When I
conceived my program it developed in a gradual manner
At first it
was just a program to teach Isshinryu to youth at the Scranton Boys Club,
however it grew from there. At first I believed the program would draw
teenagers, but that did not turn out to be the case. Eventually we did have
teens, ones that grew into those years from younger students.
I was training
myself constantly. And traveling to train with many instructors I met in
competition, in Chinese Arts, in Shotokan, in Goju Ryu, in Washin Ryu, Kempo
Goju, Goshin Jutst, Shorin Ryu and many other systems. Always visiting to
train, but I did my best to remember too.
Among other
things we were the first program to include young women into the Boys Clubs,
then special needs young people. We recognized the need for youth karate having
separate tournaments just for youth, developed a sponsor and began holding
those tournaments.
When I had to
move for work, I relocated the program, with sadness, to the Boys and Girls
Club of Greater Derry.
With the
relocation I began many other things too.
1. Having
trained with so many I started adding some of those trainings to my curriculum.
Not to enhance Isshinryu, rather to allow my students to understand a bit what
others were doing.
2. With the
permission of the Boys and Girls Clubs I began a small adult program. Small my
intention, I was trying to understand what karate had been at its origins where
there was more focus on one to one training. The curricula was identical
between youth and adult programs, however there were definately different
focuses in how the training was for each group.
3. Gradually
I had many different groupings of students training with me. 3 of them have
been doing so since 1985. I realized that each grouping of students needed
separate handling, just to learn the same art.
4. I did
expand on what I was doing 25 years ago.
Expanding the outside studies intermingled with the Isshinryu. In part
out of respect for the many who shared so freely with me,
wanting to
allow my students to experience a wider martial experience.
So Bushi No
Te Isshinryu is actually many programs. How many is an arbitrary choice. These
are some idea.
1. The
program focused on kid beginners, their first few years.
2. The
program to develop Junior Blackbelts.
3. Training
teen age students.
4. Training
adult students 20 – 50, adult beginners.
5. Sho Dan
Training – As all are adults the same core material is covered.
6. Ni Dan
Training –Adult training for a lifetime study.
7. SanDan
Training- Adult training for a lifetime study beyond their personal needs.
8. Adult
training for seniors 50+
9. Adult Dan
training 50+
10. Mentoring
the new instructor
11. Training
the advancing instructor.
12. Guiding
san Dan researchers
12. Personal
focus on the Senior Instructor training.
This is just
an arbitrary list. At no time are all the programs operating. Part of that is
why the beginning instructor training program requires at least 15 years of
continuous training with us and then a mentorship of 5 years. And it never
stops for new things to learn either.
Of course any
program is not perfect, just what we do. Very few stay a long time.
The youth
average 2 years, the move on to other things.
Some reach junior black belt at about 4 years, the
equivalent of adult brown belt.
Those who
last the 7 to 9 years to reach full black belt.
Then as
expected 100% of them move on in life, their own future far more important to
them
And the
adults who train with us, if they continue to train and reach their own black
belt, tend to keep training about 17 years. But in time they have their own
reasons to leave.
Then there
are those to find a lifetime is not enough.
Some of them
are instructors.
Some of them
are not and continue to train for their own reasons.
We really do
not know much how the distant past was for those who choose to do karate. O we
have lists of the kata they studied and some other material. But the day to
day, year to year reality of those past instructors is behind the mists of
time.
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