This was after the deaths of Johh Dinger (one of my black belt students) and Sherman Harrill. Most of my adult students re-examined their own lives made the determination that it was time to move on. Many of them had over 20 years with me at that time.
So for a year as Young Lee was out of the area, the adult program was Mike Cassidy and I, it turned out to be most provocative to both of us.Then in time Young moved back in the area and several others returned and we acquired new members.
Up early and spent some time
watching a video of Sherman Harrill.
What struck me this morning
was Sensei showing somebody on the side lines of the clinic how to apply a
squat kick to the one leg with an immediate follow up side thrust to the other
leg. The first kick buckling a knee and the second kick taking other leg
dropping the opponent.
It made me think of the 1st
level bunkai of Tris
Sutrisno’s ‘Bassai Sho’,
where a side thrust kick morphs into a low crescent kick followed by an
immediate thrust kick, with almost identical application potential.
Some how watching this set a
theme in me today, linking different training together.
Class Notes with Mike
Cassidy.
[Note several of you may have
met Mike while visiting my club. Mike is a Program Director at the Boys and
Girls Club, has coached any number of successful basketball teams, even going
to the New England Championship any number of times with his Senior High level
team, and winning. His son 2 years ago won the National free throw
championships for his age group. Mike also has become the youth program
instructor for my program here, taking over last year. He does a pretty fair
job in karate too.]
We began with SunNuSu kata. After
several runs, Mike started leaving the gym, telling me he was getting hungry
and had to go get some breakfast. Hmmmmmmmmmmm. After this weeks discussion I
should have been expecting that. Guess Mike’s been following the list
discussion. LOL
Anyhow we focused then on Chantan Yara No Sai, Chosen No Kama Sho and Dai, and tanto studies.
The application studies today
were far ranging.
I was showing Mike how
stacking chambering could be used the same way one of our Indonesian takedowns
works.
-- Double Stacking Hands --
Attacker grabbing with their right.
Defender stepping out to
‘block’ with their left, and then opening the blocking hand and sliding it down
into a grab to pull back, as the right hand chambers directly on top of the
forearm. Normally this would be a very
painful strike that would buckle their lead knee.
But instead of the hard
strike, you use it as a light touch, or press that follows the left hand back
into the chamber.
As you do that step forward
with the right foot (slightly toe into the center line) as you’re pulling them
forward.
Then your left foot steps
counter clockwise to the rear of your right foot, turning you in at least 180
degrees in that direction as you maintain the double stack on the arm.
The attacker is drawn forward
and they spin down.
Taking care to not smash the
right into the arm, what happens the soft touch leads their balance forward as
your left hand pulls back into chamber. This leading balance accompanied with
the spin, literally spirals them down.
The Indonesian version of
this uses a right knife hand instead of a right fist.
There’s a little more
involved to make the finish of the takedown more effective, but words don’t do
that justice.
We followed that with some
basic Indonesian movement exercises, with very light stances and circular
blocking. The second set of which uses the retreat with the grab as an arm
breaking technique.
Unfortunately I didn’t know
where to stop and we continued on in my Seisan Opening drills.
First we reviewed how the
block/punch can be followed by the stepping motion for a take down (which I’ve
detailed a few weeks ago), and how to work to accomplish this with flow and
speed.
Then we began exploring how
the block/punch can be followed by a chamber and punch into the armbar
application potential. We worked both my
under and over method, as well as an Indonesian over and under method.
When Mike was working my
version of this Seisan technique he hit it perfectly. A block-punch then
flowing under and then over that arm to chamber and punch across the arm. Mike did almost nothing and in return almost
took my arm off (it’s still aching 14 hours later). Yep there are no armbars in Isshinryu. I shouldn’t be such a good instructor.
We finished with the
simplicity of grab/lock attack defenses. Simply put when your hand/wrist/arm
are touched, just chamber and blast out with the other hand. 100% release as
they can’t establish the lock before you’re changing the shape of the bubble,
and as they are lead to try and continue they’re moving right into the
following punch.
This is both basic karate
applied, the manner in which the Northern
Eagle Claw principles show how to break the locks, and another example of
leading the opponents mind. Because they’re trying to establish/maintain the
lock, they move forward to try and keep the control, but they can’t shift that
effectively (one hopes) and are then lead into the punch.
Hopefully they don’t realize
that they have an instant answer too. If that split second they realize they’re
not in control, and they just release the lock, they’re also free to enter plan
‘B’. But by trying to establish a lock, they’re more often ready to be led.
Side note 1 – Almost
technique at a time, I’ve been getting back into a tanto kata I stopped practicing about 6 or 7 years before, because
I couldn’t control the knife during the continual knife shifts. I always
thought it was an aging-arthritis thing. But now, just by going back to my
original notes, I’m finding the continual knife shifts are working very easily.
The difference seems to be the work I’ve done over the past 10 years on working
for better body alignment is paying off. BTW, except for the gifted, like the
instructor who taught me, I don’t consider the technique practical, but it’s
real skill training for hand and limb development. And if you drop the knife
you get to practice dancing real well too.
So I’m finding links to one
version of Shotokan technique to Isshinryu technique. Links between Aikido and Isshinryu,
links between Indonesian technique and Isshinryu technique, as well as links between Eagle Claw releases and basic Isshinryu too.
So if you really work your
Isshinryu you’re already doing a whole lot more.
Just another Saturday in New
Hampshire. Unfortunately next week’s
class will be missed due to the club hosting a basketball event all day.
1 comment:
First I erroneously listed in that post from 2005 that both John Kerker and Sherman Harrill had dies. I was wrong it should have been John Dinger, one of my black belts. I have corrected it on my blog.
John was a very good student. Unfortunately he came down with a very rare genetic condition that caused him to lose more and more control of his life. He discontinued training and I used to give him private instruction unto his death. We worked on that which he could do. And he kept doing it.
Sherman found John to be a favorite uke as the many clinics he gave at my school.
When he heard about John’s condition he asked me to find a way to bring John at a forthcoming clinic he was having in Chicopee Mass.
But John passed away then shortly thereafter Sheman passed away too.
Those events had a profound impact for me.
Personally is meant the next three months I view every scrap of video and recording what had been taught as well as those notes I had taken. Only then did I realize that in the all too short time I knew Sherman he had shared 800 applications for the Isshinryu kata (and I know that was only a portion of what he did). I compiled those notes into my Sherm-pedia.
Yet those deaths had another impact.
John and Sherman’s passing had a very strone impact on my adult students. Most of them were older students, and as a result they began rethinking continuing training, after decades of work.
Several students were out of the area at that time. Most of the others realized the right choice for them was to move onto other things. Of course they were right, what I did train black belts for was to understand what was right for them.
So in a very short time my adult class became Mike Cassidy and I for about a year. It was a most productive year, only having a senior students, to work with. I was able to focus on my research and train with a hghly qualified individual. We could push each other,
And that is what happened.
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