A Wansu realization and a bit more.

 Perhaps Much Ado about Nothing

This memory just popped into my head, I believe it will be interesting.

Also a large part of this post is about something most inconsequential for it makes absolutely no difference in how the kata technique is used. Of course such things are often endless arguments for others too.

When I first began my study of Isshinryu under the direction of Tom Lewis I was taught the Upper and Lower Body Combinations my first night.

 
Original Upper Body Combinations from the IKC Salisbury dojo

RFF Right Punch
RFF Right Uppercut
LFF Right Punch
LFF Right Uppercut
RFB Left Low Block, Right Punch
RFB Left Side Block, Right Punch
RFB Left Arm Block, Right Spear
RFB Left High Block, Right Punch
RFB Left Open Hand Block, Right Uppercut
RFB Left Bridge Strike (Nose), Right Punch
LFF Left Low Block 5 Punches
LFF Left Side Block 5 Punches
LFF Right Roundhouse Punch, Left (Same)
LFF Left Open Low Block, Right Shuto
Break Bear Hug

To begin among the Upper Body Combinations was one using  roundhouse (hook) punches. Specifically LFF Right Roundhouse Punch, Left (Same). as you stepped forward you delivered a Roundhouse punch that circled up to strike the opponents temple, Right Roundhouse followed by a Left Roundhouse.

Some time later I realized that was not in any of the kata I studied. But I thought it a reasonable way to strike an opponent, and I practiced it that way ever after.
    
Then 1976 began. I was a new Blue Belt and one of the instructors, Dennis Lockwood, worked me very hard teaching me Wansu kata. I was of course proud of my rank and practiced it a great deal. Later late spring at an IKC annual shiai I competed with the form, winning first place in the blue belt division. I was proud as my work was paying off.
 

Fron the Wansu kata I was taught in 1976 by Dennis Lockwood at the IKC Salisury dojo. Half way through the form was performed as follows.

12:00. Both hands are in chamber.

. Step out with the left foot, into LFS, as you strike to the front with the right, then follow by chambering the right and striking across your body with your left hand.

. Right foot steps up alongside left as you chamber both hands.

. Step out with the right foot, into RFS, as you strike to the front with the left, then follow by chambering the left and striking across your body with your right hand

I often visited various IKC dojo during that time for additional training time as the Salisbury Club was only open 2 days a week. ie. IKC Princess Ann under Wayne Webster , IKC Delmar under Marvin Jones and IKC Dover under Reese Rigby. I noticed at times their kata were variances of what I studied, however I never focused on that. All of them were students of Tom Lewis. Charles later told me at different times different versions were taught, however Sensei never commented on that just wanted always stronger performance.


But at the end of the summer I had to move away for work and the lata kata I began my last night was part of the opening section for Chinto kata.

Living in Scranton, there studying Tang Soo Do, I kept up my Isshinryu kata practice. The following year I returned to Salisbury on my vacation focusing learing the remainder of Chinto kata. 

Then in 1977 Charles Murray moved to the Scranton area and I began to continue my Isshinryu studies with him. Charlie knowing that the way the Salisbury Isshinryu kata varied over the years, so he made clear the kata I learned in Salisbury would remain to be done by me that way (Seisan through Chinto), not caring if his own versions varied somewhat. At that the kata I studied post-Chinto would be done the way he taught me (Kusanku onward). Aftet that we worked oue kata together regurarily but he hever commented on my earlier kata versions, only working to make me perform more strongly.

Too soon on my own and running a youth program at the Boys Club I taught as I had studied, I had no one training me. I began to regularily travel to many tournaments and noted often Isshinryu from other dojo likewise had other versions of their kata, Noted but I had no intention to change my kata.

 

Sometime about 1980 Sensei Lewis held a black belt meeting prior to the shiai and commented on the performance of Wansu kata. I recall his telling us that he just viewed a video of Angu Uzeu performing Wansu kata, and it was a little different from what we were doing. He told us at the mid-point of the kata were we were stepping out with the left foot, Angi was stepping out with the right foot. Sensei Lewis suggested that is what we should now do.

