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American Kenpo Research Council

Welcome to the American Kenpo Research Council (AKRC).

When Ed Parker was alive, he continually shaped and refined Kenpo into the most effective fighting art the modern world has known. With his passing however, the Kenpo community has lost the guiding center which gave Kenpo its direction toward further refinement. In the wake of Ed Parker’s passing, many individuals quickly sought to grab rank and power. In like manner, the passing of other Kenpo Grandmasters has also left fragmentation with the Kenpo community. Some of these same self-serving individuals have made subtle, and not so subtle, changes to the system and its requirements for the sole purpose of distinguishing themselves from others and to better enable them to manipulate their own rank and power. To the dismay of the Kenpo Artists, this fragmentation has confused many practitioners and has slowed the development of Kenpo. As a result, Kenpo has become the most effective and most fragmented martial art system available.

While we do recognize that some of these individuals have made meaningful and significant developments in the Art, we feel that a better understanding and even greater developments will be made if we, as the Kenpo community, work together. By doing so, we can draw upon the knowledge, experience, and talents of others. We can pool our resources together and make more significant changes in a shorter amount of time. This is the impetus for the formation of the AKRC.

The AKRC is open to all individuals of Kenpo, regardless of rank, affiliation or type (era) of Kenpo studied. We feel that to properly understand Kenpo, one must be able to view it in its entirety and understand all aspects and versions of Kenpo.

To ensure accuracy, quality, and consistency of information, the AKRC is lead by a Masters Council of Kenpo black belts of 4th Degree or higher. Their mission is to ensure that the information which will ultimately be passed to the Kenpo community via the World Wide Web is factual, free from biased opinion, and is beneficial to the Art of Kenpo and its practitioners. Furthermore, it will ensure that the Past Grandmaster’s vision of the continued refinements of Kenpo are followed in a consistent manner. The AKRC General Council is a research and support section to assist the AKRC Masters Council in accomplishing the tasks set forth by the AKRC.

Duties of Master Council members include:
1. Being liaisons to individuals and groups and gathering information from these and other sources.
2. Heading research groups comprised of individuals from the Masters Council and the General Council.
3. Reviewing and approving of research and information before its dissemination amongst the members.
4. Ensuring consistency, unity and proficiency in the Art of Kenpo through research and educational materials.

Tasks of the AKRC

1. To create a community where practitioners may obtain information to assist them in better understanding the history of the Art, its development, and its refinement.
2. To provide accurate information regarding the requirements, theory, methodology and proper execution of Ed Parker’s American Kenpo.
3. To create a community of individuals who wish to properly study, analyze and further develop the Art in a non-biased, non-political setting.

The AKRC encompasses the past, present and future of Kenpo

THE PAST
To better understand the present, we must have a thorough understanding of the past. By studying and analyzing the early versions of the evolution of Kenpo, we will be able to:

1. Preserve this information for future generations of Kenpo practitioners.
2. Provide an accurate picture of the changes of Kenpo through its development to reveal the logic behind changes that were made.
3. Provide a true and accurate history of American Kenpo through verifiable sources and historically accurate information.
4. Provide a repository of information that all individuals may use for their own research into the art of Kenpo in an on-line library format.

THE PRESENT
To oversee the quality and consistency of American Kenpo, the AKRC will establish the standardization of material required for advancement based upon criteria set forth by Ed Parker. This will enable instructors and organizations to promote individuals along consistent and fair means. Likewise, General Masters Council Members from other Kenpo systems organizations will set forth the standardization methods for their respective associations.

THE FUTURE
In addition to active participation, the AKRC will provide individual researchers and research groups with information, source materials, and communication designed to continue the advancement of our Art. The AKRC will also determine through a means of verifiable testing procedures if these new developments meet the requirements to be included in the standardized required Kenpo material needed for advancement.

Many past Grandmasters built the road and pointed us in the direction in which we must go. It is our mission to journey along this road together toward our continued development as martial artists in Kenpo.

“As I dissected motion, I reaffirmed my belief that logic was the key ingredient influencing consistent and organized methods of study. Through structuring my work like medical and other scientific disciplines, I achieved greater clarity, and the ability to continually modify and update my newly discovered concepts, theories, and principles.”
--Ed Parker, Encyclopedia of Kenpo

“Logic must still be used when investigating freedom so that one can determine his boundaries of limitation.”
--Ed Parker, Zen of Kenpo