A nice tribute to Mr. Parker

 (from Mr. Sibora Chan's Facebook page)

Strikes hidden within Blocking Set 1

Black Belt Magazine interview with Mr. Bryan Hawkins

(blackbeltmag.com by Ian Lauer Nov. 8, 2023)

Today, we are talking with American  Kenpo Master Bryan Hawkins. He is the head instructor and owner of what was one of Grandmaster Ed  Parker’s most well-known American Kenpo locations, the West LA school. 

Thanks for joining us. Can you tell us a little about yourself? 

Well, I’ve been training in the martial arts for nearly 50 years, own  three karate schools here in the Los Angeles area, and have affiliates  across the country and abroad. I began my Kenpo training in LA in 1980  at the Ed Parker karate school. In 1987, Mr. Parker himself asked if I  would take over the operations of the West Los Angeles school and become  the chief instructor. 

How did your martial arts journey begin? 

I started martial arts in the mid-70’s in Modesto CA. I had been doing a  lot of wresting and dabbled in boxing. So, when I was 14 riding my bike  to boxing class, I would always pass a Shotokan karate school. And one  day, instead of continuing to boxing, I went into the karate school to  check it out. I never looked back.

After  training in Shotokan for a couple of years, that particular dojo  closed, so I started training in a dojo across town. It was a blend of  Kung Fu and Kenpo, but it was really heavier on the Kung Fu aspect.  

After a while, when I was 19, I decided to move to Los Angeles, and my  instructor at my school highly recommended that when I get to LA that I  find an Ed Parker American Kenpo school because that was the best  martial arts school around. 

So, how did you find your first American Kenpo school and was it what you expected when you saw it in person?

After being in LA for a bit and securing a job and place to live I  happened to drive by the Ed Parker West LA Karate school and walked in.  When I first walked in the door, I immediately noticed they were doing  something very different. 

Something I needed to learn. I saw two guys  sparring, guys fighting with weapons, guys working on forms even a  couple of guys doing a little grappling both stand-up manipulations and  on-the-ground wrestling/grappling. Something more was happening here  than in any school I was in before. What I immediately realized was that  Kenpo appeared to be much more comprehensive in its approach to  self-defense than my previous arts. 

One thing that  really stood out was that they were practicing against more than one  attacker. And not only that, but they were perfecting techniques against  attackers with various weapons like guns, knives, and clubs. They were  even doing spontaneous attack drills. 

I decided to  enroll on the spot, but what kept being reinforced was the uniqueness.  When guys would come from all sorts of other disciplines, they also  noted the differences in training techniques, tools, and philosophy. It  wasn’t just the physical training that was different, though more  hands-on or physical than other schools, it was the attention to the  mental aspects of the art that set it apart.

There was a great deal of  emphasis placed on preparing mentally for possible altercations. The  dojo didn’t emphasize sport karate because Ed Parker felt that created  the wrong mindset for street self-defense. The training mindset was  always to prepare for the worst, i.e., a surprise attack by multiple armed attackers or assailants. 

You’ve mentioned Kenpo being unique a couple times. Can you expand upon that? 

Most systems in Martial Arts deal with only certain stages of range,  certain weapons, and often only certain targets. So therefore, they are  not comprehensive by definition. Ed Parker saw that deficiency and  created a system that dealt with all the possible weapons we can form  with our body attacking all possible targets on an assailant’s body  through a method of efficient and effective delivery. 

By that, I mean to  say, if the attacker is slightly out of range, we are taught to use man  made weapons to reach them, i.e., a club, nunchaku, etc. If they are  within range, then we use our natural weapons such as the fists, knees,  elbows. If we get close enough to where our opponent is grabbing onto  us, we need to know how to throw and trip our assailant to the ground.  

Once on the ground, we need to have the skills to kill or submit the  attacker at that stage as well. And we need to be able to do all these  things while being aware of our environment, which is the number one  rule in American Kenpo, Environmental Awareness. 

Can you elaborate on the concept of Environmental Awareness?

Sure. The military uses a concept of Situational Awareness, which  basically is being acutely aware of everything going on around you. Ed  Parker’s definition of environment is everything that is in you, on you and around you.

For  example, if you’re ill or injured you know you can’t defend yourself to  the same degree as if you are healthy. That’s what’s in you. You have  to know that. 

For things that are on you, sports equipment, clothing items, are your clothes restrictive or can they be used as a weapon?

For around you, its other people, the flooring, furniture etc.

Ed  Parker would frequently use a belt or tie as an example. They can be an  advantage when used against an assailant, or they could be your  downfall. Keep in mind that these items may be on you or someone else.  You must be aware. 

You mentioned Master Parker asking you to take over  operations of the West LA School which you now own. What’s it like to  take over a school with such a rich history?

When  Ed Parker asked if I would take over that school, I knew it was a  decision that would change the direction of my life. But there was  absolutely no hesitation, and I accepted immediately. A few years prior,  around 22 years of age, I started a limousine and bodyguard service. I  regularly employed friends of mine from the karate school like Big Jim  Diggs, Jeff Speakman and Steve Moore. All the while, I continued to  train Kenpo as much as I could. But I realized if I wanted to achieve a  level of expertise in Kenpo, I needed to sell the limo service to put  more time into my training. I sold the company to the Bel-Air hotel with  the agreement that I would work for them when they had celebrities that  requested bodyguards. 

So, at the time Ed Parker asked  me to take over the West LA dojo, I was living quite an exciting life  bodyguarding many famous people and making more money than any other  26-year-old I knew. But, despite working with and rubbing shoulders with  some of the most famous entertainers, Ed Parker to me was still the  biggest celebrity I could think of. So, I jumped at the opportunity to  become his right-hand man. 

You mentioned  bodyguarding celebrities. That seems to happen a lot with Marital  Artists. Who was one of your most notable clients?

I would say Don Johnson from Miami Vice. At the time, he was one of my  primary clients. What is really interesting is how I got the contract  and how it circled back to Ed Parker and Kenpo. I got a call for a  meeting, and they butchered his name, telling me I was in consideration  to protect a client named “Doctor Johnson.” The whole time before the  meeting, I had no idea who the hell Doctor Johnson was and why he needed  a bodyguard. 

I was directed to the most expensive  luxury guest house at the Bel-Air hotel, and when I walked in, I came  face to face with Don Johnson, the actor, not to be confused with a  random doctor at Cedars-Sinai.

His manager conducted the  first ten minutes of the interview as he had for 20 other guys that  interviewed before me. Then Don Johnson excitedly took over the  questioning. He already knew of my Kenpo training, so he asked me if I  knew Ed Parker personally. I, of course, said, “Yes.” 

Now,  here’s where it gets good. His face lit up. He says, “Ed Parker was  Elvis Presley’s instructor as well, right?” I again said, “Yes.” And  then he said, “Ed Parker is Elvis Presley’s instructor and he’s your  instructor too?” I said yes again. Don stood up, smiled, shook my hand,  and walked into the other room. His manager then looked to me with a big  grin on his face and said, “You’re hired.” Had I not been in Kenpo or known Ed Parker I never would have had Don Johnson as a very lucrative client.

Isn’t that ironic? He helped get you into a great paying gig building  your business and then gave you the very opportunity that took you out  of it.

Well, actually, about that time I was  planning on continuing my bodyguard work but also starting my own dojo. I  happened to mention this plan to Frank Trejo and Diane Tanaka casually  and said of course I’ll have to get Master Parker’s blessing before  leaving. Unbeknownst to me, they mentioned it to Ed Parker, knowing that  he was looking for someone to take over the West LA dojo. A couple days  later, he called me up to his house, and everything fell into place  from there.

If people want to learn more about you or your schools where can they find you?

They can go to our site https://bryanhawkinskenpo.com/

Great. Before we let you go, is there a story from your time working  alongside Ed Parker that gives us a glimpse of the man that may not be  common knowledge?

Over the years, I met and came  to know many of Master Parker’s early students from the 50’s and 60’s.  Many of them are famous in their own professions, such as movie director  Blake Edwards, physical fitness pioneer Terry Robinson, Hollywood  columnist and screenwriter Joe Hyams. And all of them spoke of Master  Parker and even referred to him as a father or older brother figure. He  had a wisdom about him that seemed to be timeless. Some would describe  him as an old soul.

Master Parker was known for his  physical side. His dynamic movement. A brutal adversary. The speed and  precision, but what was really the most important part of his  contributions to the arts was his mind, not his physicality. He  developed a system of self-defense that made sense. Years ago, one of my  early instructors Howard Silva, asked Ed Parker if he could sum up  Kenpo in one word, what would it be? Without missing a beat, Mr. Parker  replied, “logic.” To me, that’s really the beauty of American Kenpo. It  is a sophisticated, comprehensive, and effective form of self-defense  based on the logic of thought and action.

