Kenpo Vs American Kenpo 

By Will Tracy 

700 year old Code of Yoshida

I come to you with only open hands

Other weapons I have not

But should right or honor require it

My hands will bear me out.

"Creed" by Ed Parker

I come to you with only "Karate" - 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, or right or wrong; then here are my weapons - "Karate" - my empty hands.

There is more to the differences between Kenpo and American Kenpo than techniques and application. Kenpo came from China to Japan in the 12^th Century and was tempered and refined through 700 years of Japanese culture and tradition. American Kenpo, on the other hand, is less than 40 years old and by Ed Parker’s own admission, it is less than 10% Kenpo; it is Chinese in name only, and has no actual roots either in China or any Chinese system. Those who believe that Kenpo is what Ed Parker made it, do not know what Kenpo is. But they do not speak for Kenpo, nor can they, for they are outside Kenpo.

The reader should first read, What is Kenpo? Before trying to understand the differences.

I speak from within Kenpo, and not as one who observes is from the outside. I came to Kenpo in 1957 with two years of Judo and Muduk training. I trained directly under Ed Parker when he was still teaching the Japanese traditions of Kenpo. Ed Parker and James Ibrao were the only Kenpo instructors I had at that time, and in Japanese tradition, Ed Parker was the needle, I was the thread. However, by January 1959, Ed Parker had taught all the Kenpo techniques he knew, and I went to Hawaii , where I began training directly under Great Grand Master Fusae Oshita. Oshita was Great Grand Master under Great Grand Master Kiyoka Yoshida and taught with James Mitose from 1942 to 1953. It was Oshita who showed me the Way of Kenpo, and from whom I received Shodan in November 1961. I also trained personally with Professor William K. S. Chow, who was junior to Oshita, and from whom I also received Shodan in 1961. I also trained with Great Grand Master Shizue, who had trained in Japan along side James Mitose, under Great Grand Master Sakuhi Yoshida, and Great Grand Master Toju Komatsu. Ed Parker was, therefore, one of my instructors, but he was not the one who guided me. He pointed me in the right direction, but it was a direction he chose not to take; and, "one who points to the moon, is not the moon:. I knew Ed Parker well and respected him. I taught for him for two years and, when the IKKA was formed in 1964, he sent me to enroll several of the Kenpo instructors, including Ralph Castro, in that organization. I did not however, follow his way, fut chose instead to follow the Way of Kenpo.

My criticism is, therefore, not of Ed Parker, but of American Kenpo and those who profess to be its instructors and practitioners. They do not know the Way of Kenpo. They do not even know what the Way is; and they are so immersed in their own concepts that they fail to understand the Japanese principle of Bunbu Ichi, "sword and pen as one". Sadly, they are oblivious to the 9 principles of Kenpo; and they wrongly attribute an American perspective to the martial arts and Kenpo.

I was unaware of how far American Kenpo has actually diverted from Kenpo until James Ibrao and I gave a seminar with Al Tracy in August 1997. As we watched a high ranked American Kenpo black belt go through his moves, Ibrao and I both saw the same thing. The black belt was not grounded, or rooted; he began his second move before his first move was completed, and he was without focus or inner-direction. In short, he was a Slap-Dancer, and had no idea that there was even a Way of Kenpo. Just recently I received Email from Robert McIntosh in Logan , Utah . He is intelligent, articulate and apparently honest. These are rare qualities in American Kenpo supporters. The string of Email from McIntosh, made me aware that those in American Kenpo are familiar with the outward differences in the number of techniques, forms, etc. but they are completely unaware of the Nine Principles of Kenpo, or that there is a Way of Kenpo, let alone what the Way is. It is not knowing these principles, and the divergence from these principles, that contrast Kenpo and American Kenpo.

