Happy New Year 2014, Feliz Ano Novo, 明けましておめでとう

Me in 1984 at the Scranton Boys Club

2013 Ends, 2014Begins. Time flows on,  As our lives move through this moment and as is customary, let us think on the last year,

First, my disabilities remain, I still am classified as having  Paraneoplastic Neuromyopathy & Neuropathy. Still no clue to the cause or the treatment. I am weaker, loss of balance, difficulty with fine motor control and speaking, to the point I am often incomprehensible. I virtually cannot write and even typing is a chore requiting much spell check. After a fall that broke 3 ribs I now employ a walker when I walk outdoors or when I am driven to go shopping.  I no longer drive and am much housebound.

I still walk often except in rain or snow. About 5 or 6 miles a week. I still practice kata, it took a year to figure out how to do tai chi (my lack of balance makes it very difficult) but I found a way finally. I still am involved assisting Mike and Young teaching the young and I still train the adults. Martially speaking I am involved with things.

It’s interesting that Karate is easiest to do, abet with some changes too. I am currently working with Tikko to keep as much martial potential as I can.  I guess its safe to say my karate isn’t exactly empty hand.

As you are undoubtedly aware I continue my efforts on my blog. The context behind my study remains much more material than is in class. I am committed to saving so students in my lineage don’t have to start anew but have it here if the need arises. It consists of much of our shared art (except for those portions which are transmitted separately and privately),  history so it is not lost, and my ongoing  Martial researches. As there are no secrets (except those I choose not to share) I have freely done so openly. Most interesting the rest of the world finds it interesting with so far 75,000 views from around the world (Blogger tracks this in great detail I find).

I have also continues my fan fiction in the Destroyer novels universe. I’ve written about 15 novels at this point.

Along with much time to look into martial studies that interest me, I am also learning much about being disabled. What it means in how I conduct my life. How others react to me. How communicating with others is difficult. One learns to cope as everyone is disabled in one sense. Life continues.

My hope for 2014 is that things are better for all. I will continue to train and learn more about my arts and those of others. Oh and World Peace might not be a bad idea either.

You will find I don’t worry about what others do. I have much more that is interesting in my students learning and my researches. Why dwell on the negative, it all seems to resolve itself in the end.

Sayings of Motobu Choki

In 1978, an essay entitled “Collection of Sayings by Motobu Choki” was published in Japanese. This essay is based upon the oral teachings of Motobu Choki to his students, and was overseen by one direct student of Motobu, namely Marukawa Kenji. Let us now take a look at these “oral transmissions.”

1. Everything is natural, and changing.

2. Kamae is in the heart, not a physical manifestation.

3. One must develop the ability to read how much striking power any person has in one glance.

4. One does not have to take care to block every single attack by an opponent with weak striking power.

5. One must develop the ability to deflect an attack even from behind.

6. In a real confrontation, more than anything else one should strike to the face first, as this is the most effective.

7. Kicks are not all that effective in a real confrontation.

8.”Karate IS Sente” (Here, sente means the initiative, or the first move. c.f. Karate ni Sente Nashi – there is no first move in karate).

9. The position of the legs and hips in Naifuanchin no Kata is the basics of karate.

10. Twisting to the left or right from the Naifuanchin stance will give you the stance used in a real confrontation. Twisting ones way of thinking about Naifuanchin left and right, the various meanings in each movement of the kata will also become clear.

11. One must always try and block the attack at its source (i.e. block not the attacking hand, but deeper on the arm).

12. The blocking hand must be able to become the attacking hand in an instant. Blocking with one hand and then countering with the other is not true bujutsu. Real bujutsu presses forward and blocks and counters in the same motion.

13. One cannot use continuous attacks against true karate. That is because the blocks of true karate make it impossible for the opponent to launch a second attack.

14. I still do not yet know the best way to punch the makiwara. (note: this statement was made when Choki was over 60!!!)

15. It’s interesting, but when I just think about performing a kata, when I’m seated, I break a sweat.

16. When punching to the face, one must thrust as if punching through to the back of the head.

17. When fighting a boxer, it is better to go with his flow, and take up a rhythm with both of your hands.

18. It is necessary to drink alcohol and pursue other fun human activities. The art (i.e. karate) of someone who is too serious has no “flavour.”

19. It is OK to take two steps forward or back in the same kamae, but over three steps, one must change the position (facing) of their guard.

20. When I fought the foreign boxer in Kyoto, he was taller than me so I jumped up and punched him in the face. This is effective against people who are taller than you.

