Although every country in the world has an native fighting system, there is technically no such thing as a pure traditional martial art. To say that kung fu is a Chinese system would be both correct and incorrect. In actuality kung fu styles are Chinese systems that have been somewhat influenced by fighting systems from India and Tibet. Just as Japanese karate styles have roots in Okinawan karate, Okinawan karate was in turn influenced by Chinese kung fu systems.
Of course there may be some martial arts that have not been effected by any outside influences, but they are few and far between. In the beginning the martial arts were a means of survival. If someone else had techniques or training methods that could improve your fighting skills you were foolish to not incorporate them into your own system. This incorporation of techniques was greatly aided by trade and travel between foreign countries. As man's ability to travel to more remote areas increased, so did the knowledge he brought back from his journeys. Nowhere else in the world do so many diverse cultures peacefully co-exist, except in America. Because of this blending of cultures Americans are exposed to hundreds of fighting systems from various countries. This availability of so many martial art systems combined with American ingenuity and innovation has led to the development of systems that can now be considered American martial arts. In this article Inside Kung Fu Present's examines four of the many systems now commonly referred to as American Karate.
Kajukenbo
Kajukenbo is the consummate example of American ingenuity. It is America's first karate system, having been founded in 1949 in the U.S. Territory of Hawaii.
Kajukenbo's inception came about in 1947 when five Hawaiian martial arts masters calling themselves the "Black Belt Society" started on a project to develop a complete self defense system. These five men of vision were Peter Choo, the Hawaii welterweight boxing champion, and a Tang Soo Do black belt. Frank Ordonez, a Sekeino Jujitsu black belt. Joe Holck, a Kodokan Judo black belt. Clarence Chang, a master of Sil-lum Pai kung fu. And Adriano D. Emperado, a Chinese Kenpo black belt, and Escrima master.
Together these men trained for several hours each day, taking advantage of each others strengths and weaknesses to develop their new art. When Joe Holck and Peter Choo would spar Holck could see his weaknesses in striking techniques, and Choo would realize his vulnerability once he was on the ground. Emperado was able to show Choo how a kenpo man could work inside a kicker with quickly executed hand strikes. Chang showed the others how the circular, flowing techniques of Sil-lum Pai were used to evade and strike. And Frank Ordonez showed everyone how to go with an attackers force and then re-direct it on him with painful locks and throws.
After it was decided that kenpo would be the base to build on, it was a long three year process incorporating the tang soo do kicks, jujitsu joint locks, judo throws and ground fighting, and sil-lum pai circular techniques into a complete system. Now all the system needed was a name. Joe Holck suggested that the name should be "Kajukenbo", ka for karate, ju for judo and jujitsu, ken for kenpo, and bo for chinese boxing (kung fu).
Like most karate systems kajukenbo has katas or forms. These 14 katas are known as "Palama Sets" 1 through 14. Although kajukenbo takes many of it's self defense techniques from it's katas it's strength lies in it's self defense techniques.
These self defense techniques are arranged and categorized into 15 grab arts, 21 punch counters, 15 knife counters, 13 club counters, 9 two and three man attack counters, and 26 advanced alphabet techniques.
By combining techniques from the five arts, the kajukenbo stylist can defend himself in many ways. He can use soft circular kung fu techniques to evade and strike. Or he can use judo or jujitsu to throw an attacker to the ground. In most kajukenbo counter attacks these techniques are combined. For example, if the attacker punches, the kajukenbo stylist may step into the attack at a 45 degree angle while blocking with a soft palm block. He would then counter attack with several rapid fire kenpo hand strikes followed by a judo foot sweep. Once on the ground the attacker could be struck again or controlled with a jujitsu lock. Combination techniques flow naturally in that each technique will set up the next by following the reaction of the attacker's body.
Although some martial artists describe this as overkill, kajukenbo stylist feel that a attacker may not be stopped by one strongly focused blow. Therefore the theory behind kajukenbo is that it is better to counter with multiple techniques that can be ended when the threat no longer exists, than to rely on one technique and find that it is not enough.
Today over 100,000 people practice kajukenbo in 14 countries.
American Kenpo Karate
After becoming adept at the art of kenpo karate as taught to him by the legendary William K.S. Chow, Ed Parker looked at kenpo the way most American's view any subject. First he asked questions such as; what are the physical principles behind the techniques? He wondered how he could make them more effective? How he could make the system suitable for more people?
