# larry tatum



## silvestre

hello

i am new here but raining ED PARKER KENPO to 11 years in PORTUGAL, and i want to now , what do you think about MR. LARRY TATUM.

best regards

paulo silvestre


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## terryl965

He has talent what do you really want to know


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## silvestre

i want to know, if he is the real sucesor of MR. ED PARKER


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## ackks10

silvestre said:


> hello
> 
> i am new here but raining ED PARKER KENPO to 11 years in PORTUGAL, and i want to now , what do you think about MR. LARRY TATUM.
> 
> best regards
> 
> paulo silvestre



what do i think??? this reminds me of a saying...."if you know yourself, you know others"  btw Mr Tatum is a very good friend:drinkbeer


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## Twin Fist

well,
Al Tracy says that Mr Tatum "moves like Ed used to"

so that counts for something.

he did the first kenpo video series, so thats something

No one really has anything bad to say about the guy, and in Kenpo, these days, that REALLY says something


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## Tames D

silvestre said:


> hello
> 
> i am new here but raining ED PARKER KENPO to 11 years in PORTUGAL, and i want to now , what do you think about MR. LARRY TATUM.
> 
> best regards
> 
> paulo silvestre


I'll assume this is not a trolling question and give you my opinion of the man. 

I've met and spoken with Larry many times. The man is not only very talented but a great human being. Among other things he has spent time with my kids and makes them feel like they are special (which they are of course, lol).   

He's a top notch Martial Artist. I have some of his products. I even have a chi and meditation dvd from his wife Jill. A great couple, I can't say enough good things about them.

If I were a Kenpo guy Larry Tatum would be my instructor without a doubt.


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## Twin Fist

Not to mention Clyde

he's got CLYDE for crying out loud, that alone means he wins......


heh heh


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## MJS

silvestre said:


> hello
> 
> i am new here but raining ED PARKER KENPO to 11 years in PORTUGAL, and i want to now , what do you think about MR. LARRY TATUM.
> 
> best regards
> 
> paulo silvestre


 
I met the man one time at a seminar.  Certainly knows his Kenpo.  Has spent alot of time, from what I hear, with Mr. Parker.  Very down to earth and friendly.  If I was in Ca. and was looking for a teacher in the Parker system, he'd certainly be on my list.

If you havent already, you should check out his site.  He has a number or technique clips that he put online.  Very informative.

Mike


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## MJS

Twin Fist said:


> Not to mention Clyde
> 
> he's got CLYDE for crying out loud, that alone means he wins......
> 
> 
> heh heh


 
Oh yes..can't forget about Clyde. LOL!  I've had many phone chats with him.  Its been a while since I've spoken to him though.


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## Twin Fist

I met Clyde in SoCal in the early 90's. Great guy, and in the hostile wilderness that is the "Web Site That Shall Not Be Named" where Kenpo is not thought very highly of, he holds his own


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## pete

silvestre said:


> i want to know, if he is the real sucesor of MR. ED PARKER


 YOU are the real successor of Ed Parker!  For that matter so am I, and anyone else who trains and develops their personal kenpo.  so if you are looking for the annointed one, or next true king, etc. look no further...

but if you are interested in instruction, and have the opportunity to learn from Larry Tatum, don't hesitate... you will not be disappointed and your kenpo will never be the same. 

and since Clyde's name seems to always come up, yeah... he is the real deal too.

pete


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## exile

Twin Fist said:


> I met Clyde in SoCal in the early 90's. Great guy, and in the hostile wilderness that is the "Web Site That Shall Not Be Named" where Kenpo is not thought very highly of, he holds his own



Very skillfully phrased, TF!


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## kidswarrior

Twin Fist said:


> I met Clyde in SoCal in the early 90's. Great guy, and in the hostile wilderness that is the "Web Site That Shall Not Be Named" where Kenpo is not thought very highly of, he holds his own


For us of the Great Unwashed, who is Clyde?


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## Twin Fist

Clyde O'Bryant

he is a 7th under GM Tatum

he is loud, opinionated, and not above  backing it up on the mat.

all in all, i love the guy


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## Doc

silvestre said:


> i want to know, if he is the real sucesor of MR. ED PARKER



Mr. Parker had no successor, and if he did, per tradition it would have been his son. Larry Tatum is one of the few original 7th's under Ed Parker and an extremely talented kenpoist. 

Although he has detractors like we all do, he ran the only school that Mr. Parker owned that made a profit before he passed. He also is not credited for producing and promoting some of the best known Kenpo Black Belts around, including people like Jeff Speakman, Dian Tanaka, Barbara Hale, Mohammad Tabatabai, Brian Hawkins, and a plethora of others. 