I have found the First Principle of Kenpo, "Do not think dishonestly", to be grossly lacking in American Kenpo. One deviates from the First Principle of Kenpo when truth is ignored, when belief is put before fact, or when the truth is considered too trivial to replace lies or fiction. My critics in American Kenpo have gone so far as to tell me that even if considered too trivial to replace lies or fiction. My critics in American Kenpo have gone so far as to tell me that even if everything I say is true, it should not be said because it shows disrespect for Ed Parker. That is dishonest thinking, and while dishonest thinking may be a part of American Kenpo, it has no place in Kenpo.

The Ed Parker Creed was taken from the Code of Yoshita, and demonstrates the divergence from the First Principle. What follows is not, however, a criticism of the man who wrote the Creed. It is a criticism of those who profess it. The Creed has been adopted by nearly all in American Kenpo, where "Do not think dishonestly" means nothing, and dishonest thinking allows the inconsistent statements "...I have no weapons", and "here are my weapons — ‘Karate’ — my empty hands". This is a trifle, to the followers of the Creed. But they have also abandoned the Eighth Principle of Kenpo, "Pay attention even to trifles. They have likewise diverged from the Ninth Principle, "Do nothing which is of no use" as their Creed requires that "Karate" and not words or pen, be used to defend their principles, and matters right or wrong; yet none in American Kenpo takes this seriously. These are divergences from the Way of Kenpo, which have led many to think dishonestly.

Kenpo has never been static. To the contrary, it is a dynamic art, but its change has always been for its enhancement. American Kenpo, on the other hand, has stripped Kenpo to its bones and replaced its essence with unsound principles; and it is my observation that these divergences from the Way have fostered dishonesty in that system. Takiyoshi (Komatsu) introduced the first elements of Jiujitsu into Kosho-Kenpo in the 12^th Century, and every succeeding master of Kenpo made his or her changes to the system. When tournaments became popular in the mid 1960's Tracy ’s brought in Joe Lewis to adapt Kenpo to tournaments. When Bart Vale went to Japan in the early 1980's he adapted Kenpo jiujitsu to Shootfighting, and in his honor the Jiu Jutsu training of Kenpo is now contained in Shootfighting. But what was the purpose in creating American Kenpo? The most absurd explanation, that Ed Parker failed to copyright Kenpo, and the Tracy brother’s stole it defies reason. This is American Kenpo dishonest thinking at its best. Kenpo is over 700 years old. Ed Parker was not its creator and a copyright can only be claimed by the original creator; and since Ed Parker did not create the Kenpo forms, he could not copyright them either. The fact is, for what ever reasons Ed Parker wanted to create a system that would be uniquely his.

Dishonest through in American Kenpo has caused many to claim that Al Tracy was never promoted to Shodan by Ed Parker. It is a lit that suits their ego. But more importantly, this dishonest think allows them to avoid the truth, which is, James Ibrao is the most senior and highest ranked person in Kenpo today, and Al Tracy is the Second only to him in the Ed Parker Line of Kenpo. This means that Al Tracy is their senior, and their dishonest minds will not allow them to admit this. Many of these are former Tracy black belts who went to Ed Parker, hoping to learn from the master, to gain knowledge from the original source, or to get rank that was too hard to earn at Tracy ’s. These same people, however, claim black belt rank Ed Parker never game them, and some even justify their rank by claiming it is required by the organizations they created.

The Way of Kenpo is in training. It is not in the American Kenpo theories, principles or concepts,; neither is it in the learning meaningless words and definitions; nor is it found by analyzing every possible angle or situation. To the contrary, such analysis is the antithesis of Kenpo; and, most certainly Kenpo is not found in 55 techniques, or 150 techniques and a dozen forms, in the slap-dance system of American Kenpo. There are over 700 break-away (escape) techniques, and defenses against punches, strikes and kicks, most of which incorporated the circular movements found in Jiujitsu, and there are 300+ Jiujitsu break away, restraints, nerve grabs and locks, dislocation, joint locks and breaks, and ground techniques; as well 72 Kenpo kicks, and 16 kicks that had been adopted from other systems. Yet those in American Kenpo claim the Japanese system did not have any circular moves, that the circular moves were only put into the new Chinese systems. Oshita, who was Japanese, taught every move that Ed Parker taught, and then some, and the circular Kenpo moves were in the techniques before anyone in Hawaii ever learned Kenpo.

