I have to agree with Clyde on this one. All the different EPAK-based systems out there have done nothing at all except re-arrange the EPAK system. Most have deleted a bunch, and changed the order in which movements are executed in a given technique. They say the have "created" new forms, which, I guess they have seeing as how they have strung together some movements, but that is pretty much what we're talking about here.
What happens when Kenpoist A, takes the curriculum he learned from SGM Parker or one of his first generation students, and changes it, removes the repetitious material, adds some ground work, and calls it "something else KENPO"..... and then, one of his students, we'll call him Kenpoist B, does the same thing after learning Kenpoist A's "new" system, only this time, he removes the repetitous material, adds elements of whatever martial art craze is filling Blackbelt magazine at the time, and calls IT "something-or-other KENPO", different from Kenpoist A's system????? All the while, continuing to call it Kenpo. See where Im going...... Sooner or later, someones gonna say, "hmmm, all these "something-or-other kenpo" systems started with EPAK. Why dont I go look at that system and see what attracted so many people to it". Then you will have the rejuvenation of our kenpo, EPAK, be it the 16 or 24 technique system. Well, if it hasnt yet started, the rejuvenation that is, it is about to. Go to Ebay and look at all the kenpo systems offering free rank certificates with the purchase of "Something-or-other Kenpo" dvd's, videos, and cd-roms.
The most popular home study EPAK off shoot system out there right now, the IKCA, has a problem something like what I described. An original EPAK'er switched over to the IKCA, I believe he was a 3rd black in EPAK when he did so. He stayed with the IKCA for 11 years and rose to the rank of 7th or 8th. He is an 8th on his website, but I dont know if he got that from the IKCA or not. Now, he has created his own system. It has 110 techniques, blending the best of EPAK and the best of the IKCA material. The IKCA system has 55 techniques, EPAK has 154, so now, where are we at. We have a guy adding material to a stripped down version of the original. HMMMMM. WHy not just teach EPAK and cover all his bases.
After this lengthy post, what Im getting at, is that innovation, for innovations sake alone, is futile. I'll give another example of what Im trying to say. My wife, NOT ITALIAN, knows that spaghetti is one of my favorite meals in the world. When we first met, she tried to create some fantastic sauces to attract me and satisfy my spaghetti tooth. She had all kind of recipes, and tried them all. When it comes down to it though, all the same ingredients were in each and every tomatoe sauce she tried. Nothing new, no secret recipes, just the basics; tomatoes, garlic, onions, olive oil, and spices. She didnt create a sauce, but simply rearranged the ingredients in varying quantities. After a few months of pretty terrible experimentation, I told her to go to the grocery store and buy some Ragu. The company that makes Ragu has been doing so for along time with much success. She was dissappointed, maybe at the fact that she couldnt beat a commercial sauce in my eyes, maybe that she'd never see any of her sauces bottled up on the shelves of the grocery stores of America, or maybe at the fact that she realized through her experimentation, that ya realy cant do too much to improve on something that doesnt need improved upon.
Gary C.
). I always enjoy your posts, albeit sometimes finding myself yangin' to your yinin' (or, if you're gender sensitive, the other way around). The only point I could mention, though, is that even cranky people can speak the truth (in fact they have a fairly high average), so that would just be a matter of packaging, and not content. Looking forward to your future observations. 
