Advice & Reading

For those who are not currently studying a Martial Art...or simply want to add experience to their knowledge. Below is an excerpt from a rather lengthy article. The questions raised are honest and should be answered by anyone looking to pursue Martial Arts training...

HOW TO CHOOSE A MARTIAL ART...

Set a budget.

Some arts require a significant investment in equipment. For example, Kendo armor can run up to $1,000 for a high end set, while Karate requires only a cotton (or canvas) uniform. How much do classes/training cost? There's no point in getting interested in something you ultimately can't afford to do.

Determine your ultimate objective.

(a) Health & fitness with fighting experience as a lesser benefit.
(b) Fighting skill as the primary concern with a nice side dish of discipline and health & fitness.
(c) Being part of a heritage and cultural tradition stretching back hundreds or thousands (depending on the art) of years.
(d) Winning trophies in sporting events.

Decide on a martial arts style.

You might choose a style such as Muay Thai (Thailand) or Western Boxing, Tae Kwon Do or Hapkido (Korea), or a more traditional art, such as Aikido (Japan) or one of the many Kung Fu styles (China), or Jiu Jitsu (Brazil/ Japan). Though American Kenpo is, strictly speaking, an American Martial Art, its roots are truly multi-cultural and draws it's roots from Traditional Japanese Kempo and, ultimately, Chinese Kung Fu.

Do you want to compete one-on-one in the ring with opponents who use the same style as you, or study the traditions of a particular culture's martial art, or learn to defend yourself against real-life attackers on the street?

The training methods are vastly different, and most martial arts schools focus on one aspect. Any school that purports to make you the king of the ring plus a fully effective battleground warrior plus healthy and fit plus part of a cultural heritage is heading for "Jack of all trades and master of none" territory. American Kenpo was designed specifically for self-defense for those would-be attackers on the street. Though, many people have taken the principles and movements within Kenpo and successfully applied them to point-sparring and ring-fighting.

Recognize your physical limitations.

If you are older or not very acrobatic, Wushu (China) probably isn't for you, but Tai Chi (China) might suit you nicely. Furthermore, recognize that striking martial arts like Karate or TaeKwonDo may or may not be well-suited for smaller physiques. The grappling styles of Judo, Aikido, or Jiu-Jutsu, while being close-combat styled martial arts, emphasize technique and leverage and therefore become more readily useful as you progress. Likewise the combative Chinese styles, and American Kenpo as well, are all about technique and are less dependent on your being a particular height or weight to succeed. American Kenpo depends primarily on the practitioners correct application of body and bio-mechanical principles which can be successfully applied by everyone, with practice.

Consider your cultural interests.

If you have a respect for, or interest in, a certain culture, learning more through one of their martial arts can be a great experience. If that is part of your goal, choose a school taught by a native of that culture, or someone who trained directly under someone of that culture. American Kenpo is one of only a handful of Arts developed in the United States. Though it draws it roots from Japan and China, the art as it currently exists bears little resemblance to it's Asian ancestors.

Consider the effectiveness of the martial art as well.

 For example, a modern martial art such as Krav Maga (Israeli), or classes led by experienced soldiers or police officers will place a greater emphasis on the "martial" (fighting) aspect rather than the "art." Although American Kenpo is an Art, the primary focus, as stated earlier, is self-defense. This is not to say that traditional Asian arts are less important, it simply may take longer to learn basic self defense this way as many Eastern arts are about developing much more than just basic self-defense skills. If you are willing to spend the time to fully train in many different styles you will ultimately learn to defend yourself much better than if you train at a mixed martial art school. But if your sole concern is fighting ability and defending yourself 'on the street', the physical and mental effort required to develop those skills have to be weighed against the effort required to purchase a can of Mace or become proficient with a small, legally obtained, manageable weapon.

Decide when to join.

Almost all schools will accept a polite observer before joining a class, if you wish. Although for some it is better to just jump straight in there. Choose what works best for you.

Decide whether or not the teaching style suits your personality.

