Ed Parker
Encyclopedia
Edmund Kealoha "Ed" Parker (March 19, 1931 – December 15, 1990) was an American
martial artist
, promoter
, teacher
, and author
.
, and raised a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He began his training in the martial arts at a young age in judo
and later boxing
. Sometime in the 1940s, Ed Parker was first introduced to Kenpo
by Frank Chow. Frank Chow introduced Ed Parker to William Chow
, who trained Parker while serving in the Coast Guard
and attending Brigham Young University
. In 1953 he was promoted to the rank of black belt
. Parker, seeing that modern times posed new situations that were not addressed in Kenpo, adapted the art to make it more easily applicable to the streets of America and called his style, American Kenpo Karate.
Parker opened the first commercial karate school in the western United States in Provo, Utah in 1954. By 1956, Parker opened his Dojo in Pasadena
, California
. His first brown belt student was Charles Beeder. There is controversy over whether Beeder received the first black belt awarded by Parker. Beeder's son has stated for the record that his father's black belt came after Ed Parker had moved to California. The other black belts in chronological order up to 1962 were: Rich Montgomery, James Ibrao, Mills Crenshaw, authorized by Ed Parker to open a school in Salt Lake City, UT in late 1958 (That school later became the birthplace of the International Kenpo Karate Association; or IKKA.), Rick Flores, Al and Jim Tracy of Tracy Kenpo
, Chuck Sullivan, John McSweeney, and Dave Hebler. In 1962, John McSweeney opened a school in Ireland
, which prompted Parker to change the name of his organization from the Kenpo Karate Association of America to the International Kenpo Karate Association.
Parker was well known for his business creativity and helped many martial artists open their own dojos. He was well known in Hollywood
where he trained a great many stunt men
and celebrities
; most notable was Elvis Presley
, to whom he awarded a black belt in Kenpo. He left behind a few grand masters who are known around the world to this day such as Frank Trejo who runs a school in California. He helped Bruce Lee
gain national attention by introducing him at his International Karate Championships
. He served as Elvis Presley's bodyguard
during the singer's final years, did movie stunt-work and acting, and was one of the Kenpo instructors of martial arts action movie actor Jeff Speakman
. He is best known to Kenpoists as the founder of American Kenpo
and is referred to fondly as the "Father of American Karate". He is formally referred to as Senior Grand Master of American Kenpo. Parker can be seen with Elvis Presley in the opening sequence of the 1977 TV special "Elvis in concert". Parker wrote a book about his time with Elvis on the road.
Parker had a minor career as a Hollywood actor and stunt man. His most notable film was Kill the Golden Goose. In this film, he co-stars with Hapkido
master Bong Soo Han
. His acting work included the (uncredited) role of Mr. Chong in student Blake Edwards'
Revenge of the Pink Panther
.
Edmund K. Parker died in Honolulu
of a heart attack on December 15, 1990. His widow Leilani Parker died on June 12, 2006. Of their four surviving children, only his son, Ed Parker Jr., remains active in the system his father created.
in Judo in 1949 at the age of eighteen. By the time he achieved the rank of brown belt, he was already interpreting ideas he had learned from his Chinese-Hawaiian teacher, William Kwai Sun Chow
. Later Parker returned to the main land to attend Brigham Young University
and began to teach the martial arts.
It was during this period that Parker was significantly influenced by the Japanese and Okinawan interpretations prevalent in Hawaii. Parker's Book Kenpo Karate, published in 1961, shows the many hard linear movements, albeit with modifications, that set his interpretations apart.
All of the influences up to that time were reflected in Parker's rigid, linear method of "Kenpo Karate," as it was called. Between writing and publishing, however, he began to be influenced by the Chinese arts, and included this information in his system. He settled in Southern California after leaving the Coast Guard
and finishing his education at B.Y.U. Here he found himself surrounded by other martial artists from a wide variety of systems, many of whom were willing to discuss and share their arts with him. Parker made contact with people like Ark Wong, Haumea Leiti, James (Jimmy) W. Woo, and Lau Bun. These martial artists were known for their skills in arts such as Splashing-Hands
, San Soo
, T'ai Chi, and Hung Gar
, and this influence remains visible in both historical material (such as forms that Parker taught for a period within his system) and current principles.
Exposed to new Chinese training concepts and history, he wrote a second book, Secrets of Chinese Karate published in 1963. Parker drew comparisons in this and other books between karate (a better known art in the United States at that time) and the Chinese methods he adopted and taught.
