What kind of martial arts have (or do) you practice?

Yes Elvis held I do believe a 3rd degree if I am not mistaken and was train by the founder Ed Parker.

yup

Ah, I was wondering about why Flora was chanting the name of the King; learn something new everyday. XD

I have training in Shaolin Kempo Karate, not much though; is it the same thing? I received my training from an Instructor at a Dojo in the evenings at the Delta Elementary School, fun classes; I dunno though, Krav Maga is what I'm best at, couldn't really get into all the other martial arts I have training in, not as much as Krav Maga. I may get more into MMA down the road, but personally I think Krav Maga is much easier for a broader range of body types, but more importantly is more practical and specifically designed for real world combat where other sport competinion forms fall short. That isn't to say a Karate master can't hold his own, but it probably took a lot longer for him to become a master than it took for the Commando Krav Maga master.

Kempo is Chinese and Kenpo is American specifically designed for real world combat. It is a mix of stand up fighting, locks, holds and grappling and extremely fast.

You kids are getting to enjoy these evolutions of martial arts.

Krav Maga schools were few and far between in the 1970's and '80's and MMA
 had not been born yet.

Kenpo means, fist law in Chinese.
 What we learned was 50% hands and 50%, more defense than offense, kata,  
circular and linear moves, and sparring.

The circles and the low kicks are what have stood the test of time - most

Yes it does mean fist law and the circular motion and rebounding with borrowed force are its mainstays

there are only a few arts that are truly useful in real combat situations

Interesting. My specialty is Moni Aizik's Commando Krav Maga system. It's not really an art, lol, but it works. My other specialty is gunslinging I took to it like a duck to water. I wanted to put up some videos but dad said absolutely not and gave me a lecture.

He was upset enough by the nunchaku videos; he's a little paranoid.

Ed Parker was not the founder. His instructor William Chow was (who adapted from his own teacher). Parker was the most vital player in the popularization of the form, however, and I would never trivialize his contributions to martial arts.

rebounding, with the energy from the opponent, is, crucial for women

Ed Parker is the founder of American Kenpo. William Chow taught the Chinese concepts.

"Chinese Kenpo" is a phrase coined by Parker himself in 1960.

Yes he used and altered the original design to fit real life situations. I am not saying he invented Kenpo, simply the way it is taught now.

In reality, every practitioner puts their own stamp on their chosen art. Ed Parker's stamp was just a bit bolder than most.

And he also pushed making Kenpo your own when studying it. Yes it was a bit bold.

I sat on his lap once.

It was a big event where he was coming to speak to locals.
 Our Sensei was one of his students.
So, as many of us who could, went.
 I learned to two things, there, that I, still, teach today.

We were all standing around talking after wards.
 He was sitting down in a big group and he said, "come sit on my lap".
  I was one of the only women there.  These were the days - pre-Anita-Hill.
 about 1986
So, I was young and impressionable.  So, I sat on his lap.
 Other than that, he was a perfect gentleman and told me that i look like Elke Summers

I was a Green Belt instructor for the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP), I also wrestled for many years and did a little boxing.  MCMAP also included knife and baton training.  Of course there is the weapons training as well.

I started with shorin ryu karate, through my father. I later began wrestling in high school. After that, I've done a couple of  classes in ju-jutsu.  The past few years, I've been training and practicing with a spear and mock short sword in the style of ancient greeks, in historical armored combat. Coupled with that, I've gotten to know a few pankrationists on the side who teach me what they can.

what is a pankrationist?

Someone who practices Pankration, which is a super straightforward and brutal martial art.

where was the system developed and what is it derived from?  I know I could just google it but I would rather learn about it from someone who practices it for a more personal perspective that just getting the ol wikipedia answer   what about the style is attractive to you?

Its the original Greek martial art, designed for sport and combat. It focuses on short, powerful strikes with knees, shins, elbows and fists. Grappling, throws, and takedowns are an integral part. Many of the limb locks result in torn ligaments, tendons, and/or broken bones when applied with more force than necessary to hold stationary.

nice, sounds straight forward and effective, it sounds like a lot of the modern fighting styles are going back to this style without actually paying homage to it.

Pretty much lol. Human weapon did a neat show on it. They break down the physics pretty well. Its actually got a huge following to try getting it back in the Olympics after 1700 years of not