 If you are looking to learn practical martial arts, does the class encourage or allow beginners to interact with the higher level students/instructors? Take note of the students and the way they interact with each other and the instructor. Do those students and instructors appear to be safe, helpful and/or friendly? Are questions answered and/or encouraged?...or is the philosophy to simply shut up and do it the way the instructor says because it's been done this way for thousands of years? Do the students appear to be having any fun while training? A good instructor will encourage questions and always provide answers and an atmosphere that is safe and conducive to learning. Most martial arts encourage the complete training of mind, body and spirit, and seeking answers to questions is a journey that students should be encouraged to make.

Check the teacher's qualifications.

Don't worry so much about degrees and certificates; there are no universal grading standards and no universally-recognized governing body in martial arts.

What's important is:
Who did this person learn from?
How long did he or she study with this person?
How long has he/she practiced this art?
Does the teacher have any experience as a teacher, or is he or she simply a skilled martial artist? Just like great football players can make bad coaches (and vice versa), great martial artists are not necessarily great teachers.

Do you have the time?

Set aside a significant amount of time each week to dedicate to your training. Most arts have exercises or forms you can practice at home to keep it all fresh in your mind; if you only practice at class, your progress will probably be stunted.

The Gift of Fear (and Other Survival Signals that Protect Us From Violence) by Gavin de Becker

Meditations on Violence: A Comparison of Martial Arts Training & Real World Violence by Rory Miller

Ed Parker's Infinite Insights Into Kenpo by Ed Parker
Book 1: Mental Stimulation
Book 2: Physical Analyzation I
Book 3: Physical Analyzation II
Book 4: Mental & Physical Constituents
Book 5: Mental & Physical Applications

The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff

Deadly Karate Blows (The Medical Implications) by Brian Adams

The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi

The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

Protecting the Gift by Gavin de Becker

Fearless by Eric Blehm

Can't Hurt Me by David Goggins

Arete by Brian Johnson

...more recommendations coming...

I always thought I knew how to throw a punch. It’s simple, I told myself.

But I was wrong.

Several years ago, I joined a martial-arts school with two friends. We walked in like curious kindergartners, listening to our teacher with a peculiar mix of apprehension and excitement. We trained hard into the cold winter evenings, repeating countless blocks until our muscles ached and dark bruises snaked across our forearms. Amidst the repetition, we gradually uncovered our own vulnerabilities and strengths.

I vividly remember my third class when another student barrelled toward me with raised fists. I can still feel my heart pounding in my chest and my eyes madly scanning for an exit. Any exit. I think back to my ruthless bully – Henry, I think – when I was seven years old. In that moment, my mind screams at me to run and be afraid. Because, make no mistake, I am afraid.

The student is now less than two steps from me and I’m still frantically thinking about what I’m supposed to do. Do I move forward? How should I be standing? What if I just flail my arms clumsily to distract him from my equally clumsy kick? As his right fist shoots forward, something happens. I suddenly stop overthinking and everything slows down. The fear is still there. It does not disappear. But I hold onto that shred of serenity and my hands somehow dart out to meet his oncoming punches. I have since struggled with this inherent contradiction in martial arts. A contradiction nestled between an ostensibly violent exterior and the need for a peaceful mindset.

Indeed, the purpose of martial arts is widely misunderstood, twisted by Hollywood and fuelled by misguided stereotypes. Martial arts is not merely about fighting; its purpose is profoundly philosophical and personal.

Martial-arts training, then, is like rereading a favourite book. One can appreciate unseen details in the second reading or the hundredth reading. One just needs to be willing to open that book with an eye on the journey and not the endpoint. And the journey is neither easy nor direct. It is equal parts perseverance, curiosity and humility. It is about constantly balancing – not suppressing – instinct, emotion and reason.

I didn’t always think like that though. I downright resisted it. I was younger and more rigid then; I wanted to somehow “master” my martial art. I trained up to four days a week and, in turn, I dislocated my shoulder and injured my knee. I pushed myself hard – but with an eye on the wrong goal.

