While Charlie Murray was visiting Okinawa in 1990

Charles H. Murray May 19, 2013 

 While in Okinawa in 1990, Uezi Sensei took me over to see Shimabuku Shinsho, who had taught me much while in Okinawa in 1971/72. 

The lady in the middle is Master Tatsuo Shimabuku's wife and Shinsho's mother. She was living with him at the time.

The Secret is out

How to make the new Blogger work

Help me if you can I am feeling down, As I go the world seems as if it crashing down. Help me if you can.... Help me. THis new version of Blogger does not make it easy to make posts, unlike the earlier version. When I create a new post everything is in html text, which I do not understand. The create page is difficult to use. I am feeling lost, if anyone has suggestions I would appreciate them.

Thoughts about how modern day kobudo studies may not have had a place in Toudi

Thinking about what kobudo was done in the pre-karate era of Okinawa, when I think of the potential weapons present on Okinawa how likely was it that they were employed by those toudi traditions. 

One of those glimpses of those traditions came from the book “The Secret Martial Arts of Ryukyu”. This is what I found. “ The martial artists (bushi) of the Ryukyu can be divided into five distinct groups. First of all, the Shuri bushi, who were in charge of protecting Shuri Castle. Next, the Tomari bushi, who were in charge of domestic law enforcement. Third ,the Naha bushi, who were in chages of protecting the Chinese envoys (Suppushi) as well as the tribute ships sent from Ryukyu to China. Next were the Udun bushi, who were involved in the politics of the Ryukyu Kingdom. Finally, the bushi of Naha’s Kume Village, who were in the service of Chinese imigrants.” These were not open schools for training. It was training given to young men to enter into their families obligation for service to Okinawa. 

Then compare that likely training against the possibility that the potential Okinawan kobudo weapons that already existed on Okinawa. Much of what came to become modern kobudo tradition likely had little use for their actual professions. Of course just my logical opinion, which may not be reality of what others believe. Many of the tools from the past of Okinawa can be seen in a prior post I made at

Dr. Yang Chin Na training.

Maureen took a 9 month course with Dr. Yang on Chin Na.

When she came home from class she practiced on me.

It was always very painful.

 

 

Most Chinese systems have some sort of Chin Na

 included in their training.

 

 

The Eagle Claw I studied with Rothrock Laoshi

was built on the original Chin Na training.

 

This video of Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming

shows a great deal of what Chin Na traning

can cover.

 

 

Chin Na covers material that fits very well

with karate applications

 



武警第三套擒敵拳教學版.

 

Armed police third set of enemy boxing teaching version.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One Uchi-deshi Story

Years ago I had accumulated thousands of martial arts magazine.  Reading them was a pastime. But the time came when I realized most of what they contained was of little value to me. I saved individual articles that had meaning to me (many of which I have posted on my blog). And literally tossed everything else into the trash.

 

But a few I saved as examples of meaningful magazines to me. Not for specific articles but as memories.

 

I was just reading an old issue of Aikido Journal (1995 – Vol 22, No 1) and it contained an interesting  “Interview with Kazuo Chiba) which described in great detail what it was like to be an Uchi-deshi of Usheiba Sensei.

 

From Wikipedia:

 

Uchi-deshi (内弟子, lit. "inside student") is a Japanese term for a live-in student/apprentice who trains under and assists a sensei on a full-time basis. The system exists in kabuki, rakugo, shogi, igo, aikido, sumo, karate and other modern Japanese martial arts.

 

From all those magazines the words Uchi-deshi was at times shared, but little actual description of the context behind those words for the art/instructor being described.

 

Let me put that interview into my own words.

 

He became an Uchi-deshi for Usheiba Sensei about age 17.

 

The training was always very physical, even to 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, I took him about a year before he could safely withstand full power technique from Usheiba, when he could take the falls safely. They were always hard, and he had the brush burns and blood from those experiences.

