I was a new black belt, had been one for about 3 months, and was getting ready
to line up for my first Black Belt Sparring division at Jon Bonner’s Coal
Kick-In in Tamaqua, Pa. The division lined up by height and general size. As
fortune had it my closest match was Sam Shockley from Lancaster, Penna. At that
time Sam was ranked the No. 10 heavyweight in the World by the PKA.
The Sam Shockley I knew from tournaments conducted himself like a true
gentleman. But he could be a terrifying one too. I had previously seen him leap
into the air with a marvelous jump spin back kick over his opponents head.
Several weeks before my first tournament I read how Sam knocked out one of my
seniors, Reese Rigby, no mean fighter in his own right. At that tournament Sam
misjudged a jump spinning wheel kick and hit Reese in the neck, knocking him
out. True, as it was non-contact Reese won the fight, but he was also on the
ground.
About 6 months before this fated match I saw Sam fight at one of George
Dillmans’s tournaments. He competed in both the non-contact and the Semi-Pro
(full contact to the body – light contact to the head) divisions.
In his non-contact fights Sam drew a young fighter from Philadelphia who twice
kicked him in the groin. The non-contact divisions allowed no groin kicks to
score. After the second contact the competitor was disqualified, and although
more than a little pressed, Sam conducted himself as controlled warrior.
In the Semi-Pro division, they drew each other for their second fight. Once again
the young man drove a rising front kick into Sam’s Groin. Sam chose to simply
step outside of the ring and walk around the entire tournament floor to walk
off the pain. Although not allowed, not a judge said a thing to Sam.
When he re-entered the ring he set down in his horse stance. The judge shouted
‘Hajime’ and Sam leapt in with the strongest side kick I’ve ever seen. He kicked
the young man in the abdomen so hard that he was totally bent in two over and
under Sam’s leg from the kicks. When Sam’s leg withdrew he dropped to the floor
screaming. Personally I thought he was dying, but later realized he was trying
to shout he pain away.
Well the fight eventually continued and Sam one as the young man’s wind was
completely out of his sails at that time.
I guess one doesn’t kick Sam Shockley in the groin and think it won’t be
noticed.
Now it was my time, my first Black Belt fight, and my opponent was Sam
Shockley.
All of this was going through my head as I was waiting to compete.
I remember entering the ring opposite him, Rei-ing getting set and
participating in a very quick warm up exercise with Sam. I began to attack and
he nailed me. Then he blew through my defenses several times and the fight was
completed. Sam was very nice and professional about it. I allowed him to loosen
up a little before his next fight.
My friends came up to me afterwards and remarked that they never saw anyone
turn so white and trembling before they stepped into the ring..
Perhaps not, but then they weren’t the ones stepping out with Sam.
Just a small point, I realize how little about the martial arts I really know. I have been fortunate to have associated with so many superior instructors over my years. Each of them far exceeding whatever I had, I have just tried to keep my mind open and keep learning, that is the truth to this day.
I also have been fortunate to have had students who also exceeded my own poor abilities. I am forever walking in the shadow all of them cast.
As time passed
and I experienced more things I began to see how all the arts, while different,
were also inter-related.
My earliest
training was Isshinryu karate since 1974.
Then I studied
Yang Tai Chi Chau since 1979. Followed closely
by Sutrisno Shotokan, Aikido and Tjimande over 10 years. And there were
many other studies of shorter duration.
One time during my initial Isshinryu instruction, my instructor, Dennis
Lockwood, was going to use me as his uke. What he was going to do was a hip
throw during the demonstration. When he first practiced it with me, and he went
to do it, a course on wrestling I took in college kicked in and instead of
being thrown, I lowered my center below his and he was the one thrown.
I much
laterrealized what happened. The middle
of a technique is the exact instant it can be reversed. Then when I lowered my
center his attack was reversed and worked against him. Of course it was not my
intention to throw him, I am sure I was as surprised as he was. But it did teach
me something useful too.