The definitive work on American Kenpo is found in the 5 volumes of Ed Parker’s Infinite Insights into Kenpo. The first volume was written in 1981, and over the next 9 years, every principle and concept that Ed Parker had developed was put in writing, so there would never be any doubt as to what American Kenpo is or was. He established the minimum requirements for each belt at 24 techniques, and forms. Since his death in December 1990, many of Ed Parker’s students have attempted to redefine American Kenpo. Some have reduced the number of techniques to as few as 5 for each belt. But American Kenpo needs no redefinition; and if Ed Parker were to see what is being taught in his name, he would profess, "If this is Kenpo, then I never taught Kenpo."

Forty years ago there was no question as to what Kenpo was. The Kenpo of Japan and Okinawa was so similar to that which James Mitose had brought to Hawaii as to make them sister arts, or at least cousins. James Mitose and Fusae Oshita, had trained under the Masters of the same system, and when Mitose retired and moved to Los Angeles in 1954, Oshita became the head of Kenpo in Hawaii . Thomas Young carried on Mitose’s system of Kenpo Jiujitsu, while Professor William K. S. Chow brought a fighting vitality to what he would call Kenpo Karate. When Professor Chow’s gifted student, Sonny Emperado, formed a system in conjunction with other styles, he called the new system Kajukembo, as it was no longer Kenpo, but a style of its own. In the 40+ years since Ed Parker brought Original Kenpo to Los Angeles , there have been so many deletions, omissions, "innovations" and changes to the Original System as to make one wonder:

What is Kenpo

Original Kenpo was characterized by four distinctive qualities that set it apart from the world of karate in the mis and late 1950's.

First was speed. Other karate styles emphasized focus, but the speed of Kenpo was coupled with the explosive power of correct form and body alignment with lighting speed. Professor Chow had the nick name of "Thunderbolt" because compared to the fastest martial artists in Hawaii, he was not just like a lightening bolt, but also had the explosive power of thunder.

Second where the over 700 break-away (escape) and defenses against punches, strikes and kicks, techniques, most of which incorporated the circular movements found in Jiujitsu.

Third were the 300+ Jiujitsu break away, restraints, nerve grabs and locks, dislocation, joint locks and breaks, and ground techniques.

Fourth were the 72 Kenpo kicks, and the 16 kicks that had been adopted from other systems. But Kenpo was not known as a kicking style and only Fusae Oshita had mastered and taught all the kicks. When given a choice of a place in which to fight, the Kenpo stylist would choose a phone booth.

What is American Kenpo

Those in American Kenpo claim it holds the secrets of Kenpo. The secret of the American Kenpo fighting style is, however, there is no secret. The definitive work on American Kenpo is contained in the 5 volumes of Ed Parker’s Infinite Insights into Kenpo. The first volume was written in 1981, and over the next 9 years, every principle and concept that ed Parker had developed was put in writing, so there would never be any doubt as to what American Kenpo is or was. Since his death, in December 1990, many of Ed Parker’s students have attempted to redefine American Kenpo. It needs no redefinition. There are, to be sure, many principles that need some interpretation, but when taken as a whole, even those principles are little more than lacunas in an otherwise absolutely complete definition of a system. Most American Kenpo instructors lack an understanding of Ed Parker’s principles and have distorted and changed what he taught and defined in his books to where if Ed Parker were to see what is being taught in his name, he would profess, "If this is Kenpo, then I never taught Kenpo."

One of the difficulty in understanding American Kenpo is the Kenponics or language Ed Parker uses to explain his principles.

Since it took Ed Parker five volumes to define what American Keno is, it would be foolish to attempt to explain all of American Kenpo with any less effort. However, when it comes to Kenpo verses American Kenpo, the question is not "What is American Kenpo?" But rather, "What isn’t American Kenpo?"

