Modern Fighter

Ed Parker, Sr. (1931-1990), the founder of Kenpo karate, in his book Infinite Insights Into Kenpo, explains the importance of the tiger and dragon in martial arts. The tiger represents physical prowess and the strength of youth harnessed during the early stages of learning. The dragon represents self-restraint and mental strength attained with age and after long study, and is thus the ultimate goal of the Kenpo practitioner. An individual who reaches this stage can walk away from a potential conflict without fear of humiliation, and with the confidence that comes with knowing that victory would have been his or hers, had a fight been unavoidable. 

We, the contributors to this work, have several hundred years combined experience in fighting arts with roots in Asia and Europe. Although our individual paths up the mountain are like a chameleon, sometimes reflecting our deepest fears and sometimes our fondest moments, we have all studied Kenpo karate under the same teacher, Tony Martinez, Sr., one of Mr. Parker's original students. We hope that this book will serve as an inspiration to current and future students of Ed Parker's Kenpo karate.