(posted on Facebook by Mr. Ron Chapel, March 17th)
The migration and evolution of Kenpo in the Parker Lineage is not a simple direct line as some feel, but one of significant complexities. The assumption that it “started at A, and ends at Z,” ignores some basic realities.
Although the lineage has many eras, diversions, and off-shoots, clearly the most significant in terms of influences on everything that followed it is the “Chinese Kenpo” era of the sixties.
Initially at its roots, what was called “Kenpo Karate” in Hawaii by Kwai Sun Chow, was like most non-traditional arts of the time. That is, it was a mixture of philosophies, physical methodologies, and diverse cultural influences.
Arguably a mixture of cultural arts, like Lua for example, with a heavy infusion of Japanese Cultural Arts, (like Seishiro Okazaki’s Dan Zan Ryu Jiu-jitsu), mixed with the Chinese Arts, and the gutsy street fight savvy of its creator, it defied many labels and its diversity was reflected in its name. Some would suggest that the term “Kenpo-karate” is in itself a cultural contradiction for a variety of reasons.
At any rate, the over-riding themes promoted by Sifu Chow, and picked up and embraced by Ed Parker, was about personal self-defense in the modern culture, and anything that didn’t support that philosophy was jettisoned. Ed Parker always gave his only Kenpo Teacher credit for this driving philosophy in all of his many approaches and interpretations of Kenpo.
The most important thing however is the acceptance that, where we as individuals stand in our own Kenpo evolution is not necessarily a straight line from Kwai Sun Chow to what we do, no matter how much we would like it to be so. We all would like to feel that Parker’s evolution culminated at our own feet, (or at least at our teachers), and therefore there is no better “interpretation” of Kenpo than our own. This belies the migration of students to other styles to fill the gaps in their Kenpo Teachers knowledge. Those who routinely speak of what Kenpo does or does not have would be better served to speak in personal terms rather than what someone else’s Kenpo of whom they have no knowledge, does or does not contain.
But where we stand is influenced by such a plethora of factors. Consider Parker never stood pat at any level or versions of his many Kenpo(s) and created off-shoot diversions of his own interpretations every time he taught someone something different from another. This in turn created another lineage branch no less valid than any other philosophically, if not practically.
Parker began in judo and advanced to black belt. He dabbled in western boxing before he found the Chow Brothers, and started “Chow’s Kenpo-Karate.” He was also proficient at elements of and ultimately received his black belt in jiu-jitsu and Karate-do. It is also important you know that Chow’s Kenpo Karate of the time was totally un-codified and without structure. This prompted Mr. Parker to begin taking notes on 3x5 cards for his own study and recollections. But because Chow was an amalgam of all that influenced him, one day his Kenpo might look like jiu-jitsu, and the next day Karate, followed by the next session as pure Chinese execution. It was as eclectic as you could get.
Once arriving on the mainland, Parker began his own interpretation of Chow’s teaching and continued a codification process he started with Chow that Chow never did himself when he was under his tutelage. This was the original Kenpo-Karate depicted in Parker’s first book on the subject in 1961 published by Iron Man Industries.
Innovative and unlike any of its many karate-do influences, it was more jiu-jitsu-like than Karate, but even then the lines were blurred. Most cultural arts contained elements of other arts of the same culture, and some even crossed cultural lines philosophically, (like Kenpo), so this was not at all unusual during this time period.
I noticed early on that the distinctions made today about elements of various styles and their identity virtually didn’t exist then. The martial arts world was more homogenous, and most openly shared with each other with cross-pollination being the rule rather than the exception as it is today now called “cross-training.”
Except that is, for the sophisticated aspects of the Chinese Arts. Held culturally close even today, this aspect of the arts always remained shrouded in mystery and skepticism of the effectiveness of its unusual methodologies, at least until Bruce Lee showed up to break the unwritten rules of secrecy. While Sifu Ark Wong (The Father of American Kung-Fu), would teach all that came to him, Bruce Lee made it public and “slapped” people in the face with the superiority of what he was doing.