Meet James Yimm Lee: "The Man Who Helped Make Bruce Lee a Success"

(blackbeltmag.com)

Most famous individuals have an inner circle of friends and trusted advisers who are standing by in the shadows and are willing to provide counsel, direction and opinions, and to share their influence. One of the reasons martial artist and actor Bruce Lee became as well-known and successful as he did is because he developed an inner circle of friends who provided him with counsel and direction, and helped him accomplish his goals.

One of the most influential members of this group was James Yimm Lee, who had a great impact on Bruce Lee's personal and professional life. James Yimm Lee was already an established and respected instructor of kung fu and iron palm in the Oakland, California, area when he met Bruce Lee, who is not related to him. Bruce Lee was a young college student at the time, and James Yimm Lee was very impressed with Bruce Lee's kung fu skills and teaching methods.

Although he was 20 years older than Bruce Lee, the open-minded James Lee decided to train with him and absorb what this talented young practitioner had to offer. Their liaison resulted in a lifelong friendship.

In addition to his expert kung fu skills, James Lee was also an accomplished weightlifter and helped get Bruce Lee started in a weight-training program, which subsequently resulted in his sculptured physique. James Lee worked as a welder in the local shipyards, and he used this skill in designing and constructing many unique training devices he and Bruce Lee used in their workouts.

James Lee had a close relationship with a number of noted martial artists in the area, including jujitsu master Wally Jay, Shaolin kempo instructor Ralph Castro and American kenpo founder Ed Parker. James Lee introduced Bruce Lee to these individuals, and it was through Ed Parker's Hollywood connections that Bruce Lee received a screen test, which eventually got him the role of "Kato" in The Green Hornet televlsion elevision series.

When Bruce Lee married Linda Emery in 1964, the couple moved in with James Lee and his family and lived at the Oakland residence for the next two to three years. Bruce Lee and James Lee soon opened a kung fu school, but eventually classes were relocated to James Lee's garage. lt was during this period that the birth of Bruce Lee's jeet kune do method of combat took place.

Gary Dill was one of James Lee's top students, and he currently teaches jeet kune do in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Dill founded the Jeet Kune Do Association for the purpose of presenting and promoting the pre-1973 brand of jeet kune do, as it was developed by Bruce Lee and taught by James Lee.

As an avid martial artist, Dill had become familiar with Bruce Lee through reading martial arts publications and watching The Green Hornet series. As he learned more about Bruce Lee's combat method, Dill's interest in jeet kune do grew. "I knew that I had found the answer for me in the martial arts and that I had to eventually learn this new system of combat," Dill says.

Dill realized, however, that his chances of learning jeet kune do were remote. He was doing a tour of military duty in Vietnam, and Bruce Lee was a television star in California.

As fate would have it, Dill was transferred to Oakland after his stint in Vietnam, and he heard about the Oakland jeet kune do school the Lees were operating. Dill was able to obtain James Lee's mailing address, and he wrote the instructor a letter requesting a meeting for the purpose of training with him. A meeting time was arranged, and Dill called on James Lee one Sunday afternoon. James Lee "interrogated" him for more than two hours, trying to get an idea of Dill's character and commitment to training.

After the "inquisition" was over, James Lee invited Dill downstairs to his garage "studio.” This was the room where jeet kune do was born and developed. “I was in awe,” Dill recalls.

On the wall adjacent to the garage door was an adjustable hanging bag, and custom, handmade training devices were positioned about the area — a hydraulic kicking machine, a one-armed training dummy, and much more. On the back wall was a traditional wing chun mook jong (wooden dummy). All the equipment appeared to be well-worn from extensive use. James Lee demonstrated how some of the equipment worked, and Dill took that as a sign that James Lee was considering accepting him as a student.

Later, back in the living room, James Lee told Dill he would accept him as a student. Then he shook his forefinger at Dill and said, "If you screw up one time, you're out!" Dill was on permanent probation.

“I didn't care if he put me on double life probation,” Dill recalls. "I was accepted, and I was going to learn jeet kune do.”

On his first day of training in James Lee's garage, Dill joined four other students who were all karate instructors from a nearby city. They had been training with James Lee for a month or so.

James Lee showed the five students several techniques, then sat back and watched the students' moves like an eagle. Nothing escaped his expert eyes; he was a thorough and detailed instructor. Dill had practiced martial arts for years, but he had never experienced any combat training as effective as jeet kune do.

James Lee taught Dill more efficient ways to execute kicks, how to develop speed and power in his hand strikes, how to trap an opponent's hands, and a number of striking combinations.

"Training a month with James Lee was like training a year in a traditional school, the instruction was so intense, so accelerated," Dill says. "Everything was geared for actual combat — no forms, no sport, no rituals.”

But after one month of teaching Dill, James Lee announced he was terminating all instruction because he was ill. The four karate instructors said goodbye to James Lee, who pulled Dill aside and said he wanted to talk to him before he left.

James Lee waved to the four karate stylists as they were driving off, then said to Dill, "Those sons of bitches! lf Bruce was here, he would kill 'em," explaining that he found out that the four were teaching jeet kune do in their karate school without permission and were telling their students that they were jeet kune do instructors.

James Lee proceeded to tell Dill that he had been checking out all the students’ attitudes and sincerity over the past month and that Dill was the only one of the five he wanted to keep as a student. Dill continued to train with James Lee until he was discharged from the military some time later.

James Lee was a patient and cordial person, but he did not tolerate disloyalty or lack of dedication from his students. For example, before class one night, one of James Lee's students was telling the others about how he had trained recently with some Chinese "master" at a city park. James Lee overheard the conversation but said nothing.

The student brought the subject of the "park master" up again during class, and James Lee asked him, “Have you ever seen this guy at the park do any techniques fast?” The student said, “No." And James Lee calmly added, “Yeah, and you won’t either.”

Class continued on, and a few minutes later, the same student started bragging again about the so-called "master" in the park. A perturbed James Lee stopped the class and said, “I know that guy, and he is no master."

When class was over, the bigmouth was at it again, bragging about the “master.” James Lee walked right up to his face and said, "You think that guy at the park is so good, you can train with him from now on because you will never train here again with me."

Nobody wore any kind of formal uniforms to James Lee's jeet kune do classes. In fact, James Lee usually wore a white dress shirt, pleated slacks and wingtip shoes while teaching.

Some students wore T-shirts, sweatpants and casual shoes. Others wore jeans, flannel shins and boots. There was no dress code. James Lee told the students that it is not what they wore but how well they performed their jeet kune do techniques that mattered.

James Yimm Lee died in December 1972 from lung cancer caused by welding fumes. While he was alive, he played an integral role in Bruce Lee's life, as well as in the early development and teaching of Bruce's jeet kune do. He became one of Bruce Lee's closest friends, his mentor and his training partner.

And he was one of only three students Bruce Lee certified as instructors in his system. It is a legacy he would be proud of.

https://www.blackbeltmag.com/meet-james-yimm-lee-the-man-who-helped-make-bruce-lee-a-success

USSD 2024 tournament logos

 

United Studios of Self Defense always have pretty good logos for their tournaments.

Mr. Wedlake quoting something Mr. Parker used to say

"When Mr. Parker ended his seminars he often spoke of inviting your opponent into a phone booth to prove the effectiveness of our close-range system."

Mr. Tatum on doing a kenpo form

"If you are going to do a Kenpo Form for a demonstration or a tournament, then give it meaningful dialogue. You are speaking with your hands and body, not merely going through the motions. Let every movement say something about who you are and the passion that lies within your being."

Mr. Angelo Collado on applying the information in Mr. Parker's books

"One thing to remember is that Mr. Parker intended the reader to apply this knowledge to their own physical kenpo. Far too many Kenpoist have learned and memorized all this info without applying it to their own kenpo and can only talk and not demonstrate. The goal is to KNOW then APPLY and then DEMONSTRATE!" 

Horizontal Grappling

(comments by Dr. Ron Chapél from a discussion on Facebook) 

Mr. Parker came to a reasonable conclusion that most seem to ignore in favor of what he called, "Horizontal Grappling." This was really big in the fifties and Mr. Parker predicted the wrestling/kickboxing popularity would return. But he also said for street self-defense purposes over the competition variety, there is a reasonable priority one must accept. 

Mr. Parker had a Judo/Jiujitsu background so he was speaking from experience. He said, all horizontal grappling if it occurs on the street, would begin as vertical grappling first. He reminded me of Judo Randori where you must defend against both, and points are given for the takedowns as well as the submissions. It doesn't make sense to ignore what happens standing up, so you can train on the ground. This is what I call an "Assumption of Failure." 

If your overriding philosophy is, "All fights go to the ground" then it makes some sense, kinda. But my decades of experience on the streets in rough neighborhoods as a cop tells me otherwise. In fact, it truly is the opposite. 

Because of the vulnerability of being on the ground "in the hood," two guys throwing blows at each other who both go down, will disengage so they can stand up and start all over again. Neither one wants to be on the ground, and even this scenario is extremely rare. 

