PARKER
PLANAS
LINEAGE
ABOUT US
Welcome to the official home of the Parker/Planas Lineage.
This site is dedicated to preserving and continuing the authentic Kenpo Karate teachings of Senior Grandmaster Edmund K. Parker as transmitted through Grandmaster Richard “Huk” Planas. Planas trained directly under Ed Parker, earned his black belt and subsequent ranks from him (reaching 7th degree, the highest non-honorary rank Parker awarded), managed the Pasadena school, and served for years as Executive Vice President of the International Kenpo Karate Association. He also helped develop the original system manuals and remains one of the most respected authorities on the art.
Our purpose is simple: keep the lineage pure, the principles clear, and the teachings alive for the next generation of practitioners. Through a dedicated committee of senior black belts, we honor Mr. Planas’ wishes by supporting quality instruction, seminars, schools, and ongoing study of the system he helped shape.
Whether you are a longtime student of the Parker/Planas lineage or newly discovering this path, we invite you to explore the history, principles, schools, and community that continue Ed Parker’s Kenpo through the direct transmission of Huk Planas.
Commitee Members
Dedication. Expertise. Passion.
The Parker/Planas Lineage exists to preserve, teach, and unify the Kenpo of Grandmaster Richard “Huk” Planas—the instructor’s instructor who helped shape Ed Parker’s system, co-developed the original manuals, and spent decades teaching the why of motion, not only the how. After Mr. Planas’s passing, his senior black belts formed a committee to keep his standards, curriculum, and lineage intact.
Marty Zaninovich
10th Degree Black
Sifu Zaninovich’s passion for the arts lies in each system’s depth and possibility for continual learning, transference of knowledge, and daily training. Moreover, he shares that passion by leading and instructing the Kenpo system in a spirited, energized way, blending in cutting-edge Filipino martial arts and other arts to enhance the mind, body, and spirit. The focus is always on supporting the development of the student’s whole being, whether in private lessons or group classes.
Noted for his intensity and technical skill by fellow top-level instructors, Sifu Zaninovich has provided instruction, bodyguarding, public speaking, and mentoring to martial artists and non-martial artists alike—including law enforcement personnel, grade-school through university students and athletes, business professionals, and children and adolescents.
Marty’s martial arts beginning was wrestling and Judo at age 13. His commitment ignited shortly after when he enrolled in a small Kenpo Karate dojo in Central California, earning his 1st Degree Black Belt under Mr. Steve LaBounty and Mr. David Jimenez. From that point forward he studied with Mr. Richard “Huk” Planas, Guro Ed Planas, Guro Dan Inosanto, and GM Nene Gaabucayan. He was also influenced by seminars conducted by Mr. Parker over the years.
Sifu Zaninovich has competed nationally and internationally; sponsored prestigious tournaments and events; owned several karate schools in California; and established clubs in Arizona. He travels throughout the United States and internationally to share the arts.
Today he holds a 10th Degree Black Belt in Ed Parker’s Kenpo Karate under Mr. Richard “Huk” Planas and the Parker/Planas Lineage. He is also a Certified Instructor in the Filipino Martial Arts, Jun Fan Gung Fu/JKD, and Silat under Guro Dan Inosanto, and trains Balintawak with GM Nene Gaabucayan.
Chuck Epperson
9th Degree Black
Chuck Epperson began his martial arts training in Ed Parker’s American Kenpo in the late 1970s under the Parker-Planas lineage in Chico, California. He is a longtime first-generation student of Senior Master of the Arts Richard “Huk” Planas, who introduced him to the art of Kali in the 1980s. From there he trained with Grand Master Anthony Kleeman in Cacoy Canete’s Doce Pares Eskrima in the 1990s.
Mr. Epperson holds black belts in Eskrima, Eskrido, and Pangamut. He has been teaching martial arts since 1979 and opened his own dojo in 1984. He still teaches ten or more classes a day, six days a week.
He has also been highly successful in sport karate competition, winning championships and grand championships in kata, weapons, self-defense, and fighting divisions. In June 2007, Mr. Epperson was inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame in Los Angeles as Senior Professor of the Year in American Kenpo Karate—an honor he regards as a major highlight of his Kenpo career. Website: eppersonbrotherskenpokaratedojo.com
Bruce Epperson
9th Degree Black
Bruce Epperson started training in Western boxing under his brother Chuck at a very young age. In 1979 he began Ed Parker’s American Kenpo Karate, training under Chuck—and he still does to this day.