Back in my
beginning years I purchased a copy of “Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere”.
I was not or
have ever been an aikido-ka. But years later learned some aikido that was
shaped for karate instruction. Covering many of the aikido basics integrated
with karate.
Eventually I
remembered that book on my shelf, and discovered the aikido I studied allowed
me to work many of those techniques. This was well before the YouTube days
where everything seems to be available.
In that context
I learned some aikido, it’s purpose was more to train one how to use the space
surrounding any attack and then to apply a specific response. That is why the
skills I acquired made understand other techniques easier.
But that books
many drawings of use of the sphere around yourself in time made greater sense.
An interesting
Aikido example is this one, which also melds into something I was shown.
One of the
aikido lessons I was shown by Tristan Sutrisno is as follows:
I believe these
two examples show the way they are using the sphere around them.
One late night
at a martial arts summer camp, my Tai Chi instructor, Ernest Rothrock, took me
to a dark field and asked to see my tai chi. I started doing the Yang form I
taught him. After a short time he stopped me and began showing I was doing
every thing wrong.
He had me begin again, then with the slightest touch or tug, I went falling or
flying in the direction he touched me. There were so many corrections, after 15
years of work I realized I was doing nothing right.
Then he stopped
and explained what I was doing wrong, First,
beginning his own instructor had also waited 15 years to share this. At the
same time, living a long distance away from him also had something to do with
it I am sure.
What was
happening is my body was not correctly aligned with each technique. Nothing
magical, just I should have been doing what I was orignialy shown. But on my
own practice, I did not notice small mistakes I was allowing to occur, and each
of them opened me to counter-attack, or at the same time made my own tai chi
attacks less efficient.
Then what he
explained tome was an alignment point
framework to insure my movement were correct. It was extremely simple, and when
I used that concept, the same light touches and tugs no longer worked for him.
I could feel the
difference, and of course he then proceeded to give me hundreds of corrections.
Driving the nail in how much work I needed.
It was hard to
get to sleep later, thinking about what occurred.
After that
summer camp I returned to my own program. Then I had one of my senior students
do Seisan kata. He did it well, but after a time I noticed he was slightly
mis-aligned by the concept I had been taught from my tai chi.
I stopped him,
told him to hold his position, and lightly touched one of the alignment points
as I had been shown. That slight touch unbalanced him.
I realized I was
on to something. Using it I now had a better way to make corrections to
everyone. From the rawest beginner, to the most senior students, it was a way
to make them feel what I was telling them.
I was not doing
anything but showing the correct way they were always shown. But now they could
feel why it should be done that way. They could feel how doing it wrong could
be used against them. And how misalignment could rob their technique of power.
This was not
done continually, with the newer students to occasionally make a point why
things were done that way.
Then as a tool
for dans to understand how to improve themselves.
I learnt it for
my tai chi, but found it useful in my karate instruction.
Then further
reflection I came to realize every system had their own alignment. It became a
way I could evaluate other performances, even ones where I did not know the
form.
Simply stated if
the alignment shown for a technique shown could be attacked because it showed
incorrect, then that performance was less perfect. If they showed more alignment
with their technique, Then they were moving toward more perfect performance.
I was not
judging tournaments anymore, but I did observe what others were doing.
A small example.
The newer trends were newer created forms showcasing the performers strengths.
I observed many might place their power in their kicks, but just throw out
powerless strikes, for movement flow. Those strikes often without power.
Alignment theory heightened where they were incorrect.
But further thought went into it. If they had weaker
techniques because of misalignment, the flip side was those misalignment points
were also the places open to strong attack to demolish what they offered.
I came to
realize there were two sides to this tool Where one was incorrect to show where
to strengthen them. But if one’s attacker as in any way misaligned that showed
exactly where to attack them.
Look we aren’t
perfect. Imperfections creep in, and in conditions extremis we are more likely
to make mistakes. Which is why constant practice is a way to have stronger
technique to work with.