The answer he said was always "footwork" and it is one of the least-known aspects of the arts because teachers do not have the knowledge or the labor-intensive will to teach it, and it has zero commercial appeal. I'm reminded of the uneven Shaolin Temple Floors in China littered with divots from nothing but foot and stance training over the years. 

So, to concede the failure of your ability to remain upright, and concentrate your training on the horizontal ground would seem to ignore a huge chunk of street truth. If an attacker's strength is in ground grappling, of course, he wants to take you to the ground, and it's a great selling point in the business of martial arts.

So you see, Mr. Parker suggested students front load their training priorities as he placed them in the Web of Knowledge. At least it is something to think about. Ask any of my students and the one phrase they all hear in their sleep is, "Fix your feet!" for a reason.

A story told by Mr. Tom Bleecker

Back in the mid-1960s I was a member of Ed Parker’s demo team and often demonstrated the Black Belt Set (now known by most as the Two Man Set) with a brown belt named Jimmy (“Little Jimmy”) Doughtery. Jimmy and I had that form down to a science. One afternoon Ed Parker gave a demonstration at a health club where everyone was gathered around the pool area. Near the end of the demonstration, Jimmy and I were called upon to perform the Black Belt Set. Jimmy walked to a specific spot and waited for me to take position. When we ended the form with my executing the lock-out side kick, Jimmy’s block was right on the money, and as he spun me around 180 degrees, much to my horror I found my left foot positioned at the edge of the pool. It was too late, and in I went with a huge splash. It got a great laugh and most everyone probably felt it was prearranged. It wasn’t. Later Jimmy confessed that he had arrived at the club early and mapped out the form and had positioned himself at the outset in the very spot he knew would land me in the pool.

Ms. Brittany Tatum on the value of learning the technique extensions

(from a recent conversation on Facebook)

Extensions afford us more opportunities to sharpen our sophisticated basics, identity master key movements, further connect our upper middle and lower case and bring all of it into further study of the Universal Pattern. 

Also, continuing the technique is a great way to practice destroying the attacker’s foundation, which translates nicely into developing one’s sparring mindset. You can also use extensions to position the “body” or what’s left as an additional shield, trip hazard, distraction, when facing multi attackers.

Another book I'll probably have to get

(from Jaime Elias Castro's Facebook page)

After two years of intense work, I am excited to be able to share with you all my first literary work. Writing about a myth so dissected by the media as Bruce Lee is not an easy task. That is why I always told myself that if one day I dedicated my time to him again it would be to offer something new and unknown about him. His millions of admirers around the world deserve no less from me.

The journey has been long and sometimes exhausting, but since I visited San Francisco’s Chinatown for the first time in 2010 and got to know the places where the story took place, I had clear its meaning.

One of the key moments in Bruce Lee’s life took place in November 1964. The Chinese martial arts community of the Bay Area in San Francisco, tired of the continuous attacks of the Little Dragon, sent a master named Wong Jack Man to take down this young man from nowhere who questioned all the established canons and attacked centuries of martial tradition.

That fight, which could have gone unnoticed, became the most ‘unknown’ and discussed about martial fight of the 20th century. An episode of such magnitude in the life of Bruce Lee is something that had hardly been dealt with in the necessary depth, much less in our language. I sincerely believe that this work succeeds in clearing up all doubts surrounding the fight forever.

The book, created in a large format, 170 pages and 200 photographs, tries to transport us to another era. It was always my intention to place the reader at the epicentre of the historical, social and cultural context in which these events took place. No work done to date has managed to bring together such a quantity of testimonies, interviews and press clippings about a fight that changed the history of the martial arts forever. A duel that led Bruce Lee to evolve as a martial artist, to create the Jeet Kune Do and to install martial arts in the most absolute modernity

Note: Pending tying up a few small details, I will be able to announce shortly the date of the presentation of the work and its release date. Thank you very much.

A few Kenpo quotes

"Kenpo is the thinking man's pugilism." - Mr. Stephen LaBounty

"A kid asked me once when do you know you're fast and I said when you need holsters for your hands." - Mr. Larry Tatum

“We don’t break rules….we just bend them real bad!” - Mr. Huk Planas

“Let others talk about whatever your rank is, you should spend your time proving them right - or wrong." - Dr. Ron Chapel

“The problem isn't the bad techniques, it’s the bad technicians.” - Mr. Frank Trejo

"If you hand a calculator to a chimpanzee, he'll throw it away as useless." - Mr. Parker

A small mystery solved

Over three years ago I posted this photo of Mr. Parker in an Aikido dojo,

https://kenponotes.blogspot.com/2021/09/mr-parker-in-aikido-dojo.html

I had no information on the photo, it was just Mr. Parker in an Aikido dojo shaking someone's hand. Well, we can all sleep a little easier now. Thanks to a recent interview with Mr. Chuck Sullivan the mystery has been solved. 

Mr. Sullivan talked about how he got started in the martial arts and how he met Mr. Parker for the first time. Turns out that Mr. Sullivan had been out of the Marines for a few years and he was out of shape, and was looking to get back into shape. As a kid living in Chicago he had always wanted to study Judo but there were no Judo schools accessible to him. Then one day his brother-in-law told him that a Judo school had just opened only a couple of blocks from their house (Los Angeles area) so he went to check it out.

On the dojo's exterior it had the words "Aikido, Judo, Karate." Apparently the building was being shared and used a couple of nights a week by each martial arts instructor. 

That same week he was able to go observe one of the Kenpo classes which was being taught by James Ibrao and he was hooked. At the next class he went to observe he met Mr. Parker himself.

"It had been an Aikido school and it had been run by an Air Force sergeant who would train the guys and then when he would get transferred he'd leave his most advanced student in charge. And at this time he didn't have an advanced student advanced enough and he sold it to Ed Parker. He said you know, I got nobody... if you want it you can have it at a decent price. Whatever it was, I don't know what their deal was, but uh, he said why don't you do a demonstration for my guys and if they like you enough... they'll come over... he got every one of them. I mean he did a demonstration, he got every one of 'em, I mean they transferred right on over."

Then Mr. Sullivan talked about how later Mr. Parker closed up that school to open up his Pasadena school, and the rest is history.

JOE PALANZO: Triple Punch article

 

Diaries of Kenpo's Mad Scientist: Vol 1

(from Amazon.com)

Collected articles written by Dr. Ron Chapél spanning the early 2000s to the mid 2010s that were featured in various martial arts forums around the internet.

Available in paperback or Kindle.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0DH27Y8DN?ref_=dbs_m_mng_rwt_calw_tpbk_0&storeType=ebooks

GM James Ibrao interview

(This interview came from a website which no longer exists, kenpoworld.com, date of interview is unknown.)

What style of Kenpo do you practice?

Currently I study and train in my own system which has been dubbed "Jun Bao", that is simply my name in Chinese and has come to represent the amalgamation of arts that I have studied and made a part of my life for the last 40 years.

Who were your major influences in the martial arts?

Of course Grandmaster Ed Parker was a major influence, the excitement that Bruce Lee brought to the times and many others of course. Grandmaster James Wing Woo, can not be left out because he was the progenitor of much of what the American Kenpo Stylists do today. Then there are men like, Tuiolosega, Castro, Norris, and a thousand others. But even saying this not one of these men has inspired me and influenced me as much as the students who have come to me seeking knowledge. As they got better, they forced me to change, adapt, grow and seek out more information on what I was doing and why I was doing it. It's funny but when you bring someone from white to black, you can't help but be changed and influenced by that process. Changing others, must change you.

What books, videos, or other reference material would you recommend for the Kenpo enthusiast?

Read everything by Parker, read the Art of War, read the bible. In many ways the bible is a blue print for the way to live, fight etc., not just from a religious stand point mind you, but from a historic and cultural position as well. Read everything you can on every subject as the more your mind expands the more the world opens up for you. Fiction is good, but history is better. You see, no matter what you do, it has already been done by someone else, it is new, but only new to you. If you study history, you in turn study the future. Read everything, pick and choose what works for you, discard the rest. But keep the mind active and alert. Its funny to me that many people who were once great in the arts now falter. Most of it isn't physical but mental. Remember the body is a tool, the mind the plan and the spirit the engine that runs them all together. Reading keeps the mind active and broadens your perspective. You must thirst for the knowledge that is hidden within the world of the written word.

What is your current rank and what steps did you go through to attain that rank?

All of the rank that has been given to me has been given by others who found me deserving. I am simply a black belt, an instructor, a teacher. Sifu Ibrao. Rank is important only in as much as it allows me to persuade or to teach others. Other than that I have no use for it.

Why did you begin studying the martial arts? Why Kenpo in particular?

I studied because I wanted revenge on someone who I believed had wronged me. I chose Kenpo because it was particularly vicious and aggressive. I was young at the time and being young my heart was bigger than my ability to reason and think. However after the first few months, I fell in love. I mean, I really fell in love with what Parker was doing. We all had a hand in it. We developed the movements, I did kicks, someone else added this or that. Parker put it all together. Kenpo is an ever evolving and changing art, beautiful, but it takes its toll on the one who uses it. Parker had power, I mean real power, that was a result of Kenpo.