21. I started having real fights at Tsuji when I was young, and fought over 100 of them, but I was never hit in the face.

22. When I was 4, I was made to go to a school, but I hated studying, so I often skipped class and played somewhere with my friends.

23. When I was still in Okinawa, Kano Jigoro of the Kodokan visited and asked to talk with me, and through a friend we went to a certain restaurant. Mr. Kano talked about a lot of things, but about karate, he asked me what I would do if my punch missed. I answered that I would immediately follow with an elbow strike from that motion. After that, he became very quiet and asked nothing more about karate.

24. There are no stances such as neko-ashi, zenkutsu or kokutsu in my karate. Neko-ashi is a form of “floating foot” which is considered very bad in bujutsu. If one receives a body strike, one will be thrown off balance. Zenkutsu and kokutsu are unnatural, and prevent free leg movement. The stance in my karate, whether in kata or kumite, is like Naifuanchin, with the knees slightly bent, and the footwork is free. When defending or attacking, I tighten the knees and drop the hips, but I do not put my weight on either front or back foot, rather keeping it evenly distributed.

25. When blocking kicks, one must block as if trying to break the opponent’s shin.

26. When I came to Tokyo, there was another Okinawan who was teaching karate there quite actively. When in Okinawa I hadn’t even heard his name. Upon the guidance of another Okinawan, I went to the place he was teaching youngsters, where he was running his mouth, bragging. Upon seeing this, I grabbed his hand, took up the position of “kake-kumite” and said “What will you do?” He was hesitant, and I thought to punch him would be too much, so I threw him with “kote-gaeshi” at which he fell to the ground with a thud. He got up, his face red, and said “once more” so we took up the position of kake-kumite again. And again I threw him with kote-gaeshi. He did not relent and asked for another bout, so he was thrown the same way for a third time.

Translation  By Joe Swift (thanks Joe-San)_

Isshin and Zanshin from Trevor Leggett’s “Zen and the Ways”

Isshin and Zanshin    from Trevor Leggett’s “Zen and the Ways”

Page 156

Isshin (one-heart) means to throw oneself wholly into the action without any other thought at all.  Zanshin (remaining-heart) means some awareness still remaining. Some of the texts (victor note – of the Way) give both, some of them do not mention zanshin at all, and some of them mention it but say that the heading ‘zanshin’ means that there must be no zanshin.

With a spear, isshin is to commit one’s body wholly to the thrust; in a judo throw, it means to throw one’s body and heart at the opponent. If the action is technically defective, or the opponent more skilful, it will miss; then one is generally in an unfavorable position. On the other hand, the more impetuosity and immediacy and completeness of the movement may have so upset him that he cannot utilize his momentary advantage.

Still, in theory might it not be better to take into account possible failure, and keep something back in order to be able to adapt it/ But then, the one-heart will be broken into two: one saying ‘everything into the throw’ and the other ‘what if it fails?’  The latter is called a fox-doubt, and it infects the physical movement, to cause hesitation.

Similarly, if the attack is successful, must  new isshin be formed to deal with a new opponent?

The schools which speak of zanshin take it as an awareness which is wide and unmoving, and which contains the isshin. The immediate awareness is thrown into the action, and yet something remains, unconscious? conscious?, which can handle a failure or even a success. This is zanshin. It must not be consciously aimed at, as that would split the ‘one-heart’.

In a sense the one-heart is the ji or particular technique, and the remaining-heart is the ir or universal principle which manifests in particular situations but is not exhausted in them.

Isshin is the unity of the wave, zanshin is the unity of the water. Isshin defeats an opponent at a tme and place, by a technique. Zanshin is awareness of the whole process of defeating opponents, and wider than that, defeating them with minimum harm to them, and wider than that, for a good purpose and wider than that…

In this verse, zanshin is referred to as ‘water holding the moon’.

Jorge Luis Borges Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius

A work of Philosophical Fiction, the short story by Jorge Luis Borges ,the Argentine author,” Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius”  (originally written in Spansh) has a lot to suggest how karate terminology may have moved from Japan to Okinawa.  This is a difficult read but this is something to  think about.

http://interglacial.com/~sburke/pub/Borges_-_Tlon,_Uqbar,_Orbis_Tertius.html

This is a work of speculative fiction

Chin Woo Tan Tuie Springing Legs

Mee No Jiffa Kata

 

 

Mee No Jiffa Kata

 

Wankan katas Shotokan gift translation

En Exclusivite pour officiel karate Kanazawa Sensei execute Wankan.

