SHORT HISTORY OF ED PARKER
Modern Kenpo traces it’s origin to the Arts of Ancient China. Chan Fa or Kenpo travelled from China along with tea, silk, and culture, spreading its influence over Asia.
Exposure to Kenpo altered the indigenous empty hand and Weapon Arts of Okinawa - Japan, Korea, and Indonesia. Kenpo’s process of diffusion (modifying traditional methods, assimilating new ideas, adapting methods to new environments) separated it from other Martial Arts. Kenpo, from that time until the present, has not been limited by a particular culture or tradition.
The Art we know as Kenpo Karate was finally made available to Non-Asians in the Territory of Hawaii at the advent of World War II. Ed Parker, a native Hawaiian, learned Kenpo and moved to the mainland in 1953. Mr. Parker took the Kenpo Karate that he had learned and continued to modify and improve Kenpo’s training methods. Ed Parker became the undisputed “Father of American Karate”.
This title was given to Mr. Parker by the editors of Black Belt Magazine. He opened the first Professional Karate Studio in America in 1954. Ed Parker was one of the first instructors to bring the Martial Arts to the attention of the media. He worked with celebrities such as Bill Cosby, the late Elvis Presley, and Oscar-winning film directors like Blake Edwards (Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Revenge of the Pink Panther).
During his varied career, Mr. Parker wrote over a dozen books and a series of detailed training manuals covering required materials for his system of Kenpo.
He developed and produced the most famous Karate Tournament in American Martial Arts History, the International Karate Championships beginning in 1964. Mr. Parker made other significant contributions to the Martial Arts.
By 1990, at the time of his death, Ed Parker’s System of Kenpo was established in over 22 different countries.
He aided and influenced the careers of Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Steven Segal and countless others.
The picture to the right shows Bruce Lee fighting Chuck Norris in the cult classic, The Way of the Dragon.
In Summary; Kenpo Karate is the thinking persons Martial Art.
- Mike Ilderton, Senior Instructor.
Modern Kenpo traces it’s origin to the Arts of Ancient China. Chan Fa or Kenpo travelled from China along with tea, silk, and culture, spreading its influence over Asia.
Exposure to Kenpo altered the indigenous empty hand and Weapon Arts of Okinawa - Japan, Korea, and Indonesia. Kenpo’s process of diffusion (modifying traditional methods, assimilating new ideas, adapting methods to new environments) separated it from other Martial Arts. Kenpo, from that time until the present, has not been limited by a particular culture or tradition.
The Art we know as Kenpo Karate was finally made available to Non-Asians in the Territory of Hawaii at the advent of World War II. Ed Parker, a native Hawaiian, learned Kenpo and moved to the mainland in 1953. Mr. Parker took the Kenpo Karate that he had learned and continued to modify and improve Kenpo’s training methods. Ed Parker became the undisputed “Father of American Karate”.
This title was given to Mr. Parker by the editors of Black Belt Magazine. He opened the first Professional Karate Studio in America in 1954. Ed Parker was one of the first instructors to bring the Martial Arts to the attention of the media. He worked with celebrities such as Bill Cosby, the late Elvis Presley, and Oscar-winning film directors like Blake Edwards (Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Revenge of the Pink Panther).
During his varied career, Mr. Parker wrote over a dozen books and a series of detailed training manuals covering required materials for his system of Kenpo.
He developed and produced the most famous Karate Tournament in American Martial Arts History, the International Karate Championships beginning in 1964. Mr. Parker made other significant contributions to the Martial Arts.
By 1990, at the time of his death, Ed Parker’s System of Kenpo was established in over 22 different countries.
He aided and influenced the careers of Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Steven Segal and countless others.
The picture to the right shows Bruce Lee fighting Chuck Norris in the cult classic, The Way of the Dragon.
In Summary; Kenpo Karate is the thinking persons Martial Art.
- Mike Ilderton, Senior Instructor.