What has made you decide to stick with Kenpo?

Nothing made me decide to do anything. When you are on a path, any path, all you do is put one foot in front of the other and go with the flow. A better question is why did I stop doing one thing or another? It is because my path held me firm and true, what was not meant to be visited along that path fell away. You see, what you are meant to do, you do. Look at how many failed men there are, broken men, I mean really sad stories. This is the result of refusing what you are supposed to do. We all have purpose, we all have meaning, we all have a path. We must follow that path. Right now, my path is to bring my art to as many people as will accept it. Nothing more, nothing less. The path of others is to accept it, or get out of the way because I am coming through. It is what I have to do.

Other than Kenpo, are you studying any other martial arts?

Listen, if you study Kenpo, you are already studying another art. If you study Karate, or Kung Fu or Tai Chi or Shotokan or Ground Fighting, you are already studying another art, you just aren't paying attention. Take the basics, roll them from style to style, what do you have? Has the motion of raising your thigh to launch a thrust kick changed because it is Kenpo v. Tae Kwon Do? Come on, when you play with a motion, any motion, there is only so many nuances and changes one can make to say he is different. Acknowledge what you are doing, take part in it and celebrate the common ground on which we all stand. One of the basic tenants of the arts is respect. As soon as we learn to respect the common elements of other systems and styles we can more fully appreciate our own.

What martial arts organizations do you belong to and what positions do you hold in those organizations?

I am in charge of my own organization, The James Ibrao Martial Arts Association. I hold Black Belts in a number of other systems and I have been awarded honorary GrandMaster Positions in Kajakenbo and Lima Lama. There are others who I am very proud to be associated with but these are private matters and they shall remain this way. However, the kindness, openness and friendship that so many artists from around the world have shown me really gives me a free pass to go wherever I want in most of the top organizations and I am truly grateful for this.

What is your curriculum like? What material do your students focus on?

Basics, punches, kicks, blocks, stretching, push ups, sit ups, we use the rings to build arm strength. We use Tai Chi to build concentration and inner peace and then there are more basics. I think however above all other things my focus is on passion and passionate interpretation of what you are doing. I'll tell you a story. I had a student who came to me twenty some odd years ago. He is a big man, 6'3 250 lbs, muscle and attitude. He asked me to teach him to fight. I turned him away. I met him again, eight years later, his body had matured, he was stronger, again he asked me to teach him to fight, again I turned him away. He returned again six years ago. He had been studying with a number of very good teachers and instructors. He is a complete fighter, ground, street, karate. This time he asked me to 'train' him. His passion is so strong that it is frightening. Every punch he throws, every kick, every block has purpose, direction and passion. He doesn't know it, but his stare stops people in their tracks. He has power and you know what? He is completely oblivious to it. He no longer desires to fight, his focus is each and every movement, every breath. I can tell you I taught him that. It took him 20 years to learn the basics. This is what I teach.

How would you describe the ideal student?

For me, the ideal student is anyone who walks into my studio, gym or backyard with the desire, humility and passion to learn.

How would you describe the ideal instructor?

The ideal instructor is thirsty to teach. Thirsty to teach regardless of money, situation, time, weather, whatever. Teaching is not for everyone. I still get butterflies when I see a room full of students who are ready to start class. Man, you have to be willing to learn in order to teach. I had a little girl one time who looked up at me and said, Sifu, I know karate. I asked how was that? She told me, 'because you taught me'. That's another thing, you have to be genuine, people can smell a fake, especially kids. It may take a while but they root them out. Be genuine, sincere and straight with your people, the rest falls into place.

What do you expect from a Black Belt?

That's a loaded question because the ranking system is all out of whack. You've got 10th degree black belts over here, 5th degrees over there and 20th degrees around the corner. You know what I like? I like a guy who puts on his belt, keeps his mouth shut; except when he's asked a question and does his thing when the time is right. It doesn't get any better than that. Sure you can say community service, cleans the dojo, interacts well with others, knows his techniques; but that is to be expected, I like the individual who knows himself and his limitations. The one who takes stock of him or herself and then says, If I add a little more passion, a little more desire, I can do more. Whew! I love that!

How would you suggest maintaining the quality of instruction at satellite schools?

There are very few ways to maintain quality. People get old, tired and lazy. Money enters the picture and everything changes. The only thing you can do is start with quality to begin with. I answer all of my e-mails, I take all the phone calls. I go wherever a student calls me. I do all that I can. The rest is up to integrity and pride of the student.

What are you doing to keep up your skills and increase your martial arts knowledge?

I train every day. Every day. I work 5 days a week and I go to class with Master Wing Woo weekly. His school is beautiful to me. I feel like a kid when I slide onto that smooth cement floor. Its polished so you have to be careful, but I'm out there and at my age and I expect that I can keep it up for another ten, fifteen years at least. Mostly I try to keep my mind active. This internet has really rekindled my career and brought me out to a whole new generation of stylists. Just answering and reading their mail and comments is a challenge, but it keeps me active. An object in motion tends to stay in motion and I am no exception. Next, I stay grateful. I live in the greatest country in the world, I have a job, a beautiful family, people who love me and people who hate me. That's passion. Life is nothing without it. Imagine being the guy that everyone was indifferent about, that would be the worst. I also expose myself different styles, people and schools. I do a lot of traveling now and you really get to see some exciting things on the road.

How do you feel about adding new material to the art?

Add what you want, do what you want, just keep it real and keep it relevant. You think you're going to change the face of any art? Good luck, its already been done baby. All you can do is play with the motions and be the best YOU can be. The rest is academic. Listen, what do you think Crouching Tiger was about? Guys flying through the air and running on clouds. That's what we would like to do, fantasy, if you can't add that, you better get back to work on the basics. There's a lot more power in the basics than there is ever going to be in some strings and wires. Let me say that again, you want new material? Do the basics, do them right. How's that? I'll tell you. Sweat, intent, concentration, practice and passion.

How do think Kenpo practitioners today compare with those of 20 years ago?

Twenty years ago, you hit harder. There was less money in it, less exposure and everybody wasn't wearing belts with 15 red stripes. Movies, fantasy has taken over and I'm not saying that is a bad thing because it has broadened the world of the arts and brought many more artists into the fold, but 20 years ago it was a little more driven.

What do you think students will be like 20 years from now?

I don't know. If I look to the past I'd say that you'll have the same mix as now. Some serious, some not so serious but I do believe one thing for sure. The ground fighting craze has really brought a new reality to a lot of people. If it isn't outlawed or banned by the government you just might see some truly 'Roman Spectacles'. I'm not saying it should be banned I'm just saying one thing leads to another. We always have to raise the stakes. But even then you will still have the arts in a true form. See, no matter what, people get older and hopefully wiser. They have to return to what they can do when the back has given out and the knees don't work, guess what that would be? That's right, the basics.

What do you think is the biggest misconception about Kenpo?

Misconceptions are based in individuals, not in groups as a whole. Most Kenpoists that I have met with know what they can and can not do. Whether they admit it or not is another thing. But on the whole you are talking about people who are willing to spend years developing their art, what's wrong with that?

What advice do you have for the aspiring student?

Question everything and every body and then question yourself. If you can't get a good reason for why you are doing something don't do it. If you can't give yourself a good reason for why you are doing something; you can't have passion for it, if there is no passion, no love, no feeling, don't do it. You're just going through the motions. You have the greatest machine ever designed working in your very own skull. It can think, dream, scheme, motivate, put it to work. Build passion for everything you do. Make a decision and stick with it, passionately. If you can't do that get some popcorn and a remote and have a good time in front of the tv.

You have recently released your "Five Forms to Black" program. Why have you decided to released this program now?

This is my legacy to the arts. These five forms have allowed me to remain competitive and strong well into my 60's. Wing Woo is in his 70's and still going strong. He moves like a ghost. I love to watch him walk. Each of these forms has been designed to develop one or more parts of your body. Strength, flexibility, power, endurance, balance, patience. This is a system for life, long life. How many 50 year old kickboxers are there? None, that's how many. You can not trash your body. My system builds you up, strengthens you and motivates the mind. You see your attackers, feel the energy of your blocks, punches and kicks. You feel the fire in your belly and you think. THINK. I am so proud to bring this system to people because it works. I stand by it and you should read the letters I get from people who have been studying my forms, my system. Not one return, not one complaint. It is done right. Look at the site, www.thebelt.com. It was done right too. It took years and the people behind it didn't blink when I said change this or that. They allowed me to do what I know and to teach my way. It was my path to teach this system and I stay on my path.

What are the forms that you require in your "Five Forms to Black" program and why have you chosen those specific forms?

