My most important instructor

I have been fortunate to have had 6 knowledgeable and very skilled instructors who each contributed greatly to the shape my art became. But as the years past and I learned more about what each of them share with me, I found my most important instructor.

 

Now I ran a very small program, my attempt to recreate the atmosphere described by older karate. The adult group was much larger than the youth program. But the youth program,the one I began with through the Boys Club and then the Boys and Girls Club was quite stable. Members did come and go but on the average they gave us 2 or 3 years to work with them a bit. With such stability we only added new members maybe one time a year, and they started in a small group, perhaps of 4 or 6 new members.

 

What I discovered is that after decades of teaching each group of beginners, they were my most important instructor. When I had developed other instructors to assist me I continued the beginning indoctrination of all beginners my self, letting them take the rest of the class. This continued for the first 6 or 8 classes for each group. And later when my disabilities manifested themselves, I developed a script for someone (who of course was skilled) to read for me as speech became more and more difficult.

 

My classes did not use play or pretend karate for youth. They were shown real karate from the beginning. And the more I worked with the beginners, the more I worked to explain what I wanted in a higher degree.

 

The program was to give them enough understanding that they could join with the rest of the group for group instruction. At times of course their participation was limited as their knowledge grew.

 

The structure I used was to use most of the first class to explain what Isshinryu karate was and was not. The rules I expected them to follow were explained, such as the first time they spent time in class talking and not working on karate they would receive pushups.

 

Then I would shout ‘push-ups’ and they would see the entire class drop down and do 10. And they saw that no one complained and everyone did them immediately. (Of course each of them had seen the same thing themselves when they were beginners..) 

I explained they were not punishment but to help them refocus on why they were there. I also explained that it was probably not a smart thing for me to do, as they would eventually get stronger to punch me too. I then explained they were here at their choice to learn karate. And if the push-ups the first time didn’t work I would not give them more push-ups, instead they would be sent downstairs to play so they would not affect other members who wanted to train. In reality I gave very few push-ups after that and rarely sent anyone out of the class.

 

 

I covered when they would become eligible to get a uniform (when their parents and I were sure they actually wanted to study karate. After that a whole lot of things got explained.

 

That took most of the first class, but toward the end I always covered how to form the Isshinryu fist, how to punch in horse stance, explained stances, taught them the front stance and then how to walk forward with a crescent step, and how to walk backward with the crescent step. Finally how to step and punch at the same time.

 

There also would always be time to let them observe the same class perform kata sho.

 

Then it would be time to end class and I would review how to rei out, using the same rei they were shown at the classes beginning.

 

I did not expect them to remember what I told them, but in the future when they heard it again, they would recall I told them about that.

 

Then the second class some more basic strikes and blocks, some of the basic kicks. I would review why we chambered and how important that was. By demonstrating a chamber being used as a rear strike to someone behind you. I would also explain how every movement when they knew much more would have very important uses.

 

Then I would show them a mini kata of 4 movements, to aid in the development of basic technique with turning.

 

I would end with them being shown a basic grab release, with a caution they should not attempt this on their parents or a teacher. Cautioning that would probably earn them a paddling, for that was not what karate was for.

 

By the third class they would be deeper into the study of upper body and lower body combinations. They would review the mini kata they were shown the earlier class, then they would be shown a more complex mini kata to challenge them. Those mini kata were good drills on their own merit.

 

Then they would be shown the first movements of our Kata Sho.

 

Finally they would begin learning another grab self defense technique.

 

So class by class gradually I would introduce them to the structure of the program we wan.

 

In turn working with each group of beginners always made me work harder and harder at making them understand what we were doing.

 

In turn they became my instructors, each of them.

 

As they knew nothing they could do no wrong, for they were perfect at what they did not know. Becoming more capable at making them understand what we did became ever more important to me.

 

I bow down to all of them, thousands over the years, for the patience they showed as I worked ever harder at doing a better job.