When I started
in Isshinryu I was doing so for the chance to learn karate. When I was a
beginner you only saw a senior instructor work on kubudo at times after class.
They had their own classes which we were not at.
Aware of Bo and
Sai in the art, it really wasn’t something I had much interest about.
After moving to
Scranton and beginning my study with Charles Murray it was he that introduced
me to kobudo. He started teaching me Chantan Yara No Sai, then Tokomeni No Kon.
He had his own ideas how training should proceed, and force fed me at a pace of
almost a kata a month. That continued at that pace until he re-entered the
USAF. All of the Isshinryu kubudo forms and the Bando Staff form – the
Horseman’s form.
Then I was on my
own, no books or movies to use. It made me work. I remember one time I began
Urashie and ended Shi Shi. Having gotten mixed up in the middle. And more
disturbing I could not remember the correct movements. It took me a week of
hard work to get back to the right way.
One of the ways
I forced myself to remember the forms, was I entered kobudo competitions. While
I once competed with Chantan Yara No Sai as a brown belt, as a Black belt I
began with Tokomeni.
But I realized I
needed to push myself to do more. Then I made a choice to switch to Shi Shi. Of
course then no others in NE. Pa. Were using that form. But it was so hard it
really made me push myself.
I used it for
the next 3 years, slowly improving my scores. One time for a mix I returned to
Chantan Yara No Sai.
I practiced
everything too. Finally for a year I was a consistent 4th place,
which gained me no trophy, but that wasn’t why I was doing that.
Then to do
something different I switched to the Bando Staff. Performing it several times.
Then one day in Tamaqua Pa I gained first place with that Bando staff form.
For whatever
reason I was competing, that was the last time I did kobudo. My practice had
given me what I needed. From that point on practice was enough.
Now I started
training many places, and many arts, with fellow competitors. A bit of that
training was in Kubudo, but that was not why I was seeking places to train.
At that time I
was also a student of Yang Long Fist Tai Chi Chaun. And one of the things I had
to learn was the Tai Chi Sword form. It was exceptionally difficult as
everything was developing skill with the wrist. I think that was the most
difficult thing I ever studied.
I did have
occasion to learn several other Chinese forms, A basic staff for,, a Short
staff form and a much more complex 3 section staff form. Those were more than
enough.
One of those
places I trained was with fellow competitor Tristan Sutrisno. He appreciated my
efforts and shared many things.
One of the first
things shared was he form Chosen No Kama Sho.
He was teaching it to his brown belts then and had me jump in. Then the
next week Chosen No Kama Dai. His kobudo forms built real complexity with the
forms as they progressed. Never went further in Kama with him, they were
complex enough. There was a San versions he used in completion. Way above my
abilities, what I had was more than enough.
Then I had a
chance to get the Bando form the Hidden Stick one day at the 1983 Bando Summer
Camp. One of my seniors, Reese Rigby,
had a slightly
different version but I never studied that. One day and an intense lifetime of
work on it.
Then a few years
later Tristan shared O’Sensei No Kon, Then No Kon Ichi, No Kon Dai and No Kon
Dai Ichi. Each version with increasing skills. His own completion form was a
different one. They were a lot of work to try and maintain.
And my studies
included much, much more than Kobudo.
The day came
when living in Derry, far from where I studied those forms, I made some
difficult choices.
I would continue
to focus on the Isshinryu weapons. Still maintaining the Tai Chi Sword. The
Bando forms I had of course.
I would keep the
Kama Dai form for myself, which meant I also had the Sho version
But I would
discontinue some of my studies, having gained in the process. I set aside the Chinese staff, short staff
and 3 Sectional staff. I also felt the Isshinryu Bo I had and the Bando staff,
covered more than enough bo potential, so I set aside those 4 Sutrisno Bo
forms.
His bo forms
were nice, this is the O’Sensei No Kon No Dai Ichi form performed by his
student Dave Piehota.
Shortly
after that time I began my students own weapons studies.
The
more my own studies progressed, the more I saw other Okinawan forms, the more I
came to realize that what I had was enough. Between the Isshiryu Bo and the
Bando Staff, I felt I covered most of the movements of other Okinawan Bo
styles. I am sure that is not correct, but close enough for me.
Again
more time passed, and I came to see that kobudo training was taking time from
the kyu studies, their empty hand forms were more important at their level, to
me. I did want them to have some weapons focus, so I began sharing the Bando
staff form, or ½ of the Bando stick as Additional Brown Belt Studies.
Then
Brown Belts competing with the short version of the Bando Stick.
Time
passes, and I now have black belts on the range of kubodo studies. Yet after
much time many choose to leave, (plus 17 years into their Dan studies).
Another
quirk, my friend shared that the Yang Sword Form I had learned was only ½ of the
form. So more studies, and more swearing at my own efforts.
I
took that occasion to focus with one of my senior students on my own needs. I
especially refocused my efforts on kobudo, then I had a realization. I had long
felt the Isshinryu kubudo was nothing like a complete kobudo system. From what
I could see, systems such as Innoue’s kobudo in Japan were much more comples. I
started to realize a different reason for those studies.
I
see the kobudo as really complex studies. Where the real value was in decades
of work with the weapons. The use of varied weapons was that they developed
different handling skills. Bo- sai – tonfa- kama, even tanto.
I also realized as I watched my friend Ernest Rothrock develop over the years, that much of it had to do with the skills from the many weapons he used in training. A number to large to extimate.
Each
weapon contributing different specific muscle strengths and skills. All of
which took decades to realize, but then !
To
me that became the dan purpose for kobudo. That it in time would become a major
force enhancer to use in karate application studies.
We
and I was not interested in pursuing kobudo for defensive purposes. More
logical our skick studies already offered much of that need.
But
to be able ot develop strengths to counter the negative effects of aging, to
make our applications become more effective, That just made sense.
So
in time I developed a course of action. Those to initiate the advancing kyu
into the possibility. Those to develop the new black belt. Those to develop the
dan for long term enhancement. Those for the few who needed a greater
challenge.
Mike
Cassidy performing Tokomeni
Mike
Cassidy performing Urashie No Bo
The
a separate category for instructors to keep developing new skills. Those
choices would be kama and tanto. Dangerous to the individual, and most refined
handling skills required.
And
nothing ever learned to be set aside.
I
realize others have done many things. I am sure part of that is do to
availability and finances. The focus might be just on the Isshinryu kobudo. It
might be with adding other systems of study. The decision is of course the
instructors.
For,
myself, I never had the time or resources to do so, teaching for free never made
that an option. Rather each teaching I learned, found me. But when something
was shared I made a sincere effort to try and learn and practice same. Then
made decisions about what I would do with it.
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