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American Kenpo Karate (), also known as American Kenpo or Ed Parker's Kenpo Karate, is an American martial art founded and codified by Ed Parker. It is synthesized mainly from Japanese and Okinawan martial arts such as karate and judo, with influence from Chinese martial arts. It is a form and descendent of Kenpō. Etymology The word Kenpō or Kempo is an English transliteration of a Ryukyuan and Japanese pronunciation of Chinese characters 拳法, which in Cantonese are pronounced Ken Fat or Quánfǎ and can also be used to represent Chinese martial arts. History Early History American Kenpo evolved from Chinese and Japanese roots. One predecessor, the martial art of Ken Fat, came to America with Cantonese immigrants through the creation of Tongs. Ken Fat had been refined by the Southern Chinese and spread into Fujian and Canton; later, various styles developed in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Ryukyu (Okinawa), Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Japan. The de facto modern history of American Kenpo began in 1933 when Thomas Miyashiro began openly teaching Kenpo in Hawaii alongside Mizuho Mutsu and Kamesuke Higashiona, students of Choki Motobu. They toured Hawaii, giving public demonstrations of Kenpo in support of the state's first public Kenpo dojo. They were featured in numerous local newspapers and increased the sport's popularity in Hawaii. They also used books by Mizuho Mutsu and Choki Motobu, the most detailed books on Kenpo of their time. Another Japanese-American martial artist, James Mitose, began teaching the art in 1936 and started a formal Kenpo school in Hawaii in 1941. Simultaneously, the Chee Kong Tong in Maui had been teaching Cantonese Ken Fat to Cantonese immigrants since the 1920s. Sun Chow Hoon emigrated from Canton and trained in Ken Fat at the Tong HQ when he first arrived in Maui. He also taught his eldest son, William Chow, who became an enforcer for the Tong. William Chow studied multiple martial arts in Hawaii, including Kenpo with James Mitose and Danzan Ryu Jujutsu with his brother John Chow. William would often use his knowledge of Ken Fat to devise counters for Jujutsu techniques. Chow eventually developed his unique style that blended his Chinese Martial Arts training with the more focused Ryukyuan Kenpo methods popularized in Hawaii. He used many different names for the style, but most refer to his method as Kenpo Karate. Chow's Kenpo Karate used linear and circular motion and emphasized practical fighting techniques to outperform other martial arts common in Hawaii. As he taught, Chow experimented and modified his art, adapting it to meet the needs of American students. Ed Parker American Kenpo as its own art was founded by Ed Parker. Parker started his martial arts training in Judo, earning a black belt. He then studied western boxing from his father, a boxing commissioner in Hawaii, before training in Kenpo Karate with Chow and earning a black belt. After Parker moved to California, he cross-referenced his martial arts knowledge with Chinese martial arts masters there. Some of his California influences include Lau Bun, Ark Wong, Ming Lum, James Lee, and Bruce Lee. In California, Parker hosted a large martial arts tournament, the Long Beach Internationals, where he popularized martial artists and gave many legends their start. It was out of this work that Parker founded American Kenpo. In 1954, Parker started teaching other Hawaiian Islanders while studying at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. By 1956, he was teaching commercially in Provo. Late in 1956, he opened a studio in Pasadena, California and founded the International Kenpo Karate Association (IKKA), where he served as Senior Grandmaster. He published Kenpo Karate: Law of the Fist and the Empty Hand, a book about his early system, in 1960. The book shows a heavy Japanese influence in his early style, incorporating linear and circular movements, "focused" techniques and jujutsu-style locks, holds, and throws. When Parker began incorporating more Chinese arts in his system, he began to refer to his art as Chinese Kenpo. Based on this influence, he wrote Secrets of Chinese Karate, published in 1963. By 1975, Ed Parker's system, now known as American Kenpo, was a combination of older methods revised to work in more modern fighting scenarios. Throughout his career, he heavily restructured American Kenpo's forms and techniques, moving away from forms recognizable from other arts like Hung Gar. He established a more definitive relationship between forms in the martial art and techniques from his self-defense curriculum. He also eschewed esoteric Eastern concepts and sought to express the art through Western scientific principles and metaphors, dropped most Asian language elements, and altered traditions to favor American English. Although he was challenged numerous times by experts and masters from multiple other martial arts, he remained well-respected in the martial arts world. Parker's art evolved over time, so his students learned a different curriculum depending on when they studied with him. Since many instructors left his practice prior to his later updates, American Kenpo today has several different techniques. After Parker's Death Parker did not name a successor as Senior Grandmaster of the IKKA. He instead entrusted his senior students to continue his teachings in their own ways. Features I come to you with only karate [meaning empty hands]. I have no weapons, but should I be forced to defend myself, my principles, or my honor, should it be a matter of life or death, of right or wrong, then here are my weapons -- karate, my empty hands. Common elements Although each American Kenpo school differs in content and methodology, many basic principles, concepts, and theories remain the same. Some common elements are: "Marriage of Gravity" — Students are taught to settle their body weight to increase striking force.: 5  Every block is a strike; every strike is a block — Blocks are meant to be directed and forceful enough to injure an opponent, decreasing their ability to continue an attack. Strikes counter an opponent's movement, reducing their ability to mount an attack. Point of origin — Any natural weapon is moved directly from where it originates, rather than cocking it before deploying it. This helps to eliminate the telegraphing of moves. Economy of motion — Practitioners should choose the best available target, choose the best available weapon, and choose the best open angle in the least amount of time to get the desired result. Personalization — Once a student learns the lesson embodied in the "ideal phase" of the technique, they should search for some aspect that can be tailored to their needs and strengths. Techniques American Kenpo emphasizes fast techniques to disable an attacker in seconds. It contains a wide array of open-hand, elbow, and knee strikes, kicks, punches, finger strikes, throwing and joint locking techniques, and club and knife skills. Kicks are l.... Discover the Lee Wedlake popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Lee Wedlake books.