Bungi, Gungi, Gom Gong Kuen, Si Ping Kuen, Tiger and Crane. Done right. These are the forms and I choose them because they work. I choose them because I see the effects they have on my students and their students as well. I choose them because walking along my path I found them and they have made my path, straighter, smoother and a joy to be on.

How did Mr. Parker feel about belts being tied correctly or not?

"I can attest with several others who were around in Kenpo's early years and are still active in our community that if you had your belt tied improperly (from white belt to black belt) when Mr. Parker walked onto the mat to teach, it was the last time your belt was tied improperly." - Mr. Tom Bleecker

KAJUKENBO - hard hitting self defense

Click here for Kajukenbo video on Facebook

Kajunkenbo is a hard hitting, no nonsense, style of self defense which was created on the island of O'ahu at the same time what we know today as Kenpo Karate was being created. 

Kajukenbo is often referred to as the first "mixed martial art" because it is a blending of karate, judo, kenpo, and boxing. Hence the name Ka Ju Ken Bo. 

Many times it is called "Kenpo's cousin" although by seeing the hard hitting moves in the above video I might actually call it "Kenpo's big brother" because I wonder how many kenpo practitioners could hold their own up against a kajukenbo practitioner. 

Powell's Way of Kenpo

Powell’s Way of Kenpo

1921 S. Mannheim Road

Westchester, IL 60154

https://www.wayofkenpo.com/

We proudly serve our community by bringing quality martial arts to Westchester, Brookfield, Berwyn, North Riverside, Hillside, Bellwood, Maywood, Broadview, La Grange, and surrounding cities.

Founded over 35 years ago, Powell’s Way of Kenpo was formed to teach students practical, effective martial arts skills. While the root of our art is Chinese Kenpo Karate, we have incorporated other arts to form a unique and complete martial arts system that you will not find anywhere else. Our system starts with the speed and effectiveness of Kenpo and adds the ground techniques of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, the dynamic throws and locks of Aikido, and the internal power of Tai Chi Chuan.

At Powell’s Way of Kenpo, you will experience practical training for real situations taught in a dynamic, disciplined way. Here, you will find world-class instructors and students who are dedicated to training for realistic situations and developing the skills needed to defend yourself. We offer you the most effective self-defense system available – one that strengthens those qualities that are so important to surviving today’s world: self-confidence, self-discipline, and unity between a clear, calm mind and a healthy, strong body.

USSD's Las Vegas 2024 tournament medal

 (from the USSD Facebook page)

Is Kenpo training realistic?

(recently posted on Facebook by Mr. Sascha Williams)

Was Mr. Parker correct?

Regarding Family Grouping, What-If, and Formulation Phase Training, do these methods of training really develop instinctive and effective reactions?

And what explains the fact that some black belts are very good at reacting with Kenpo in street situations, while others seem unprepared?

Looking at the Kenpo community as a whole, we can identify several main schools of thought on the subject, which we can divide into three main groups:

1. Those who spend most of their time memorizing and performing Mr. Parker's pre-designed techniques (ideal phase emphasis)

2. Those who attempt to become more effective by focusing on free reaction drills.

3. Those who employ Mr. Parker's formula of internalizing his system. (Family grouping, What-If, Formulation phase)

But are they all effective? 

Each of these methods offer some qualities. For example,  group #1 preserves Mr. Parker's material by mimicking the techniques of each belt level with all the various applications of basics that they introduce. The proponents of this method argue that this prevents watering down of the system or the substituting of Ed Parker basics with those of other systems of martial arts.

This group is large and follows a simple recipe: memorize the technique sequences and perform them the same way over and over until they become automatic (ideal phase repetition).

However, opponents of this method argue that it lacks the development of preparing for surprise attacks and counters from the opponent and is therefore ineffective. 

In contrast, group #2 focuses on fighting rather than memorization of patterns, structures, or pre designed techniques. 

Their main argument is often that their method is unencumbered by the need of memorizing long techniques which are then too complex to react with.

But opponents of this method argue that it doesn't actually develop new, previously unknown basics, but instead reinforces only those reactions we already possessed.

This group is much smaller and more exclusive, often plagued with unpredictable problems such as injuries and failure to develop confidence in Mr. Parker's original techniques due to being overwhelmed by the sheer number of possible attacks and counters. 

What discourages students to just react like this, against an unlimited amount of possible attacks, is that it doesn't actually provide an opportunity to carefully select the best Kenpo counter for each attack, simply because there is not enough time. Additionally, this type of training hinders reviewing or measuring your progress, two vital components of controlled learning and advancing.

Group #3 follows Mr Parker's teachings of using family grouping, what-if practice, and formulation phase training in order to address the development of perceptual speed, mental speed and physical speed separately. 

Their emphasis is not on “react with what you already have internalized”, but rather to learn to react with basics that are not yet part of their subconscious reactions, until they become instinctive and therefore immediate.

This group argues that merely memorizing techniques cannot accomplish that. Neither does sparring type free reaction training.

This group also asserts that Mr. Parker was correct and his training methods produce the desired results of reacting with Kenpo techniques on a subconscious level, cultivating immediate reactions which continually intercept or prevent any of the opponent's counters.

This group also has few members, but for different reasons than group #2, the primary one being simple misunderstanding of the process. Many get these training methods mixed up with the previous mentioned approach of free reaction response.

As a result, without realizing it,  they often introduce confusion and complexity into Mr. Parker's drills as described above with group #2.

Some opponents of these family grouping, what-if, and formulation phase training methods argue that this is only theory and cannot replace actual fighting in order to develop realistic reactions.

So who is right?

Rather than providing my own answer, I encourage the reader to draw his or her own conclusion regarding the effectiveness of the drills presented in this short video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OH8Z0JYT1xo

I believe I am making a clear case regarding not only the effectiveness of this type of training as well as the need for it, but also the ease in which it can be duplicated and taught in class.

We cannot practice individual techniques “in a vacuum”, without also practicing how to switch between techniques in an instant.

A street fighter becomes effective to the degree that they can hide and mask their actual, final commitment. He or she probably won't attack in the same, obvious and familiar manner that is initially introduced to us in class (e.g.: the use of step through foot maneuvers with each attack)

In other words, he or she might not be obvious.

Yet almost all the attacks for the individual Ed Parker's Kenpo Self Defense techniques start in the distance, requiring our training partner to either use a step-through maneuver or a shuffle to reach us. And of course, that will then telegraph the attack. 

That allows the student to succeed and gain confidence.

But that doesn't mean the techniques are against unrealistic attacks. What it does mean is that (at first) we start with the easiest attacks to identify. 

This was designed with the beginner in mind. 

We should realize that Mr. Parker understood the importance of a gradient approach when teaching students.

So before we can teach a student how to react to a more realistic attack, enhanced with fakes, faints, deceptions of depth and timing (as we are accustomed to in point fighting) and executed from shorter distances, we first teach the student to respond to the more obvious (easy to identify) attacks. And most often, that means using step throughs.

Family grouping (introduced at blue belt by Mr Parker) goes beyond that and provides the next step in developing fast and accurate reactions.

Just as I demonstrate in the video, we now gradually increase realism by adding fakes and faints, and/or deceptions of depth and timing and/or attacks from shorter distances, and we GRADUALLY increase the number of attacks we switch to, first just alternating between two attacks, then between three, and so on.

As is easy to see in the video, this creates a controlled process of internalizing specific reactions that is easy to implement and creates the desired results.

Old school kenpo

Now that is some old school kenpo right there.

As if the pulling of the arm to compound the claw to the face weren't enough, notice the sneaky kick to the groin. 

A quote by Mr. Parker

 "Always be a student. If you're the smartest guy in the room, you're in the wrong room."

Mr. Dave Hopper on the use of the 3 x 5 cards

(recently posted on Facebook by Mr. Hopper)

In the Tracy System, Ted Sumner and Ted Mancuso took Al and Jim Tracy’s 3x5 index cards with all the techniques on them and typed them out, creating the first Tracy’s curriculum manual.

I don’t know what the catalyst was that caused Ed Parker to begin codifying the techniques onto index cards in the first place, but I have heard stories that the techniques came from repeated striking patterns that were given names. Over time, the defensive patterns became associated with particular attacks, and a codified self defense technique was born.

Example, the five count was worked often and successfully against a right punch, so 5 Swords, against a right punch, got written down.

Basically, work and repetition lead to codification and organization.

Some new Ed Parker Jr. artwork

(from Mr. Parker's Facebook page)

What is it about summer and buckets? There's always a cool project to be found in the hot days of summer with the idea bucket staring you down. Pretending you don't notice is bad form. 

Short Form 1 

Long Form 1  

Short Form 2 

Long Form 2 

Short Form 3 

Long Form 3

Form 4 

Form 5 

Form 6

There it was staring me down saying 'if not now, when?'

What's that you ask? 

My haunting artistic vision of me illustrating Dad’s Kenpo Forms with a Tiger and Dragon theme. 

