish as he got older? I know that the martial arts world was shocked when he died suddenly at the age of 59 and I never remembered reading where anyone thought he was going down hill in terms of ability, so I thought I'd ask here.


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## Kembudo-Kai Kempoka (Sep 9, 2006)

For my 2 cents, he was NOT going downhill. He was getting better at economizing his kenpo, and better at getting sneakier. Learn the "written: form of Tundering Hammers. Then watch the version he does on the referenced tape from that thread. More stuff stuck in there, with more devastating effects. But you gotta know what you're looking for/at. (glances off the inward block into an outward palm-heel/rake with a distance barrier and control manipulation component, all in the first move, as opposed to an inward block in the standard written form).

I may be coming to So Cal soon for a visit. If you'll have me, I'll show you in person what I'm talking about (economy of motion, the original Thundering Hammers, the insertions Mr. P throws in to beef it up while simplifying it's complexity...or complicating its simplicity. Can go either way, which is the great part of the riddle of Mr. P's latter-years kenpo).

Regards,

Dave


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## Kenpojujitsu3 (Sep 10, 2006)

Kembudo-Kai Kempoka said:


> For my 2 cents, he was NOT going downhill. He was getting better at economizing his kenpo, and better at getting sneakier. Learn the "written: form of Tundering Hammers. Then watch the version he does on the referenced tape from that thread. More stuff stuck in there, with more devastating effects. But you gotta know what you're looking for/at. (glances off the inward block into an outward palm-heel/rake with a distance barrier and control manipulation component, all in the first move, as opposed to an inward block in the standard written form).
> 
> I may be coming to So Cal soon for a visit. If you'll have me, I'll show you in person what I'm talking about (economy of motion, the original Thundering Hammers, the insertions Mr. P throws in to beef it up while simplifying it's complexity...or complicating its simplicity. Can go either way, which is the great part of the riddle of Mr. P's latter-years kenpo).
> 
> ...


 
Total agreement here.  People who say he got worse don't seem to see the little things he was doing...


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## Sigung86 (Sep 11, 2006)

Kenpojujitsu3 said:


> Total agreement here.  People who say he got worse don't seem to see the little things he was doing...



James ... At the risk of sounding curmudgeonly, and after observing many videos of SGM Parker, and others ... Many peple saw very little of the "little things" he was doing. :lol:


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## Kenpojujitsu3 (Sep 11, 2006)

Sigung86 said:


> James ... At the risk of sounding curmudgeonly, and after observing many videos of SGM Parker, and others ... Many peple saw very little of the "little things" he was doing. :lol:


 
LOL!!!!!


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## Touch Of Death (Sep 11, 2006)

Of course Mr. Parker was getting older and was probably not equiped with the muscle tone he may have had even ten or fifteen years before. I contend, however, that in his later years, he was probably faster and more powerfull in his execution of the basics. I hope the same could be said for all dedicated martial artists.
Sean


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## HKphooey (Sep 11, 2006)

And I can just imagine if someone brought that up at one of his final seminars.  I am sure you would see lightning in action.  Just like some of the great stories of O Sensei and Aikido.  O Sensei could barely walk, but once he jumped on the mat, bodies went everywhere.


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## Monadnock (Sep 11, 2006)

After a certain point, GrandMasters, Masters, and the like should be able to do "more with less." In fact, if they have really been doing anything with their lifetime, they definitely better not be moving the same way they were in their 20's.

At some point, their job is to only enlighten what has already been taught, generally more with words than action.

When a 35 yr-old puts on a 10th Dan, that's different, and he'd better move like lightening, not that I'd still believe in the rank.


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## IWishToLearn (Sep 11, 2006)

Monadnock said:


> After a certain point, GrandMasters, Masters, and the like should be able to do "more with less." In fact, if they have really been doing anything with their lifetime, they definitely better not be moving the same way they were in their 20's.
> 
> At some point, their job is to only enlighten what has already been taught, generally more with words than action.
> 
> When a 35 yr-old puts on a 10th Dan, that's different, and he'd better move like lightening, not that I'd still believe in the rank.


Heh. Lightning of the bottled, the thunderstorm, or the slowed-down-by-scientists-to-128-miles-per-hour-instead-of-the-speed-of-light variety?


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## Monadnock (Sep 12, 2006)

IWishToLearn said:


> Heh. Lightning of the bottled, the thunderstorm, or the slowed-down-by-scientists-to-128-miles-per-hour-instead-of-the-speed-of-light variety?


 
Whatever speed it says on their current DVD


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## IWishToLearn (Sep 12, 2006)

Monadnock said:


> Whatever speed it says on their current DVD


Heh.


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## Kenpojujitsu3 (Sep 12, 2006)

Monadnock said:


> Whatever speed it says on their current DVD


 
LOL!!


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