No matter how hard one trains, there will always be someone better. In fact, I have never felt as humbled as the afternoon I was (easily) taken down by an elderly martial artist. Ego slightly bruised, I learned a lot about myself that day.

Perceptions of winning and losing can be distracting. Comparisons can be self-destructive. And illusions of knowledge can be the most dangerous of all. So, perhaps Socrates was right – perhaps knowing you know nothing is the key to self-cultivation and mindfulness.

Imagine trying to maintain that mindfulness after taking two hits to the ribs in a sparring match.

Imagine looking at your sparring partner not as a hostile opponent but as a respected peer. Imagine stripping away your daily stress to focus on the present, to focus on mindfulness and balance.

For me, that balance is central to both martial arts and everyday life. It brings a sense of appreciation to those Monday morning meetings and urgent deadlines. In all likelihood, I may never fully achieve that balance – and that’s okay – because striving for balance opens the door for less obvious training. Things such as tenacity, personal awareness and adaptability cannot be taught. These can only be fostered through training – and, more importantly, failure.

When I fail to disarm an attacker with a knife in training, it sparks personal questions such as, “How can I better control my attacker’s wrist without committing my hands?” Similarly, failing to land a kick does not lessen its value as a kick; failure adds to my understanding of the kick, its applications and myself. I’ll likely never need to fight in my daily life, but that doesn’t diminish the value of any lesson. Those lessons have introduced a more focused, balanced and peaceful mindset to my life.

Ultimately, I would not be on this journey without the guidance of my teacher. There is more to martial arts than physical techniques and I am indebted to the many layers of his teachings. I also appreciate my martial-arts peers for their support and willingness to explore the very purpose of our training.

Because training to punch is more than just training a punch. It represents an intensely personal journey. A journey that frees us from the fallacies and fears that too often characterize everyday life and the modern human condition. A journey that illuminates the value of a peaceful mindset in everyday life.

So, after years of training, I have to admit I still don’t know how to throw a punch.

But then again, that was never really the point.

Far too many people who are training in the martial arts program, including police, military and security personnel by-the-way, take for granted that all they have to do is learn a few tricks and that's it. When, according to the reality and nature of self-defense, no technique that you've learned in a martial arts or self-defense class is perfect in-and-of-itself for the unique situation and circumstances that you will find yourself in when you need it.

And...that's okay.

What's important to learn is this...These techniques that everyone hold up as the "holy symbols of their style" were just passed down from past-generation masters as "examples" (or best practice)anyway!

After you've been training for a significant while with a focus on being able to handle a real-world self-defense situation, rather than merely memorizing a preset string of moves for your next belt, what you'll find is that in your attempt to defend yourself in a given situation and against a unique assailant with his own 'favorite' techniques and attack-methods, you will actually be stringing several basic moves together in a moment-to-moment, domino-like, spontaneous flow.

The trick is to know your "vocabulary" and techniques so well that you can do this in what appears to be an effortless flow from one skill to the next.

So, if you really want to be able to use what you've learned in a real-world self-defense situation then you must be able to give up your attachment to "perfect techniques" and learn to string movement together, any movement, at any time.

Remember: The only people who believe that any given technique is "perfect" or "unbeatable," has either not been around long enough, or has deluded themselves into believing that training in class, or competing in a tournament, is somehow equivalent to the all-out, adrenalin-triggering, overwhelming feeling that makes your heart and lungs explode in your chest during the "real thing."

Everybody says they know that action movies are fake, but they're lying. For proof, just get a couple of drunk males in a confrontation and you'll quickly realize they did in fact think Hollywood fight scenes were grim depictions of reality. They'll throw haymakers and roundhouse kicks with images of Jean-Claude Van Damme spin-punching a guy through a plate glass window dancing in their heads.

Thirty seconds later, they're laying on the floor, gasping and hissing in pain while rubbing some body part, perhaps while crying. This is when they realize the difference between choreographed movie fighting and real fighting. Because in the real world, it turns out ...

#6. Your Fists Are Fragile Flowers

A punch should be the easiest thing in the world. Just make a vaguely ball-like shape with your hand and let the beatings commence. Hell, babies do it on accident.