Twenty years ago I illustrated a version of Kenpo Forms 4 thru 6. I wasn’t happy with it and I wanted to redo it for like foreverrrr...

Today is the day I check that off. 

Here are 9 Illustrated Tiger and Dragon Kenpo Forms. 

Each of the 9 illustrations contains symbolic imagery of the Forms Short 1 through Form 6. 

All 9 illustrations contain a Tiger and Dragon.

Today my wife Baer and I are making available these 9 Limited Edition Tiger and Dragon Kenpo Forms in 13 x 19 inch gicleé prints. 

They will each be signed by me and numbered 1 to 50. 

Only 50 of each of the 9 Kenpo Form Prints will be made available.

To reiterate, these images that we are making available to the public are only limited to 50 numbered prints of Ed Parker Sr.'s Kenpo Forms. Each of these images are custom illustrated by me, Ed Parker Jr.

If you are a serious collector in the martial arts world you will want to collect one or all of these 50 gicleé prints signed and numbered. They will become rare pieces of martial arts history and artwork. Once they are gone, they are gone forever.

If you do any version of my Ed Parker's Kenpo System we ask that you please support this project by purchasing a print or by sharing this post. 

If you are interested in one or more gicleé prints PM me or my wife Baer Parker. 

My wife Baer and I are selling these gicleé prints for 60% off. 

These will be the lowest prices we have ever offered on my collectable artwork images.

-----

'A Son's Tribute'

Bucket List 2 - Check √

Completing the American Kenpo Forms 1-7 was part of that bucket list. 

Forms 1-7 Have been completed √  

1-6 has been released √

Form 7 will be released soon....

A Son's Tribute is a 3D version of my dad’s patch. 

I've done it once but this is the one I wanted to do originally. I wanted to use the same theme as my former piece of art but this time in ancient Chinese style and in black and white. 

Today we are releasing A Son's Tribute prints in Limited Edition, Signed and Numbered 1-50. The glicleé print is 13 x 19 inches.

This print will be sold for 60% off for a limited time. The regular price is $100.

Those who act now benefit from the 60% discount. We will cover shipping domestic and International.

My Final bucket list project is to complete all of the techniques as sets in theme and style in black and white with an ancient Chinese style.

Pm me or my wife Baer Parker if you are interested.

Aloha,

Ed and Baer Parker

An updated Tracy's logo

 

Gathering of Eagles logo

The logo for this year's Gathering of Eagles in Las Vegas, Nevada held July 26th.

New book by Mr. Skip Hancock

 
(from Amazon)

This work is a proof that there is a universal Martial Arts system. The common thread to all Martial Arts is Form to Function. The core of the Martial Arts is: Attitude, Logic, Basics and Fitness. All Styles and Systems are simply ways to exercise these core ingredients. In this book Skip Hancock does two of the things that he does best. He clearly defines things and guides us on how to operate on Larger Generalized Principles.

This book is an invaluable resource, overflowing with useful information that I will reference countless times. As a martial arts instructor with nearly 54 years of experience (having started at the age of 4), I can confidently say that this is the most informative and practical book for martial arts enthusiasts.

However, its benefits extend far beyond martial arts. The principles and lessons seamlessly transfer to life in general, offering insights that can be applied to various aspects of everyday living. Whether you're a practitioner or simply looking to integrate martial arts wisdom into your daily life, this book is a must-read. - Shayne Simpson

Another amazing book by Professor of The Art Skip Hancock! Regardless of the martial arts system you train in The Path to Excellence: The Case for The Universal Martial Arts System will enhance it if you apply the knowledge contained within to your training regimen. This new book along with Skips two other books, Mastering Kenpo: The Path to Excellence and AWARE: Survival Stories to Help You Have a Safer Life are a must have in every Dojo’s and independent martial artists library. Thank you Skip! - David Chase

This is one of those books to ponder a path to mastery in the martial arts. Skip does a fantastic job at giving the reader an understanding of larger principles that can have profound impacts on my martial art as well as everything I do. For example, I study kenpo and I'm also a chiropractor. I'm finding that the principles in the book help my self defense while also providing my patients with valuable insights to prevent injuries. - Richard Tran

https://www.amazon.com/Path-Excellence-Universal-Martial-System/dp/B0D6KQPDZZ/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.TY7_IMu_7YBx6-VITcUnLDTILUSonzdu9TRNr-2WH2X_ZZoF0vkp92-iKB9CXJ39egmllAvj-PmbJ4uEMPYmT460q6NYGL0_LITIGCctVtKv349GmAjccQibIwuHkal8.Tly_gwuqp5siHpA3epG4I__NYfoLDL9yuHvkktASpYg&dib_tag=se&qid=1722218248&refinements=p_27%3ASkip+Hancock&s=books&sr=1-1&text=Skip+Hancock

Mr. Parker's answer when asked how he got started in the martial arts - (1974)

"Well, I grew up in Honolulu and of course the area that I grew up in was I guess like East Los Angeles and such areas as New York where you have to pretty much defend yourselves at all times. And in order to uphold my father's standards and what he had set forth because of his religious views I was forced on many occasions to go and rob the local safe, things that were not appropriate, and so in order for me to convince them in that I meant no I couldn't verbally say it I had to physically say it and that's what got me involved in this, and I've been doing it, well, for about 28 or 29 years now." - Mr. Parker

Mr. Angelo Collado on how to correctly perform a kenpo form

(recently posted on Facebook by Mr. Collado)

A kenpo form can not be performed at 100%. You can do a few techniques at 100% but doing the entire form full out is crazy. Its about accuracy application and power when required. Transitions should be smooth and a consistant pace throughout the form should be maintained. EMPHISIZE the targets and the strikes. Visulization is a must. KENPO forms should have power and explosion. Too many have softened up the forms to looks smooth slow and flashy with a lot of added" fluff". No attention to stances. Thats not the kenpo of the early years. 

Full Black Belt magazine interview of Adriano Emperado

(Black Belt magazine article by John Bishop - date unknown)

Unlike many of todays so called masters, Adriano D. Emperado is a very humble man. He has no publicist, has never been one to seek out publicity, and rarely grants interviews. Black Belt was very fortunate to locate Professor Emperado at the Forbach Martial Arts Academy in San Clemente, Ca., where he was conducting the Saturday morning black belt workout. He was also spending a few days with his student Gary Forbach before going to Hawaii for the holidays. We thank Mr. Forbach for assisting us in obtaining this vary rare and exclusive interview with Professor Emperado, the Sijo (founder) of the Kajukenbo system and our 1991 Instructor of the year.

So what have you been doing the last year or so, besides being elected to the Black Belt Hall of Fame?

I've been living in a cabin in Virginia, where I have been writing my autobiography. I have a deadline of April 1993 from the publisher so I've dedicated all my time to it.

That sounds very interesting, you probably have some great stories about a lot of people in the martial arts.

I sure do, but that will come out in the book.

Can you tell us a little about the book?

It's basically going to be my memoirs about my life and the people in the martial arts I've known over the decades. I'll talk about a lot of the martial arts events I've been witness to. And of course a lot of stories about the people of Kajukenbo.

Can you tell us one of the Kajukenbo stories?

Back in the 60s one of my high ranking black belts asked me to sign a piece of paper for him. Thinking nothing of his request, I signed it. He then said he wanted me to sign it again, but to write larger. When I asked him why, he then told me that he wanted a good example of my signature so he could use it to make sure no one was forging my name on certificates. A while later I was visiting a Kajukenbo school. While there I was looking at the instructor's certificates on the wall when he proudly showed me one with my signature on it. I looked at it real close because I did not remember ever signing it. I later found out that my student had taken the paper I signed and had a signature stamp made. You see he had charged his students extra testing fees if they wanted my signature on their certificates.

That's a very interesting story, were looking forward to reading the book. Can we talk a little about you and the Kajukenbo System?

Of course.

When and where were you born?

I was born on June 15, 1926 in Honolulu, Hawaii.

What was your first exposure to the martial arts?

When I was 8 or 9 years old I was taught some boxing by my father and uncle who were both professional boxers. They fought at the old civic auditorium in Honolulu. At about 11 when I was living with my brother in Kauai I learned the basic 12 techniques or strikes of Escrima. And then at the age of 14 I trained in Judo under Sensei Taneo at the Palama Settlement Gym in Honolulu.

And of course you trained under the legendary Professor William K.S. Chow of Hawaii. Can you tell us about this man and his classes?

I started training with Professor Chow at the Catholic Youth Organization when I was 20 years old. Professor Chow had been a Kenpo Jujitsu student of James Mitose and also had a 5th degree black belt in judo. Like Mitose he emphasized makiwara training and ground work. The makiwara training was to develop that one punch kill that was the trademark of the Japanese styles. He also tried to be more innovative than Mitose and taught a lot of ground work because of his judo background.

Who did Chow receive his judo training from?

I'm not sure, but it may have been Professor Okizaki. 