Throughout his career in the martial arts Ed Parker asked himself these questions and hundreds more. Being highly educated and having an inquisitive mind, Parker spent his life evaluating all the techniques that he had learned. He then started analyzing techniques other systems had. If you were ever fortunate enough to spend time with Ed Parker you were instantly impressed with his knowledge of just about every known fighting system. He could give you detailed accounts of the principles behind their techniques and methods of fighting. He used this vast knowledge to formulate the American Kenpo system he was creating.
Parker used various methods to develop and test techniques. He often said that one of his favorite methods of analysis was to watch slow motion films of his workouts. It was totally by accident that one day he started to watch these films in reverse. The first time he did this he was amazed at what was revealed by watching the techniques in reverse. These observations greatly aided Parker in his quest to understand and improve his techniques. Ed Parker's American kenpo is a modern eclectic martial art. It doe's not contain any flashy katas or weapons forms. It is a street self defense system designed to meet the self defense needs of a modern day society.
Parker systemized and categorized all his basic kenpo techniques into a logical order of progress for step by step instruction. Consequently, he conceived one of the most in-depth and sophisticated training manuals for instructors to date. In it is a clear, precise and thorough understanding of what kenpo entails, with every move within this system methodically and scientifically thought out.
American kenpo basics fall into 8 categories : stances, blocks, parries, punches, strikes, finger techniques, kicks, and foot maneuvers. The system is further divided into 3 major divisions with relative subdivisions: basics (including forms); self defense (divided into methods of attack and methods of training for an attack, both of which are further subdivided); and freestyle (tournament and street, with the former subdivided into light contact and full contact).
Parker's system like most systems contains forms. But if you were to observe a Parker style form you would see no similarity to traditional forms. In fact you may even question what is going on in the form. One thing that is evident in Parker's forms is that kenpo is a hand system. A multitude of hand strikes are utilized while kicks are kept low and used sparingly. The feet are also used in a number of stomping, scraping, and sweeping movements. Another thing that is obvious is the use of almost every type of open and closed hand strike.
Because of inexperience or ignorance on the part of some observers, Parker's system has often been referred to as a slap art. In reality what these observers are seeing is a variety of open hand checks. These checks are used to block or parry, to trap or pin, and to position or brace. When used in a form the check becomes a slap to indicate the location of the checking technique.
When self defense techniques are taught they are built upon as the student progresses in his training. Parker described his techniques as letters or "alphabets of motion". Combinations of techniques become "words of motion" and the combination of words become "sentences of motion". Ideally the kenpo practitioner eventually develops a unending "vocabulary of motion" to draw from. These combined techniques are fashioned so as to follow each other in anticipation of the way the attacker would react to each one. Unlike traditional systems that concentrate on the use of one strongly focussed blow, kenpo utilizes a multitude of strikes, kicks and sweeps.
Since 1956, Ed Parker's American Kenpo has become a widely practiced system with thousands of practitioners in several countries.
Red Dragon Karate
The force behind the creation of red dragon karate is an ex-marine, ex-policeman named Louis Casamassa. Casamassa started his martial arts training in 1957 while stationed in Japan. There he was fortunate enough to acquire his black belt in judo at the famed Kodokan. While stationed in Japan, Casamassa took full advantage of the many martial arts around him, adding expertise in shotokan and other Asian fighting systems. Casamassa's karate reputation soon became such that he was appointed to coach the Marine Corps karate team.
Once back in his native Pennsylvania, Casamassa approached karate the way American's approach most endeavors. He started to put together a system that combined what he felt were the best techniques from many of the martial arts that he had studied. His red dragon system included techniques from such styles as shotokan, kenpo, judo, jujitsu, kuntao, paqua, and shorin ryu.
These techniques are arranged into over 100 hand and weapon katas, and numerous self defense combinations. Because of the competitive spirit of Americans, sport karate is an important part of the Red Dragon system.
Red Dragon karate is a system that is constantly evolving. Casamassa knew that to build a quality system he would need input from quality instructors. He sought out instruction and input from such notable instructors as Tadashi Yamashita, David German, Guy Savelli, and Steve Fisher.
One aspect that was important to Casamassa was strong business practices. He felt that his instructors should be professionals, and as such deserved to make a good living from their schools. If they did they would not have to work another job and teach part time. This way they could devote more time to their training and their students. To help educate himself on the business of running profitable schools, Casamassa started a long term relationship with Al Tracy. Being part of the Tracy system in the 60s and 70s helped Casamassa learn how to expand his operation and be successful when other schools were going out of business.