First American Kenpo is not Kenpo. Ed Parker often bragged that his new style was no more than 10% of the original system taught by Professor Chow, and James Mitose. He was only half right, because American Kenpo is less than 5% of James Mitose's Kenpo Jiu Jitsu. In fact Jiu Jitsu was the first thing Ed Parker stripped from Kenpo between 1961 and 1965. Over the next two decades Parker removed 90% of Kenpo to create his American Kenpo. Without using Kenponics, it is a fundamental principle of American Kenpo to avoid grabbing your opponent. The theory is, if you grab a person, you tie up your weapons (your hands) and subject yourself to counters to your grab. This means there are few and often no restraints, nerve grabs and locks, dislocation, joint locks and breaks, take downs, throws, ground chokes, or grappling techniques in American Kenpo. These have all been replaced with checking, and one of the checking techniques Ed Parker learned from Bruce Lee was in Bruce Lee’s terms, called "sticky hands", were you make and maintain contact, without grabbing, to force and control your opponent. There has been criticism of this analysis by those who want to make American Kenpo more realistic, not one person has been able to produce a single statement from any of Ed Parker’s Infinite Insights series to refute this.

When asked why he continued to call his style, Kenpo, instead of coining a new name for his system, as Mitose and Chow had done, Ed Parker replied that all Kenpo before American Kenpo was not really Kenpo, and he had been brought to the true system of Kenpo by divine revelation, while wandering in the desert.

The Failure of American Kenpo

The most obvious failure of American Kenpo has been its inability to produce a single world class fighter. It was argued that American Kenpo was not a competition sport, but self-defense, and the theories and practical application were best suited for a real fight. This of course must be questioned in light of the fact that Ed Parker established the International Championships in 1964 which were designed to give Kenpo stylists a level playing ground in competition. Whatever justification there may have been for this in 1982, by 1988, Bart Vale was proving how effective the Jiu Jitsu and Original Kenpo take-down techniques were in Shootfighting. And while the Gracies were virtually unknown when Ed Parker was alive, they exploded on the no-holds-barred scene to prove once and for all that American Kenpo absolutely did not work in the ring, or in a real fight. With the complete defeat of American Kenpo in the everything-goes buts, there are now neo American Kenpo black belts who claim that Jiujitsu has always been a part of Kenpo. They are right. Jiujitsu has always been a part of Kenpo. It was, however, removed by Ed Parker and was not only never a part of American Kenpo, but it was repudiated by Ed Parker.

Ed Parker removed every Jiujitsu technique from his system beginning in 1961. By the time American Kenpo was developed in 1981, Ed Parker wrote that Jiujitsu was obsolete, and he often stated in seminars that Jiujitsu was useless against anyone trained in American Kenpo. To get around this obvious error neo American Kenpo black belts claim that Kenpo is a constantly evolving art. They fail to realize, however, that American Kenpo cannot "evolve" by going back to what Kenpo always was. That would be an evolutionary reversal, and a complete repudiation of American Kenpo.

Why the Controversy

The controversy arises because American Kenpo stripped Kenpo to its bare bones, discarded what bones it didn’t like, and what was left on the skeleton they tried to hold together with a belt tied on the side. Now that Ed Parker is dead, his system is also dead. The system was built around the man, and his followers are discovering that so much is lacking in American Kenpo, most notably Jiujitsu, that they are desperate to make it a workable and viable system. One only need look at the dismal record of American Kenpo in tournaments to realize how ineffective it is. Yet all of the changes that are being attempted to "restore" American Kenpo to what Kenpo always has been, go against every principle Ed Parker developed and locked into forms (katas) and manuals that cannot be changed.

When asked why he continued to call his style, Kenpo, instead of coining a new name for his system, as Mitose, Chow and Emperado had done, Ed Parker replied that all Kenpo before American Kenpo was not really Kenpo, and he had been brought to the true system of Kenpo by divine revelation, while wandering in the desert.