So many
different things were starting to come together.
Other things I
learned over time.
One of the Sutrisno
Aikido teachings was how to do a wrap the wrist lock to control someone by
their arm. However, he also showed how easy it could be neutralized by just
moving the wrist being grabbed slightly to the side. Then no matter how much
they worked at it, it would not work.
That does not
seem like much, but when I moved to NH, a friend invited me to a martial arts
clinic. Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming was presenting some of his Chin-Na technique. After
a time he had us partner up, My wife partnered with my friend. As it was he was
having some difficulty doing the small wrist lock. And Dr. Yang asked my wife
to do it to him so my friend could watch. Of course he did not know we had
learned this from the aikido we were shown, My wife performed the wrist lock on
him, correctly, and placed some force to it, Dr. Yang dropped to the ground.
An aside, later
my wife took a 6 month clinic with Dr. Yang, and I got painfully to be who she
did her homework on.
A number of
years later we were hosting a clinic with Sherman Harrill, and he was showing
how to do the wrist wrap on John Dinger. I gave John a nod, telling him yes, he
should surprise Sherman with the counter we had learned. John did so, Sherman
got a funny look on his face but immediately countered that with something
else. Proving don’t play games with Sherman LOL. I then offered an explanation
to Sherman what was done.
It turns out
that when the founder of Aikido, Usheiba Sensei, would send out new
International Instructors around the workd, the last thing he would teach them
was how to neutralize the locks and projections they had studied, I assume to
know in case some student got rambunctious.
I am not saying
neutralizations are not part of Aikido. Rather at different times and in
different organizations things may have been taught at different paces. For one
thing the Tomiki Aikido had aikido kata neutralization studies as part of their
art.
But in time I
came to see how all of the above came together.
And the best
realization I could use is that we are all performing with a dynamic sphere.
This is not something
mystical.
Take karate at
attacker surrounded by his dynamic sprehre, attacks an opponent surrounded by
their own dynamic sphere.
The point their
sphere’s meet is the same pointthe
attack moves through.
Anyone attacking
is surely trying their best to put power into what they do. The defender is
likewise probably trying to do their best in response.
Then using
alignment unintentionally being misaligned probably means a weaker attack. When
they untended it to be their strongest technique.
The defender
also being misaligned means a weaker response.
Mistakes offer a
road map where further attack or counter-attack would be successful.
Of if the attack
was a grab, misalignment offers further opportunity for defense.
A simple touch
of a limb attacked, draws the defenders body into stronger alignment, weakening
the attack in the process.
Simple examples
for what is a dynamic process to acquire.
We are within
that Dynamic Sphere, no matter what our art.
Now concerning
Bushi No Te Isshinryu, I am no longer in charge.
Over the years
for various reasons I adapted the following rank structure,
I was still
primarily and Isshinryu program, that always my core.
But I addressed
issues like:
1. Supplementary
kata for beginning youth, to slow down what they had to learn, and build
stronger skills for their eventual Isshinryu studies.
2. The requirements
were the standard for everyone, but adults tended to move through the beginning
kata as a faster pace.
3. I
incorporated various mandatory supplemental kata from numerous systems so long
term students could gain a larger understanding of what other systems did, in
part.
4. I squarely
face the reality that my students had friends in many other karate programs and
their friends were black belts often after 2 years. So I reset the youth ranks,
adopting junior black belts. That did not change the youth time to reach full
shodan, which remained 7 to 9 years. It also did not increase the number of
students remaining training either. Just a small acknowledgment of what they
were accomplishing.
5. Kobudo
training was for the most part something for dan study.
6. My own
studies (senior) were not for others.
7. Instructor
was not a dan rank, they had different challenges to keep their minds working.
8. Effectively
there were 2 dan ranks, Ni dan and San dan, both lifetime studies in their own
right. The day by their own effort determines how far they go.