In the movies, everyone from lab scientists to sassy sidekicks throw punches all the time, with no ill effects to anyone but the recipient, who tends to be knocked out without a hitch. The worst case scenario is that the punch has no effect and the opponent will simply be amused, like that giant Nazi Indiana Jones couldn't hurt without a plane propeller. Right?

Of course it's not right. Is it ever "right" when we ask like that?

Here's the problem -- the hand is a pretty delicate thing. A fight-worthy fist is a lot more than just a bunched-up hand -- developing your curled fingers into a punching tool takes years of training. Even real boxers get it wrong often enough that the most common injury caused by punching failure is known as boxer's fracture.

So, what's the worst that could happen if we get it wrong? Well ... everything, really. There are at least as many ways to break your own fist with your opponent's body as the other way around. Say you align your fingers ever so slightly wrong. Too bad, they are now broken. Hit the target with the wrong knuckle? Enjoy the dislocation of said knuckle. Get the angle wrong? Congratulations, you now have a broken wrist.

OK, you think, you'll just have to get it right in one shot. You're not going to go 15 rounds with the drunk in the bar, after all. You're just going to punch him right in the face and knock his ass out with one blow. Well, the problem is...

#5. Punching a Guy in the Head Is a Terrible Idea

Socking a dude right in the jaw tends to be our default response to a physical threat once the "fight" side of the fight-or-flight response takes over. And a lifetime of movies has taught us that a hard smack in the jaw can end a fight in seconds. Hell, we've seen the same thing in boxing and MMA matches, right?

Yep. Rare, perfect blows ... out of hundreds thrown. And those guys are professional fighters.

For the average Joe like you, attempting the classic knockout blow to the head is distilled stupidity. Think about it: The head is a small, moving target -- and therefore pretty much the dumbest place you can attack. And missing your punch is what happens if you're lucky.

As the head is basically the hardest part of the human body, a connecting blow actually means you stand a better chance of breaking a hand (yours) than breaking a face (your opponent's). Aside from all the "your fists are as fragile as toothpicks" stuff we just finished talking about, remember that the human skull isn't just hard, it's also sharp. Angle your punch wrong, and you might drive your hand directly into the teeth. This is called a fight bite, and it can cause serious damage -- first with a nasty gash in your hand, and then with an even nastier infection. Why? Because the human mouth is disgusting.

How nasty is it in there? You'll be unhappy you asked! Human saliva contains as many as 100 million organisms per mL, composed of nearly 200 different species. Species! In your mouth! And now you have those swarming into the open cut in your dainty, womanly fist.

Hey, that's why you just want to kick the dude, right? Well, the problem there is ...

#4. Kicks Are Useless...

We accept that this point is a lot harder to believe. After all, a kick is bound to pack a lot more power than a punch, if only because the leg is so much bigger and stronger than the arm. Also, the foot tends to be encased in a shoe in a real-life fighting situation (unless you're being beaten and robbed specifically for your new Jordans), so the fragility factor shouldn't really apply here. Surely, your legs are an ultimate weapon when push really comes to shove. Eat crane kick!

Once again, we have stumbled upon a common misconception, fueled by a gazillion Hollywood action stars and video game protagonists.

Sure enough, a properly delivered high kick or roundhouse can be an instant game changer ... if you're an accomplished martial arts master in a controlled environment, that is. Are you that? Probably not.

While there indeed are bona fide, for realsies kicking experts out there, they are a lot more rare than, say, MMA fighters who prefer to rely on punching and grappling, using kicks mainly as distractions, last resorts and crowd-pleasing flashy moves. The reason for this is simple: Kicks are hard to master and execute properly.

In fact, the effectiveness of anything that could be considered a "high kick" in a real self-defense situation is under debate, even in the martial arts community. If for some reason you're thinking about going out and literally "kicking" some ass, read the previous sentence again slowly. The people who get paid to whomp ass aren't even sure if kicks are worth the effort. If that doesn't give you some pause, you've probably been kicked in the head so many times that another beating won't make much of a difference. So, by all means, kick away.

