Is there a such thing as too much Kenpo?

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i think i would have loved to have trained under Ed parker. Definetly a legend in martial arts & i like how he proved you do not need to be Asien to develop a system of fighting. liked how his techniques flowed. close up fighting.
 
Lil Tenzan said:
Excuse me if I seem like a noob. I just joined the forum. I was just wondering am I studying Kenpo too much. First I studied Parker's American Kenpo, then I have studied White Tiger Kenpo, and now im thinking about studying Villari's Shaolin Kenpo. Do you guys think it's time for a change or what?
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You want to grow tall. You don't want to grow fat. Whatever can help you to grow tall should be your choice.
 
RagingBull said:
i think i would have loved to have trained under Ed parker. Definetly a legend in martial arts & i like how he proved you do not need to be Asien to develop a system of fighting. liked how his techniques flowed. close up fighting.
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Ed Parker was Hawaiian and could be considered of Asian / Polynesian descent. He may be credited in developing a new system, but note that much of that was building on existing technique and principles. He combined elements of several styles:

From Chinese kempo he got defense sequences for various SD situations, each with a descriptive name (broken staff, etc.), the close-in fighting style and mechanics are similar to traditional Okinawan karate, and the efficient flow shows the influence of his Pacific island roots. This does not diminish his accomplishment as all styles of karate developed from borrowing and adapting from other styles.

His main contribution, IMO, was in integrating and refining all this into a style based on economy of motion and taught in a systemized, Americanized format. Of course, his business model, personal ambition and successful promotion aided in the popularization of karate in the late 60's - mid 70's.
 
RagingBull said:
i think i would have loved to have trained under Ed parker. Definetly a legend in martial arts & i like how he proved you do not need to be Asien to develop a system of fighting. liked how his techniques flowed. close up fighting.
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The Gracies were a few decades ahead... but yes his influence on the USA was massive.
 
isshinryuronin said:
Ed Parker was Hawaiian and could be considered of Asian / Polynesian descent. He may be credited in developing a new system, but note that much of that was building on existing technique and principles. He combined elements of several styles:

From Chinese kempo he got defense sequences for various SD situations, each with a descriptive name (broken staff, etc.), the close-in fighting style and mechanics are similar to traditional Okinawan karate, and the efficient flow shows the influence of his Pacific island roots. This does not diminish his accomplishment as all styles of karate developed from borrowing and adapting from other styles.

His main contribution, IMO, was in integrating and refining all this into a style based on economy of motion and taught in a systemized, Americanized format. Of course, his business model, personal ambition and successful promotion aided in the popularization of karate in the late 60's - mid 70's.
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not an expert on him but i read he trained with a Kempo guy Willian Chow ??
 
Very creepy computer animation, above. It's origin??? You, Raging Bull?

Interesting that Choki Motobu, known as a Tomari-te Okinawan karate master, was in it. Can't imagine why he was included - no connection that I know of.
 
isshinryuronin said:
You, Raging Bull?
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RagingBull said:
not an expert on him but i read he trained with a Kempo guy Willian Chow ??
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"Kempo" was a generic term for karate/kung fu used to describe the various Chinese/Okinawan MA, at least in Okinawa, before the term "karate" was in fashion. It is not a style in its own right.
 
RagingBull said:
i think i would have loved to have trained under Ed parker. Definetly a legend in martial arts & i like how he proved you do not need to be Asien to develop a system of fighting. liked how his techniques flowed. close up fighting.
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Well, it wasn't all "cookies and creme." But, I cherished it for almost 30 years without a break.
Flying Crane said:
How have you been Doc? Haven’t seen you around in a while. Hope you’ve been well.
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Me, and father time have been in some pretty good scuffles but I'm holding my own so far. Many of my dearest friends, colleagues, and students haven't been as fortunate. Thanks for checking on the Old Man. :)
 
Doc said:
Well, it wasn't all "cookies and creme." But, I cherished it for almost 30 years without a break.

Me, and father time have been in some pretty good scuffles but I'm holding my own so far. Many of my dearest friends, colleagues, and students haven't been as fortunate. Thanks for checking on the Old Man. :)
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Keep yourself well, sir. I’m sorry if you’ve lost some people. It’s been a bad time. Hugs.
 
The Doc's in the house!

Wishing you and yours all the best, sir.
 
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RagingBull said:
not an expert on him but i read he trained with a Kempo guy Willian Chow ??
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Correct, Ed Parker learned his Kenpo from William Chow. William Chow was also the main kenpo instructor for Adriano Emperado, founder of Kajukenbo.
 
isshinryuronin said:
Very creepy computer animation, above. It's origin??? You, Raging Bull?

Interesting that Choki Motobu, known as a Tomari-te Okinawan karate master, was in it. Can't imagine why he was included - no connection that I know of.
Click to expand...

Choki Motobu wrote a book called "Okinawan Kempo", so the art he taught was a combination of Shuri and Tomari. Not to mention his own family had their own art of Motobu-Ryu.

But, he is often included based on statements made from James Mitose who claimed that Choki Motobu was his uncle. Those claims have been debunked and were more lies told by Mitose. Motobu did teach a young Hawaiian some karate (maybe a month) and Motobu was famous for his Naihanchi kata, which is/was included into many of the early Hawaiian Kenpo styles.
 
punisher73 said:
Correct, Ed Parker learned his Kenpo from William Chow. William Chow was also the main kenpo instructor for Adriano Emperado, founder of Kajukenbo.
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Correct me if I am wrong, but wouldn't it be more accurate to say ONE of the founders? Weren't there 5-6 of them?
 
isshinryuronin said:
Ed Parker was Hawaiian and could be considered of Asian / Polynesian descent. He may be credited in developing a new system, but note that much of that was building on existing technique and principles. He combined elements of several styles:

From Chinese kempo he got defense sequences for various SD situations, each with a descriptive name (broken staff, etc.), the close-in fighting style and mechanics are similar to traditional Okinawan karate, and the efficient flow shows the influence of his Pacific island roots. This does not diminish his accomplishment as all styles of karate developed from borrowing and adapting from other styles.

His main contribution, IMO, was in integrating and refining all this into a style based on economy of motion and taught in a systemized, Americanized format. Of course, his business model, personal ambition and successful promotion aided in the popularization of karate in the late 60's - mid 70's.
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Just a slight clarification. The Kenpo he learned from Prof. Chow did not have names other than "lapel grab A" or things like that. Ed Parker wrote down all of the techniques and variations he learned from Prof. Chow. The Tracy Brothers actually named all of the techniques to reflect the Chinese method of given techniques poetic names. When Ed Parker further refined his art, he changed the names of many techniques to give a consistancy to the naming (the current 154 technique system), for example, "shield" represents a block, "gift" is a handshake", "mace" is a punch.
 
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