 

Aussi connu sous les noms de SHIOFU et HITO, c’est un kata tres representatif de Tomari-Te.

 

La vitesse de la projection apres avoir esqive une attaque sans donner le temps a l’adversaire de reagir en lui donnant l’impression d’une techniquie secret en karate-do, est un des points tres importants a observer.

 

Wankan appartient au groupe de MATSUMURA. Il a ete adopte par les styles SHOTOKAN et SHITO-RYU, mais les deux versions sone tres differentes.

 

Dans le style SHOTOKAN, il se distingue par les nombreuses attaques at articulations, HASAMI-UKE des deux mains en levant simultanement le genou,  JODAN SOTO-UKE, TETTSUIUCHI et KOKO-UKEau genou en bloquant KERI, etc.

 

C’est le KATA le plus court du SHOTOKAN. D’une execution tres difficile, il se termine avec YAMA-ZUKI en FUDODACHI, les hanches tres basses.

In Exclusiveness for official karate Kanazawa Sensei executes Wankan.

 

Also known under the names of SHIOFU and HITO, it is a very representative of Tomari-Te kata. The speed of projection after having dodged an attack without giving time has the adversary to react by giving to him the impression of a secret technique in Karate-Do, is one of the very important points has to observe.

 

Wankan belongs to the group of MATSUMURA. It has been adopted by the styles SHOTOKAN and SHITO-RYU, but the two are very different versions.

 

In the style SHOTOKAN, it is characterized by many attacks to the joints, HASAMI-UKE with the two hands while raising simultaneously the knee, JODAN SOTO-UKE, TETTSUIUCHI and KOKO-UKE with the knee blocking KERI, etc.

 

It is the shortest KATA of the SHOTOKAN. Of a very difficult execution, it finishes with YAMA-ZUKI in FUDODACHI, the very low hips.

Seisan’s Opening Movement Study in 1990

In one sense the amount of time I had with my instructors was quite brief. Then I was not around other Isshinryu to train with others. When I did train with extremely skilled individuals, while I did learn, that training only intensified my need to understand Isshinryu better. I eventually moved my study into a different paradigm, trying to understand better how to use each gesture of the system. Logic being my main tool.

Starting from the point every gesture of Isshinryu should be able to stop  any attack, I worked in the later 80’s toward understand how to do this. I did not consider this Bunaki. As I studied with Tristan Sutrisno he taught me ‘Bunkai’ before others were using he term and his ‘bunaki’ was extremely different from what others did. Actually more like Itosu’s other students explained.. In fact as ‘buakai a more modern version  was later used, I felt what was shown while somewhat reasonable, was too limiting for my understanding.

As I made my initial studies, one of them focused on the potential for Seisan Kata’s opening movement. I have described this elsewhere on this blog.

http://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/search?q=Opening+Seisan+Kata+%E2%80%93+Sho-Dan+Study+101

While this was a 2013 listing back in 1990 I made a video of my first explorations. 5 years later I met Sherman Harrill and I felt I was in graduate school from his 40 years of work.

You will note I was ably assisted by my son Victor Michael, then ! year old.

------ Other thoughts on Kata application ______________

http://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2011/09/bunkai-i-look-at-original-explanation.html

http://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2011/09/bunkai-ii-start-of-investigation.html

http://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2011/09/bunkai-iii-wheres-bunkai.html

http://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2011/09/v-behaviorurldefaultvml-o.html

http://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2011/09/bunkai-v-application-potential-realized.html

First Impression V John Kerker

Last is John Kerker who is Sherman Harrill’s senior student. I met him first in Chicopee, Mass. Giving a clinic to several of his students. 

That first meeting made the impression of what direct training with Sherman would have been like. He struck his demonstration partner for the day harder than I have ever seen anyone strike another. And each time he went down he was still able to return for more. 

Sherman always told me how much he was holding back because he wasn’t directly training them. Watching John in motion explained a great deal. Yearly visits there explained many other details about their art. I am grateful  I have had the experience.

Cumulatively I probably studied sever thousand techniques from both of them. 

More than plenty for a lifetime, yet each of their understanding of their arts still grip me, and also my students. I only have a small piece of their arts. But the first impressions remain strong.

First Impressions IV Sherman Harrill

In 1995 I first met Sherman Harrill. He had been a training companion with Tom Lewis. He then spent the rest of his life looking at the potential uses for Isshinryu technique. 

On that June Day he did maybe 160 application studies. The mind grown numb, when first experiencing this. 