For the average person with no practical training under their belt, kicks (especially high ones) are slow, cumbersome, easily avoidable things that lack power, take a lot of energy and leave you in an extremely vulnerable position for a counterattack (the recipient of which is usually your groin, because that's what happens when you attempt a move that leaves your groin area open in a real fight).

The only kicks that are considered relatively effective when both people are upright are the fairly low ones to the shins and (of course) groin, which even your average citizen should be able to execute semicorrectly on the second or third try.

In theory, that is. In reality, even lower kicks tend to be laughably easy to avoid, as it turns out that ...

#3. Your Opponent Knows What's Coming

Did you ever play Mike Tyson's Punch-Out? Remember how the game used to help you out by making each fighter do this really obvious animation a second before he threw his punch so you'd know it was time to dodge? In a real fight, that's called telegraphing, and you do it whether you know it or not.

Telegraphing is your body's natural reaction in a fighting situation. In other words, your DNA is literally conspiring against you in a fight. You can't help it, any more than you can help that sharp intake of breath before a sneeze. Before you strike, or do anything, your body automatically goes through a series of giveaway preparatory motions. What exactly these motions are vary on the individual and the attack. Some of them just throw the opponent a tip about what's about to go down, such as cocking your arm back before a punch or shifting your weight before unleashing a kick. Some are actual, Punch-Out level "attack me now, I'm all open!" ticks, such as tensing your shoulders, taking a sudden, noticeable deep breath or even widening your eyes and raising your eyebrows, comic-book-villain style.

The overall effect amounts to the opponent being able to easily avoid or counter your blows, if they are paying attention to the situation at all (and once you start throwing punches, it's a safe bet that they are). Even if they've never been in a fight in their life, it doesn't take Bruce Lee to see that your sudden, aggressive, full-body convulsion is an indication that it's time to dodge. You might as well scream, "I'M PUNCHIN'!"

Thanks to telegraphing, being the aggressor actually puts you at a disadvantage in a fight. Again, it doesn't take a fight expert to know that fortune is going to favor the person who gets to react to a missed punch. Once that Honeymooners style haymaker that you thought was going to end the show misses the mark, you're basically in optimum "punch me in the face" position, even if only for a second. That punch, unfortunately for you and your overly aggressive fight plan, is far more likely to land squarely on your soon to be bloodied face.

By this point you might be a little confused, because by debunking every little technique, we're making it sound like fighting isn't even a thing, like fights don't even occur in the real world. And of course they do, you've seen YouTube videos of them.

But what we're trying to say is ...

#2. It Takes a Very Specific Type of Person to Win Fights ...

There's a whole breed of people who excel (insofar as such a word can be used) in street fights. They're called "criminals."

The reason is that most of fighting is being willing to fight. The good fighters are not necessarily big and strong -- size and strength are in fact far less important in a real fighting situation than we commonly believe.

And they're not martial artists and MMA fighters -- although skilled and technically well-equipped for a fistfight, those guys tend to find it extremely difficult to adapt to an actual fighting situation because they're used to restraining themselves. When you've spent years mentally preventing yourself from axe kicking your annoying neighbor through the drywall he keeps drilling on Sunday morning and have only unleashed your skills in controlled dojo and competition environments with strict rules, it's pretty hard to tap into your primal rage all of a sudden when a real-life self defense situation arises.

We say primal rage because that's what it's about, deep down. Real fighting is a lot less about skill and talent and more about attitude. Ferocity. The will to fight when a rational man wouldn't, the ability to flip on your brain's fight-or-flight instinct and act without hesitation.

See, while even the most inexperienced layman has a primal fight-or-flight response at their disposal, enabling them to "wake the beast" when the situation arises, there is a problem. The fight-or-flight response is such a huge deal in everyday life, triggered by so many trivial aspects of modern culture from traffic to technology and manifesting in so many ways, that we're pretty much unable to use it as the "Hulk-out mode" it is designed to be.