Red Dragon karate is now practiced by over 8,000 practitioners in 6 states. And Casamassa's American Karate Kung Fu Federation has over 15,000 members internationally.
Traditional American Karate
Traditional American Karate (T.A.K.) is a system that was developed in California in 1982 thru the joint efforts of Floyd Burk, Bob Pavelsky, Dan Ramirez, Jim Scheuer, and Milio Salgado. Together these men combined their expertise in the arts of Shorin Ryu karate, Shotokan karate, and kung fu to develop a system that was they first named the All American System of Karate.
Through the years the founders formulated the system incorporating techniques from several styles, that they felt would enhance the effectiveness of their system. By 1987, Floyd Burk was the only remaining active founder. He renamed the system Traditional American Karate. The new name signified the traditional concept of Japanese and Okinawan karate-do, combined with the American concept of an eclectic blend of techniques from various martial arts. Also used was the term karate, which has become generic for many self defense systems with Asian roots.
In addition to shorin ryu, shotokan, and kung fu, T.A.K. incorporates techniques from judo, ju-jitsu, aikido, kenpo, and kick boxing. T.A.K. is like most traditional systems in that students practice basics, sparring and kata. The aspect that makes it American is it's concept of accepting any technique that is useful. Included in the system are 11 empty hand katas and 13 weapons katas.
Although T.A.K. is not as widely practiced as kajukenbo or American kenpo it has a strong following in Southern California with over 1000 practitioners.
In Conclusion
American's have always examined things to see if they could improve it, or make it better fit the needs of Americans. Even something as traditionally Asian as karate has not been exempt from this American eclecticism. The four American systems discussed in this article are only a sample of Americanized karate. Techniques such as front snap kicks and reverse punches can't be reinvented, but the way they are organized into self defense combinations and the philosophy that accompanies their teachings can sometimes be adapted to better fit the American people. This may sound sacrilegious, until one realizes that Gichen Funakoshi modified Okinawan karate-jutsu into karate-do so that it would be more acceptable to the Japanese people.
SIDEBAR
Who was the Father of American Karate?
To some, Ed Parker was The Father of American Karate. To others Robert Trias rightfully deserves the title. When did karate really come to America?
This question is hard to answer for many reasons. First you have to define karate. In it's most correct usage the term karate defines the striking and kicking arts that came from Okinawa and later Japan. Today karate is generically used to describe just about any striking and kicking art. Thus, we have American karate, Korean karate, Chinese karate, etc. The term kenpo was originally used to describe Okinawan or Japanese systems with Chinese roots. Now kenpo is used along with the term karate. Consequently, we have the common term kenpo karate.
Next we have to define what is America. Today we all know what constitutes the United States of America, but Hawaii's major role in America's martial arts came long before it's statehood in 1959.
So, when did karate really come to America? Historians point out that the Chinese gold rush workers of the 1840s practiced martial arts amongst themselves. These Chinese laborers practiced kung fu, as did the Chinese laborers in territorial Hawaii. Unfortunately this knowledge was kept in the Chinese communities until the 1960s when men such as Ark Yuey Wong and Bruce Lee started teaching non-Chinese.
Because of it's large Asian population, Hawaii has always been a center of martial arts training. It's evident that karate was practiced in the Okinawan communities as early as 1903, but the first public karate school was not opened until 1933. This school known as the Hawaii Karate Seinin Kai (Hawaii Young People's Karate Club) was instructed by Thomas Miyashiro, and is considered the first known caucasian group in the western world to study karate. Miyashiro had been a student of the famed Okinawan shorin ryu master Kentsu Yabu.
Who founded the first karate school on mainland America was in question until the 1970s when Inside Kung Fu Present's editor John Corcoran researched the subject for his book The Original Martial Arts Encyclopedia. What he found were records and testimonials from the city of Phoenix, Arizona, documenting a shorei ryu karate school being started in 1946 by Robert Trias. In that Hawaii was not a state in 1946 this would make Trias's dojo the first karate school in America. This fact would also entitle Trias to claim the title, Father of American Karate.
Ed Parker's followers also proclaim him to be the Father of American Karate. This statement is also true. Parker started teaching kenpo karate in Provo, Utah in 1954. This system of kenpo was a combination system of Chinese kenpo and Japanese jujitsu made popular in Hawaii in the 40s and 50s. Parker further innovated the system until it became known as American Kenpo Karate. This gives Parker the right to be recognized as the Father of the first mainland American System of Karate.
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