from THE TECHNIQUE AND INNER TEACHINGS OF MOTOBU UDUNDI,

" Mouidi SECRET MARTIAL ART OF THE RYUKYU KINGDOM ROYAL FAMILY

translated by Joe Swift

 

Motobu Udundi Training

 

My training period Between the ages of twelve and twenty-two, I practiced alone with Choyu Sensei. We trained three times a day, morning, afternoon, and evening. The training was unimaginably exacting. Choyu Sensei schooled me not only in bujutsu techniques, but also in the warrior approach to all aspects of everyday life-everything from how to take meals to the proper way to tie my headband. It would be impossible for me to relate to you all of the many, many things I was taught, but I will mention some of the main ones.

 

Walking training

 

I practiced walking quickly forward and backward while up on my toes, placing my weight at the base of my big toes and keeping my knees straight. I had to walk while keeping my chest out and my body upright like a pole, using my hara, or abdomen, as a center around which to move my entire body. I bound pieces of wood to the backs of my knees with strips of cloth to get in the habit of walking with my legs straight.

Striking training

 

I began practicing how to strike by punching at my teacher's stomach with a seiken fist. Striking a makiwara (practice target made of a board wrapped with straw and/or rope) was not permitted, since striking an inanimate objects does not train you to strike at a moving person. In actual combat we use nukite, or spearhand strikes. The spearhand strike we use in Motobu Udundi is slightly unique in that we keep our thumb straight, parallel to the rest of the fingers, rather than bending it. To strengthen my spearhand, I practiced thrusting it into the sand on the beach Eventually it was strong enough to split a three-centimeter-thick plank of cedar.

 

Kicking training

 

To practice kicking I tied a piece of cloth to a bamboo pole at about face-height and kicked at it using the straight-legged kicks characteristic of Motobu Udundi. These kicks involve keeping both the kicking leg and the pivot leg straight, making contact with the toes when extending the kick, and with the heel when withdrawing it. At the next stage, I practiced straight-legged crescent kicks. I held my arms outstretched, parallel to the ground, with rocks wrapped in towels held in both hands. If my upper body wavered in reaction to the kick, the rocks in the towels would also waver and knock against my legs. Thus, I learned to keep my upper body still when kicking. I started with rocks weighing about 600 grams and gradually increased the weight to about 1800 grams. Later I practiced standing and kicking with straight-legged kicks diagonally over my opposite shoulder to split a board positioned there. Then I practiced the same type of movement to split a board positioned behind my head. I also practiced leaping up to kick down small tree branches, and jumping from stone walls and other high places, kicking with one foot and striking with both hands on the way down, then kicking and striking rapidly again when I hit the ground.

 

Leaping training

 

I practiced leaping from a standing position without bending my knees, using only my ankles as springs. I started doing that when I was twelve and by the time I was seventeen I was able to use only the power of my ankles and one arm to hoist myself over stone walls about the height of my raised arm.

Pole-vaulting training

 

As a means of escaping when surrounded by enemies, I practiced using a bamboo pole to jump from one stone wall to another and onto tiled roofs and other high places.

 

 

 

Midwinter training in the sea

 

From the time I was eighteen, about every three days during the mid-winter months, Sensei and I would face each other (he facing the shore, I the water) and walk up to our necks in the sea, wearing nothing but our undergarments, singing loudly together all the while.

 

Training with earthenware jars

 

I practiced lifting unglazed earthenware jars by placing my fingers inside and expanding them outward to keep the jars from slipping off. Each jar was about thirty centimeters high with an opening fifteen centimeters in diameter. As I got stronger, I added weight by filling them with sand. I used the same jars to support my neck and ankles while I held my body straight as a rod above the floor, arms straight at my sides. Later I practiced holding that position while Sensei pressed and shook my abdomen. Eventually I was able to hold the position without flinching or bending, even when he climbed up and stood bouncing on my stomach.

 

Bird-catching training

 

I practiced capturing wild birds using a thin bamboo pole with a glob of very sticky nice paste on the end of it. The instant a bird took off from a branch, I used the sticky paste on the end of the pole to entangle its feet in such a way that I could capture it without harming it or damaging its feathers. I did this to develop a steady hand and so that I would be able to catch the rhythm of an opponent's breathing (kokyu) and attack my chosen target.

 

Equestrian training

 

First I learned how to ride bareback and how to mount a running horse. After that, I practiced using various weapons such as long sword (tachi), spear (yari), glaive (naginata) and so on while riding a horse.

 

 

 

 

Training matches

 

Back then it was essential that I conceal my martial arts training as much as possible in order to avoid the challenges that would come from people hoping to prove their skills. If it was known that I was practicing bujutsu, I might be ambushed or caught up in kakedameshi, which was the practice of picking fights to test one's ability and gain practical fighting experience. Back then many young people still lost their lives through kakedameshi. Choyu Sensei was strictly opposed to such useless conflicts and naturally forbade kakedameshi. However, there were times when I played the role of sparring partner to martial artists who came to learn from Sensei and I also participated in practice matches when I accompanied Sensei to meet other shihans. In practice matches back then, the higher-ranking person would cover their palms with black soot from the bottom of cooking pots, while the lower-ranking person would use wheat flour. The winner of the match would be decided afterwards by the position and number of white and black marks each had managed to put on the other. It was considered a breach of etiquette to soil the clothing of a higher-ranking person with difficult-to-remove soot, so the lower-ranking person used light colored wheat flour instead.