User:Runningtiger

Ralph Castro was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. After serving in the military he returned to Hawaii where he was introduced to William Kwai Sun Chow. In 1944 Chow began teaching what he called “Kenpo Karate” at the Nuuano YMCA in Honolulu. Castro began his training with Chow in 195_. Some of Chow's other notable students included Edmund Parker, Joseph D. and Adriano D. Emperado, Paul Yamaguchi, Bobby Lowe, Sam Kuoha, John Leone, Nick Cerio, William G. (Billy) Marciarelli (Kachi/Kenpo) and Paul Pung. He did not create or perform many kata but focused more on individual techniques.[4]

In 1957 Castro moved to the San Francisco Bay Area and began teaching Kenpo Karate. In 1982, while visiting Castro from Hawaii, Professor Chow encouraged him to rename his system "Shaolin Kenpo" to acknowledge the Chinese roots of the system. Castro still teaches full time at his studio in Daly City, CA.