 

The various Uchi-deshi literally took care of every need of Usheiba Sensei.  When he traveled they took care of all the details, many most mundane, such as preparing his meals, laying out his clothing, reading to him, carrying his necessary belongings and needed weaponry.  They helped him go to the bathroom 6-8 times a night, literally learning to anticipate his needs, and most often foregoing sleep until learning to anticipate when he needed them.  That skill was perhaps among the greatest skills they would learn.

 

The training was not in esoteric skill, their training was most often identical to what other students received.

 

But they were charged to attack him with full power at any moment they felt he was open to attack, day or night (even with bokens). And what they continually experienced was he had no opening, whatever, to make an attack work.

 

This skills of serious attack to find Usheiba Sensei met them immediately without hesitation is why their presentations look so polished and pretend. Every time he was moving as they moved, Usheiba anticipated each attack and entered them to conclude the attack. This is why they appear so polished and effortless. Usheiba was always able to insert himself flowing into the attack.

 

Kazuo remarked he was uchi-deshi for about 7 years. Later in life at times he felt he could insert himself into at attack as Usheiba Sensei did, but not so consistently.

 

I sounds to me that this was the skill that being an Uchi-Deshi imparted.

 

In fact it also seems that the Uchi-Deshi imparted to Usheiba Sensei the greatest gift, allowing him to remain polished at the top of his game at all times, instead of surrendering to the ravages of age. Of course that did exist, aging was not to be wished away.  But the Uchi-Deshi gave him a method to remain his skills, a price beyond rubies and diamonds.

 

As for what Uchi-Deshi experienced in other arts,  I can’t assume it was similar.

A small story

Once a friend who was also a Judo-ka invited me to attend a clinic his instructor from New Jersey was having at the Scranton YMCA. 

The instructor was a long time Judo-ka in his own right.

He explained that his Japanese instructor had waited 20 years to show him this move. 

It was interesting. In a clinch he pressed down one way and then reversed himself falling to his rear the opposite direction throwing my friend 20 feet the other way. 

He explained that his instructor choose to teach it at 20 years. Not that that was necessary, as there were plenty of white belts at that clinic and they were working on it too.

Now you can make a point that this wasn’t taught until something was reached. Whatever that was. But he was competently instructing white belts in the technique.

This seems to relate to stories that often non-American instructors (Japanese, Korean and others) did hide material. 

What you don’t know exists you can’t master. 

Reminds me of when the American TKD team attended competition in Korea and was wiped out by Koreans using Axe kicks for which they had no defense. 

Seems their instructors didn’t teach them that kick existed.

Oooops.

The Eye Must See All Sides. The Ear Must Listen In All Directions

 

 

When we get around to consider how to respond to an actual attack, there are many things we have to consider.

 

You instantly have to determine your response, it doesn’t have to be the perfect response but you have to sell it regardless of your choice.

 

Your hearing can alert you to someone moving in your direction or the breathing behind their attack.

 

When you are aware of their existence (where your eyes register their motion) you can:

 

1. Decide to move into them with your response. Responding before they can defend against your response,

2. Decide to move away from them to gain more time. There can be problems because they can advance faster than you can retreat, but possibly opeining the distance between both of you can work to your advantage.

3. Decide to cross their attack at an angle. Knowing every attack creates an opening to exploit and you could decide to use that opening they are presenting.

 

Each decision can have strategic advantages and disadvantages. You have to make what you pick work.

 

Instantly size their skill right up. If they are showing power but are less trained and have unaligned their powerful attack, you might decide to attack that misalignment to your advantage.

 

If they are skilled and keeping their attack aligned you might choose to destroy their alignment with your response.

 

In no case do you want your response to become a fight where the two of you exchange techniques back and forth. Your response must be geared to destroy their attack.  One and done.

 

Always remember Murphy’s Law, “if something can go wrong, it will go wrong.”

And consider Fineagle’s Law too, “Murphy is an optimist.” Or stated differently "Anything that can go wrong, will—at the worst possible moment."

 

An attack can come from any direction, that is where hearing might come into play.  For one thing I have not suggested possibilities to deal with multiple attackers.  Obviously such a brief summary does not cover everything.

