Not many foams that I know of.... Seriously though there are not that many forms of AK, it is just whether some teach all the systems techniques, or some of the techniques....for example, 24 vs 16. The philosophy may vary from dojo to dojo. There are many forms of Kenpo/Kempo that do exist besides AK. Kara-Ho Kempo, CHA-3 Kenpo, Shaolin Kenpo, Kajukenbo, Hawaiian Kenpo, Lima Lama, and so on. Then there is Okinawan Kenpo as well, and Shorinji Kempo. So I guess you can say there's a variety that exists out there to choose from
Stick, The way I understand it is that 'american' kenpo is a very specific style laid out by Ed Parker, meaning that if you don't practice at least most of the things that Ed Parker taught, then you are not practicing 'american' kenpo. That definition however may be misleading, however, because Ed Parker taught for so many years. The material that he taught in the 60's is different from the material that he taught in the 80's. People who study Tracy Kenpo can also claim that they practice Ed Parker's kenpo because Al Tracy claims that he handed down the information as he learned it from his teacher, Ed Parker.
I took tracy's kenpo (my instructor was taught by Tracy and was very good I was also lucky enough to have Tracy seminars at my school) and it was great but Tracy went against ed parker's philosophy. I'm not a Ed Parker student, but I think Ed wanted kenpo to evolve where as tracy wanted to add tradition. I liked the slight variations in Tracy's system (I met two Ed parker students) but not the philosophy. There was more than one type of kenpo in my old town. I only visted one and it had alot more kung fu in it than the kenpo I took such as animal forms but the core was similar.
I study Ed Parker's American Kenpo which is taught under the IKCA, the international karate connection association. The Grandmasters of the system are Chuck Sullivan and Vic Leroux. THey were taught my Mr. Ed Parker Himself. The system is more condensed than it was in the 60's but still contains all of the elements and then some. If you have any questions about the IKCA, simply go to www.karate connection.com There are also some really great articles there concerning Bruce Lee's impact on our system, as well as a host of other very informative reading on the history of American Kenpo. Basically what our system does is it keeps everything that works, and discard the flashiness and other little nuances that may not prove beneficial. It is a purely street style self-defense system. Even the Kata is simply a combination of all the base techniques in varying directions. So there is not really too much tradition there in terms of classical kata. I hope this helps...if you have any other questions, feel free to ask. I have to get to bed...worked all night...fingers crossing...using the backspace key more than any other...
What kind of Kenpo does Larry Tatum teach? From the clips on his webpage, it seems very scientific in nature like Ed Parker's system.
Hatorihanzo, yes Larry Tatum teaches Ed Parker's American Kenpo or "EPAK". It is pretty much the same thing.