At this time what sticks out was where he showed us ways to strike into the arm, and a while later I figured out how this could also be used to strike into the neck. Sherman then showed me how to use this more effectively. 

Later during the day he used Naifanchi stepping as a lower body drill. 

The whole experience blew me away.

First Impressions III Tristan Sutrisno

Soon there after a friend from tournaments, Tristan Sutrisno, invited me to visit his school in Hazleton.

From my study in Tang Soo Do I had a rough idea of the forms. What I experienced was different. The form he was using, though somewhat different, I could follow.  But there was also Bunkai for the form movement, I had not seen that, at that time I was not taught the word from my instructors, not at many of the other schools I had trained at. Of course the paradigm for his Bunkai was different from any others I later saw

(Today Though I use ‘application study and practice’ and’ application realization’ for my own practice).  The only practice I recognize as Bunkai is what he taught me. Of course this is what I studied.

There were also aikido drills which fit into his karate program. And the day he first showed us his skills in Kobudo (Bo, Sai, Tonfa, Kama, Jo, Kintana, Kama, Tanto)

I realized the depth of a program beyond what you could see at a tournament. Later I would discover he had other arts.

First Impressions II Ernest Rothrock

t was 1979 and I was a new shodan teaching karate at the Scranton Boys Club continuing the Isshinryu program Charles had begun in his church before he returned to active duty with the USAF. I ahd the time and I saw Ernest Rothrock was doing a Kung Fu demonstration including Tai Chi at his Scranton School. 

( had been interested in Tai  Chi since learning of it in college so I attended and watched his performance of the Yang form. )

That was all it took, I started with a ½ hour a week class. Months later observing his classes before my tai chi class, I thought it a worthy idea to study some kung fu in order to be a more knowledgeable  judge at tournaments.  He began me with a difficult Northern Shaolin form.

First Impressions 1 Tom Lewis ,Dennis Lockwood and Charles Murray

The first impression of someone often creates the basis for later bonds. Let me give some examples that have made greatest imprint on me.

I must begin with my first instructor Tom Lewis. When I had learned of his program from someone at work, I went to see him. It was a night that the club didn’t meet, but he did meet with me in his office. The dojo appeared to be a barn from a distance, however inside it was all business.

The first night, class for the beginners were taught by several greenbelts. During our class I saw Sensei working the brown belts on the bag. I heard his roundhouse kicks strike the bag harder than I could hit it with a baseball bat. That made the first of many impressions.

My second class I met Dennis Lockwood. After warmup’s and some drills, I remember he announced we would be sparring. I had no idea of what I was doing and my partner was a younger woman (by 8 years) green belt who kept hitting me in the mouth and kicking me there. I had no idea beginners were target practice for the green belts.

My third class, after warm-ups we were told by Sensei to practice kata. I just knew the first three movements of Seisan. For the next two hours I repeated them innumerable times till there was a puddle of water on the tile floor around me (which was am oft repeated experience in the future and proved to be my best weapon sparring brown and black belts). Sensei just stood next to the wall and watched.

He taught about 1/3 of the classes with Dennis Lockwood the most often instructor but there were a never ending chain of other Black Belts who would come to class and help.

A few years ago Sensei confirmed that his teaching paradigm was patterned a great deal by how Shimabuku Sensei taught class.

My greatest impression of Dennis Lockwood came on the night we were practicing Kote Kitae. He had chosen me to work with and began to strike into me. As his power became evident I worked to match it. Before long I was striking him as hard as I could and my stomach muscled worked to absorbed those strikes. He kept increasing the power. Suddenly he stopped and I was still standing.

Those classes were mostly for the White through Brown Belts. There were separate Black Belt practice times.

One night Charles Murray was home from college. He came to the Dojo with one of his friends. I didn’t understand why but others moved to the side of the dojo leaving the center open. Then the two of them began sparring, and I understood why no one wanted to be near. The fighting was levels beyond our best. with my attempts being non existent at best. Other times he came to spar with Dan our current strongest brown belt. He looked like target practice for Charles, but really he was sparring with him to help him improve.

A little later Sensei called me into his office. He told me for a demonstration at an Ocean City he wished me to spar with Charles. While I agreed to do it, no one said anything else. The next few weeks I drove myself into training. The day of the demonstration all of my seniors were performing, Charles had to be shown how to wear safety-gear as it was a new product those days. Sensei called hajime and I guess I tore into Charles. Then he responded to my attack and again I went all out (for me) so he proceeded to tap dance all over me. 

Nobody had told me it was to go easy and I was trying my best to perform before my Sensei. 

