When I was a novice in Isshinryu

 

Thinking back on when I began I knew a little about karate. My college room mate was a Shotokan student at Temple University studying under Okasaki Sensei. He showed me how to form a fist and do side blocks in order to have me to practice  his Shotokan against. Which really meant I knew very little.

 

I saw karate used in various TV shows. And at times I purchased Black Belt Magazine. I also had read Bruce Teger’s book about Karate. Again which really meant I knew very little.

 

My youngest brother and sister were studying  Shotokan. Another brother was studying a Chinese system of karate. Yet another brother was studying Tae Kwon Do in the Jhoon Rhee System. Again which really meant I knew very little.

Living in Salisbury Md. And working as a construction laborer I heard about a karate program outside of Salisbury Md. Where there was a karate program being taught in a school that looked like a barn.

 

So one evening I went over to watch a class, and observe it I did. Then I went home thinking about what I watched. Returning the next night, I discovered there was not class that night but met the instructor Tom Lewis. He talked with me a bit learning how little I knew, then he invited me to attend the next class.

I showed up for that class, wearing sweats, beginners did not have to have a gi (and it would be over a month before I got one). There was a 20 minute warm up drill session and I got to sweat a lot.

 

Then I and two beginners were assigned to 2 green belts who took us aside and spent the rest of the class covering how to perform Chart 1 & 2.

 

That was how I spent my first two hours.

 

I learned what I was shown about blocking and striking was not how it was done in Isshinryu.

 

Years later I would eventually discover that the karate on Okinawa was different from what was called karate in Japan. 

 

It was also quite some time before I would realize that there were different systems of karate on Okinawa.

 

Such things were never discussed in class in Salisbury during my first 2 years as a student there.