Of course I
borrowed the title from a tv show.
It occurred to
me that much of what we think of as our traditional arts is quite different
from what they were in the past, and that applies to many arts. So I am going
to review a few memories.
When I began
kicking in our Dojo was first the kicks listed on the Lower Body Chart on the
wall.
But I
quickly learned from kumite in the dojo, there were many, many more. Of course
everything required those kicks on that chart was a big goal for everyone.
But Lewis
Sensei encouraged you to kick to whatever potential you had. And those I saw
most frequently were the dojo greenbelts ,their range was very large.
One that was
popular was the back turning side kick also called the spinning back kick.
The guy’s were very good with that.
One of my
friends Buddy Sommers, made the spinning backfist his speciality. And literally spent hours before
the heavy bag working on his spinning backfist. He developed great control. He could blast
you with the hand, and not knock you down at the same time, because he choose
not to do so.
On the other
hand it did not do him any favors in tournaments. There most often when he used
it, the judges rulled that all spinning backfists were ‘wild backfists’ not eligible
for scores as being controlled. But his use always was very controlled. Just
the judges did not choose to believe that.
Then moving,
spending two years in Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan, then training with Charles
Murray my own kicking developed far beyond that I originally had.
I used the
same approach to kicking, the chart was most important, and wildly important
for the Dan examination. But I also encouraged my students to develop their
kicking ability as far as they could. And they did.
I remember
one day I learned am important lesson, just because something is in a book,
that does not mean it is true,
When I was a
beginner my father gave me his copy of a book he had picked up. Nakasone’s
“Dynamic Karate”
I knew it
was about Shotokan karate, and was aware Isshinryu was a different sort of
karate, but in those days I did not know what was different between different
styles of Okinawan vs. Japanese karate.
One of the
kicks described as I remember it (my book is packed up and unavailable for me.
It also was different from what today’s internet searches show up. But as I
recall it was the Reverse
RoundHouse Kick. What the photos looked like as I remember was sort of a
crescent type kick where the hower leg and foot struck out to the outside. As
where a right kick would strike out to the right as it was thrown. Of course
who knows if I interpreted the photos correctly.
The closest I can find to the kick I
remember is a little like the following diagram. But the kick would hot be to
the front, rather with the ball of the foot turned out to the right side.
Then I found the kick
So one day I decided to do it before Tristan,
to show I knew something.
He saw my kick and just told me
“That kick is not in Shotokan.’
And of course I disagreed , citing
the book Dynamic Karae.
There on he told me “My father
studies with Funakoshi Sensei in the 1930’s and that kick was not in the art
which is as my Father taught me.
I later learned that the
organization Funakoshi founded had sent students (such as his son to other
Karate instructors) (and Nakiyama to China, to study those arts.) bringing new
ideas in the new JKA.
So I was confronted with a reality
different from what I had presumed.
It time I read of how the Japanese
Shotokan sent out various peoples to collect information about other
instructors and arts to research and decide if they were to be included in
their art. Apparently at the time Sutrisno Sensei’s father trained, that kick
was not part of what became the JKA.
And as there was no clear mechanism
of sharing information of changes or why they were adopted, to former still
practicing students/instructors I can understand why such variances occurred.
Of course the question as to whether
changed are good or less than good remains.
Different art and a different time.
Again this is from my memory, and I
am not certain the kick I am going to describe was the one mentioned from the
past, But the central idea of change remains.
Today it is taken that the Korean
arts have a common kicking core, among them the spinning side kick (or back
turning side kick).
Jhoon Rhee, commonly is referred to
as the father of American Tae Kwon Do. He certainly was the most famous early
TKD instructor in the states. Instructor, Innovator, Movie Star are all titles
with describe his contributions.
However Tae Kwon Do is not one
system, rather a title applied to a variety of different Korean systems which
banded together under General Choi, long ago.
And Jhoon Rhee’s art was the one
Choi taught.
So as the story went, there was no
spinning back kick in the art Rhee originally taught. It was in this Country
where he first saw the Spinning Back kick being used by another Korean TKD competitor, from a
different TKD style.
But it was certainly added to his
style with great effect. And many other styles adopted it too, and not just
TKD.
So change occurred, and many times,
in many arts, time after time.
No doubt this happen more in the
modern era, with improved communications, public tournaments and
demonstrations, Movies and Books.
Nor were my students immune from
this. One of them Young Lee, I believe impressed by some movie, began to add a
different technique to our club. One where he would run up a wall to do a side
kick. Back in his younger days he taught this to several of the other teenage
students too. It did not last the test of time and aging but is a small example
of change occurring.
So a series of memories to bring me
to the central story, one about Okinawan Karate.
Now I heard this 2nd
hand, and can offer no proof, but it seems reasonable to me. I trust the
individual who experienced this, that is enough for me.
As the story goes out in Reno, quite
some time ago, there was a Clinic on various arts. One of those present was a
very senior Okinawan instructor, who was mostly watching what was being taught
that day.
Then a time came where he was going
to answer some practitioner questions.
Some instructor had a question about
the round house kick. The instructor thought a bit then answered, with the
assistance of a translator.
“In all my
years of training I have only learned and used one kick, and the roundhouse
kick you mention, was not that kick?”
As I heard it, there was no further
explanation.
Now I am going to take that
statement and engage in some speculation..
If there was only one kick
in his karate what might that be?
The first kick that comes to mind,
is the front kick.
Most possibly the first kick for all
of us.
Yet not necessarily the front kick
execution of today, which is varied from instructor to instructor.
As an Isshinryu stylist I am partial
to the front kick as done by Shimabuku Tatsuo.
Here is an example of what I mean.
Note how he fully chambers the kick first,
raising the knee, and only then delivers the kick.
Just a front kick. Let’s think what
that means for a few seconds.
What can se do with a front kick as
that.
Sever possible front kick targets in
no particular order:
1. The Abdomen
2. The Jaw
3. The Groin
4. The Hip Joint
5. The side of the torso
6. The Solar Plexus
7. The inner thigh.
7.a. The knee (front, side, or rear)
8. The Lower leg (straight on)
9.The lower leg from the outside
using the return of the kick.
10 The lower leg from the inside
using the return of the kick.
11. The ankle
12. The instep.
13. The foot.
14. The toes.
15. The head.
16. Lead Leg front kicks to the
side.
Perhaps enough for now, I think we
can come up with a few others with no effort.
Having addressed targeting let us
consider the ways the front kick can be delivered.
1. With the toes in a variety of
ways.
2 With the ball of the foot.
3. Striking with the heel.
4. Striking with the toes then a
heel thrust.
5. Striking with the ball of the
foot then a heel thrust.
6. Several ways of using the toes of
ball of the foot to both enter the abdomen above the groin and then slide down
with the toes, or the ball of the foot raking down the groin.
7. Use of the chamber of the knee as
a knee strike a variety of ways.
Again I am sure there are more
varieties to be found.
So with so much variety to be found
within the simple front kick (and I realize the term simple is incorrect). Why the need for other kicks?
I suspect the answer is a simple as
someone said to themselves wow!
Then worked on what they saw, eventually
adding to what they taught.
In the past with less communications
available, the instructor was free to teach whatever they thought appropriate.
The goal of developing new students, nad no concrete set of rules to follow.
Change does not imply it is bad,
just new ways continually being added. If
effective for you then it is fine.
On the other hand I am feeling more
and more that what once was, does not mean that was less either.
Perhaps we might still find value in One.
1 comment:
Very nicely done.
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