Although he and Mr. Parker parted company from the IKKA through mutual agreement on less than favorable terms, nevertheless Larry Tatum's talent an accomplishments are significant before and after his tenure with Mr. Parker as an outstanding Kenpoists. There would no reason in my opinion why you shouldn't avail yourself of the opportunity to seek instruction from this man.


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## Kraiguar

_I have had conversations with Mr. Parker in reference to Larry Tatum which were quite enlightening, yet the true gift that one can give to his teacher is a student who has attained mastery of the art. _
_Doc, you mentioned two in particular whom I do know Mr. Parker truly loved, Dian Tanaka and Barbra Hale. ~Peace and Blessings~_


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## Touch Of Death

silvestre said:


> i want to know, if he is the real sucesor of MR. ED PARKER


No. He is a successor.
Sean


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## Touch Of Death

kidswarrior said:


> For us of the Great Unwashed, who is Clyde?


You should really read the Forum.
Sean


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## kidswarrior

Touch Of Death said:


> You should really read the Forum.
> Sean


The _whole _forum? Or should I have just done a search for 'Clyde'? Since it was a reference that popped up in this particular thread, didn't really see a problem with asking for clarification. But if I've insulted your sensibilities with my ignorance, my apologies.

Or maybe we non-EPAK people should just stay off this section...?


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## Tames D

kidswarrior said:


> The _whole _forum? Or should I have just done a search for 'Clyde'? Since it was a reference that popped up in this particular thread, didn't really see a problem with asking for clarification. But if I've insulted your sensibilities with my ignorance, my apologies.
> 
> Or maybe we non-EPAK people should just stay off this section...?


No worries KW. Clyde is old news and hasn't been mentioned much at all on this forum in a long time to the best of my knowledge. Or maybe he has and I should read the whole forum...
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




. Anyways, I'm sure you can throw a name or two out there that Sean doesn't know.


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## Kembudo-Kai Kempoka

Doc said:


> Mr. Parker had no successor, and if he did, per tradition it would have been his son. Larry Tatum is one of the few original 7th's under Ed Parker and an extremely talented kenpoist.
> 
> Although he has detractors like we all do, he ran the only school that Mr. Parker owned that made a profit before he passed. He also is not credited for producing and promoting some of the best known Kenpo Black Belts around, including people like Jeff Speakman, Dian Tanaka, Barbara Hale, Mohammad Tabatabai, Brian Hawkins, and a plethora of others.
> 
> Although he and Mr. Parker parted company from the IKKA through mutual agreement on less than favorable terms, nevertheless Larry Tatum's talent an accomplishments are significant before and after his tenure with Mr. Parker as an outstanding Kenpoists. There would no reason in my opinion why you shouldn't avail yourself of the opportunity to seek instruction from this man.


 
And that pretty much sums it up. Many greats came up under Larry. Many lateraled over to the old man, or because his name is on their cert, suggest they came up under him...instead of Larry. Internationally, I suspect he has the largest and most tenable support system for kenpo schools looking for improve teaching and affliliation.

D.


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## MattJ

FWIW, Larry Tatum was named as the "key protege" in this interview with Ed Parker:

http://www.americankenpo.co.nz/test/history/ep_article1.htm

_"My key protege is this kid Larry Tatum," Parker said with a laugh, con- tinuing that "anyone younger than me I call a kid. He's my. number one guy right now. He moves like me. He looks like me. He's got the power-everything. " _
_[FONT=Verdana, Tahoma, Arial]The kenpoist noted that he is helping 15-year student Tatum complete a book, Confidence, A Child's First Weapon. He also named two others he considers proteges, insiders with whom he has shared the full scope of his knowledge Tom Kelly, who Parker said is the higl est-degree black belt at a seventh-dG level, operates a Parker school in Salt Lake City; Joe Palanzo, another former student who Parker said holds a fifth degree black belt, teaches at a school in Baltimore."[/FONT]_​ 
Note that this was early on, and things changed in the kenpo world!​


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## Doc

MattJ said:


> FWIW, Larry Tatum was named as the "key protege" in this interview with Ed Parker:
> 
> http://www.americankenpo.co.nz/test/history/ep_article1.htm
> 
> _"My key protege is this kid Larry Tatum," Parker said with a laugh, con- tinuing that "anyone younger than me I call a kid. He's my. number one guy right now. He moves like me. He looks like me. He's got the power-everything. " _
> _[FONT=Verdana, Tahoma, Arial]The kenpoist noted that he is helping 15-year student Tatum complete a book, Confidence, A Child's First Weapon. He also named two others he considers proteges, insiders with whom he has shared the full scope of his knowledge Tom Kelly, who Parker said is the higl est-degree black belt at a seventh-dG level, operates a Parker school in Salt Lake City; Joe Palanzo, another former student who Parker said holds a fifth degree black belt, teaches at a school in Baltimore."[/FONT]_​
> Note that this was early on, and things changed in the kenpo world!​



The article quote is from the late seventies as I recall from Black Belt Magazine. Parker was making a big push to expand the business, and the three names were high profile at the time, and all from three distinctive geographical areas of the country.

