Ken Fat was refined by the Southern Chinese and spread into Fujian and Canton; later, various styles developed in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Ryukyu (Okinawa), Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Japan.

Another Japanese-American martial artist, James Mitose, began teaching the art in 1936 and started a formal Kenpo school in Hawaii in 1941.

[10] Chow eventually developed his unique style that blended his Chinese Martial Arts training with the more focused Ryukyuan Kenpo methods popularized in Hawaii.

[4][5] Chow's Kenpo Karate used linear and circular motion and emphasized practical fighting techniques to outperform other martial arts common in Hawaii.

[15] Late in 1956, he opened a studio in Pasadena, California[16] and founded the International Kenpo Karate Association (IKKA), where he served as Senior Grandmaster.

[17] The book shows a heavy Japanese influence in his early style, incorporating linear and circular movements, "focused" techniques, and jujutsu-style locks, holds, and throws.

By 1975, Ed Parker's system, now known as American Kenpo, was a combination of older methods revised to work in more modern fighting scenarios.

He also eschewed esoteric Eastern concepts, sought to express the art through Western scientific principles and metaphors, dropped most Asian language elements, and altered traditions to favor American English.

[citation needed] American Kenpo today has several different curricula, due to various reasons:[20] Parker did not name a successor as Senior Grandmaster of the IKKA.

[citation needed] The art develops environmental awareness, structural stability, balance, coordination, flow, speed, power, and timing in that order as the student progresses through a step-by-step curriculum.

It is up to them to make their American Kenpo applications effective by correctly applying the concepts and principles to the instructor's ideal phase techniques.

[citation needed] Beginners are introduced to the concepts and principles of the system through scripted scenarios that serve as starting points for further exploration.

Parker's approach to American Kenpo was to teach martial arts as an updated and practical science tailored to the needs of the individual, hoping to turn each practitioner from a follower into an innovator.

Should the adversary not react as anticipated, a skilled Kenpo practitioner can seamlessly transition into an alternative and appropriate action drawn spontaneously from the trained subconscious.

[citation needed] The International Kenpo Karate Association (IKKA) was founded by Ed Parker in 1956 to formalize and govern the sport.

[4]: 122 American Kenpo has a graded colored belt system consisting of white, yellow, orange, purple, blue, green, 1st- through 3rd-degree brown, and 1st- through 10th-degree black.

The requirements include basics categorized by stances, blocks, parries, punches, strikes, finger techniques, kicks, and foot maneuvers.

For example, a third-degree black belt who further explores defending against a knife and brings that knowledge back may be promoted for his excellent contributions.