The Planas Paradox
Article By: David Calhoun - Photos Courtesy Of: Ed and Suzi Planas
Paradox: A seemingly contradictory statement that may nonetheless be true. (Webster’s Dictionary)
Example: Training concurrently with Richard “Huk” Planas, the famed Kenpo expert, and Ed Planas, Richard’s older brother and Kabaroan Eskrima expert, is a perfect blend.
Richard “Huk” Planas is one of the worlds best known, most knowledgeable, most sought after Kenpoists. Ed Planas, Richard’s older brother, is a master in his own right in Kabaroan Eskrima, and yet is known to only a handful of martial artists. The journey these two brothers have taken is so divergent it is astonishing, and their personalities are a study in stark contrast. Recently, Huk Planas has been exposing kenpoists across the United States to his brother’s expertise, challenging and enhancing their understanding of the principles essential to the mastery of Kenpo. In the following article, we will look at how both brothers took almost parallel journeys on tracks seemingly headed in opposite directions, only to have those “parallel” tracks “intersect” for the betterment of the martial arts community.
Ed Planas is a gregarious, outspoken person, quick with a smile, a hearty hug and a healthy handshake. Richard Planas prefers a quick “Kenpo handshake”, with a hard slap on the back to greet his friends. He smiles most often after hearing a good joke. Once he has said good-bye, he turns and walks away without looking back, on to his next journey. Ed will walk you to your car and talk to you through the window as you prepare to leave, enjoying conversation with a friend as long as possible. Richard’s conversation is marked by short but direct answers. He will tell you exactly what he thinks about just about anything, even if the answer might damage someone’s ego. The kenpoist who asks his opinion about his/her karate should prepare for an honest assessment, from possibly the most analytical mind in the art. Ed is ever encouraging, and tends to turn one’s mistakes into opportunities for an analysis of other possibilities.
You can rarely get ahold of Richard except by e-mail, as he travels nearly every weekend of the year, teaching Kenpo seminars. Richard has never been married, and has lived an itinerant lifestyle. From his early days at Steve LaBounty’s karate school in Fresno, CA, to El Paso, Texas with Tom Kelly, to Pasadena, CA to train under Mr. Edmund K. Parker Sr., founder of American Kenpo. He moved to Alaska for a time and taught at fellow kenpoist Gil Hibben’s school. He also indulged in other passions while in Alaska, such as hunting, fishing, and making knives with Hibben. His many students from the mainland eventually hounded him enough to convince him to return to California, where he continued to promote the art. He eventually moved to Louisiana and now travels the world almost weekly teaching Kenpo.
Ed Planas and Richard Planas posed at the age six and four.
Ed Planas was born to Humabad L. and Bennie Lee Planas in October 1944 in Louisiana. At a young age he and his family moved to Dinuba, CA, a small agricultural community about 30 miles outside Fresno, CA. He now lives in Fresno. Richard Planas was born in September 1946 in Reedley, CA, about 20 minutes outside Fresno. Richard lived his younger years in Dinuba with his family. He now lives in Louisiana. Ed and Richard’s father, Humabad, was of Filipino descent.
The brother’s parents divorced during their grammar school years, and the boys were raised primarily by their grandmother Alpha on her small ranch in Dinuba. The boys enjoyed imitating the fight sequences they saw on television, especially those in the old westerns, for which they both still have a fondness.
Archery and bullwhips were used in some of those old TV shows, and Richard developed a passion for both. He is now an expert archer, and a bullwhip aficionado, sharing his knowledge with folks all over the world. His is also an extremely accomplished guitar player. Richard’s father, who lived nearby, introduced Richard to Kali, and the Filipino martial arts, as he sometimes took Richard to the Filipino labor camps in the area, where “uncles” taught him about the Filipino arts.
Ed remembers seeing martial arts used in movies such as The Manchurian Candidate, sparking an interest in him that remained until the opportunity to begin his martial journey arrived years later.
In October of 1966, at the age of 22, Ed Planas was drafted into the U.S. Army. In 1967, while stationed in Korea, he joined a “Karate Club” taught by a man named Mr. Moon, a Korean Rock Army Instructor. He trained for approximately one year, achieving the rank of Red Belt in Tae Kwon Do. The training was brutal, as one might expect. It was conducted outside on a concrete slab, and Mr. Moon had no time for those not willing to go the distance. The club met several times a week, and Ed attended regularly. Ed was honorably discharged from the Army in September of 1968, effectively ending his study of Tae Kwon Do.
