AMERICAN KENPO KARATE
dedicated to the memory of Edmund K. Parker
For information on the complete Official American Kenpo written manuals CLICK HERE
The Parker Patch
as it is traditionally called,
has become the hallmark of American Kenpo
The patch (from the original plates) was designed in 1960 by Dick Tercell for the Kenpo Karate Association of America (KKAA), which was the beginning of American Kenpo.
The KKAA had been founded in 1956 by Ed Parker, the emblem used on the original certificates was a depiction of the "overhead club" technique. The first KKAA black belt certificate that used the Tercell emblem were awarded in January 1961. Ed Parker remained the head of the KKAA until 1964, when the International Kenpo Karate Association (IKKA) was formed, and the KKAA was turned over to Ed Parker's senior black belts. While Ed loved the design of the KKAA patch, it was not his original design and he could not copyright it.
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