 

This was long before YouTube or much VHS. So whatever Sensei saw convinced him.

That suggestion was enough for me, at that point I changed how I performed the kata forever.

In 1986 I was working on documenting on what I was doing. My wife had kept notes on her own kata studies in Salisbury and wrote them up for me, including those other Isshinryu kata she had studied from me.

Here is that section from Wansu kata.

 

Here is one of my senior students, Young Lee, performing this Wansu kata in 1989.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omxnblpffoo

 

Then in 1987 Lewis Sensei came to Derry to attend a clinic I was having for Sherman Harrill. They were friends from Agena. The clinic was to focus on Wansu and Bo.

Prior to the clinic my own students performed Wansu kata for Sherman.  They did a great job. However after their performance another very senior black belt ran over to me informing me my students did the kata incorrectly. I then told him they performed the kata exactly as I taught them and I was told to perform it that way by Sensei Lewis. Now Sensei was sitting in the bleachers talking to Sherman Harrill.

I explained that I was originally taught as he described, however at a later time Sensei told us to change how the kata was done. I also explained that I saw no difference in how either version might be used, but if he felt so strongly about it. please inform Sensei about the mistake and if Sensei wanted, and only if Sensei wanted, I would change back to the original version I was shown by Sensei.

As he had not trained in Agena, where as Sensei and Sherman had, he decided to take his comments no further.

Needless to say I did not change the way I taught the kata!

Tatsuo Shimabuku Wansu Kata 1966
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0VNLVNaPvk 

Note Tatsuo in  that section stepping out with his right foot first.

Isshin Ryu Master Angi Uezu 1970
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlVKvgqOm0g

Here he does that section of the kata as Tatsuo does in 1966, stepping out with his tight foot first.r

Isshin Ryu Master Angi Uezu 1980  3:47-3:84
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPwsCzTbQ74 

Then as the above video shows,  Angi changed to now stepping our with his left foot first.

 
So we can clearly see that Wansu shifted performance between how Tatsuo did it, and Angi doing it the same way in 1970.

But by 1980 he was teaching a variation of Wansu kata, for whatever reason.  I just noticed this today 7-6-2024, one never stops learning something new.

Now I still maintain this really does not make a difference in reality.

But my story moves on, This time to 1989 were I was into my own research at how to use kata technique against attacks.

One night it hit me to work on the Basic Combination Roundhouse Strike. I realized that if you pressed the palm of the strike out a bit it would change the strike from using the flat fist into using a strike to the temple with the thumb index knuckle and at the same the index finger index knuckle.  That would make it you were striking two points with the same technique, maximizing the pain of the strike.

Then I went a step further using that fist formation to strike into the side of the neck (as a double strike to the carotid artery), again maximizing he pain.

That was a very productive night.

Now roll forward into the 1990s when I attended a clinic with John Kerker, one that worked on some Wansu kata techniques.

While in my short time training at clinics with Sherman Harrill I had been shown over 800 applications for the Isshinryu kata, I realize it was only a portion of what Sherman worked on over his years. About 2000 I was able to train with his senior student John Kerker again at clinics and learned ever so much more.

At one of those annual clinics he shared another  defense.

The technique was to respond to an attackers stepping right strike by the defender stepping forward with the left foot. The step was outside the incoming strike (Exterior Line of Defense) and striking to the solar plexus with a horizontal roundhouse strike with your right hand, then to follow that with an immediate left  horizontal roundhouse strike  to their back (ie: to their kidney or to their lower spine.

I immediately recognized that this could be a variation of this defense technique from Wansu kata. The in turn it could be a variation of the Basic Combination for the roundhouse (hook) strikes, using horizontal roundhouse strikes.

All said these discoveries tie together for my personal journey through my Isshinryu studies. What began on my first class continued to be expanded on 40 years later

And my journey never ended, it continues to this day.







Saved in 1980 from Maureen's original notes from when she trained in Salisbury in 1976.