Variations that Ed Parker taught

[Bonhomme]

I'm currently reading Doc Chapel's Diaries of Kenpo's Mad Scientist and he speaks several times of how Ed Parker was constantly evolving techniques. So much so, that he might teach a version and then immediately make a change. When I began my journey, I was told that Mr. Parker intentionally taught variations in different parts of the country because we was always paranoid and would be able to identify a student/lineage based on the variation. In my reading of several sources I haven't really heard this idea elsewhere, while it is plausible that he was paranoid because of bad business deals, it seems to make more sense that the variations existed because of his constant evolution of the art. Does anyone have experience on this? I'd be interested to know if the 'regional variations' idea has any basis in truth or not. Considering either reason for variations (evolution or identification) I find it laughable that anyone could claim to know the 'true', 'pure' 'whatever' version of EDKK as the founder had intended. It seems that he always considered it a work in progress.

 

[isshinryuronin]

I don't know about regional differences (I much doubt it) but he would change his individual technique combinations, the core of his system, to protect his brand. This way, he could claim that his break-a-way students who started their own competing kenpo organizations were not teaching the "real" Ed Parker kenpo. This is what he told me. I don't think the general public cared one way or the other or put as much importance on this as he did.