Professor Chow was also said to have been taught kung fu by his father, can you tell us about this?

I'm not sure how much kung fu training Professor Chow had in his early years. When I knew him he would tell me of visions he had of his father and grandfather. In these visions they would reveal kung fu techniques to him.

Visions?

Yes, one particular time in about 1952 or 53 he told me that his grandfather had appeared to him in a dream. He said his grandfather showed him some techniques and told him that they were "Kara-Ho".

What does "Kara-Ho" mean?

Actually nothing. Karaho is a derogatory term in Spanish, but Chow never had a meaning for the word. He said Kara-Ho was what his grandfather told him to call the art. Before that, at different times he had called his school "Go Shin Jitsu Kai" or "Lighting Karate" or "Thunderbolt Karate".

How close were you to Chow?

I was his first black belt, his Chief Instructor and a 5th Degree Black Belt under him. We were very close for many years.

Some people say that Professor Chow's black belts abandoned him, others used him, and that he lived in poverty?

It's true that Professor Chow lived in poverty most of his life. Hawaii is a expensive place to live, and he had no education. He could not read or write, so when he worked he was usually a stevedore or security guard. He also was not a good businessman so he didn't make a lot of money teaching the martial arts. Some people would visit him or invite him to do seminars for them. There was always large sums of money promised to him in exchange for a seminar and promotion. Most of the times the money was never paid or it was not the amount that was promised. Later in life he was forced to collect cans on the beach daily just to make ends meet. It bothered me to see the way he lived, but I tried to help him. When we were starting to get our schools established I went to the Professor and told him that we wanted to start an association with him as the head, and that we would all contribute dues to help him out financially. But you see Chow was a very proud and stubborn man. He refused our gesture of respect.

Can you tell us about the founding of the Kajukenbo system?

In about 1947 while I was still with Chow, I got together with 4 other black belts to train and develop a style of our own. I felt that the Kenpo Jujitsu system that I had learned lacked self defense techniques against multiple attackers or even multiple strikes. We had trained hard and fast to simply block and strike. We were developing the mentality of only facing one strike, and ending the fight with one focused punch. I started to ask myself, what if my attacker throws a number of strikes and kicks at me? What if my one well focused punch doesn't put him down? This is why we got together. We called ourselves the black belt society.

Who were the other members of the black belt society?

Peter Choo who was a welterweight boxing champion and a Tang Soo Do stylist. Frank Ordonez was a Sekeino Jujitsu stylist, Joe Holck was a 8th Dan in Kodokan Judo, Clarence Chang was a Sil-Lum Pai Kung Fu stylist, and of course there was me.

So how did this development process take place?

Because of the Korean War many of the military barracks and buildings around Honolulu were empty. We would use these abandoned buildings for our training so we could train everyday without distraction. We could train in one building for a while and then switch to another. You have to understand, in Hawaii there is much competition in the martial arts. Instructors would go to other dojo's and kwoon's to see what everybody else was doing. In fact some people would train at more than one school or have their own students on the side even though they were still students themselves. When we were developing Kajukenbo I was still training under and teaching for Professor Chow. Anyway we tried to keep our meetings as secret as possible.

During these training sessions we would take advantage of each others areas of expertise. We worked on ground techniques, Korean style kicks, jujitsu locks and breaks, kenpo hand techniques, and circular kung fu techniques. We tried them on each other, looking for each others weaknesses. A karate or kung fu man was no good if a judo man were to take him down and choke him out. We combined our knowledge into self defense techniques that covered every situation we could think of, including multiple attackers, knife defenses, and club defenses. Two years later when we were finished we needed a name to describe our combination system. Joe Holck came up with the name Kajukenbo. KA for karate, JU for judo and jujitsu, KEN for kenpo, and BO for Chinese boxing(kung fu).

Some people have credited you as being the main creator of Kajukenbo, is that true?

All five of us created Kajukenbo and we wrote all our techniques down. Because of the Korean War the other four were called to service in 1949. It was left to me to continue the system. I'm the only one of the five who has ever taught Kajukenbo. In 1950 I founded the "Kajukenbo Self Defense Institute of Hawaii Inc.". The first school was at the Palama Settlement in Honolulu.

Tell us about the Palama Settlement?

The Palama Settlement was a City of Honolulu recreation facility. It had several buildings that housed dance halls, gymnasiums, cafeterias etc. It was set up to serve the needs of the poor people who lived in the surrounding areas. At the time of the founding of the Palama Settlement school you could join the settlement for 10 cents a year and use all the facilities. For Kajukenbo instruction we charged the members 2 dollars a month. For this fee they trained 5 nights a week for 3 to 4 hours.

Did you have other schools also?

Yes, after I started the Palama school I added schools at the Wahiwa Y.M.C.A. and the Kaimuki Y.M.C.A.. My brother Joe taught at the Palama Settlement school while I taught at the Y.M.C.A.s. Eventually there were 14 schools, the largest chain of karate schools in Hawaii.

So you made a good living teaching the martial arts?

No, I've never made a living teaching karate. You see we always charged very low fees for our instruction and we taught at Y.M.C.A.s and recreation centers. At the first schools we only charged $2.00 a month. That didn't even pay for belts and certificates. I always worked full time until I had a heart attack in 1982.

What type of work did you do?

I worked various jobs for Pan American Airlines for 10 years, and then I went into law enforcement.

You were a policeman?

Yes, in 1962 I became a harbor policeman for the Hawaii Department of Transportation. Then in 1974 Al Dacascos called me and told me that he was doing well in Colorado and that it was a good opportunity for karate instructors. So I quit and moved to Colorado. When I got there I couldn't believe what was happening. There was fighting between a lot of the karate schools. Not just fighting, people were getting their cars blown up, their houses shot up, it was bad. Plus it was cold, not at all like Hawaii, I didn't like it at all. I only stayed there for about a year because I knew that I only had 2 years if I wanted to be re-instated with the State of Hawaii. I returned to Hawaii and in 1976 I was re-instated with the harbor patrol. I soon transferred to the Attorney General's Office where I served as a guard to the Governor. Then in 1977 I resigned to take a position as head of security for a large complex called the Kukui Plaza. I worked there until I had a heart attack in 1982.

You have talked about your childhood training and kenpo training with William Chow. Have you trained in other systems?

In my 30s I expanded my Escrima training with my step father Alfredo Peralta. He taught me a method using the single stick. We would take a 2X4, cut it arm length and taper down a handle at one end. We trained with this to build powerful wrists and forearms. After training with the 2X4 you could make a rattan stick go like lightning.

Was Alfredo Peralta a well known escrima man?

Oh yes. You see in the 40s and 50s they would have full contact escrima matches at the civic auditorium in Honolulu. Alfredo was beating everybody there until the gaming commission shut em down. Also, in Kauai, Alfredo fought Floro Villabrille. He won that match against Villabrille and left him with a scar above his eye.

Kajukenbo has a lot of kung fu elements, did you also train in kung fu?

Yes, in my 30s I also trained in various forms of kung fu under , Professor Wong, and Professor Lau. It was several years later that these Professors and the Hawaii Chinese Physical Culture Association awarded me the title of Professor, 10th degree. I was also awarded a certificate by Grandmaster Ho Gau of Hong Kong appointing me as an advisor and representative of the "Choy Li Fut" system. This certificate was signed by Grandmaster Ho Gau, Professor Cheuk Tse and the directors of the Hawaii Chinese Physical Culture Association.

Isn't it true that you also received a instructors certificate from James Mitose?

Yes, I went to Mitose for instructors training and later received a instructors certificate, but I place little value in it because I later found out that Mitose sold high ranks to some people while he was in Hawaii. Also I always considered Professor Chow to be my instructor.

Mitose was a controversial figure who spent the last years of his life in prison. Can you tell us something about the Mitose you knew in Hawaii?

When Mitose taught Kenpo Jujitsu he always emphasized his religious philosophy. He dressed as a minister, carried rosary beads, and chanted like a Buddhist. He always stressed that you were never to use kenpo, even for self defense. His workout was that of traditional Japanese karate. We did makiwara training, some jujitsu takedowns and throws, and worked on developing the one punch kill. We also had one kata; the Naihanchi kata.

What did Mitose call his art and who did he learn it from?

Mitose called his art Kenpo Jujitsu. He told us that he had learned it from Choki Motobu. I never heard the term "Kosho Ryu Kenpo" until he went to prison and some other instructors visited him and got master certificates in Kosho Ryu. I also never heard from him the story about the Kosho family temple.

So Mitose was a highly peaceful and spiritual man?

Not really. You see in 1953 Professor Mitose paid a unannounced visit to my Palama Settlement school. He brought Dr. Arthur Keave and Masaichi Oshiro with him. He asked if they could demonstrate some techniques to my students. So I said ok, and Oshiro proceeded to demonstrate the Naihanchi kata. I then consented to demonstrate some of our Kajukenbo techniques. When all was done Mitose told me that me that I should call my system Kenpo Jujitsu since he considered it to be rooted in his system. I told him that I couldn't because there were 5 creators who contributed their arts to the system. He then became enraged and threatened to come back the next day with a samurai sword and kill me. Me and some of my students waited for his return, but he never showed. The next thing I heard he had gone to California. Years later I heard that he was in prison for having a student kill an old man.

