EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH ED PARKER, JR.

Interview by Tony Perez

Ed Parker Jr. has anchored his martial arts training with a foundational and a complex understanding of his father's art of American Kenpo (outside of the curriculum), training and working under his father for over a decade. After the passing of his father in 1990, Ed. turned to the teachings of Dr. Ron Chap'el, of whom he was awarded his black belt under in 1993. Ed trained with Dr. Ron Chap'el for well over a decade. His time with Dr. Chap'el was some of his most valuable time in his training outside of his father. He also had studied under Richard "Huk" Planas and Frank Trejo during his training with Ron Chap'el.

As a martial artist, Ed Parker Jr. has focused talents on creating innovative learning tools and visually dynamic art pieces for his community. He is also responsible for over 500 personal portrait renderings and looks forward to reaching his goal of 1000 portraits in a lifetime. Countless illustrations have also been commissioned for film projects, DVD, book and magazine covers, corporate identities, and custom certificates, making Edmund both an accomplished and highly experienced artist.

You prefer to be known as an ambassador of Kenpo rather than the keeper of your fathers flame. Why is that?
I have a set of philosophies that have been instilled in me by father and I have a degree of rebellion because all kids have a rebellion towards their parents. I don't rebel against my dad in a negative way but rather in the fact that I like to choose to entertain other things than he did. There is no one person who is the keeper of the flame. My father's spirit lies in the hearts of those people who are trying to make a difference to the people whose lives they touch.

How does your belief system differ from that of your father?
In his day he had a philosophy that said it is better to be tried by twelve than carried by six. That's great - fifty years ago. If you keep that philosophy today, trust me the fantasy always in martial arts goes if you try to hurt me I'll annihilate you and I'll walk away and go back to my family. If you do so, in the wrong way, you go to jail and when you're rotting in jail you start re-thinking your philosophy by saying maybe I should've thought about plan "B"

The fantasy always stops when you win the fight right?
Yes, but it doesn't continue to say the cause and effect of the actions you created put you in an uncomfortable position where for the rest of your life you're regretting not adding dimensions to the fantasy of what you do with the fight.

Do you think we are taught things out of context?
In Kenpo you're taught that you're being attacked and therefore you respond. My father's journey in Kenpo was this: he took the confrontation and went microscopic with it. I go in the opposite and take the confrontation and go macro and I say who are you as a human being that puts you in ten fights a year? Why are you attracting these negative elements into your life? And, does every single confrontation in your life justify doing Leap of Death on the person?  

Today, we have moral, ethical and legal obligations to consider and martial artists in Australia are held to a higher degree of accountability - even for simply having knowledge of martial arts. Is Kenpo overkill as many observers suggest?
Look, let's think about the humor in the technique Leap of Death. Let's not talk about the fantasy, because people do Leap of Death in a way that's like damn I look good the way I do this! So please, throw a punch at me and then wait for me to quit dancing on your back. Nothing happened. The reality of it is barely something happened, the guy gets a broken back, broken nose, and broken neck - and then you proceed to do fifteen extensions on their dead carcass! That's wonderful, but does it justify that?

What then is your response when people say, well that's not Kenpo?
This is where I will battle you big time and I ask people, well then, what makes Kenpo, Kenpo? Is it the fist? Is it the kick? Is it the sequence of punches and kicks? Is it the techniques? If you cease to do the techniques, do you cease to be a Kenpoist? Is it the choreography or is it the principles, concepts and theories. Most people will agree that it's the principles, concepts and theories that define Kenpo. However, if a person varies Five Swords, I guarantee you most will say you're not doing Kenpo. That is the most arrogant statement you could ever make in Kenpo - to tell someone what Kenpo isn't. Because to know what Kenpo isn't is saying that you know everything that Kenpo is.

Did you ever ask you father what his personal definition of Kenpo was?
Yes, when I asked him, "what is Kenpo dad?" his reply was, "I wish I'd never called it Kenpo. I wished I'd called it logical, practical thinking because the things I've come up with apply to anybody's art, because the foundation is principles, concepts and theories - that's what Kenpo is." It's a thought process on all action is preceded by thought.

Do you think many Kenpoists get caught up in the pattern or sequence of moves rather than the motion and lesson's contained therein?
You know, I've taught seminars all over the world and I've asked probably a thousand students to show me a right, horizontal, thrust punch. Then I ask them to show an opposite of a right horizontal, thrust punch. Most execute a left, horizontal, thrust punch. It's amazing that 99% of the time students only play off one of the words spoken - and most of the time it is the senior ranks. Occasionally someone breaks the pattern and every, single time it's a white or yellow belt. When they execute a left, front snap ball kick and I go yes they get it.  If you want to be like Ed. Parker, you've got to learn to think like Ed. Parker.

You learned a lot from your father about the philosophy behind the actions not just the physical aspects of the art. What's the significance of that?
My father taught me how to think. For example, what is the opposite of what we currently do in Kenpo? What do we call Kenpo the way we do techniques? Most will say things like maximum destruction. This is in case our lives are threatened we bust out the good stuff right? What happens when drunk uncle Bob tries to kiss us and all we know is Leap of Death?

You're talking about other alternatives then?
I give this analogy because often when I start talking about passive alternatives the reaction is "oh hell no; no way, it's my life or their life." Yeah, okay Rambo calm down not everything in life is a cut and dry, life or death situation
There a times when I have to use the drunk uncle Bob scenario so people understand why you don't always have to do Leap of Death or Five Swords or whatever. In your reservoir of knowledge what happens when you do a technique in the street in auto-mode - and the guy's left in a bloody pulp?

Most guys wouldn't know how to explore that.
That's right. I've done that though and I've had the situation where I've gone I should've chosen plan "B" , a case where I was way more skilled and I had to prove that how? - by leaving something ugly in my memory bank for the rest of my life, simply because I didn't choose plan "B" This plan "B" comes from understanding the concepts of opposite and reverse.

So you've chosen to explore passive rather than aggressive alternatives?
Yes, I would much rather have someone feel stupid for their actions than angry at my reactions. However I've also looked at the opposite of choreography which is spontaneous - from a thought process.
 
That's quite different from the way many Kenpo people move.
You know the thing that makes me laugh most is that when I saw my dad teach, his students were so different to the way he taught. I have video of this. He'd swing his arm like it was a dead chunk of meat - pop - he was so loose yet his students were so stiff and hard. The illusion is that there is strength in tension. My father understood tension and how to be like water, to be fluid. You can annihilate people with softness.

Just like it's not a good business plan to only offer one choice, the same goes for Kenpo?
Absolutely, in a confrontational situation not everything has to be blood, guts and death. Sometimes, it's nice to have a passive alternative and it doesn't mean that at any given point you can't switch.

Do you think then it's the concept of self defense that needs to be modified and not the art of Kenpo?
There is only 2 ways I think about art. I refuse to use the words right or wrong in Kenpo. My suggestion to all Kenpoists is to take those two ugly words out of your training vocabulary. Instead use effective or ineffective. Once you become effective your journey in Kenpo becomes efficiency. We spend too much time analyzing why it's wrong versus exploring all the ways we can make it right. If I tell you you're ineffective you'll automatically think well, I better find a way to become effective. This is what I am into and this is why I'm looking forward to my first trip to Australia and walking on the same ground as my father did all those years ago

We're all looking forward to your visit and hope that it will be a memorable and rewarding time.
It's my privilege to be a guest of the KKA. I'll see you all in September.