American Kenpo

American Kenpo is the brainchild of Ed Parker. Ed Parker studied with William Kwai Sun Chow in Hun Gar, and James Mitose in Koga Ha Kosho Shorei-Ryu Kempo Karate. Many people leave out one or the other or claim Chow studied Kenpo with Mitose, the fact is, that is was this combination of karate and kung fu that led Parker to create Kenpo as we know it today. There are many other versions of the origins of Kenpo, such as it was an ancient Chinese art and it is the true way to pronounce a Chinese specific style, rather than kung fu, wushu, or chuan fa. Ed Parker designed a system of martial arts that was a hybrid of karate and kung fu, and this is obvious to anyone who has studied this system or any other style of Kenpo. The system is based upon numerous self-defense techniques and forms for each belt, using speed, power, and basic body mechanics.

Forms such as tiger and crane, little tiger, and panther, are from the Hung Gar system, with slight modifications of course, and many of the numbered forms are influenced by the kempo style of Mitose. There is one point (and story) in particular that I would like to point out, and it demonstrates how stories get made up, truths get twisted, and roots get lost. One particular set in the Kenpo system is the panther set, this set was taught to Ed Parker by William Chow and is a Hun Gar set at its root, this is obvious to any one who has practiced Hung Gar, and if a Kenpo practitioner seen the Hun Gar panther set they would be amazed at the similarities, and this has happened to me personally. This particular set in Kenpo is often referred to as the “book” set, and for this reason many believe this set derived from a book, when in fact the reason for this set being called the “book” set is for an entirely different reason, and here it is: When Ed Parker was putting together one of his many books, he decided he wanted to put a form into the book, and the form he chose was the panther set, this in itself could be the only explanation needed, but of course it gets better, after spending much time on the book Ed parker decided to not use the panther set because of its length and other reasons, so instead he switched the form to the two man black belt set, thus making the two man black belt set the real “book” set, but the panther set got stuck with the infamous title the “book” set, and years later people would get the notion that the “book” set was literally learned from a book, even some third generation Kenpo black belts thought that Parker learned panther set from a book. And again I know these facts because I was a witness to them.

The fact that parker had so many students, and required numerous techniques and forms for advancement, the system has been watered down by some. Ed’s friendship with Elvis and others has also brought criticism to the style, but like any style, it is not the system that lacks but the practitioner who is lacking. His system can be a very good form of realistic self-defense and a great way to keep in shape. The only problem I see with American Kenpo (besides the watered down factor) is that the high levels do not soften to go along with the aging process. When I say soften I mean they do not help in longevity and or teach using redirecting force and soft energy, and that is what I believe is needed in the advanced stages of martial arts and ageing.