The use of the class warmup....

 

I remember reading in Steve Perry's "The MUSASHI FLEX" '
"Baba did not believe in warming up or stretching.  if you had a scheduled duel. you could do that, but if you were attacked suddenly,if you saw a situation coming that was only a matter of seconds away, then you had better be ready to deal with it immediately.   You would not be able to hold up your hand to an attacker bent on smashing your face and say, Hold up there, fellowman, I need to loosed up first, okay?"

"You start at the very beginning,
it is a very good place to start....."

To the best of my knowledge we have no record of how classes were held by the various instructors that Tatsuo Shimabuku studied under. And when I was a student  we were never told how classes were held in Agena for Mr. Lewis.

Every class began with about 1/2 hour of group drills with stretching exercises, technique drills and so forth. Then for the remaining 1 and 1/2 hour we would work on kata, ocassional self defense drills and kumite. Every class was different for that 1 and 1/2 hour.

Most of the other IKC dojo followed the same example, but when I visited Reese Rigby in Dover he often spent 1 hour on warmup drills before the remainder of class.

I do recall one time Mr Lewis described his training in Agena under Tatsuo Shimabuku. There was a porch inside the dojo door where individuals would change, then as they wished talked with each other, etc. for as long as they wished. The dojo was open roughly from 9am to 10pm, as I recall the tale. There was no formal class, except for some introductory classes for the beginners. Individuals worked as they wished. Such as work on the Charts, striking the makiwara, working on whatever kata they knew or were then studying. There were senior students (Okinawan and American) who would supervise whatever you were doing, offereing corrections, etc.  Shimabuku Tatsuo would sit and observe everything. It he felt an individual was ready he would rise, come over and show them the new section of their current kata (or begin their new kata) 3 times. Then he would return to his seated position.

Then when I moved out of the Salisbury Md area, most places I trained followed much the same pattern with the opening section of the class with warm up drills. It stayed much the same in various arts.

When in Scranton and i began training with Charles Murray, from my relocation, we never began our private classes with a warmup only when we taught youth classes did we incoprorate class warmup.

As my wife worked nights at the YMCA I had every night free. 2 nights I had classes at the Scranton Boys Club, then the other three nights I would train in Tai Chi Chaun, or visit various other clubs and then often train in 2 schools on Saturday mornings or go to tournaments. Sunday I trained by myself.

And meeting many other instructors I began to pay visits to their schools as well.

Then beginning in 1980 I started training several time a month at Tristan Sutrisno's school in Hazleton, Pa. I continued to do so for the next 5 years before I moved in NH for work.    The first thing I noticed was at no time did Tristan Sutrisno ever begin class with a warmup session.

I once asked him about that and he responded that he would show individuals how to stretch but it was their individual responsibility to do so, just as it was their responsibility to be ready to join each class. There was always too much to do, to spend time in warmup and not actual training.

I saw the logic behind his approach. Af first class training might begin at less than full speed. Allowing the drills to relas and loosen the body, Then as that ocurred faster and faster responses could occur.

Of course at no time in those years were two classes ever like each other. Every class was a unique different experience. It remained that way forever during my visits.

Of course that was one of the many, many lessons from Tristan I kept going over and over in my head.

I never changed how I taught Isshinryu from how I was taught, while I was in Scranton. I left there at the end on 1984.

Now I had been teaching youth for over 5 years at that time. Following my standard of taking 5 years to consider changes I choose to continue to teach Isshinryu to the youth of Derry NH, but after 5 years of my own work I added gradually many supplemental kata, and drills to give them more time to achieve Sho Dan, in what I projected would be a 7 tio 9 year time frame.

I also began my adult program in Derry about the same time.  The curricula would remain the same as for the youth program but as adults were in charge of their own time They might take 3 to 5 years to reach Sho Dan.

There was a difference in that I would no longer have a warmup section to the adult classes. For one thing I learned this was possible from Tristan Sutrisno. Couple that with the reality that there was never enough time in any class to cover what I wanted to cover.

I followed this approach for the next +35 years and it worked for me.

As I see it youth with their bodies continually changing and growing they needed the warmup to help their bodies develop. But  for the adults we would just let karate itself make the continual adjustments to their bodies.

Before you overthink your own feelings. I defined my own program based on what I experienced with the best I studied with. And the reality is that individuals with completely opposite training approaches still were most capable of making their art(s) work.

For consideration:

Kensho Tokumura Isshin-Ryu Basics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vol62pCCK5Q    

 Original Lower Body Combinations (Tom Lewis)
    Front Snap Kick
    Knee Strike (45degrees)
    Front Kick (Side)
    Cross Kick
    Side Snap Kick
    Heel Strike (Knee)
    Knee Strike
    Rear Kick
    Side Kick (45 degrees rear)
    Squat Kick
    Side Kick (on  Floor)
    Front Thrust (from floor)
    Double Jump Kick
    Roundhouse Kick
    Side Kick (Rear 45 degrees), Rear Kick

 Andy Sloane Ittsukan Dojo, I have it as:
1. Toe touch stretch
2. Back bend
3. Standing leg stretch
4. Squatting leg stretch
5. Front kick
6. Angle kick
7. Cross-over kick
8. Side kick (heel/blade of foot)
9. Side kick (ball of foot)
10. Squat kick
11. Toe-rip kick
12. Knee smash kick
13. Pushups (on knuckles)
14. Body twist
15. Deep breathing

Charles Murray

Hi Vic.  First I think i/we always did warmup stretching exercises in Scranton.  Maybe not as much if it was just you and i doing things but for the classes I think we always did.  

For the Lower Body exercises i do, they are the same thing Angi Uezu does.