The 1991 martial arts film The Perfect Weapon
, starring one of his students Jeff Speakman, Ed Parker helped with the fight choreography.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
martial artist
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
, promoter
Promoter (entertainment)
An entertainment promoter i.e. music, wrestling, boxing etc is a person or company in the business of marketing and promoting live events such as concerts/gigs, boxing matches, sports entertainment , festivals, raves, and nightclubs.- Business model :Promoters are typically hired as independent...
, teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
, and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
.
Life
Parker was born in HawaiiHawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, and raised a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He began his training in the martial arts at a young age in judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
and later boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
. Sometime in the 1940s, Ed Parker was first introduced to Kenpo
Kenpo
is the name of several Japanese martial arts. The word kenpō is a Japanese translation of the Chinese word "quánfǎ. This term is often informally transliterated as "kempo", as a result of applying Traditional Hepburn romanization, but failing to use a macron to indicate the long vowel...
by Frank Chow. Frank Chow introduced Ed Parker to William Chow
William Kwai Sun Chow
William Kwai Sun Chow was instrumental in the development of the martial arts in the United States, specifically the family of styles referred to as kenpo/kempo....
, who trained Parker while serving in the Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
and attending Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
. In 1953 he was promoted to the rank of black belt
Black belt (martial arts)
In martial arts, the black belt is a way to describe a graduate of a field where a practitioner's level is often marked by the color of the belt. The black belt is commonly the highest belt color used and denotes a degree of competence. It is often associated with a teaching grade though...
. Parker, seeing that modern times posed new situations that were not addressed in Kenpo, adapted the art to make it more easily applicable to the streets of America and called his style, American Kenpo Karate.
Parker opened the first commercial karate school in the western United States in Provo, Utah in 1954. By 1956, Parker opened his Dojo in Pasadena
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. His first brown belt student was Charles Beeder. There is controversy over whether Beeder received the first black belt awarded by Parker. Beeder's son has stated for the record that his father's black belt came after Ed Parker had moved to California. The other black belts in chronological order up to 1962 were: Rich Montgomery, James Ibrao, Mills Crenshaw, authorized by Ed Parker to open a school in Salt Lake City, UT in late 1958 (That school later became the birthplace of the International Kenpo Karate Association; or IKKA.), Rick Flores, Al and Jim Tracy of Tracy Kenpo
Tracy Kenpo
Tracy's Kenpo is a Kenpo martial arts style with historical roots back to William Chow and James Mitose.- Origins :Kenpo is an unarmed fighting style that came to Japan from China around the twelfth century. Kenpo continued to evolve separately in both countries over the centuries...
, Chuck Sullivan, John McSweeney, and Dave Hebler. In 1962, John McSweeney opened a school in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, which prompted Parker to change the name of his organization from the Kenpo Karate Association of America to the International Kenpo Karate Association.
Parker was well known for his business creativity and helped many martial artists open their own dojos. He was well known in Hollywood
Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
Hollywood is a famous district in Los Angeles, California, United States situated west-northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Due to its fame and cultural identity as the historical center of movie studios and movie stars, the word Hollywood is often used as a metonym of American cinema...
where he trained a great many stunt men
Stunt performer
A stuntman, or daredevil is someone who performs dangerous stunts, often as a career.These stunts are sometimes rigged so that they look dangerous while still having safety mechanisms, but often they are as dangerous as they appear to be...
and celebrities
Celebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
; most notable was Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, to whom he awarded a black belt in Kenpo. He left behind a few grand masters who are known around the world to this day such as Frank Trejo who runs a school in California. He helped Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee was a Chinese American, Hong Kong actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts movement...
gain national attention by introducing him at his International Karate Championships
Long Beach International Karate Championships
The Long Beach International Karate Championships — is an International Karate and martial arts tournament in Long Beach, California. It is well-known due to several appearances of the famous martial artist legend Bruce Lee, and his use of the one inch punch...
. He served as Elvis Presley's bodyguard
Bodyguard
A bodyguard is a type of security operative or government agent who protects a person—usually a famous, wealthy, or politically important figure—from assault, kidnapping, assassination, stalking, loss of confidential information, terrorist attack or other threats.Most important public figures such...
during the singer's final years, did movie stunt-work and acting, and was one of the Kenpo instructors of martial arts action movie actor Jeff Speakman
Jeff Speakman
Jeff Speakman is an American actor and a martial artist in the art of American kenpo karate and Japanese Goju-Ryu, earning blackbelts in each.-Early life:...