Two Absurd Claims

Before the World Wide Web created a venue to disprove absurd claims, the highest reaches of American Kenpo were spreading out and out lies abut Tracy ’s in order to discredit the system. The two most absurd claims, and easiest to disprove are that the Tracy brothers were only brown belts when they left Ed Parker; and, Ed Parker had to create American Kenpo because he had failed to copyright his original system, and the Tracy brother’s stole it.

Al and Jim Tracy received their Shodan certificates from Ed Parker on January 7, 1962 , and opened their first school in May 1962. Will Tracy received his Shodan from Fusae Oshita and Professor William K. S. Chow on November 11, 1961 , and taught for Ed Parker at his Santa Monica studio, until June, 1964. Al Tracy’s Shodan certificate is posted at http://www.tracyskarate.com/belts/shodan.html and the matter should be closed, but still the diehard American Kenpo detractors continue to spread what can best be described as American Kenpo guano.

The copyright claim is the most absurd reasoning imaginable. Ed Parker learned his original system from Professor William K. S. Chow. He was not Kenpo’s creator and under copyright law only the originator can copyright a work. Since Ed Parker did not "own" Kenpo nor did Kenpo belong to Ed Parker, the Tracy brothers could not have stolen it from him. Kenpo has been taught and handed down from generation to generation for over 700 years. It is not possible for anyone to claim a copyright on Kenpo.

The First Dissension

In addition to fashioning himself as the "High Priest and prophet of American Kenpo," Ed Parker also bastardized the signs, tokens and oaths of Mormon Temple rituals and made them an integral part of his new American Kenpo cult. These are most noticeably apparent in the salutation of the form, and less apparent, but still found in the secret names, signs and tokens his chosen, his elect, were give.

We realize that some Latter-Day Saints will be offended by what we write. No offence is intended. We recognize the sacredness with which LDS hold their temple rites, and while the rituals are not secret, they are sacred to Mormons. This sacredness, however, breed an air of secretness. We have, therefore, attempted to reveal only as much of Mormon temple rituals as we think necessary for the non Mormon to understand there is a very distinct similarity with American Kenpo. Mormons, however, must recognize that some of what they consider to be sacred must be given here, because the rest of the world knows nothing about their rites; and it was Ed Parker, a Mormon, who introduced them into his system.

In Mormon Temple rites, signs and tokens are given along with oaths that the oath-taker would allow his or her throat to be cut if he or she betrayed the oath. Similar signs and tokens, particularly in the positioning of the hands, and where fingers or the thumbs are placed, along with and their accompanying oaths, were introduced in American Kenpo, and are present in that cult today.

The way the belt is worn in American Kenpo is little more than a hybrid bastardization of Hawaiian tradition and Mormon Temple rituals. In the Mormon Temple the sash is worn first on one side, then switched for men to the other side. Women, who in the Mormon religion cannot be given the priesthood, wear their sash in the beginning position, the same as the belt is worn in American Kenpo. This positioning of the sash or belt knot had its origin in the 1960's, when, Ed Parker tried to eliminate the karate-gi and belt. For a short period he had his students wear the gi bottom, a T-shirt and sash which was tied on the right side for beginners and on the left side for his black belts. While the new uniform was acceptable, the way the sash was tied met with immediate opposition from his Mormon students, who complained that he was revealing sacred Mormon Temple doctrine in violation of his Temple oath. Ed quickly reverted to the karate-gi and belt, and changed the position of the belt so it was not changed from one side to the other. And even though Ed introduced this new "belt position" in "Secrets of Chinese Karate it would be several years before Ed Parker required wearing the knot of the belt on the left for men and on the right for women. The new rational was that this followed Hawaiian tradition, where the flower is worn by women on one side of their head when she is available and on the other side when she is taken. This is, of course, patently sexist, as all women in American Kenpo must wear the belt on the right side. If this actually follows Hawaiian tradition, then all women are available, whether married or single. The real reason for the different positions of the knot, however, is found in Mormon Temple rituals, not Hawaiian tradition. It is interesting that only the head of an American Kenpo school is allowed to wear his belt in the middle, indicating he has control. In judo, Jiu Jitsu, and Kenpo, the belt is worn in the middle to prevent injury to the hip or ribs if one is thrown on the knot. Since Karate does not have throws, the position of the knot follows judo tradition.