Later I heard someone was concerned that they should stop it for my safety, but Sensei let it go on.  Charles and I were destined to become fast friends.

Article Sanchin by Roland Habersetzer - my translation

Bushido – Arts Martiaux d’ Aujourd-hui No 47.

Kata Sanchin by Habersetzer

Kata Sanchin is very old and came from China.  One can find it with several variations in several styles. In Goju-Ryu it is a basic kata. It coordinates technique, breathing and movement. It is also a kata of muscle building exercises.  In the time of Chojun Miyagi Sensei, it was the first kata studied. It gives an excellent idea of the feeling that one must have in the other postures, the same even if they do not have similar forms. 

The juxtaposition of the two ideograms ‘San’ and ‘Shin’ have several significances. San : three, Shin: heart or spirit. Then one could give, “the kata of – or on – three steps, that could be equally the kata of three sprits. According to what the practitioner wants to find there most, they could wish to read these ideograms as ‘clear’ or in ‘code’.  What there is of this kata – one of the oldest – exists under different forms since time immemorial.  Today following the force given to its practice, one can find muscle building exercise, of force (strength) and of endurance, but also a practice capable of causing profound “mutation” to the ‘trefonds’ [???]  of that which one devotes oneself to regularly.  One could say that if all karate isn’t in the san shin, there isn’t karate without san shin.

Bernard Cousin gives us here, the version of his school.

There exist two forms of Sanchin kata. That of Kanryu Higaonna Sensei, where one turns two times, and the second form created by Chojun Miyagi Sensei whoe one doesn’t return and where there is a step or more to the rear.

Why he changed this kata

When a part of the human body isn’t in service, it degenerates.  For example: since we walk with shoes, the feet have lost much of their agility.  We walk naturally towards the front (often with  regard where we place the feet). Nour muscles are developed to march to the front.

When you move back in this kata, you must concentrate your attention on your heels, the plant of the feet, your knees, the muscles of the back and the muscles of the anus.  Progressively with your progress in this kata these various parts will become more precise and your technique more precise.  Also, if you have certain problems with your back, this type of exercise will be to your benefit.

Position, Movement, Breathing

From the position ‘yoi’, your basin (bowl?) must be in retroversion (??? Again not in my dictionary). It will be there throughout all the kata. The muscles must be contracted during all the kata with a maximum intensity to each finishing exhalation.

Sanchin dachi: heels of the front foot on the same lien as the toes of the back foot. The width of the position is the same as that of the shoulders. The feet are turned towards the inside and the plantar surface is the making the most possible contact with the ground.  The knees are flexed and the balance falls on the toes. The back is well right.

Movement

1. The front foot, while pivoting on the ball of the toes, is placed perpendicular to the line of the shoulders.
2. The rear foot moves the arc of the circle and is always in contact with the ground.
3. Arrive to the place where the rear foot is before the front foot and the two heels pivot towards the exterior.

The feet while advancing and retreating, rest constantly in contact with the ground.

Breathing

Inhalation is made by the nose. The thoracic cage does not have to raise itself.  During inhalation, the abdomen is contracted. The exhalation is sonorous (ibuki), mouth open and complete. The abdominal muscles are always contracted.

Sanchin = Sensations

It is a kata which often works to two.  The one executes the form, the other tests. The tester visualizes the general form first, and corrects as needed.  Then he verifies if the muscles are well contracted: abdominal, dorsal, muscles of the legs, the ankles and the force of the arm techniques is well employed.

For [working] the form alone one must work before a mirror, from the front and from profile.  Correcting oneself for the form is often best for one retains the best sensation.

Conclusion

Kanryo Hiagonna Sensei practiced this kata of force often and most dynamically, his breathing was rapid.

Chohun Miyagi Sensei slowed down the gestures and the breathing to improve the muscular feelings, the work of the muscles while coordinating with the breathing.

Note on the pictures showing the kata.

While seeing the demonstration of Sanchin of Goju Ryu of Okinawa – tendency of Higakonna – we can only note one time more ever the difficulty, not to say the impossibility which exists, to learn anything by an image… the ancients didn’t they have reason of not conceiving the transmission that of the ‘visual’ and of the mouth to the ear?

Take the Next Step

In the later 1980’s I began to work on my own application analysis studies. I first began to study the least likely techniques to use and from my study discovered they had great potential. That led to principles of application and more study.