He has been highly successful in martial arts competition, winning many championships and grand championships. He also trained for many years in Danzan-ryū, Judo, and Jujitsu under Sensei Todd Birdseye.
Accepted as a direct student of Senior Master of the Art Richard “Huk” Planas, Mr. Epperson was promoted to 9th Degree Black Belt by Mr. Planas in 2022. He still teaches at Epperson Brothers Karate Dojo in Chico alongside Chuck Epperson, Nanette Epperson, and Kai Epperson. Website: eppersonbrotherskenpokaratedojo.com
J.R. Diaz
9th Degree Black
Sifu J.R. Diaz began studying American Kenpo in 1979 and received his 1st Degree Black Belt in 1988 under Mr. David Perez. He almost immediately opened his first school, Lemoore Kenpo Karate, in Lemoore, California, and has been teaching Kenpo ever since.
Sifu Diaz has operated a number of schools but has always remained close to his family in the Central San Joaquin Valley. He currently teaches at Double Dragon Kenpo Karate in Sanger, California. His love of the art and his innate ability to teach have served him and his students well.
Mr. Diaz is a 9th Degree Black Belt in Kenpo Karate under Mr. Huk Planas. He embodies professionalism in his teaching: a talented, qualified instructor who emphasizes discipline and honor, and who passes on his loyalty to the art in every class and to every student.
Al Myrtle
9th Degree Black
Alan Myrtle hails from Northern California and has run Northwest Martial Arts Center in Anderson, California, for the last 25 years. He received his 1st Degree Black Belt from S.G.M. Ed Parker in 1978 at the Pasadena dojo, along with his good friends, the Flores brothers. He opened his first dojo in Redding, California, in 1976.
S.G.M. Parker introduced Mr. Myrtle to Mr. Planas in 1979 and told him, “Al, you need to train with Huk. He will help you be the best you can be in Kenpo.” Mr. Myrtle received his 3rd Degree from Mr. Parker in 1983. Shortly thereafter he began training with Sifu Planas and received his 9th Degree in 2022. He is a proud wearer of the “Huk Patch,” earned in 1993, and works to maintain the standard it represents.
Mr. Myrtle has more than 53 years of karate competition experience as both competitor and coach. He has competed in over 50 tournaments from Seattle to San Diego and was rated in Karate Illustrated and Kung Fu magazines. He has also trained some of Northern California’s top competitors in both sport and full-contact karate (P.K.A.). In 1982 he created the Redding Kenpo Karate Demonstration Team, which performed at venues including Steve LaBounty’s California State Karate Championships and Ed Parker’s 1983 International Karate Championships.
His focus is fight-enders: power and speed with proper Kenpo technique, and developing natural weapons that work in a self-defense situation. He has also trained in Kajukenbo, Judo/Jujitsu, Eskrima, and fencing, but, as he puts it, “my love will always be the art and science of Kenpo.”
Scott Halsey
9th Degree Black
Scott Halsey has been training in Kenpo Karate for over 43 years and has operated a successful school since 1986. He tested for his black belt in front of Mr. Parker at age 16 and has since been promoted to 9th Degree Black Belt by his instructor, Senior Master Richard “Huk” Planas.
Mr. Halsey has competed in and won numerous tournaments across the country. He placed first in fighting and forms at Ed Parker’s Long Beach Internationals in the 1980s and 1990s; won Kata Grand Champion at the Boston Internationals in 2003 and 2018, the Long Beach Internationals in 2004, and the Las Vegas Internationals in 2010; placed first in fighting at Long Beach in 2004 and Las Vegas in 2010; and placed second in forms and first in fighting at the 2016 USKA Nationals.
He teaches Kenpo Karate every day at his dojo in Redding, California. Website: halseykarate.com
Joe Doyle
9th Degree Black
Mr. Doyle is a 9th Degree Black Belt with over 40 years of martial arts experience. He began training in the Tracy’s Chinese Kenpo system and owned a Tracy’s franchise. After consulting with Grand Master Ed Parker, he converted to Parker American Kenpo Karate in 1987 and was promoted to 3rd Degree Black Belt by Mr. Parker.