 

Then again a few classical suggestions:

 

From the unknown author(s) of the Bubishi,

 

“If an adversary bites you, attack his throat right away”.

 

 

Chotoku Kyan’s advice:  

 

“When facing an opponent, take care not to play into his strategy.

Some use their feet while punching, or pretend to grab a hand.

Others use fists while pretending to throw a foot attack.

React according to voice and noise.

Never relax”,

 

Back to the Bubishi  

 

“The ears listen well in all directions” and “The eye must see all sides.”

 

Choiki Motobu,

 

“One must develop the ability to read, ‘at a single glance’ how much striking power any one person has.”

 

 

 "Karatedo Nyumon" by Kenwa Mabuni

 

"The meaning of the directions in kata is not well understood, and frequently mistakes are made in the interpretation of kata movements. In extreme cases, it is sometimes heard that "this kata moves in 8 directions so it is designed for fighting 8 opponents" or some such nonsense. I would like to specifically address this issue now.

Looking at the embusen for Pinan Nidan, one can see that karate kata move in all directions, forward and back, left and right. When interpreting kata, one must not get too caught up in these directions. For example, do not fall into the trap of thinking that just because a kata begins to the left that the opponent is always attacking from the left. There are two ways of looking at this:

 

1 - The kata is defending against an attack from the left.
2 - Angle to the left against a frontal attack.

 

At first glance, both of these look alright. However, looking at only number (1), the meaning of the kata becomes narrow, and the kata, which in reality must be applied freely in any situation, becomes awfully meager in its application.

 

Looking at an actual example, the 5 Pinan kata all start to the left, and then repeat the same series of techniques to the right. Looking at interpretation (1), the opponent must always attack from the left, and while fighting that opponent, another opponent comes from behind so the defender turns to fight that opponent. This type of interpretation is highly unreasonable.

Looking at interpretation number (2) however, the 5 Pinan kata show us that against an attack from the front we can evade either left or right to put ourselves in the most advantageous position to defend ourselves.”

To an instructor who was and always will be a Marine,

 

“When you’re knocked down by surprise when you get up, take them apart and then run before the Shore Patrol arrives.”

 

This is but a short summary of things you might consider in your training to become more aware and consider the response you might make.

 

Your life may well depend 

on how you are prepared.

Shaped Charges

 

As I think back on it one of the more interesting principles I got from Sherman Harrill was that the manner of striking could be more than hard or soft, but the manner of striking could be to deliver a variety of shaped charges into an opponent’s body. This would be ever so much more than just striking making a more complete use of the Isshinryu system. At least from my perspective.

 

To begin I would put the manner of striking. From what I learned Sherman used three different methods (which paralleled  two of which I was originally taught.)

 

First there was the fast vertical strike with the tight fist.

 

Second was the fast vertical strike with the fist kept lose until the moment of impact, then the fist would tighten for the strike to then loosen on the fist retraction.  This strike creates a shock wave into the opponents body where the strike wave rises through the torso to reach into  the opponent’s throat,

 

Third was a very slight change to the first 2 strikes, but instead of striking with the first 2 knuckles of the vertical fist, the strike would shift to strike instead with the ridge of knuckles of the fist being used. This would create a smaller striking surface and a more intense pain experience from those strikes.

 

Of the above 3 methods one was not better than the other, each had their uses and in the end it the one used stopped the attack, it was a successful strike.

 

A different method of striking involved the retraction of the fist after an initial strike. It would become a slashing retraction of the fist chambering process, using a strike unexpected by the opponent, in effect the initial strike becoming a 1-2 strike.

 

Before I go further to clarify whatever use of the initial hand technique (block or strike) the act of the changer allows this process to become another strike.

 

Targets could be the side of the chest, the side of the neck, the side of the head, or a slashing strike unto a block into the opponents other striking limb.

 

 But that chamber strike did not stop there because the act of chambering could also be an elbow strike to an opponent behind you. Everything was situational.