So it takes a certain type of person to circumvent this psychological block in order to unleash their berserk ferocity and win by any means necessary. They are the people "winning" street fights, but also the people who are constantly instigating them. They're the kind of people who actually think fighting is a damned good idea and are therefore losing in all other aspects of life.

#1. ... and You'd Be an A#@ to Want to Be One

Now, there is one way for an inexperienced fighter to release the beast within without actually having other, bigger beasts bash your face in for years first. Sorry, did we say "inexperienced" fighter?

We meant intoxicated. Because that's what it takes. You'd need to get drunk.

But please, please read the rest of this article before filling up on liquid courage and unleashing bare-knuckle hell on your neighborhood bully.

Because most humans aren't full-on sociopaths, alcohol and drugs are pretty much the only way a regular person can override their inhibitions and become an effective fistfighter, whatever that term is worth. It's happening somewhere right now -- guys get wasted, release their inner pit fighter for whatever reason and decide to deal out damage, Fight Club style.

Only in real life, your opponent isn't able to take an Edward Norton-issued barrage of blows, no matter how weak said blows are and no matter how much your face would be messed up afterward. The damage of such fearless, drunken, all-out punches is nothing like the wary bitch slaps you'd throw while in your right mind. And the damage those blows can do is way beyond superficial, especially with inexperienced fighters who don't have the training to block, avoid or absorb a punch. Or, as the case may be, with people who are taken by surprise because they suddenly are taking a punch to the face right in the middle of what they thought was a peaceful Trivia Night at the pub.

And if said drunken fighter does know what he's doing? Watch out. Just search for any story about an

MMA instructor who was charged with murder after a bar fight got out of hand and he just straight up killed someone.

Everything we said about martial arts experts controlling their inner beast means nothing when everybody involved is hammered. At that point, it's not you against a professional fighter; it's you against a fellow drunken imbecile who could remove your spine with his bare hands. And even if the dude tells you he breaks bones for a living, you'll probably be too drunk to be bothered by it. And then one of you dies and the other goes to prison.

Of course, you won't remember any of these warnings when you're in that drunken deathmatch state of mind. So really we're just leaving this here so we can say "We told you so" later on.

Excerpts From the Diary of a "Mad" Kenpo Scientist

"Stripping the System?" By Dr. Chapél

Stripping away at the system by implication, suggests that there exists a standard system from which you can perform this task. Unfortunately the "system" by which most understand it, is non-existent. One person may strip away something, only to discover it was never included in another's understanding. One stripped, and the other didn't, and they both theoretically arrive at the same place.

The system, as most want it to be, does not exist. It is NOT a set of codified movements of forms, sets, and techniques. Nor is it a systemized methodology to convey the aforementioned because a teacher must perform that task, influenced by his own ideas and experiences, gleaned from various points in time from the ever changing ideas of the system itself, and who taught them with the same limitations. 

Because in reality it is only a series of ideas, many of which are open to extreme subjective interpretation, the "system" in Parker Lineage Kenpo-Karate, is different from teacher-to-teacher, and even student-to-student in the same school or organization. The teacher, specifically YOUR teacher IS the system, and that will change over time as the teacher matures, and gains experience and knowledge. Ed Parker's ideas for Kenpo-Karate are a suggested open-ended training methodology, in many ways like JKD. 

For those who seek definitive answers to definitive questions, that may be bad news but the reality is, the system was designed to do just as it does. It allows and encourages teachers and students alike to experiment and explore to the best of their abilities, whatever that might be. It is an open ended idea system that is devoid of hard codification. It is designed for the individual to get as much, or little out of it as they desire without the fear of structural invalidation in the process. (Street application is another review process.)

It allows the casual housewife, child practitioner to exist side-by-side with the hard-core geeks, and lifers. Under any other circumstances this would be considered genius, and in fact, is. But, commerciality raises the specter of incentivizing the process for the purpose of student retention. 

You have a distinct dichotomy of concepts. One method suggests that you "do you own thing" for your own personal reward and purposes, while the other seeks a standard measurement relative to others participating as well, when the only true standard is what your teacher accepts, along with your own acceptance of his standard FOR YOU. 