After Mr. Parker’s passing, he continued with the WKKA under Mr. Palanzo and Mr. Richard “Huk” Planas, and was promoted to 4th Degree by Mr. Palanzo and the WKKA. He became a direct student of Mr. Planas in 1992 and was promoted to 9th Degree Black Belt in 2024.
Mr. Doyle has owned and operated his schools in Mentor, Ohio, since 1985. He has cross-trained in Hapkido, Tai Chi, Isshin-ryū, and Pangasinan Kali. He has instructed security guards and police officers and is a veteran of local, state, and national karate tournaments. As a tournament promoter, he ran one of the largest tournaments in Ohio for many years.
He has taught thousands of students in the area and continues teaching the Parker/Planas lineage of Kenpo Karate at his academies. Website: AKAKENPO.COM
Max Bychkov
8th Degree Black
Max Bychkov began his Kenpo training after moving to the United States in the early 1990s. To satisfy his curiosity about martial arts, he trained in and with various arts and artists in the area. Always intrigued by the Kenpo system and the way it was laid out, and on the recommendation of Senior Master of the Arts Frank Trejo, he traveled extensively throughout the 1990s and 2000s to train directly with the foremost authority in the art, Senior Master Richard “Huk” Planas.
Years of hard work earned him “The Patch” on January 19, 2008, establishing him as a direct first-generation student of Mr. Planas. His black belt ranks were awarded by Mr. Planas as well, the highest being Associate Master, 8th Degree, at Grass Valley Kenpo Family Karate in November 2024. He also had the honor of instructing at the Las Vegas Planas Kenpo Camp.
Always seeking new insights into the art, Max travels to meet, train with, and teach people around the world. He also conducts weekly classes locally, working with anyone interested in furthering their skill and knowledge in Kenpo Karate.
Ingmar Johansson
8th Degree Black
Associate Master of the Art Ingmar Johansson works as a sport consultant and is head instructor at Kenpo Self-Defence Studio in Norrköping, Scandinavia’s largest Kenpo school.
Master Johansson was the first student outside the United States to receive Grandmaster Richard “Huk” Planas’s “The Patch,” which signifies command of the system to Grandmaster Planas’s personal satisfaction and recognizes the wearer as a first-generation black belt and student under his guidance.
He travels the world year-round teaching Kenpo, with a full seminar and private-training schedule. Master Johansson speaks fluent Swedish, English, and Spanish. Website: kenpo.se
REST IN PEACE
RICHARD "HUK" PLANAS
With the sad and unfortunate Passing of Grandmaster Richard "Huk" Planas we proudly announce his original video series can now be purchased and viewed where ever you go! Easy access online allows you viewing convienance through your phone, computer or TV.
This thirteen video collection is considered to be the most extensive look into the forms of the Kenpo System.
Known as the "Instructor's Instructor", Mr. Planas will take you through the essential basics and family groupings of techniques as well as all the Kenpo forms from Short Form One through Long Form Six.
These educational videos will recreate great memories if you trained with Mr. Planas and if you are new to his instruction, you will be introduced to one of the most knowledgeable instructors in the Parker Kenpo System!
You can purchase the entire collection or you can purchase each individual video.
OUR HISTORY
The Parker/Planas Lineage traces its roots to Senior Grandmaster Edmund K. Parker, the founder of American Kenpo Karate. Richard “Huk” Planas began training in the late 1960s, earned his black belt and all subsequent ranks directly from Ed Parker (reaching 7th degree in 1985—the highest non-honorary rank Parker awarded), managed the Pasadena school, and served as Executive Vice President of the International Kenpo Karate Association during Parker’s final decade. He also helped develop the original system manuals.
After Parker’s passing, Mr. Planas continued teaching the art worldwide. Now with the passing of Mr. Planas, his senior students formed a committee to preserve and unify his lineage and teachings. Today that committee upholds the traditional curriculum, principles, and standards Mr. Planas received from Ed Parker, ensuring the art is passed on with integrity for future generations.