 

I ever recall one example where the right strike was into the opponents lower right abdomen, then becoming a 2^nd glancing strike to the other side of the body ending up with a vertical thumb strike across the underside of the opponents striking arm. Then to become another vertical thumb strike to the underside of that arm as the chambering of the fist beginning, to continue into a slashing strike into their ribs. One movement becoming 5 separate strikes. Unleashing a whole range of pain into the attacker.

 

Yet another sort of shaped charge came from the 2^nd row of techniques in Kata Seisan. The movement where the palm rises then turns over. This movement potential offers two different shaped charges.

 

As the palm sweeps up it can be used to be a palm strike into the lower abdomen. This too creates a shock wave that rises into the opponents torso.  Not to be forgotten would be the use of such a strike into the kidney area of the opponents back.

 

Then when the rising of the arm is finished the hand can overturn and the back of the hand can be used as a striking surface that fits into the side of the neck, under the jaw of the opponent. The use of this target allows you back hand to deliver a descending shock into the opponent. This move can destabilize or even KO the opponent.

 

Then there is the issue of nukite strikes into the armpit. Where the strike inserted in one direction can cause one leg to buckle or in another direction can cause the other leg to buckle. Hooking the nukite down yields a very different potential.

 

The armpit has no natural protection making such strikes even akin to KO.

 

Even the use of kicks can deliver shock waves into the opponents body. How depends on the use of the kick selected.

 

This is not a complete study of every possible use of shaped strike charges in Isshinryu. Just a presentation of one potential rarely discussed.

 

What you don't look for you won't see

I had lived on my property for 30 years. With 3 acres of grass maintenance and 100 blueberry bushed to keep me busy each summer, by the time late summer arrived I stopped walking around my property perhaps saving energy for the eventual fall raking of the front yard. Then after my cancer surgery walking abound my property in the fall I discovered there were at least 4 English walnut trees there, Had not noticed that before, and am sure the squirrels disposed of the walnuts. As the years followed I discovered they did not have the same 'crop' each year. So one year I attempted to gather them and try to remove the husks. I was less that successful but the effort was interesting, for one thing I began to realize how many there were there.

The lesson is that what you don't look at completely, you will not see.

As much a lesson for me in my back yard 

as it is for understanding karate's potential.

The Bando Hidden Stick - the full story

I knew of the Bando Short Stick form for several years, one of my seniors used the Bando Staff form (The Horseman’s Foot Soldiers Form, and the Bando Short Stick form (the Hidden Stick) as supplemental weapons form in competition. To show judges he had more depth than just Isshinryu Kobudo.  It worked very successful for him.

 

When I was a brown belt, he shared the Bando staff form with Charles Murray who was training me. Charles shared it with me, more to have someone to train alongside than any Isshinryu reason).

 

After I received my black belt, when I visited Reese in Dover he would work with me to polish my Bando Staff. He also shared a little bit of his Bando Short Stick form. It was just a tiny piece of the form.

 

Then in 1983 I received an invitation to attend the Bando Summer Camp in Maryland, extended through my instructors. I took avantage of that invitation and attended the camp.

 

As I recall the first clinic was in the use of the Bando Short stick. Among other things they recommended you should first be careful what material your stick for training was made of. It was explained on hard impact some wood (as in dowels) would break on the impact and what you wanted for the short stick was something stronger.

 

I had one of thick rattan and that was not an issue for me.

 

They then covered the stick could be used a number of different ways?

 

1.     For tip strikes,

2.     For blade strikes (as on the long side of the stick),

3.     For butt strikes

4.     Or all of the above used in mixed strikes.

 

Then they covered a striking pattern (which could be done any of the 4 above methods). I do not recall the actual pattern, but it was similar to patterns I had seen described in various books and articles about Escrima striking practices.

 

So we practiced that drill.

 

Then it was explained that use of the stick required much more than a striking pattern. It required impact training to learn how the impact would feel when the stick was being held in your hand and used.

