Senior Grand Master Ed Parker
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| SGM Ed Parker Click to Enlarge |
Edmund Kealoha Parker was born in Hawaii on the 19th of March 1931. He was the great-grandson of the last great Hawaiian King, King Kamehameha and was so born into a lineage of famous Hawaiian warriors. By the time he was in his teens he had already been studying Judo and Boxing.
One day, while in church, a friend of Parkers named Frank Chow, who was a slightly built man, told how he had just defeated a local bully. Parker did not believe him until Frank showed him the technique he used, which he called Kenpo. Parker was hooked and began to study with Frank Chow immediately. He was 16 years old. After a couple of years, Frank told the young Parker that he had taught him all he could and introduced him to his older brother William K.S. Chow who was now teaching independently from his own teacher, James Mitose (see history of Kenpo).
Over the years of development of Kenpo, certain strategies have remained consistent; a major emphasis on self-defence techniques using fast hand combinations and low kicks. Ed Parker later credited William Chow with re-introducing the circular movements of the Chinese Arts back into Kenpo that had been lost to the more linear Japanese movements. He also credited him for giving him some of the “Master Keys” to movement. However Parker realised the advantages to some of the linear movements too and combined them with the circular movements to gain the best of both worlds. He also developed a great appreciation for strong basics, hard training and practical analysis.
One of the major themes in Ed Parker’s Kenpo is the union of the scholar and the warrior. To be great at one, you must have a complete understanding of the other. He felt that higher education was a must for embarking on his career as a Martial Arts Teacher and so he pursued a college degree in Brigham Young University, Utah. Parker had to take a break from his studies in 1951 when he was drafted into the Coast Guard at the outbreak of the Korean War. He was stationed in Honolulu and was able to continue his study of Kenpo with Professor Chow. On receiving his discharge in 1953, Parker had earned his Black Belt from Chow. Parker then resumed studying in Utah, where he was teaching Kenpo to other students and after an impressive demo at a basketball game, local police, FBI agents, sheriffs and prison guards.
 Ed Parker in his late 20's Click to Enlarge |
Edmund Parker graduated from college in 1956 with a B.S. in sociology and psychology and a minor in political science. Before leaving Utah for California, his assistant instructor, Charles Beeder, became his first official Black Belt. Parkers move to Pasadena, California was a hugely influential point in the development of his Kenpo. Southern California was then and still is a major centre for the entertainment industry. It also had large Chinese, Japanese and Filipino communities each brining their own traditional Martial Arts with them. In fact, some of the practising Martial Artists from these communities had actually come from Hawaii and immigrated to the mainland. This nexus of the entertainment world and Martial Arts communities needed someone to bridge the gap; someone who could walk in both worlds and Ed Parker was that man.
Parker opened his first Kenpo Karate studio in Pasadena and in line with his vision of opening a number of studios he formed the Kenpo Karate Association of America. In 1960 this changed to the International Kenpo Karate Association and the crest changed from the old clenched fist to the more Chinese influenced crest we know today showing the Tiger and Dragon opposing each other.
Roy Woodward, who owned the gym in Utah where Edmund was teaching, introduced him to a guy in Hollywood named Terry Robinson. Robinson was the physical director of the Beverly Wilshire Health Club and he had taught kill or be killed techniques to troops during WWII. When he saw Parker’s Kenpo he immediately recognised its superiority and invited him along to the upmarket health club where Parker started to mix with and teach some of Los Angeles’ rich, elite and famous. Robinson arranged for Parker to demonstrate Kenpo in the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. Elvis Presley was a guest in the hotel at the time and he was witness to Parkers energetic and intensive performance.
 Ed Parker and Elvis Presley Click to Enlarge |
Elvis was captivated by what he saw, as he had studied some Martial Arts while in the army stationed in Germany, but it was nothing like this. After the demo he introduced himself to Parker and so began one of the most famous friendships in Martial Arts.
Things started happening fast for the young Hawaiian. Parker started having many of his articles published in fitness and Martial Art magazines. The very first edition of Black Belt magazine, published in 1961 featured an article on Parker referring to him as “The Black Belted Mormon”. That same year, Time magazine did an article on the rising popularity of Martial Arts and it referred to Parker as the “High Priest of the Hollywood Sect”.