Still, on American Soil, all methodologies on some level will fall to means testing or cultural proclivities for the artistic crowd. Some have chosen to be partially means-tested while ignoring volumes of other information.
Having been a student of one of Mr. Parker’s teachers as well as the Senior Mr. Parker himself gives me a rather unique perspective of some information and its interpretations from various sources. Obviously, I found Ed Parker’s interpretations and teachings for me, invaluable and infinitely informative to this day and continue exploring them religiously, which means "means-testing" as I go as he mandated.
Mr. Parker’s association with my first teacher, Sifu Ark Yuey Wong had a very significant influence. So much so that by the time he wrote his second book for publication in 1963, Parker had completely abandoned the impractical Japanese Influences of his birthplace in favor of the now Chinese Sciences.
Others such as Lao Bun, and James Wing Woo also had a significant impact on Mr. Parker. Unfortunately, Lao Bun, based out of Northern California placed him geographically consistently unavailable. James Woo however was local and like Sifu Ark Wong was majorly influential. What Sifu Woo did, is spend time teaching with and for Mr. Parker in Pasadena, bringing Taiji and other Chinese Influences to the school, and contributing the bulk of the historical information for Mr. Parker’s book, “Secrets of Chinese Karate.”
This for many was no small matter, and as Parker continued his evolution, Sifu Woo took some of Parker’s early black belts with him when they parted ways. As much as this may sound negative, this was not at all that unusual. Everyone bounced around from school-to-school in those days, picking up different philosophies and techniques while still calling their primary style, whatever it was, “home.” I know I did along with my college roommate Guru Cliff Stewart, picking up black belts in Japanese and Korean Arts while still a Parker student. Guru Cliff was a Judo and Goju Karate Black Belt but studied everything he could find from Indonesian to Filipino, to Korean. What most missed is Mr. Parker actually encouraged it this type of activity, and in the process, sometimes often lost students while gaining valuable information.
To put things in perspective, in those days getting a black belt in a year or so was about average in America, or for Americans studying in Asian Countries. While in the Chinese Arts, it took about three-plus years to gain a black sash from Sifu Wong. That proportionality hasn’t really changed much over the years, even with commercial influences. No matter what you study, it seems getting a black belt in some form of Karate will take a significantly shorter time than a comparable rank in real Chinese Arts.
Dan Inosanto studied with Sifu Ark Wong, and left to be with Mr. Parker, and then left to train with Bruce Lee. Prior to studying with Ark Wong, Danny studied his own traditional Filipino Arts and came to Sifu Wong to expand on his knowledge.
Over the years many of Mr. Parker’s black belts left him, if not in practice, in actuality as he changed and evolved things continually, and students who were looking more for rank than knowledge searched for a more stable environment. They apparently had no desire to revisit “basics” while Parker refined them, or transition to the commercial system he settled on as his business art.
Those who stayed in business with him and remained loyal were promoted even though they didn’t follow him in his evolutionary quest. He justified it by saying they got the rank for “Organizational support and potential.”
But the biggest influence on Ed Parker, in my opinion, was the little known Haumea Lefiti. A student of Ark Wong as well, Mr. Parker saw several things in him that he ultimately adopted in some form in all of his own arts.
Sifu Lefiti was Samoan, and culturally that made him Mr. Parker’s “island boy cousin.” “Tiny,” as he was affectionately called, was a much bigger version of Ed Parker. At about 6’7” or so, he was actually faster than Mr. Parker at the time. More importantly, Sifu Lefiti was the catalyst for bringing a methodology to the forefront in the school that had not previously been taught by Sifu Wong. That methodology was Chinese Mok Gar. Given various interpretation names over time that included versions of Lima Lama, Limalama, Limalama Kung-Fu, Chinese Kenpo, and even Splashing Hands, etc.
Sifu Wong was well versed in the method but had chosen to not teach it until Tiny Lefiti showed up at the school with a Mok Gar Black Sash, and a written recommendation, after a stint in the Marine Corps and studying in Taiwan.