 

As I recall the better method was to more lightly grasp the stick during striking, then tightening the hold on actual impact to go back to the lighter grip after impact.

 

They explained that an important part of the training involved actual striking to condition one to be ready for the impact going back after the strike into you.

 

This was not a theoretical study. Long sticks (such as tree limbs) were held by two people and you practices impact strikes to feel the reverberation from those strikes. To better condition the hand for those strikes.

 

And yes some of the people there were using wooden dowel sticks, ones that broke during striking.

 

I can still remember the feel of that impact, making use of the stick more real.

 

That clinic was followed by an Escrima instructor sharing some Escrima knowledge and practice. Unfortunately I do not recall the details.

 

The next day I made friends with a Bando Instructor (I know not who) and we discussed many things into the night.  Among them he described kukri knife training Dr. Gyi held for the black belts.. Training where they would cut into rocks, not so slice them but to condition the hand for the impact of the strike, akin to the short stick impact training.

 

As fate would decree that last day Sunday Morning I was up early standing in a field practicing my Bando Staff form (I did not cover that during the camp) and also what I knew of the Bando short stick form.

 

A Bando instructor was ? bemused? At my efforts and told me he would give me two of his brown belts and then tell them to teach me his version of the stick form and not to stop till I had it. (He was attending a private Bando black belt training session with Dr. Gyi off in the woods of the campground).

 

So for the next 2 hours those brown belts piece by piece taught me the form. Movement by movement, and for each movement how I would use that technique.

It was a very intense study.

Then when finished I kept working on that form, not to forget it.

 

In fact I remember little of the close of the camp. Just going over and over that form in my mind.

 

That continued through the 4 hour drive home. I would drive and go through the movements of the stick form best as I could while driving. Then when I got home I immediately went through the form outside of my house.

 

It was something I had already experienced.  A onetime opportunity to keep what I saw, and then worked to make it so.

 

So as time passed I continued to work on that form.

 

One day months later while on a trip down to Salisbury to train with Sensei, I stopped first in Dover to train with Reese Rigby.

 

It was a regular tradition with me to visit him. At first realizing I was training on my own he kept putting me through my Isshinryu forms to see if I was remembering them. Then as he realized I was doing that and progressing, we moved on to many other things.

 

So I showed him what I had learned. I showed him my Hidden Stick form, then he showed me his Hidden Stick form. Each was slightly different from the other.

He declared he was going to stick with his version, I then said I was going to skick with mine. And that is what each of us did.

 

As time passed I realized the form could be done with anything I held in my hand. A rock, a bottle, a can, a book, a length of chain, a sword, literally anything.

 

 I even worked out the movements could be used as a different system of empty hand fighting, and worked out accompanying empty hand uses. It was not karate but something else.

 

Due the length of the form I worked how ½ of the form could be used as a brown belt supplemental study (and that was a good form in its own right).

 

 

 

Then after black belt the entire form would be studied. As the student already knew half the form, they just had to learn the end. It made a nice black belt supplemental study

 

 

 

 And after the entire form was used, I would snow them it made for an interesting knife technique form too. (But my purpose was not to teach them to slice into others with knives – still I made them aware that potential exists.

 

Many times my students competed with the form and when they walk towards the judges, the crown not knowing the stick is up their sleeve. You can hear the crowd mutter where is his weapon? Then to gasp as the students pulls it out of his sleeve.

 

The reality is the same form can be done entirely with tip of the stick strikes.

The reality is the same form can be done entirely with blade of the stick strikes.

The reality of the same form can be done entirely with butt stick strikes.

The reality of the same form can be done mixing all three strikes, and while our practice uses one set of combinations, there are many other possibilities.

 

 

Much later I found a YouTube video of a Bando Kukri form, and it is extremely similar to the stick form I studied. Really now knowing the Bando system, I could theorize the stick form might have been a derivative of the kukri form, done that was as a beginning practice. While that works for me it is not necessarily reality.

 

 

 

Of course a Stick in Time Saves Nine, takes on a new meaning.