Parker started formulating his principles and rules of motion and around this time such things as the “clock principle” and the 3 stages of learning etc started to emerge. He also wanted to broaden his horizon and learn as much as he could from other Martial Artists. He worked out with and exchanged ideas with such noted people as James Lee, Ben Largusa, Gene LaBell and Bruce Lee. While on a trip to San Francisco, Parker met a young Chinese/American Kung Fu master named James Wing Woo who taught Tai Chi Chuan and Shaolin. Parker recognised Woo’s talent and he invited him down to L.A. so they could work together and exchange ideas. However, the creative innovative modern Martial Artist, Parker and Woo the traditional Chinese master did not see eye to eye on matters and after about a year they parted company. Most of the advance students went with Woo as they thought he had more to offer. Chuck Sullivan, Dan Inosanto and Dave Hebler stayed with Parker. Although this hurt Parker it spurned him on to deepen and broaden his Kenpo and a period of great creativity was initiated.
 Ed Parker with Bruce Lee |
Parker was asked up to Oakland one day by another Chinese Kung Fu instructor friend of his named James Lee, to meet a new Kung Fu acquaintance of his named Bruce Lee (no relation). Bruce’s demonstration of speed and power and his non traditional approach to the Martial Arts impressed Parker. The two started to exchange ideas and Parker gained an appreciation for centreline theory and Bruce learned the limitations of his Wing Chun stance. They developed a mutual respect for each other and Lee asked Parker to write an introduction for his book “Chinese Gung Fu, the Philosophical Art of Self Defence” which was published in 1963.
Parker amassed a lot of knowledge from the Chinese arts, filtered out the non essential aspects and put the rest through his analytical and creative mind and integrated it into Kenpo. Kenpo gained long elaborate forms, a variety of detailed stances, the Tiger and Dragon symbolism emerged and the Universal Pattern became part of Kenpo symbology. Also the relaxed, explosive characteristic of some of the Chinese internal arts became an attribute of high level Kenpo.
Parker also collaborated with a very well known Judo exponent named Gene LaBell. It was from working with LaBell that Parker was able to come up with counter techniques to the more wrestling type attacks like full nelsons, headlocks and hammerlocks etc.
In 1964 Parker inaugurated his first International Karate Championships. The tournament was open to all and everyone and ran continuously for more than 30 years and arguably became the most prestigious Martial Arts tournament in the world. Parker asked Bruce Lee to demonstrate at the event and the whole thing, including Lee’s demo was captured on film.
Like all good teachers, Parker frequently learned from his students. Some of Parkers students would often come up with modifications, combinations and new strategies for Kenpo and Parker would evaluate them. If anything fitted in with Parkers overall vision of Kenpo or improved on an existing idea or application it would be taken into the art. To help emphasise the idea of student creativity Parker required that students compile their own forms for their belt tests and Black Belt candidates submit a written thesis pertaining to the art.
While looking for other ways to explore the Art Parker started making videos, along with Chuck Sullivan, and the pair committed 12 Kenpo techniques to film. Watching Kenpo on film gave Parker another analytical tool that we use today, analysing techniques from the three points of view; attacker, defender and bystander. Another epiphany came to Parker one day while watching the film backwards to rewind it. He realised that the reverse motion that he had previously overlooked as merely a recocking action could also be useful in self defence to strike with a weapon.
It is probably impossible to pinpoint the exact moment when all of these changes, refinements and innovative ideas added up to become the Ed Parker’s Kenpo that we have today. James Mitose had expressed the hope that Kenpo would eventually be modernised, William Chow was responsible for planting the seed in Parker but ultimately it was Ed Parker who saw this concept through to full fruition. Under Parker the art had grown and blossomed to the point that less than 10% of the art now came from Chow’s teachings. Through applying logic to traditional knowledge, blending methods that could be tailored to the individual and the creative formulation of techniques for a modern world Parker created something unique and special. Edmund Kealoha Parker had created American Kenpo.