It’s important you understand why I call it a “methodology” and not a style. Historically, depending on whom you talk to, Mok Gar was used specifically by especially chosen and trained guards, that was used for and reputed to be down and dirty, and taught without the cultural restraints found in the traditional teachings of Mok Gar and the Traditional Chinese Arts.
Think of it as the “street Kenpo” of its day. Stripped of cultural impediments and whose only purpose was to maim, blind, incapacitate and literally destroy the adversary as quickly as possible without salutations or useless forms and sets. Something that Sifu Lefiti and his students excelled at in applications.
Much like my own American Chúan-Fa is an Ed Parker Lineage Kenpo, but the methodology is a combination of what I call “Tactical Kenpo” and “American Chúan Fa” at its higher levels, with the Tactical Version serving as a vehicle to teach basic skills while functionally learning to defend yourself. That is followed by the more advanced applications of the Chinese Sciences in American Chúan Fa after Black Belt. Many of Mr. Parker’s early Black Belts before he created the commercial version based on ‘motion,” teach their own interpretations of Kenpo, but that doesn’t change the style. Identifying the methodology simply identifies the first generation Lineage of what you do.
His new Ed Parker Kenpo Karate allowed for a singular methodology for individual interpretations without the necessity of a Lineage Identifier.
This interpretation was and is based on “motion” and had its singular objective adopted by Parker from Mok Gar – philosophically a “Mok Gar methodology” stripped of certain foundational attributes by necessity. It contains all of the slashing, ripping, gouges, eye pokes, and stomping found in Mok Gar, taught with a motion-based theme to effect quick self-defense skills for commercial viability. It works and left the morality of its use to the students. This is where most of the Ed Parker Lineage students reside today, with stripped-down Mok Gar the primary methodology influence on what they have learned.
Discussions about different style influences are valid, but more so outside of the Chinese Arts. Because of the base science aspect, I was always taught the Chinese Arts are all the same, and only Family Methodologies and focus differ to reach essentially similar objectives. Other arts are not necessarily based on science, but instead, focus on cultural philosophies and creator personal preferences. I know all of my Chinese Teachers felt this way, and for that reason, they usually only made references to methodologies, rather than styles.
The more traditional Japanese, Okinawan, and Korean Arts teachers promoted the issue of style. Many styles, created for various reasons other than actual fighting, promoted a particular “way” of performing over practical applications, thus terms like Karate-Do. (do means way) Others, including the Chinese, also can be heavily culturalized with their now modern “Wu-Shu,” which is akin to the Japanese “do.” But in my own history, Mr. Parker saw these cultural influences as a means to purposely elongate the process of learning artificially as a life long experience and endeavor over quick skills. At least that is the way it used to be. While all arts are a “life long” journey, some artificially withhold effective methods while waiting to build character and show worthiness for the knowledge. Others may prioritize character building over the martial aspect of training so practicality may take a backseat to cultural and character mandates of training.
Today many argue about styles sometimes because of personal identity issues, and/or a need to distinguish one from others, while in the past it was only to establish methodology parameters in training, not identity. This is why today in the Chinese Arts, in particular, some vehemently defend their “style” distinctions as if it really mattered in reality.
In the competitive world of business, you must establish an identity separate from competitors to distinguish yourself and give customers a reason to come to you. Unfortunately, in that process, we often forget the purpose of the martial arts in favor of our own Martial Identity that may include aspects that are wholly impractical in application. Ignoring reality in favor of maintaining an identity is a bad sign.
The reason you study the arts will determine where you sit, but from the Ed Parker cat-bird seat, means-testing is a far more important place to put one's energy.
So in answer to the question, “What were some of Mr. Parker’s influences?” Primarily Mok Gar, Five Animal, Hung Gar, and Taiji-Quan, plus Judo, Jiu-jitsu, and Western Boxing plus every other practical aspect of every art that Mr. Parker ever came into contact with.
Or put another way off the top of my head, “Answer E.” All of the above!