Those who argue that American Kenpo is not a veiled religious cult, are ignorant of its origin. They see only what Ed Parker wanted them to see. They fail to understand that rank in Kenpo has always been signified by the color of the belt, and never by the position of the belt knot. Where there are 3 brown belts, the rank is signified by the number of black stripes on the tips of the belt. The rank of the Kenpo black belt is shown by the number or width of the red stripes on the tips of the belt.

When several of Ed Parker's Mormon black belts confronted him with the blatant Mormon Temple symbolism, Ed justified borrowing Mormon rituals and doctrines as a missionary tool. He believed that American Kenpo students could learn Mormon doctrines without knowing it. Unlike the Buddhists, Taoists and Confucius of Kung Fu, the instructors of American Kenpo did not have to be Mormons. Rather, instructors would be unwitting missionaries who knew nothing of the religious doctrines or significance of the position the belt was worn, or origin of the signs, tokens and oaths that are required for each belt level in American Kenpo. The student, however, would not only be learning American Kenpo, but American Kenpo by its very nature of signs, tokens and oaths, and the hidden signs and symbols of the forms, would be planting the seed for future conversion. When the time was right, when the person was ready for Mormon doctrine, it would speak with a familiar spirit.

The Religious Cult

The creation of the American Kenpo as a Cult was one of four crucial dividing points between Tracy's and Ed Parker. But this was not personal. Ed Parker and the Tracy brothers were all Mormons. Ed Parker believed that American Kenpo could be used as a missionary tool, while the Tracy brothers believed religion should play no part in Kenpo. And their opposition to Parker's religious implications came early. The first thing the Tracy brothers eliminated in their first school in 1962, was meditation, which had not been part of Professor Chow's system. Tracy 's Kenpo was to be open to every religious belief, race and creed, and women were to be held as equal.

The Racial Issue

The second division, though equal in weight of importance, was the racist posture Ed Parker had taken with blacks. Blacks could not hold the priesthood in the Mormon Church at that time, and blacks were denied an effective voice and went generally unrecognized in American Kenpo. Policies, like requiring a "written thesis" for black belts, was implemented the year after Congress passed the Civil Rights Act. This was done with full knowledge that blacks were not versed in white America 's higher education system.

In the first ten years Ed Parker taught Kenpo, the number of blacks could be counted on the finger of one hand, and nearly as inconspicuous were females in Parkers early schools. The few blacks who came in later, like Steve Sanders and Donny Williams, rose to black belt rank, only to find themselves without a voice in white bread American Kenpo. Racism (black) is not defined by the number of blacks in an organization, but by the number of blacks in high positions in the organization, and when Tracy ’s split from Ed Parker there were no blacks in high positions, and none were allowed.

Sexism

The third dividing point was the sexism of American Kenpo. Women were treated as inferior to men, and until Evelyn Leeds broke the woman's barrier at the Santa Monica school, Ed Parker taught all women privately.

The Changing of Kenpo

The fourth critical dividing point came with American Kenpo's theories and principles that are unsound and in some cases absurd. With one stroke of the pen, Ed Parker declared that everything that had been taught for the last 1,000 years was now obsolete. To explain his new system, Ed Parker invented a pseudo erudite new language, which is laughingly called "Kenponics."

These statements have led several American Kenpo black belts to complain that Tracy 's is dividing Kenpo. Kenpo is not divided. It is American Kenpo that is divided, divided by Ed Parker not the Tracy brothers. Nor did the Tracy brothers divide Kenpo by refusing to follow a false prophet. Every one of Ed Parker's original Shodans left him, yet few in American Kenpo have asked why. The Tracy brothers did not leave him for 20 years, and the black belts of American Kenpo are so blinded by their own importance that they cannot see that even before the death of Ed Parker, American Kenpo had already began the process that would divide it into more than 30 competing organization. Now without a source of legitimate rank, the proponents of American Kenpo are attempting to rewrite Kenpo history and establish their new system as the Kenpo it never was.

