The Sai of It

 

Now that I am but a shadow of my forms self, one of the things I miss most is that I am no longer able to work the Isshinryu Kubudo kata. O’I still work kata, and various short non-standard kobudo kata. But I no longer had the strength or dexterity to work them any longer. In  fact I left those weapons behind for my students to use.

 

Now in my life I never ever needed to use them for any defensive reason.I competed with Sai two times, mostly competing with Bo in my completion yeas.

 

Back in 1978, learning I was to travel for a conference in Philadelphia Charles Murray told me I should find a martial arts store and purchase a pair of sai and a bo, because I would be starting them I purchased my sai there and a stout bo.

 

Those sai lasted me for a lifetime. They weren’t perfect and had the golf tape wrapped around the handles, Their balance wasn’t too bad, and they were the longest length the store sold. When held the tip extended 1” past my elbow. By no means perfectly balanced.

 

But in time with hard practice they became perfect for me as I learned their feel. In fact more that perfect because whatever imperfections they had, practice had acclimated those sai to me, and for anyone else they would not have the time to develop the same touch with them. A definite plus to my way of thinking.

 

Charles had studied Chantan Yara No Sai while training at the Agena dojo. In turn that is where he began my own kobudo training with Chantan Yara No Sai. I bet so he has someone to run that form with also.

 

Then in the next year or so he blasted the remaining Isshinryu kubudo kata into me. Far faster than one should be introduced to so many forms. But he did, I did and that was that.

 

When a brown belt I first competed with sai in a kobudo division. After that I mostly competed with bo, realizing that was what most competitors were doing. Only one other time, when driving to a tournament in Delaware, did I  compete with Sai, It went very well but judges were more impressed with bo.

 

Then about 15 years would pass before I had students advanced to the point I would introduce them to Sai. I did a whole lot of practicing by myself in those 15 years. But at that time I introduced Kusanku Sai first, Chantan Yara No Sai came later. But my students were also long term students so it probably made little difference.

 

In the early 2000;s I began to realize the true value of  the kobudo study. To become long term force enhancers to supplement karate. Not seen by short time students. But with decades of work those kata did their job and as age was naturally occurring ,the weapons practice added to the karate to make it stronger. Something impossible to explain to younger students who had not spent those decades at work.

 

If there is such a thing as karate secrets, that is surely one of them.

 

I remember so many years ago watching a karate tournament judge examining a competitor’s sai.

 

I wonder why and it was explained to me that for some people winning was the only thing. And some had custom made Sai crafted for themselves. Those sai were hollow so they could move them faster. So in those days the weapons were examined to see they weren’t tricked out. I don’t know that was true or not but that was how I heard it.

 

Of course now being bereft of so much power, I wish I had a pair of those hollow sai.

 

 

Then again back in the mid 1990s Charles once again found himself on Okinawa where the USAF had sent him for a TDY. When he returned be brought me back a Manji Sai as a souvenir, That sai I kept with me.