Parker stated on several occasions later  that he shouldn't have done that. Although for business reasons in a magazine reaching out to other regions, it was good, he offended many loyal students and he realized it. He later would "clean it up" by publicly saying, "They are key (regional) protegés, but not the only protegés I have.

As you stated, things changed and all "moved on" to do their own thing, and Parker never publicly named or suggested a protegé or successor again.


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## Flying Crane

kidswarrior said:


> The _whole _forum? Or should I have just done a search for 'Clyde'? Since it was a reference that popped up in this particular thread, didn't really see a problem with asking for clarification. But if I've insulted your sensibilities with my ignorance, my apologies.
> 
> Or maybe we non-EPAK people should just stay off this section...?


 
Clyde used to post here on MT a few years back.  I believe his moniker was something like "kenpo dark lord", I can't remember exactly.  He hasn't posted in quite a while, and I am not privy to the details of the conditions of his departure from Martial Talk.  

I do recall a period when there were some "heated" discussions that went on, and a while after that I realized that I hadn't notice him posting anymore.


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## kidswarrior

Flying Crane said:


> Clyde used to post here on MT a few years back.  I believe his moniker was something like "kenpo dark lord", I can't remember exactly.  He hasn't posted in quite a while, and I am not privy to the details of the conditions of his departure from Martial Talk.
> 
> I do recall a period when there were some "heated" discussions that went on, and a while after that I realized that I hadn't notice him posting anymore.


OK, thanks Michael. That's what I was looking for. :asian:

Mark


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## Flying Crane

kidswarrior said:


> OK, thanks Michael. That's what I was looking for. :asian:
> 
> Mark


 
that's what I figured.  Just trying to help.


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## Twin Fist

plus, Dian Tanaka?

hawt


*giggle*


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## arnisador

Doc said:


> Parker never publicly named or suggested a protegé or successor again.



Intentionally, or did he not think the need was there to do it yet (the immortality fallacy we all seem fall prey to)?


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## Kembudo-Kai Kempoka

arnisador said:


> Intentionally, or did he not think the need was there to do it yet (the immortality fallacy we all seem fall prey to)?


 
The part I keep coming back to is his mention of a "Philosophers mantle", like a PhD hood at university graduation. He said in an interview he would grant this to whomever he considered broad enough and understanding enough of the system and it's intricacies, and that this cat would be his successor. He never granted it to anyone. For all the people he called "protoge" at one time or another, no hoodies were granted.

My own opinion? He was haunted by a sense of impending doom, always sure the end was just around the corner. Trouble is, if you go through life like this, you will eventually be right. Anyways, despite this sense, I think he suspected on another level that he always had more time. He had many projects in the works...irons in the fire, so to speak. IMO, you wrap things up and make allowances if you really expect to go. But that's only my opinion, based on nothing but my own reasoning.

D.


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## pete

as if it really matters....


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## silvestre

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR TIME AND POINTS OF VIEW



best regards



paulo silvestre


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## Brian Jones

If someone is THE successor is really a moot point.  The better questions are "Is this someone who is knowledgable?  Can I leanr from them?  Will they make my Kenpo (or shotokan or whatever) better? How hard am I willing to work"  If so learn from them.  If not, don't.  Titles and lineage will only take you so far. The rest depends on what you are willing to put into your art.

Brian Jones


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## Doc

Brian Jones said:


> If someone is THE successor is really a moot point.  The better questions are "Is this someone who is knowledgable?  Can I leanr from them?  Will they make my Kenpo (or shotokan or whatever) better? How hard am I willing to work"  If so learn from them.  If not, don't.  Titles and lineage will only take you so far. The rest depends on what you are willing to put into your art.
> 
> Brian Jones



Preach!


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## MJS

Brian Jones said:


> If someone is THE successor is really a moot point. The better questions are "Is this someone who is knowledgable? Can I leanr from them? Will they make my Kenpo (or shotokan or whatever) better? How hard am I willing to work" If so learn from them. If not, don't. Titles and lineage will only take you so far. The rest depends on what you are willing to put into your art.
> 
> Brian Jones


 
What a fantastic post!!  There is so much truth in this it isn't even funny.  There are many people who trained with Parker, I'm sure, so how would one determine who would be a successor?  Someone who was closer to the source than others?  