These same American Kenpo black belts complain that we do not show the proper respect for "Master Ed Parker." Apparently those in American Kenpo consider it disrespectful to relate anything that conflicts with what Ed Parker has written or stated, or what his followers have created. They argue that it is disrespectful to contradict any of Ed Parker's writing, because he is not here to defend himself. In other words, books that are still in print, and concepts that are being taught in American Kenpo schools today cannot be criticized because Ed Parker is dead. As if!!! Is there no room for the truth in American Kenpo?

So far, not one of these critics knew Ed Parker, other than to have studied under one of his students, or to have taken a few lessons from him. On the other hand, those black belts who knew Ed Parker well, who stayed at his home, or with whom there was social contact outside the martial arts, have without exception, agreed with us, and in some cases, have even added to what we have written. One of Ed Parker's early black belts and close friend, sent us his critical analysis of Ed Parker's "Paralysis of Analysis," and "angles of this and angles of that," for which there were no mathematical formula. Another early, high ranking black belt who lived with Ed Parker for some time in the middle years, wrote of how highly Ed Parker spoke of Al, Will and Jim Tracy, and respect he had for our opinions that were different from his own. He stated that of all the black belts in Kenpo in those days, only the Tracy brothers had the nerve to challenge Ed Parker on his theories and principles. Another black belt from the early days of American Kenpo, wrote to say that Ed Parker had told him and others that the true meaning of what he taught was hidden, and only the Tracy brothers knew what that meaning was. He went on to say that he left American Kenpo in the mid 80's after he had saw the way Ed Parker was teaching American Kenpo differently to different people. But the most telling comes from the most senior and highest ranked Ed Parker student who said, that all that is being taught as Kenpo was never taught by Ed Parker. "It isn’t Kenpo." The Tracy brothers knew Ed Parker well. Their association with Parker began in 1957 and lasted more than 25 years. Until the early 1980's, Parker would stay at their homes, instead of a hotel or motel when he was in their towns. And while there was sharp dissension, as early as 1962, over the direction Ed Parker was taking Kenpo, animosity between Al Tracy and Ed Parker did not develop until after 1982. That was after Professor Chow, who had been complaining for over 25 years that Ed Parker never had his approval to open Kenpo Schools, came to the mainland to denounce Parker at public seminars. Ed Parker forbade any of his students to attend any seminar with his former instructor. When Professor Chow returned to Hawaii , Parker's amblyopic followers claimed Professor Chow had reaffirmed his "trust and complete confidence" in their "Master, Ed Parker." Al Tracy became the most vocal opponent of this deceit, and Ed Parker retaliated by denouncing the Tracy brothers. This rancor did not extend to Will Tracy, however, as Ed Parker would often come to Will's Santa Monica Beach bungalows to relax and spend the afternoon away from the turmoil of his home and business.

As animosity grew, Ed Parker began making statements that the Tracy brothers were only brown belts when they left him. In 1984, Will Tracy went to Ed Parker personally to put a stop to the nonsense. Will Tracy had received his Shodan from both Fusae Oshita and Professor Chow, not from Ed Parker, and had studied directly under Fusae Oshita from whom he received his higher rank.. But Will Tracy was no longer teaching and Ed often told the Tracy brothers, "Will Tracy will always be my friend. He's too dangerous to have as an enemy." What was dangerous about Will Tracy, is he knew too much about Ed Parker. He also knew when and how Ed Parker got his rank from Professor Chow. He presented Ed with copies of his brother, Al Tracy's Shodan certificate from January 1962, signed by Ed Parker, and his 1964 Sandan certificate, signed by Ed Parker, which hung in public display in the San Jose Studio for over ten years. Will Tracy also presented Ed Parker with copies of Ed's letters related to awarding Al Tracy Shichidan and Hachidan, and the certificates signed by Ed Parker for those ranks. Ed relented, but later renewed his antagonism against Al Tracy.

