Now
after all these years I have a few following thoughts on this.
First
every instructor and friend who shared with me had an influence on what I
eventually saw. My students through their efforts made contributions. Even my
son when a young student saw how I was conducting my study of one movement and
he worked up another answer. In that sense all were contributors.
Of
course some more than others, though I cannot easily distinguish who shared
more.
After
years of study in my own Isshinryu and with others in divers arts, back around
1988 I began my own studies on how things worked.. A part of this came from how
I structures my research on one technique from Seisan kata. In time that grew
to over 100 potential uses that I worked out.
Then
the time I was able to spend with Sheman Harrill made a gigantic influence on
me. Not that I would teach all of the 800 Isshinryu applications I saw from him
(and more from his student John Kerker), more that that further inspired me to
continue to do my own studies.
While
I did originally work out 50 ways Seisan’s opening might be used, my studies
did not progress technique by technique through my kata, from that point.
Rather
it was rhapsodic continually shifting around the kata. And some of those
studies were made on a few of the other kata I studied. For the most part they
were used for the attacks they offered to work against. Keeping me working on
so much more than the initial stepping grab/strike, though that always remained
necessary as every study has to start somewere.
At
times my work also included my Yang t’ai chi chaun study. My original purpose
was just to learn t’ai chi, not to use it. But the mind does not turn off and
at times I discovered how powerful those gentle flowing movement could be. Also
in time I came to see how my t’ai chi had a feathers touch on each of my karate’s
techniques. But I kept that understanding just for me.
Coming
from an Isshinryu paradigm that did not much discuss kata applications, at
times some movements were explained a bit to me to help me understand why a
move was done that way.
Decades
later I found those initial explanations would inhibit me from futher research
on those movements. After I knew what the move was used for. And once I
discovered that was occurring it always meant more work was necessary.
Now
I had worked out all that was really necessary was to fully understand what one
movement could do and train to be able to insert into any attack. Then job
done.
So
I asked as that was the case why did we need more than one kata or even one
move.
To
me it was not so select the correct move for a specific attack.
It
was to work to become unpredictable and make any movement you chose do the job.
Life
is continual change, movement and stillness until the ultimate stillness. We
need to continually push our self to keep our mind fresh.
There
really is no limit to how many forms one can learn, Nor is their a limit as to
how many movements we can study to eliminate an attack.
As
we understand the principles that make any technique work, in time with effort
we learn how to take any technique from any kata and make that work.
Continually keeping our potential response fresh and alive.
At
that point we are no longer dependent on any specific kata. In fact any
movement or stillness can be employed.
So you reach the form of no form.
To
date no one has really responded to what I have done with and to my students.
Of course they will make their own choice how they will proceed.
It
seems my vision is just that my vision, but it is how I have lived my life.
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