Ed Parker

Ed Parker 1931 – 1990

“Founder of American Kenpo Karate”

Parker was born in Hawaii in 1931 and began training in the martial arts at a young age in judo and later boxing.

Sometime in the 1940s, Ed Parker was first introduced to Kenpō by Frank Chow who then introduced Ed Parker to William Chow, a student of James Mitose. Chow 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.

He was a prolithic writer and produced many books starting in as early as 1960.

His students included names like Benny Urquidez, Elvis Presley and Jeff Speakman plus hundred if not thousands more around the world.

In his last years he spent a great deal of time doing fight choreography including Jeff Speakmans film Perfect Weapon as well as a film later released “New Gladiators” which was financed by Elvis Presley but not found or released until 2003 by Rising Sun Productions.

Learn More about Grandmaster Ed Parker by following watching this DVD that was both his and Elvis Presley's dream.