I
am staggered to realize it was 25 years ago when Garry Gerossie and I brought Sherman Harrill to hold a clinic at my school at
the Derry Boys and Girls Club.
The
year before Garry sought me out and invited me up to his school to meet
Sherman, who wanted to meet me as I was a student of Tom Lewis. Garry was of the opinion what I was doing was similar to
what Sherman was doing.
I went met
Sherman, we introduced each other, He made it clear he wasn’t looking for a new
student. In return I made it clear I wasn’t looking for a new instructor.
We
got along fine after that.
That
clinic blew me away. He covered an entire slew of kata application potentials
within Isshinryu. His studies were similar to my own, except he had a 30+ year
head start on what I was doing.
Truthfully
the day left my head spinning. I had to fly to Reno for a business conference
the next day. I remembered and wrote up a page of notes of what I remembered on
that flight.
A
year of so later Garry shared his video record of that day, I found that I
recalled them correctly, but there were dozen’s more I had forgotten.
The
next year some of my students and I attended another clinic up at Garry’s,
later in the year Garry and hosted a clinic at my school too.
Sherman
asked me what I wanted to cover. I told him I was most interested in
applications from Chinto, Kusanku and
Sunsu kata. He looked at me a little funny, then told ok that is what I’ll
do.
Then
he proceeded to begin on the opening movements from kata Chinto. He was not
training us, instead he was opening our minds to the potential in a single
movement. What that movement was as his mind demonstrated it. That continued
for about an hour at which time he called for a break. After that he told us I
think it is time to move onto the second movement… (Irony abounds).
The
rest of the clinic he ranged from Chinto kata to Kusanku kata and finally
SunNuSu kata.
It
was simply amazing. Not even close to what he had worked out, but sufficient to
make the point that with work there was ever so much there.
Now
Sherman mission was not to share everything he knew. In fact before the clinic
he told me, most times people get overwhelmed the first time they experience what
he is sharing, and only at their 2nd or 3rd clinic to
they really begin to learn.
We
were not his students, the clinic attendees. He was not training up, as he
really didn’t know everyone’s potential and there simply was not time for that
anyway. What he was doing was to attempt to open our minds to begin to
understand how much there was to learn.
Obviously
there were many things he never got to. Simply there was never enough time, nor
did he really understand everyone’s unique potential. Years later he admitted
there were whole ranges of application potential he could not touch due to the
nature of what and how he was sharing.
Here
are some of my notes of what was covered during that first section of the
clinic.
Sherman
1966 Chinto Opening
Sherman
first explains how an initial touch makes the following strike be felt harder.
1.
Rising
X block, right on the top, against a right strike,
The hands roll over
The right hand then presses the strike
down
Allowing the left to strike into the rib
cage
To be followed by a right strike to the
chest.
The attacker grabs your left wrist to
allow them to step in and strike.
But you shift back away from the strike
and raise your left palm in a
deflection of the grab
They your right hand comes up and over
as you form the X block . this locks their wrist
2.
Your
X block becomes a wrist locking movement, so if you shift down they must follow
interfering with their ability to deliver a following strike.
Then when their arm is extended from
that lock your left open hand flows up their arm, while retaining the lock with
your right.
Your left hand reaches across their arm
to touch a point on their forearm before their elbow. That point is dug into
creating an armbar to force them down to their back.
Forcing their body to first drop down creating the opening to allow
the following armbar to force them to the ground.
3. Attacker LFF Left Grab of your right wrist
a.
Descending ‘X’ block – Right hand to attackers wrist
b.
Left strikes the attackers forearm (locking their arm)
c.
As the attackers arm is locked and bent the attacker twists
d.
Straight right punch to the attacker’s neck
4. Attacker LFF Left Grab of
your left wrist
a. Descending ‘X’ block –
right hand to attacker’s wrist
b. Left strikes the
attackers forearm (creating an inward pressure ‘x’ block
c.
Right downward knifehand to the elbow (opens up the neck)
d.
Left backfist to the neck
e.
Right reverse punch to the ribs
f. Left descending elbow
strike behind the head while shifting forward (interior) into LFF Horse Stance
5. Attacker RFF Right Grab
a. Left descending
(clockwise) knifehand strike bends their arm dropping the attacker to their
knees
6. Attacker RFF Right Grab
a. Left descending
(clockwise) knifehand strike bends their arm dropping the attacker to their
knees
b. Right descending
(clockwise) knifehand strike to the top of their head
7. Attacker RFF Right Grab
a. Left descending
(clockwise) knifehand strike bends their arm dropping the attacker to their
knees
b. Right descending
(clockwise) knifehand strike to the top of their head
c.
Right then circles clockwise and grabs the throat
d.
Left Backfist to the head
e.
Right Reverse Punch to the head
8. Attacker RFF Right Grab
a.
Right/Left descending ‘X’ block to the arm to drop the attacker
b.
Right Reverse punch to the head
9. Attacker RFF Right Grab
a. Rising ‘X’ block
b.
Left hand pushes (counter-clockwise) to parry
c.
Right Reverse Punch to the head
0. Attacker RFF Right Grab
a.
RFB into Left Cat Stance
b. Left hand is a descending
knifehand strike (clockwise) to the elbow and drops the attacker.
c. Right descending
knifehand to the top of the head
11. Attacker RFF Right Grab
a.
Rising ‘X’ block to the attackers arm
b.
Left outer biceps grab
c.
Right punch to the attackers right shoulder
d.
Left straight punch to the attackers left shoulder
e. Turn 90 degrees to the
right, drop into horse stance and deliver a left descending elbow to the chest
12. Attacker RFF Right Grab
a.
Rising ‘X’ block to attackers arm
b.
Left grab and circle the attackers arm counter-clockwise
c.
Right backfist to the attacker’s neck
d.
Left punch
There was ever so much more covered that day, however I will stop there.
This has been a treasured memory.
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