Mr. Parker began his martial arts under the instruction of Professor William K.S. Chow while living in his native land of Hawaii. In addition, through exchanges and interactions with other martial artists such as Bruce Lee, Dan Inosanto, James Lee and Professor Lau Bein, Mr. Parker was able to experiment and formulate his ideas that would later become "American Kenpo".

Mr. Parker was the President and founder of the International Kenpo Karate Association (I.K.K.A.). He was also the creator of the now famous International Karate Championships (IKC's) where Bruce Lee made his historic first public appearance. Mr. Parker was also considered the "Father of American Karate" as he opened the first commercial karate studio in the U.S. in Pasadena California in 1956.

The original developer of the art of American Kenpo Karate, Mr. Parker was a very talented, gifted and skilled with an unbelievable mind to develop what became American Kenpo. Through 40 years of experience, he built his system on principles of motion that included "Opposite and Reverse Motion", "Tailoring", "Focus" and the use of Logic. He developed many tools to aid his teaching with the creation of the "Universal Pattern", the "Equation Formula", training manuals, books and video tapes.

Mr. Parker was dedicated and was driven to create, as well as evolve, the art he called American Kenpo. He dedicated his life to the perpetuation of Kenpo. Kenpo was one of his greatest loves and he wanted to make Kenpo become a household name. He built his system to incorporate linear and circular motion, with intermittent spurts of speed and power when and where necessary, with both major and minor moves. His idea was for the student to learn motion and then tailor it to fit their body and later create their own personal style of moving, governed by principles. His extraordinary knowledge and skill of the art made him a very deadly man, yet these same skills empowered him to be a man of compassion, forgiveness, control, and self discipline.

Inside Kung-Fu July 1977

He was the first major commercial karate school owner, the first major promoter, the originator and also head of one the largest karate organizations in the world. And he, probably more than any one individual in the industry, had the most to do with every so-called "boom" period the arts have enjoyed over the years.

Black Belt November 1985

Ed Parker is often credited with opening the first commercial karate school in the continental U.S. in the 1950s, and his International Kenpo Karate Association is one of the most successful martial arts organizations worldwide. There’s a lot more we could tell you about America’s foremost karate pioneer, but we think Parker, in his own colorful manner, says it best. So read on.