Principles like ‘a technique can stop any attack’ means you have to work to make that potential realized, and in turn at that time I worked up a great many ways to just use Seisan kata’s opening technique as an initial study. Later I discovered that you should not limit yourself to what an initial technique where it would start or stop. “You control the vertical and horizontal of that decision.” A technique might be defined as  fractal of a movement, a standard movement of the kata,  perhaps starting in the middle of a movement and concluding in the middle of the next movement, or even a sequence of movements together.

With that later principle in mind one of my development was “Take the Next Step”.

While one trains for technique superiority, in power and speed,. often that is not the case. Your student might be young, or less powerful or aged or disabled. Of course I now resemble this with my Paraneoplastic Neuromyopathy & Neuropathy, being disabled. Well if we look to kata, there is a remedy to use as a Force Enhancer to increase the student’s ability.

By extending the technique in question through including the next step from the kata you increase the effect of the movement by attacking the opponent’s lower body. The next step becomes a sweep or reap to their legs. The student’s hips being larger that the opponent leg, makes the initial move unbalance them and then drops them with the following movement, each time.

This understanding led to further analysis.

Isshinryu Seisan kata is performed several ways. With a Straight Stepping motion, with the Crescent Stepping motion, or with a combination Straight and Crescent stepping motion. Each method is effective. However I was only trained using Crescent Stepping. Having observed each in other schools after reflection I decided to stay the course with how I was taught.

I then discovered that the motion should not be constant throughout the stepping. Another Force Enhancer was to perform the first ½ of the stepping motion at 1/3 of the speed and power, and the last ½of the stepping motion accelerating to 2/3 of the speed and power. Thus exploding into the technique, and also exploding into the lower leg use as a sweep or reap.

Thus every motion of any kata would be enhanced.

While later developments would come, this is what I did then.

The accompany video was saved in 1990 showing one example of this principle. Note I am holding my son here, he was 1 year old at this time. Perhaps the truth is he was telling me what to do.

The value of Keeping Notes on Training

About 1980 I started training in other style schools. I came to several realizations I needed to enhance my ability to learn more quickly and accurately, I also realized there were often unique one time opportunities to learn new material,, and I had to find a way to retain what I had learned.

To enhance learning new forms and applications of techniques I realized most were governed by what the eyes saw first, being the upper body and the arms. But I saw there was less retention doing this. What I found more critical was watching and duplication of the manner of stepping and movement. By first knowing where to place the feet, it was then easier to learn the upper body movements.

When in clinic setting try and grasp the movements involved and then help someone else learn it. By trying to teach it you enter another layer of learning.

Retaining the knowledge is another thing altogether. I found it best to take notes, either hours later or the next day what you couldn’t retain that long you really didn’t understand.

Recently I’ve been reviewing those notes along with later notes. I developed a short hand description methodology from Mr. Lewis’s Isshinryu chart descriptions. Frankly with this shorthand the notes mean little to others.

But to me I saved those precious movements and techniques to study In the future.

1.       I discovered that you rarely saw the depth of any system of training by watching tournament performance, and certainly not the full range of a systems training.

2.       Study of any system was decades of work to be able to know where that training led.

The further I went the more there was to see.

For the most part those studies I shifted to my developing program I worked on each one 5 or more years, the only exceptions were when they were taught to my students by those instructors.

Over about 30 years I accumulated about 2,000 studies. More than a program needed. Decades of training choices for decades of training and development. As Ernest Rothrock put it “It isn’t about what you can do,  it’s what you have learned in the process.”

Over the years my shorthand descriptions came more accurate for me. And O’ the primary technique studies.

1.       Tai Chi Chaun

2.       Northern Shaolin, Tai Tong Long, Pai Lum studies

3.       Faan Tzi Ying Jow Pai study

4.       Sutrisno Shotokan studies

5.       Sutrisno Aidido studies

6.       Sutrisno Tjimande studies

7.       Harrill Isshinryu applications

8.       Kerker Issnhinryu Isshinryu applications

9.       My own Isshinryu applications

Together they represent over 2,000 studies, at least 2/3 are from Isshinryu. They represent a wealth that I draw upon. More interesting they often cross disciplines in potentials. By way of some examples. I can find Eagle Claw in Seisan Kata. Or I can see Aikido, and Tjimande within Chinto Kata and so forth. By far the greatest depth came from time spent with Sherman Harrill and then with John Kerker..

Of course this represents more applications than anyone needs. And on the whole I have made choices to the system I teach, but I am currently working on how I can preserve some of this for the instructors I have trained to use in their future study. I see the instructor besides working on their own system as needing a pool of other studies they can choose to draw upon.