When I began my study of Isshinryu

 

When I began my study of Isshinryu it was just to study karate. I didn’t want any obi, colored or black, just to study karate.

 

When I began the colored rank went white – green – brown – black. No ever discussed what rank meant, especially rank after black belt.

 

Shortly thereafter, Sensei Lewis informed us that green belt (of which there were two levels) would be broken into blue belt and green belt.

 

He also described when he was training in Okinawa the kyu rank was white – brown – black.

 

In time I was advanced to yellow belt and told that at the end of a class. Sensei simply gave me an obi.

 

In time I advanced again and was promoted to blue belt. I did receive a 5^th kyu green belt certificate with the promotion. I hung it on my wall. In fact Sensei had no size 5 blue belts on hand and Maureen knit me a blue obi. I eventually found one to buy at a tournament

 

Finally, I advanced to green belt receiving a belt and a certificate. That was the last night I was training in Salisbury for I had to move to Scranton for work.

 

As I was never from the areas where I lived and trained I had no family in those areas, and no one ever saw my certificates. They were just mine alone.

 

The only serious training in Scranton was in Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan. As it was Korean and not Isshinryu I began as a White belt, but the first evening I was taught 5 of their forms. 3 months later as their regularily testing I was promoted to 5^th Green Gup. And I was awarded a certificate.

 

 To be followed by 4^th Green 3 months later. Another 3 months I tested and was awarded a 3^rd gup red belt and the certificate.

 

That September Charles Murray moved to the Scranton area, to take over a church in Providence, right outside Scranton.

 

As he was my senior I worked very had and convinced him to teach me further in Isshinryu.

 

So my Isshinryu instruction continued. Charles was a black belt under Tom Lewis, back in 1972 I was also able to train with Shimabuku Tatsuo when he was in the USAF and stationed in Okinawa for a year.

 

When we began he kept me a green belt and as time passed he promoted me to 3^rd kyu brown belt. I remember no certificate with that promotion. And again the obi was enough (of course it meant he could hit me harder ((ouch))),

 

About a half year later or so he informed me that now I was a 1^st kyu brown belt. He explained that as we were training so hard he saw no need for a 2^nd kyu promotion, simply waited until I was ready to train as a black belt candidate.

 

Then on January of 1879 I tested for Sho Dan and was promoted. I was handed my black belt and the certificate. (I slept that night with the black belt under my pillow staying in Chares Murray’s family home.

 

The next day on our long drive back to Scranton Charles asked me, “If you are in a crashing plane what is your belt going to do for you?”

 

As I remembered my reply went like, “Well I would jump into my Sanchin dachi and punch at the moment of impact to neutralize the impact with my punch.” Perhaps I was overly optimistic.

 

Back in September of 1979 I began my youth karate program at the Scranton Boys Club. The kids (Club members) only paid a dollar a night (all of which went to the Club.  That continued to be the class fee till 2017 when I left Derry for Arizona. The program was for the kids never to make money.

 

From the beginning I decided to have appropriate certificates for the students when they got promotions. The printer at the bank I worked prepared the certificates.  But promotions were not done by testing, instead by observation of their efforts and were immediately granted after class when the student was ready for the next level of challenges.

 

I would hand them their belt and a certificate.

 

New students were white belts.

Then the student became a yellow belt.

Next came the blue belt, then the  green belt. Finally becme the brown belts..

 

Over time tape was added to the belt to indicate which level of brown belt the student was.

 

And all of them received appropriate colored certificates for their promotion.

 

In 1986 I moved to Derry, NH and began my program again at the Derry Boys and Girls Club. Again promotions accompanied by certificates.

 

In the 1990 when I was driving 90 minutes to work and 90 minutes home again before I taught the classes, one evening I decided to stop awarding certificates and just hand them their obi.

 

I just found it too time consuming to fill out the certificates as there was little time before class would begin.

 

I was prepared to make certificates if anyone asked, kids or parents.

No one ever did. Everyone was just happy for the new obi and no one ever inquired about certificates.

 

When a youth had to leave the area because one of their parents had do move.  I would provide a certificate so they could share it with another program should they decide to train elsewhere.

 

But certificates were never discussed. My students were most happy just to train.

 

What I did with the adult program is another matter.