. He is best known to Kenpoists as the founder of American Kenpo
American Kenpo
American Kenpo or Kenpo Karate is a system of martial arts created by Ed Parker, characterized by the use of quick moves in rapid-fire succession intended to overwhelm an opponent...
and is referred to fondly as the "Father of American Karate". He is formally referred to as Senior Grand Master of American Kenpo. Parker can be seen with Elvis Presley in the opening sequence of the 1977 TV special "Elvis in concert". Parker wrote a book about his time with Elvis on the road.
Parker had a minor career as a Hollywood actor and stunt man. His most notable film was Kill the Golden Goose. In this film, he co-stars with Hapkido
Hapkido
Hapkido is a dynamic and also eclectic Korean martial art. It is a form of self-defense that employs joint locks, techniques of other martial arts, as well as kicks, punches, and other striking attacks...
master Bong Soo Han
Bong Soo Han
Han Bong-Soo , also known as Bong Soo Han, was a martial arts instructor, author, the founder of the International Hapkido Federation, and one of the foremost practitioners of hapkido through his participation in books, magazine articles, and popular films featuring this Korean martial art...
. His acting work included the (uncredited) role of Mr. Chong in student Blake Edwards'
Blake Edwards
Blake Edwards was an American film director, screenwriter and producer.Edwards' career began in the 1940s as an actor, but he soon turned to writing radio scripts at Columbia Pictures...
Revenge of the Pink Panther
Revenge of the Pink Panther
Revenge of the Pink Panther is the sixth film in the Pink Panther film series. Released in 1978, Revenge of was the last entry featuring series star Peter Sellers, who died in 1980...
.
Edmund K. Parker died in Honolulu
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
of a heart attack on December 15, 1990. His widow Leilani Parker died on June 12, 2006. Of their four surviving children, only his son, Ed Parker Jr., remains active in the system his father created.
Parker's Training
Ed Parker's father enrolled his son in Judo classes at the age of twelve. Parker received his ShodanShodan
, literally meaning "beginning degree," is the lowest black belt rank in Japanese martial arts and the game of Go. The 2nd dan is higher than Shodan, but the 1st dan is called Shodan traditionally and the 1st dan is not called "Ichidan"...
in Judo in 1949 at the age of eighteen. By the time he achieved the rank of brown belt, he was already interpreting ideas he had learned from his Chinese-Hawaiian teacher, William Kwai Sun Chow
William Kwai Sun Chow
William Kwai Sun Chow was instrumental in the development of the martial arts in the United States, specifically the family of styles referred to as kenpo/kempo....
. Later Parker returned to the main land to attend Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
and began to teach the martial arts.
It was during this period that Parker was significantly influenced by the Japanese and Okinawan interpretations prevalent in Hawaii. Parker's Book Kenpo Karate, published in 1961, shows the many hard linear movements, albeit with modifications, that set his interpretations apart.
All of the influences up to that time were reflected in Parker's rigid, linear method of "Kenpo Karate," as it was called. Between writing and publishing, however, he began to be influenced by the Chinese arts, and included this information in his system. He settled in Southern California after leaving the Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
and finishing his education at B.Y.U. Here he found himself surrounded by other martial artists from a wide variety of systems, many of whom were willing to discuss and share their arts with him. Parker made contact with people like Ark Wong, Haumea Leiti, James (Jimmy) W. Woo, and Lau Bun. These martial artists were known for their skills in arts such as Splashing-Hands
Splashing hands
Splashing Hands is an external/internal system of Chinese martial arts first openly taught by Haumea F. Lefiti in the 1950s/60s.- History :...
, San Soo
San soo
Kung Fu San Soo is a martial art based on techniques from all over China, both Northern and Southern Chinese martial arts systems, acoording to Grandmaster Woo in a 1970's interview. The 5 Family Fist , practiced in the Taishan region of the Guangdong province. Kung Fu San Soo has many traditional...
, T'ai Chi, and Hung Gar
Hung Gar
Hung Ga 洪家, Hung Kuen 洪拳, or Hung Ga Kuen 洪家拳 is a southern Chinese martial art associated with the Chinese folk hero Wong Fei Hung, who was a master of Hung Ga....
, and this influence remains visible in both historical material (such as forms that Parker taught for a period within his system) and current principles.
Exposed to new Chinese training concepts and history, he wrote a second book, Secrets of Chinese Karate published in 1963. Parker drew comparisons in this and other books between karate (a better known art in the United States at that time) and the Chinese methods he adopted and taught.
The 1991 martial arts film The Perfect Weapon
The Perfect Weapon
The Perfect Weapon is an action 1991 film starring Jeff Speakman. It tells the story of a young man, Jeff, who is trained in the martial art of Kenpo, and his fight against the Korean mafia families....
, starring one of his students Jeff Speakman, Ed Parker helped with the fight choreography.