Shortly after graduating from high school, a friend of Richard’s invited him to attend a class at his Kenpo karate school. That school was run by legendary kenpoists Steve LaBounty and Tom Kelly. He was immediately taken with the art, and began attending classes regularly. Richard’s formal training in Kenpo began while his brother Ed was away in the service. Neither Ed nor Richard was aware the other was training until after Ed returned home in 1968.
Not long after Richard began training in Kenpo, he followed Tom Kelly to El Paso, Texas to assist Mr. Kelly in teaching there. It was in these early days with Mr. Kelly when Kelly gave Richard the nickname “Huk”, referring to the look of many Filipino fighters. They both soon moved to Pasadena, CA to begin training directly under Founder Edmund K. Parker Sr. Mr. Kelly introduced Richard to Mr. Parker, using Richard’s nickname. Mr. Parker quickly adopted the nickname as well, and Richard is still referred by those close to him as “Huk”. A lifelong friendship soon developed between Mr. Parker and Richard Planas. No one knew at the time that Mr. Parker’s lifetime would not be as long as we all would have liked.
Ed Planas is usually home, or soon will be. He and his wife Suzi are avid churchgoers, attending services several times a week. Ed recently retired from the California Highway Patrol. He enjoys his retirement but continues to benefit the law enforcement community by teaching use of force options and other law enforcement subjects to future law enforcement officers at the Fresno City College Police Academy. Both men are deceptively strong. When either grabs ahold of you, you know you’ve been grabbed. One is on the tall side and has a full head of hair, one is on the short side and…, well, doesn’t.
Both men work with others without posturing or visible ego. Ed Planas is reluctant to divulge his rank. He goes simply by the title Guro. This is not uncommon amongst those who study the Filipino arts. Ed’s instructor, Ramiro Estallilla Jr., Grandmaster of Kabaroan Eskrima, refers to Ed Planas as a Master Level Instructor. Richard Planas has been outspoken for years about how he dislikes the idea of rank, stressing that the study of martial arts should be a quest to make oneself as proficient as possible, not a contest with one’s neighbor. He often asks his students the question, “Who would continue in the arts if not for the constant rewards of another belt color?” Richard, though recently promoted by numerous associations to 10th Dan, goes by the title Sifu.
Both the terms Guro and Sifu have the same root meaning. The title suggests a close familial relationship between the instructor and the student. The term literally means teacher-father. This relationship in times past implied upon both the teacher and the student responsibilities and loyalties which demanded a deep commitment to one another by both persons. The terms are often used in American culture too freely, as these types of relationships in our environment almost certainly require development, as opposed to times past when the commitment may have been made at the onset, with the relationship developing as time passed.
Any rank Richard has attained since Mr. Parker died has been bestowed without his prior knowledge, as hundreds and even thousands of his students and fellow kenpoists have voted to promote him to a rank they see as appropriate based on his importance to the art.
Ed and Richard Planas at a young age with different perspectives... literally!
Ed joined the California Highway Patrol shortly after returning to California. After discovering Richard was in Pasadena teaching Kenpo Ed contacted Richard about getting together and working on some techniques that would benefit him in law enforcement. They worked together briefly at the Pasadena school, and both of them say that was really the only “mat time” they have shared together, even after all these years. During this time period Richard introduced his brother Ed to Mr. Parker. Ed later met with Mr. Parker to interview him for a term paper he was writing at the time, as Mr. Parker’s first teaching in America focused on law enforcement tactics.
Richard continued with Mr. Parker, teaching in the Pasadena school and others, assisting in writing the Kenpo manuals, and eventually taking on the responsibility of vice president of Mr. Parker’s International Kenpo Karate Association (I.K.K.A.). While Richard trained and taught in Pasadena, he and Dan Inosanto, also a Kenpo black belt teaching in Pasadena at the time, established a friendship. One day Inosanto, also of Filipino descent, asked Planas if he had looked into the Filipino arts of his heritage. Planas told him no, not since his childhood in the labor camps. Inosanto challenged him to do so, and Richard began exploring. Richard Planas feels that of all martial artists he knows at present, Dan Inosanto is the most knowledgeable, most well rounded martial artist teaching today. And Richard encourages his students to do what Inosanto has done for decades, look at everything, and use what works.
