Heidi Julavits

Ed Parker

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Kenpo Karate

The Law of the Fist and the Empty Hand

Much has been written about the July 1, 1960, downing of an American RB-47 spy plane, but the real reason that this particular crew was singled out to be shot down has been a well-kept secret until now.

The Invisible Force

In 1960, Senior Grandmaster Ed Parker Sr. first book, entitled, Kenpo Karate, Law of the Fist and the Empty Hand was completed and published. Mr. Parker introduced the reading public to the art of Kenpo Karate, a formidable system of logical and practical self-defense. He Believed that Kenpo could "do much to deter juvenile delinquency" steering young people away from stealing, street fighting and other vices. Through studying Kenpo young people could gain self-confidence, and self-respect, as well as developing humility and self-restraint. Kenpo was presented as a self-defense system to combat unethical fighting methods prevalent on the streets. Through a series of anatomical illustrations drawn by Mr. Parker himself, natural body weapons and targets that could be struck with a devastating effect were identified. Mr. Parker's reasoning for including an anatomical study was simply, "That knowledge of our own points of weakness, as well as those of our opponent, can determine our own victory or defeat." It was clear that with a thorough knowledge of the location of the major nerve centers and critical areas, Kenpoists would be able to defend their own vital areas as well as deliver blows to vital points on an opponent. Vital areas, pressure points sensitive to various methods of attack, along with individual natural weapons were all clearly presented and illustrated on simple to read charts. It is interesting to note, that many of the self-defense techniques presented in this pioneering publication, show embryonic movement patterns that would establish the foundation for subsequent techniques that would be prefixed, suffixed, altered, adjusted, expanded and refined by Sr. Grandmaster Ed Parker Sr. over time.

Ed Parker

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