Parker then began to criticize the Tracy brothers, by saying they had never learned his complete system. But this put him on unstable ground. After all, Ed had left Professor Chow in 1954, and with the exception of 3 weeks in September-October 1959, never studied with him again. Ed could, therefore, not have learned Professor Chow's complete system either, as that system was not developed until shortly before his death in 1987. The fact is, the Tracy brothers learned Professor Chow's complete system of Original Kenpo as he taught it to Ed Parker. That system was virtually unchanged from what Professor Chow taught Will Tracy between 1959-1964. The Tracy brothers also learned Ed Parker's complete system of Traditional Kenpo that he taught between 1960 and 1965. Further, Ed Parker consulted with the Tracy brothers on all the changes he made to his system until 1981. They rejected those changes and refused to incorporate them into their system.

What annoys many American Kenpo black belts is the recognized belt rank of Ed Parker and the Tracy brothers. American Kenpo claims Ed Parker was a 10th degree black belt, but the only certificate they can possibly produce is one from his own IKKA. They don't even have his Shodan certificate they claim he received from Professor Chow. And for good reason. Professor Chow never gave him a Shodan Certificate, or any certificate, as he claimed. He gave these certificates to Will Tracy, and Parker refused to accept it because it was not a Sandan certificate. But what is even more annoying to the black belts of American Kenpo is the fact that they are ronin. Masterless, wannabes who cling to fiction because it gives them status. What they don't realize is the belt system of Kenpo today, is not the belt system that originally existed in Kenpo.

Will Tracy gives the complete history of the rise of American Kenpo, and how, and by whom Ed Parker was promoted. However it is important to know that prior to 1961, Shodan was the highest, and only, black belt rank awarded in Kenpo. William K. S. Chow received his Shodan from James Mitose, and took the title, Professor, which distinguished him from the other Shodan. (Now American Kenpo awards Professor to those who do not know a single move the way Professor Chow taught it.) Despite what Ed Parker would claim, Professor Chow did not promote him to Shodan in 1954 or any time before that. This does mean Ed Parker had not gained the knowledge for a Shodan, but rather, Professor Chow issued no certificates and never promoted Ed Parker above Ikkyu (first degree brown belt). This did not prevent Ed from claiming Shodan when he went back to the Mainland to attend Brigham Young University . However, he was only a brown belt, in fact, and doing exactly what he would later attribute, falsely, to the Tracy brothers.

Those who claim Ed Parker was a black belt under Chow prior to 1961 are misinformed of the facts. They point to photographs of Ed Parker in Professor Chow's class for their proof. The first photograph (in black and white) shows Ed Parker as a brown belt, and it is obvious that his belt is not black. The second photograph, which they claim proves he was a black belt, shows Ed Parker in Professor Chow's class. However his gi top hangs over the belt, completely covering the belt. Not even the tips of the belt can be seen, and it is impossible to say what color belt he is wearing.

Even though Ed Parker began teaching Kenpo while attending Brigham Young University , in 1954, he did not teach haoles (whites) until 1955 and promoted Mills Crenshaw and Charles Beeder to brown belt before leaving for Los Angels upon graduation in June 1956. This short training period has led some opponents of Mills Crenshaw to claim that he was never anything more than a brown belt. This is ridiculous. Miles was only a brown belt when Ed went to Los Angeles in 1956, but he most certainly was a black belt when Ed Parker promoted him in early 1962. And he was certainly equal to any black belt Ed Parker produced after the formation of the IKKA in 1964. But what disturbs American Kenpo black belts is the way the Kenpo belt system is organized. For despite all their claims of high unearned rank none of them are among the top 20 ranked blacks belts of Kenpo. What American Kenpo want is rank independent of anything Ed Parker did prior to 1982.

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