American Kenpo Miyamoto Musashi wrote in A Book of Five Rings, The Ground Book, 'If you are Dedication following the true Way and diverge a little, this will later become a large True Kenpo Techniques divergence.' Ed Parker diverged a little in 1982, when he wrote that he intended The Kenpo Patch to make Kenpo Karate his life's ambition when he was with Professor Chow. Additionally, some of Ed Parker's writings contained inconsistencies, errors and misstatement's which became the creed of the credulous, and a gospel of the gullible, that bread anarchy and promoted dishonesty as the hallmark of the new pseudo American Kenpo. The standards for belt rank in those systems is so lax, that a 3rd degree black belt would not qualify as a green belt in true Kenpo. Honor was given to Ed Parker in name only while diluting his system and, as the concepts of American Kenpo failed, many of those pretenders began calling what they taught, 'Ed Parker Kenpo Karate.' Likewise in Europe, American Kenpo was completely abandoned while still claiming direct authority from Ed parker. American Kenpo quickly became a term of exploitation. What she failed to realize was a branch from a dead tree is still dead.

Parker brought in marginal black belts, 'secret weapons,' who feigned authority for what had for a decade already been questionable rank. Low ranked students claimed authority to promote their instructors, and the instructors eagerly claimed that worthless rank with the promise to promote anyone who would unite under them. W ho had authority to promote, and to what rank became a cottage industry with more than 50 organizations coming into existence to unite Kenpo (for a fee). At his death, belt rank and fees, the cash cow of American Kenpo, was up for grabs. In the twenty years since his death American Kenpo has deteriorated to such a deplorable state that only two Ed Parker students, Kevin Lamkin and Erick Lamkin, now teach American Kenpo as Ed Parker established it. Thus the death knells toll not only the passing of a great man, but proclaimed the slow death of the martial arts style he had created.

At his funeral his wife, Leilani Park er, announced that Ed Parker left no successor. AMERICAN KENPO American Kenpo died with Ed Parker, on December 15, 1990.

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