So the Kosho Ryu we see today in magazines is not the Kenpo Jujitsu you remember from Hawaii?

Like I said I had never heard of Kosho Ryu Kenpo. Mitose called it Kenpo Jujitsu and some of the Japanese said that the traditional name should be Shorinji Kempo. The instructors who got the master certificates while visiting Mitose in prison were all from different systems, and I'm sure that he didn't teach them kenpo in prison. In fact Thomas Barro Mitose was a Kajukenbo black belt under my student, Joe Halbuna.

Speaking of Thomas Mitose, are there other people that were originally Kajukenbo black belts?

Many. The Shotokan stylist Ken Funakoshi was one of the black belts who came out of the Palama school, as was the actor Don Stroud. Funakoshi, who was a descendant of Gichin Funakoski felt that he should follow his heritage and train in Shotokan. I gave him my blessing. Paul Yamaguchi, who had come to me from Professor Chow, was the grandson of Gogen (the cat) Yamaguchi. He later chose to train in his grandfathers style of Goju Ryu. Again he had my blessings. You see I have never stopped my students from expanding their knowledge. That's why Kajukenbo has four branches, original or kenpo, chuan fa, won hop kuen do, and tum pai. The only thing I don't like is when instructors don't give credit to their roots, Kajukenbo. I don't care for instructors calling their schools "John Doe's kenpo karate" or "Kajukenbo John Doe's method". There is only one Kajukenbo.

How well did you know Ed Parker?

Before he started training with Professor Chow, Ed trained with me for about 2 weeks. While he was with me he took the first 8mm movies of the Palama settlement training. I knew him for many years. At times when I was in California he would have me as his guest of honor at the Long Beach Internationals. After Ed left Hawaii he became estranged from Professor Chow. It was Ed who brought kenpo to mainland America, made it popular, and made so many contributions to the art, so in the late 60s I promoted him to 8th degree black belt.

We have all heard of the blood and guts training that went on in the old days. Were these stories true?

When I taught a class I wanted to see blood on the floor before the workout was over, so there were a lot of injuries. You see, one has to experience pain before they can give it. You have to know what your technique can do. We lost a lot of students in those early days, but we also got a lot from other schools, including black belts. These students would look at what we were doing and realize that we had a no nonsense effective system.

Who were some of these students?

Woodrow McCandless was one of Mitose's black belts. Brother Abe Kamahoahoa, and Paul Yamaguchi were Chow's black belts. Marino Tiwanak was the flyweight boxing champion of Hawaii before he joined us. There were many.

Who were some of the tournament stars of Kajukenbo?

Al and Malia Dacascos won many tournament championships. Al Gene Caraulia won the 1st Karate World Championship in Chicago in 1963 when he was still a brown belt. Purple belt Victor Raposa knocked out world rated Everett "monster man" Eddy at the 1975 "World Series of Martial Arts". Carlos Bunda was the first lightweight champion at the Long Beach Internationals. Just to name a few.

So Kajukenbo has really grown since the Palama Settlement days?

Yes, there are Kajukenbo schools all over the world now.

Adriano Emperado in Black Belt magazine talking about Mr. Parker

How well did you know Ed Parker?

Before he started training with Professor Chow, Ed trained with me for about 2 weeks. While he was with me he took the first 8mm movies of the Palama settlement training. I knew him for many years. At times when I was in California he would have me as his guest of honor at the Long Beach Internationals. After Ed left Hawaii he became estranged from Professor Chow. It was Ed who brought kenpo to mainland America, made it popular, and made so many contributions to the art, so in the late 60s I promoted him to 8th degree black belt.

Kenpo Calligraphy

(recently posted on Facebook by Mr. Gary Ellis)

One of the outstanding physical features about Senior Grand Master Ed Parker was his hands. 

The scene in Blake Edwards’ film Return of the Pink Panther, when a fist comes through a door and grabs the door handle, is quite distinctive because even though you cannot see the man himself, that hand is without doubt Ed Parker's!  

Ed Parker’s hands were truly lethal weapons.  His right hand especially was conditioned by years of training with makiwara, and without any shadow of a doubt would have inflicted serious damage to a target if deployed.  

Traditionally, conditioning the hands and feet was an important facet of training for practitioners of Karate and Kung Fu, and in the days when warriors had to be able to punch and kick through an invading samurai's armour in Okinawa, it was a necessary skill for survival.  As an example, they trained to kick through armour with their toes, shaping the feet into spears.  Ouch!

There are many examples of extreme conditioning of the hands in the martial arts.  A quick search on You Tube will reveal such examples and impressive demonstrations of breaking boards, bricks, stones abound.

Ed Parker’s Teacher Professor Chow had heavily conditioned hands as was evident by the large callouses on his knuckles.

However our modern environment and lifestyles do not call for such conditioning and the resultant damage to the bones and tissues which can amplify conditions such as arthritis with age.

When the Arts were introduced to the west the methods of training were modified.  Extreme stance training and weapon conditioning were deliberately toned down for student retention.  They understood that the western mind set is very different to the eastern mindset and for the Art to successfully spread in the west the methods of training would have to become more user friendly.

In a way, this makes it even more important that we ensure that the engineering of our natural weapons is precise, to be able to deploy them effectively when needed, while at the same time preventing permanent damage to our hands and feet.  

The shift of focus from repeated heavy impact training, which meant you had to shape the weapon correctly or suffer injury, to light impact training with attention to detail of weapon formation and engineering ensures the best of both worlds.

In Kenpo we hit hard targets with soft weapons and soft targets with hard weapons.  This concept calls for serious focus and precision on the part of the Kenpoist, or the strikes will be ineffective and injury to the natural weapon is a probable outcome.

We can develop and strengthen our weaponry in a way that makes it highly effective and yet ensures and enhances good health and continued training in later years.

Engineering of natural weapons should be reinforced through repetitious shaping and forming each weapon, which through time strengthens the hands and forearms, feet and legs, and enriches the student’s familiarity and intimacy with each of the weapons or alphabets of motion, thus building on their effectiveness.  This in turn develops the Kenpoist’s confidence in employing these natural weapons when needed.

Pressure testing each weapon on a bag or pad is a great way of ensuring your engineering is up to standard, and that the method of execution is being effectively utilised.  Regular bag and pad work strengthens the hands and feet and conditions the practitioner to regular impact.  Impact training soon reveals whether you have correct alignment of the wrist and ankle, elbow and knee, and shoulders and hips.  

Joint alignment is a key factor in the utilisation of the skeleton to brace strikes and kicks.  Misalignment of these joints can lead to self inflicted injury through poor analysation and attention to detail of basics.  Lack of focus and commitment to perfecting the engineering and mechanics of basics in turn erodes skills of survivability and makes you an ally of your opponent. 

Hand swords with splayed fingers, incorrectly formed fists and feet and poor mechanics all serve to undermine confidence, which again adds to the chances of a poor outcome when put under pressure of the truth of combat.

Consistent practising of basics is advanced Kenpo.  The alphabets or letters of motion with each alphabet analysed, practised, revised and improved, strengthened and reinforced, thus forged into an effective precise tool made for the job.

Focussing and working on the correct point of impact for each weapon also serves to further define the weapon's function and use,  it’s targeting and delivery.  The correct part of the weapon, to the correct part of the target.

Kenpo is an Art which calls for precision from the practitioner. Advanced Kenpo is about detailed analysis of our Basics, spit shining them as close to perfection as possible and in turn developing an intimate relationship with each alphabet of motion. 

THERE ARE NO SECRETS! Just hard conscious, consistent, here and now, reflective, corrective work.

Mental Ironworking is an essential prerequisite to forge the necessary tools.  Attention to detail with consistent reviewing of progress through analysing and correcting the engineering of your natural weapons.  This work develops the will and character of the Kenpo Warrior as well as their physical ability.  This internal alchemical process forces Ego to give way to a much deeper meaningful mindset, that of a warrior, leader and mentor.

Prioritising speed and sequences over basics is like buying an expensive car but not being able to afford to run and maintain it! 

Going for the flash and bling to impress may work in the beginning but over time the true nature of what is presented reveals itself for all to see.  Nothing is hidden by speed to the educated eye and the truth of combat.

Power up your Kenpo through the eyes of a child!

Mastery through the process of renewal is a mantra which I have employed for many years and is about attitude and approach to training.  Our attitude should always be that of a child  Always have an enquiring mindset, a student, open and receptive with a strong willingness to learn and grow.  

I cannot afford the luxury of thinking that I am what my rank and title suggest, I must remain in my own mind forever a student of the Arts.