Each art has a standard of what
makes superior training for our students.
Karate developed
from Te taught to certain Okinawan families, which was a long story in its own
right. Certainly because of the families responsibility intense training was a
necessity.
Then as things
developed changes took place in what karate training was or should be.
The karate that
went to Japan was structures to be taught in the Universities. The training was
intense, but for most students they trained for 4 years and then moved on in
their lives. There was intense training for life for those who selected to do
so,
Did that
training differ from what was being done on Okinawa, it would be difficult to
say. For one thing there were so many different types of karate and many
different methods to train under.
Then WWII
intervened and Karate training was made available to US military members. And
over time what existed changed too.
IMO the way
training existed on Okinawa, was as intense or less than the student wanted it
to be. Then when those students returned to their homes likely more that a bit
of military pt was included in what they taught.
What occurred
likely varied from school to school.
Again most
students trained only for a few years, not for life.
I am not
suggesting any of that training was not worthy, just varied from school to
school.
Having trained
with many people in many arts, though ways differed, most followed a similar
template as to how hard the students trained. But how that was done varied from
instructor to instructor.
One of
the best individuals I had trained with began training with his father at 4
years of age. He developed literal cat like reflexes, beyond most I have seen.
The
interesting thing was the decade I trained with him, alongside his students, I
never saw one minute of pushups, stretching exercises or the other things most
schools do.
His
karate was explosive, and his students were good, but not through the programs
other schools used.
I was originally
trained with every class beginning strong calisthenics and basics. And when I
began to teach youth kept to that standard.
But as the years
passed, continuing to learn more I began to see training a different way.
When I began my
small very personal adult program, I began to take the lead from my friends
program.
The adults who
trained with me, led normal complex
adult lives, most were unable to attend all classes, yet they did attend as
their lives permitted, and that went on for decades.
Their classes
were about an hour at a time, and they were not doing it for intense
calisthenics, nor was that my interest.
I realized that
their time was better spent on karate, and that became the focus of our time
together . When the began I would explain that stretching was for their
benefit. For example I would demonstrate a variety of stretching exercises. But
then I explained that is was their responsibility to prepare themselves to get
the best from their classes, and their responsibility alone.
For class I
would just jump into what was being covered that class. I expected them to
begin slow allowing the motions to gradually warm them up as training
progressed.
Then following
my personal understanding and use of the Heisenberg
Uncertainty Principle did my best so that no class was ever structured
like any other class. This forced them to keep aware of what was being shown.
There was a
structure to my lessons, but that structure was 6 to 8 months long. At which
time a different structure was introduced in to the classes that followed, and
that kept changing.
Skill grew over
time, correct alignment was stressed, everything they studied or learnt came
together in their development.
The average
adult reaching shodan continued training over +17 years after shodan. The
seniors continued training +35 years, not just showing up but training. And
there were those who trained for years between the average times for dans and
that of the seniors.
My students were
not being trained for military service, police service of other dangerous
professions. They were not training to increase physical fitness.
Their interest
was just in learning to perform their karate better and better.
Their training
focused on Isshinryu kata,.
Subsidiary
kata (from Shorin ryu, Goju ryu,l Pai Lum, ShotokanO both to gain understanding
of what others do, and to have skilled attacks from outside our system to work
against.
Kobudo
(Bo, Sai, Tonfa, Bando stick and staff,
Sutrisno Kama and Knife studies).
Working
to how any one technique can defeat any attack.
Working
to understand the many uses Isshinryu kata technique could be used to defeat
any attack.
Understanding
how to move beyond kata technique possibilities and what it took to work and
reach true kata technique application realization.
Working
to develop subsidiary skills to make what we use more effective (ie. Multiple
striking, energy point alignment,etc.)
Always
remembering that the use of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle in training
led towards Seikichis’ understanding.
Uehara Seijichi
stated “ My master
used to say, "If your opponent knows your martial arts techniques, your
life is immediately in danger. Never use the same technique twice in a
row."
It is my
understanding that this was from the pre-karate arts.
Autobiography
of Uehara Seikichi 9
2022-07-01
1
Translated
by Motobu Naoki
From Bu
no Mai (Martial dance)by Uehara Seikichi (1992)
Autobiography
of Uehara Seikichi 8
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