Ed Parker Jr insights on my Dad Ed Parker American Kenpo. Brief conversation at GL Kenpo Camp Retreat Additional comment on how Ed Parker connected with Bruce Lee • Ed Parker Jr tells how...
Ralph Castro was the family who expected the children to do karate. I never saw Ed Parker Jr or sisters train in kenpo since I began in 1973 thru the passing of his dad in 1990. I was part of the IKKA since then. In addition GM Parker "signed" not stamped my 3rd black certificate as a head judge during my test. I have seen first hand how the IKKA has evolved and changed to the present. I am forever grateful for the knowledge I learned in kenpo under a devout and very knowledgeable first generation student of GM Parker.
I don't know who you are but unless you were living inside Mr. Parker's house and watched every interaction he had with his children (which would be creepy) your not qualified to comment about how much training his children received. Mr. Parker's son knows his father's system better than most of the 10th degree black belts walking around these days. Aside from his father he trained under multiple qualified instructors in his fathers system as well as cross trained so he definitely has a high level of mastery in the Martial Arts, that I've witnessed first hand. The Paxtial Arts are testament to the creative genius that runs through his blood, don't knock it until you try it.
Ed Parker Jr. gave an interview quite a while back, and he said that he had no interest in the martial arts and didn't start learning Kenpo until AFTER he father died. He said he learned under Ron Chapel.
My husband got his black belt through Ed Parker. Then Bob Perry broke away from Kempo Karate, and started United Karate Studios. My husband became an instructor there. Then in the early 70's he opened his own studio, in LA Mirada, CA. I remember seeing Chuck Norris competing at a competition in Long Beach, CA and Bruce Lee, before they went Hollywood 🙂
My Father and my Brother Parker were good friends my father met Brother Parker at BYU and then became good friends and my father was a black belt in Jukado but he asked Brother Parker to teach him Kempo and he did he would being some of his students that that belonged to the Ward that was his students that were brothers in the Ward Brother Parker and my dad belonged to the same Ward but my dad added a lot of American Kempo in to Jukado but my dad ended up calling the mix of Jukado and American Kempo Jade Dragon Kempo because there was so much Kempo added in to the to mix of Jukado but Brother Parker was a big influence on my dad I wished I could have met Brother Parker but this was in the in the 50's in Utah
From what I was told, again I say only this is what I was told, the Person I trained under John Conway broke away from Ed Parkers system was due to his son been made head of the IKKA at that time and he along with quite a few other head instructors who were all 7th degree black belts formed there own federations. The reason I was told this was at that time his son wasn't even a black belt, I glad to hear the truth from his son now. Most of these 7th black belts made themselves 10th black belts to form there own federations, they were never ever as far as I know graded above 7th by Mr. Parker himself. There is one question I would like to ask, why is it that most of these instructors teach the techniques which have the same name slightly different, esp. when they were all supposed to have been taught the same way by Mr Parker.
You can blame that on the daughters who took over the IkkA . They believed to own the copy rights for the techniques so these fragmented kenpo schools changed the names of the techniques . I know empirically how SGM Parker taught the techniques and I noticed a huge variance from a lot of these fragmented schools that just does not look correct based on theories of motion. Only the reputable kenpo schools under his lineage rose above all the nonesense because towards the bottom of the water becomes murky and unclear. So obvious that the children of SGM Parker wanted to ride the gravy train that their father established internationally . Deserving if they were qualified in passing the tradition in contrast not. RIP SGM Parker. Your spirit lives under a handful of qualified black belts for whom you taught . Thank you.
Good interview. Honest. To "solve politics". If that meant what I think...there that side of being a great talented martial arts master. Which is the stuff they're potentially asked to do for "bad people". I knew growing up a Tai Chi master from the Wu style. Was told he was asked to "talk to" certain people because he was a master. And obviously very talented. That is the dark-side no one mentions...and might not know about. I wonder how many legends were approached to act on their behalf. Even though they likely didn't want to get involved in that world.
Agreed, yr father was a smart guy whom revolutionise karate but i suspected something yr Dad did not share with you the real jealous ' with Bruce Lee success and the fact that yr dad is also the head of his time.