There isn't even an agreement on what it is. While some see it as strictly self defense, others view is as exercise with a martial component, while still others want to import the "artistic" aspect from other styles with weapons that they can't even carry legally, or morally use, while still yet there is a group that only see it as a tournament competition venue to win trophies, and everybody wants a black belt so they can at least, feel they have accomplished something. 

Examined under the light of the Dance School Business Model it was derived from, it makes perfect sense. Dance is one of the ultimate forms of personal physical expression, and any measure is subjective to the dancer, not those around him. If he is satisfied with his dancing ability, than it doesn't matter. We've all seem them on the floor, and were tempted to call paramedics for what we were sure was some type of seizure. But the big difference is, no one who ever walked into a strip mall dance studio/school full of kids kicking and screaming and old ladies ever felt they were going to become "masters" of anything. They'd settle for adequate, or "non-embarrassing." For some reasons Kenpo-Karate people think all the secrets of Ancient China Martial Disciplines can be had from a thirties-something guy with limited life skills and education, who has never left the state, teaching Kenpo as his occupation. 

In the beginning of Mr. Parker's modern commercial business model, he not only sought, but advertised for, and drew black belt instructors from other styles and disciplines, and allowed that they would take the body of work of which they were already familiar, utilize their experience in conjunction with Mr. Parker's ideas to instruct, but that ultimately the student would make the final decision for him/herself as to what they would or would not actually use. This was necessary for several reasons; There was no hard curriculum, only suggestions outlined in a business guide; Mr. Parker was not even remotely available to students on a regular basis to teach and correct; and what was being instructed had to have broad commercial viability regardless of age or circumstance, outside of the sphere of Mr. Parker influence on a day-to-day basis. 

Ed Parker's Kenpo Karate is not being reduced to a series of individual systems, it IS a series of individual systems by design. Instead students have elevated it far beyond what it is. Practitioners once indoctrinated into the system's norms of behavior and philosophical expectations, want to have it both ways. They want the flexibility to do their own thing, but the comfort, security and accolades of a traditional systems rank accomplishments. 

The ideas are mutually exclusive, and practitioners tend to be very unforgiving in allowing other methodologies equal legitimacy, touting instead the superiority of this personal tailoring rearrangement method. What they fail to realize is most of the teachers they revere the most came from those traditional schools, and formed the basis of their abilities they used to teach the next generations from the very methods they look down upon. 

Considering the lack of codification, and Mr. Parker's own suggestion that you may insert, rearrange, prefix, suffix, add, and yes delete with impunity as long as you were satisfied with the results, each individual is creating his/her own system. And that system will insert, rearrange, prefix, suffix, add, and yes delete as long as they choose to practice it, with no fear of philosophical incorrectness. SHort fat people with stubby legs will never do some of the suggested kicks. Older more fragile people will shy away from break falls, even though they too, are suggested. Children, no matter how enthused and dedicated lack the intellectual capacity to comprehend most of Mr. Parker's "suggestions." None of this is bad or wrong, because once again, it is as designed. The problem is when you give all of these diverse people rankings, and all of them think, (or at least want to pretend) they're all equal with the same rank, then you have a problem. No one wants to accept it for what it is. Mr. Parker knew what it was, and reminded students all the time, but they just paid the money laughed and piled on the stripes, while Mr. Parker admonished them, "Just because the red show, don't mean that you know." 

In the Traditional Chinese method the singular System Teacher individualized instruction to the student to maximize their abilities, and it was the teacher who made the determination of what the student needed, or did not. The lack of retention issues or commerciality, with no external rank mechanisms made sense. Students were not casual practitioners, but serious participants who did not need motivating. The accomplished stood out for their ability, not for patches, belts, or other accouterments. 

So the question is, "Where is the system we're supposed to work from?" It doesn't exist in form, only in philosophy. The physical manifestation is as numerous as there are practitioners - and all of them are on the right track, sort of.