Frankly, if the person can teach me, and make my Kenpo better, that is what should really matter, in addition to what you said above.  Titles and stripes take a back seat IMO. 

Mike


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## exile

Brian Jones said:


> If someone is THE successor is really a moot point.  The better questions are "Is this someone who is knowledgable?  Can I leanr from them?  Will they make my Kenpo (or shotokan or whatever) better? How hard am I willing to work"  If so learn from them.  If not, don't.  Titles and lineage will only take you so far. The rest depends on what you are willing to put into your art.
> 
> Brian Jones



This post should be carved in stone over the doors of every dojo, dojang, kwoon, and any other kind of MA school in existence. If people really understood and followed the basic idea here, the pointless anger and futile one-upsmanship that poison so many MA discussions would drop to near zero.


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## Touch Of Death

kidswarrior said:


> The _whole _forum? Or should I have just done a search for 'Clyde'? Since it was a reference that popped up in this particular thread, didn't really see a problem with asking for clarification. But if I've insulted your sensibilities with my ignorance, my apologies.
> 
> Or maybe we non-EPAK people should just stay off this section...?


Are we a little sensitive? I said that in jest but if you feel victimized then so be it.
Sean


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## MJS

Guys,  with all due respect, this thread is about Larry Tatum, not Clyde.  If someone is looking for info on Clyde or his posts here, take it to PM please. 

Thanks


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## terryl965

Brian Jones said:


> If someone is THE successor is really a moot point. The better questions are "Is this someone who is knowledgable? Can I leanr from them? Will they make my Kenpo (or shotokan or whatever) better? How hard am I willing to work" If so learn from them. If not, don't. Titles and lineage will only take you so far. The rest depends on what you are willing to put into your art.
> 
> Brian Jones


 
Excellent post


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## KrayONE

I personally enjoy watching Mr. Tatum, and he is extremely knowledgeable. I do hear a lot how he does not hit his targets but that may only be when hes demonstrating and teaching to his students, during seminars, or on his videos. I have never really noticed anything, and even if he misses a target here or there so what??? the man can use his body and those strikes would go through you.


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## Doc

KrayONE said:


> I personally enjoy watching Mr. Tatum, and he is extremely knowledgeable. I do hear a lot how he does not hit his targets but that may only be when hes demonstrating and teaching to his students, during seminars, or on his videos. I have never really noticed anything, and even if he misses a target here or there so what??? the man can use his body and those strikes would go through you.



What?


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## HKphooey

KrayONE said:


> I personally enjoy watching Mr. Tatum, and he is extremely knowledgeable. I do hear a lot how he does not hit his targets but that may only be when hes demonstrating and teaching to his students, during seminars, or on his videos. I have never really noticed anything, and even if he misses a target here or there so what??? the man can use his body and those strikes would go through you.


 
Go to one of his seminars and you will see he hits his targets!  He is a great teacher.  There are many greats out there, and he is one of them.


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## jfarnsworth

KrayONE said:


> I personally enjoy watching Mr. Tatum, and he is extremely knowledgeable. I do hear a lot how he does not hit his targets but that may only be when hes demonstrating and teaching to his students, during seminars, or on his videos. I have never really noticed anything, and even if he misses a target here or there so what??? the man can use his body and those strikes would go through you.


I think this is an inaccurate statement. Please get some first hand experience with the man first before you make a statement like this.


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## hapkenkido

I have never trained with Larry Tatum but i do have his books and videos. When I frist was looking for a kenpo school to train in I sent him an email asking for any suggestions in my state. He not only sent me a reply email but also did a follow up phone call. With him taking the time to do that for someone he had not met makes him one hell of a guy. From his books and video I find him a great conveyor of information.


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## KrayONE

jfarnsworth said:


> I think this is an inaccurate statement. Please get some first hand experience with the man first before you make a statement like this.



Ok so I am inaccurate because I don't know what people say to me? I never said he misses targets. I said I HEAR other kenpoists say that he misses targets. I would never say something like that because Ive never witnessed him in person. please reread!


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## Doc

KrayONE said:


> Ok so I am inaccurate because I don't know what people say to me? I never said he misses targets. I said I HEAR other kenpoists say that he misses targets. I would never say something like that because Ive never witnessed him in person. please reread!



Or - rephrase at the least perhaps stating what you heard, and asking others opinions or experiences. Making a flat statement of "what you heard," suggest you share the opinion sir. Don't be defensive sir, no one is jumping on you. Just learn and grow.


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