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Generally speaking, each American Kenpo form will have various "correct" ways of execution. This is due to a number of factors, some emanating from SGM Ed Parker himself, some from other instructors. But each factor has one common and important characteristic, they each change the "standard" execution of the form in some way. At first glance, this does not appear to be a big deal. A small change here or there probably doesn't alter the intent of the form very much. But, by no means is this the end of the story.
By its very nature and intent, American Kenpo is passed down from instructor to student with the student learning all that a form exposes about the system from the instructor, and then the student picks up, learns or deduces more elements of information and execution from other instructors, peers, personal insight and study, experience, and practice. The student which continues in the art then takes on (a) student(s) and teaches the form from their perspective and knowledge base - thus completing the circle of knowledge transfer. This is the normal and natural flow of knowledge in a martial art such as American Kenpo. One important thing to notice about this cycle is this: each generation will swear that they do the form correctly and exactly how they were shown and how it should be executed. And, in their mind they are correct. Who is to say otherwise?
To show how this can become a problem over time, perform this mental experiment. Assume that each instructor-to-student knowledge transfer cycle allows for one (1) piece of information altered, removed, or omitted. Admittedly, this is a very small number. In reality this number is probably much larger. Then extrapolate the instructor-to-student cycle out a number of times. One should immediately notice how these change factors can quickly grow out of hand, leading to a point that the "standard" execution it is almost no longer recognizable. Yet, remember the original proposition: each generation believes that they are correct and complete in their knowledge and execution of the form.
So, why is the word "correct" and "standard" in quotes in this section? Because standardization, as it relates to American Kenpo, can be a relative thing. Even Mr. Parker would change the execution of various forms for various reasons. Most of the time for one demonstration or lesson, but sometimes permanently.
One source for different "standards" is that American Kenpo, as a style that we recognize today, was developed and evolved over a number of decades. During this time, SGM Parker got a large amount of feedback from a great number of direct and indirect students. Whenever he found feedback that was sound and reasonable, he would roll that feedback into his system. But, doing so would leave a number of students that were already taught the form with a slight variation from the now current "standard." Granted, this was infrequent, but it did happen.
Another source for a "standard" was from Mr. Parker, himself. He would sometimes vary a form slightly while teaching it to a specific individual or group. This is called giving the form a signature. This practice was done so that when a new individual would come to Mr. Parker making claims as to their lineage, Mr. Parker could "test" the individual by having them perform a single or series of forms. From what he saw, SGM Parker could determine whether or not they were being truthful. With this knowledge, he could quickly determine the relative reliability of the individual. But this practice has a serious side effect - the signature became a "standard." Why? Because that is how the practitioner learned the form from SGM Parker; and, the individual can correctly say that SGM Parker taught them to do the form that specific way. And, they are correct.
A third source for a "standard" is the, "doesn't affect the information in the form" rationale. This comes about because American Kenpo forms can be considered "books" of information about the system. But, certain moves and/or maneuvers can be altered slightly without information being lost or altered in the form. These changes are considered acceptable to the instructor, and as a new generation is taught the form, they will learn it slightly differently from the previous generation, generally without any information about the original version and/or reason for the change.
But, probably by far the most common source for a "standard" arises from human error. The scenario goes like this: SGM Parker (or name your instructor) teaches a student a form. The student goes home and practices the form, but forgets or accidentally varies the form in some way. And, they never get any further correction and/or feedback from the instructor about the "new" way of doing the form. They now teach it to a student with the change, each believing it is the correct and original way of executing the form. And, the cycle potentially continues with the new student.