In the early 80’s Ed Planas saw a flyer for a seminar titled, “Filipino Fencing.” It sparked his interest, so he went and met Ramiro Estallilla Jr., Grandmaster of Kabaroan Eskrima. They have been teacher/student ever since. Ed was one of Estallilla’s first two students promoted to master degree level in the art in the early 90’s. Grandmaster Estallilla says he is most proud of Ed’s devotion to the art, and especially to his dedication to pass the art on to others, which Ed does with great passion. Estallilla says the art must be practiced with prudence and discipline, both of which Ed exemplifies.
Richard and Ed Planas approach the teaching of their respective arts from opposite ends of the spectrum, but at the same time with a common thread, understanding and utilizing the proper principles of motion. The study of Kenpo, as taught by Richard Planas, involves learning the system step by step, focusing on the attempted mastery of proper body mechanics. Power in each movement is heavily stressed. Many have heard the Kenpo terms “minor” and “major”, referring to differing degrees of emphasis on particular movements. Richard Planas teaches to refer to your movements as “hard” and “harder”, because even the minors should do harm to the opponent. The system is outlined, and that outline is followed exactly, with the student being encouraged to explore later, once the base system has been learned. This would be akin to learning the entire alphabet before trying to write a story. Many people now refer to this method as outdated, saying one needs only a few base moves to defend oneself. That may be true, depending upon the individual being taught. But learning a martial ART is not the same as taking a self-defense course. If you were going into battle, wouldn’t you want knowledge about and accessibility to as many weaponry options as possible?
Ed Planas teaches Kabaroan in a much more freeform manner. Using the alphabet analogy again, a student will be encouraged to write small words early, even though he/she has not yet learned the entire alphabet. Using a base of fifteen strikes, but in no way limited to them, one begins to explore rather early, building on the alphabet as they go. Because he teaches mainly in a seminar setting, he sees in most of his sessions a range of understanding from beginner to proficient. The ability to explore is obviously affected by each student’s level of expertise, but is encouraged as early as is possible.
Both Ed and Richard challenge their students to look at what they have learned and ask the question, “What might go wrong with this?” Because in looking at the weaknesses inherent in any attack, the student learns much more than if their “dummy” or partner just “goes along with the program.” Every student must know the techniques from both the defender and the attacker side of the equation.
Kenpo and Eskrima begin from different ends of the spectrum as well. Kenpo was designed to be an effective fighting system using the weapons you always have access to, your hands, feet, and in fact, your entire body. The Filipino arts were developed to repel invading forces. They used what was readily available as weapons to defend themselves, usually swords, knives, and sticks, with empty hands being a secondary option. Kenpo was based on street fighting in America, and the Filipino arts were based on surviving military skirmishes. Both Richard and Ed Planas emphasize the principles of motion a student must strive to understand and master to become proficient. And what kenpoists have been discovering is that the principles found in the Filipino arts are the same principles introduced by Mr. Parker so many years ago. Using, again, a related analogy, Richard often emphasizes that “proper body mechanics and proper movement are exactly what they say they are, proper or correct”, and Ed agrees, “a valid principle is a valid principle,” no matter the art being studied.
Over the past couple of years Richard has been introducing his brother Ed to the Kenpo community. Ed has taught Kabaroan seminars alongside Richard in New York, Florida, and California. Richard at times will cross reference Kenpo and Kali techniques to show the similarities in the movement principles of the arts.
Those who have had the opportunity to work with both of these instructors can attest to their expertise, not only in their arts, but also in how they are able to bring the material to the individual student’s level. From empty hands to edged weapons, from one side of the world to the other, two very divergent arts and personalities, two brothers sharing the same blood, come together to bring out the best to refine and polish the skills of fellow martial artists.
The Planas Paradox is a perfect blend.
About the author: David Calhoun has been involved in Martial Arts for 27 years, and has been practicing American Kenpo since 1984. He operates The Karate School in Lemoore, CA. He can be reached through his website at- www.karateconfidence.com.
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