Understanding what Sherman Harrill shared.

 

 

In 1995 Garry Gerossie who lived north of me in New Hampshire, looked me up to invite me to a clinic he was hosting by his instructor Sherman Harrill. It was because Sherman had trained on Okinawa alongside my instructor Tom Lewis.

 

I had never heard of Sherman but I went to that clinic and was blown away.

I had been working on potential uses for Isshinryu technique for about 7 years at that time, and had made progress. But meeting Sherman was a jump of 40 years he had spent on that process.

 

For he next 10 years I hosted clinics and attended others in Rhode Island and in Massachusetts. About 80 hours worth. But when Sherman passed away in 2005 I went through my notes and private videos Sherman allowed me to make and wrote up 800 potential kata application uses he had shared, and a who lot of other stuff. I combined them in my personal Sherm Pedia.

 

Five years later I finally met John Kerker  and for the next 10 years I was able to attend 10 annual clinics with him in Chicopee Mass. Out time was always too short however John expanded on many details Sherman made privately to me. I gained even deeper understanding of what being Sherman’s student would have been like.

 

Now let me make in clear I never was a student of Sherman Harrill. Unfortunately I could never travel to Carson and train with him. Working to understand what Sherman shared is nothing like being his direct student.

 

Perhaps I can expand on that. Sherman once privately explained to me that what he shared at those clinics was not how he taught his students.

 

He was focusing on kata technique possible applications, ad nasaum.

 

It was not how he taught his direct students,  For one thing he did not really know those clinic attendees capabilities. Because of that, while what he shared was real, there was also a great number of things he was holding back.  So he was sharing a bit of what he worked on. More than any clinic attendee could remember, but nothing approaching the whole.

 

An example came from when I met John Kerker, At that clinic he blasted his partner over and over, hitting him harder than I had ever seen anyone be struck repeatedly and always his partner was able to get back up and begin again.

 

Another time John explained that there was not a square inch of the dojo floor Sherman had not dropped him on hundreds of times. And each time after doing so Sherman expected John to get back up and do the same to him.

 

That is a level of intensity that was never possible at those clinics.

 

And there so much more, John explained that all Sherman’s students did not train with that intensity. They had to choose for themselves that they wanted to train that way, for it involved much pain. I guess it meant there were different levels of Sherman’s training.

 

That is just my opening explanation.

 

For I just found a video of Sherman Harrill showing some uses for the opening of Seisan kata. It is shared on You Tube by Michael Calandra   And shows some uses for the opening movements of Seisan kata.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRa2U40B4hs

 

Sherman Harrill Sensei and Mike Best as Uki

 

It serves as a great example of how Sherman worked out kata application potential (uses). Offering 9 different examples for that one movement section of the kata. And I am sure Sherman had endless other application potential in his memory.

 

First seeing a video does not in itself mean much, it is too easy to move on and what is seen becomes vapor-ware. In a sense the same as experiencing those same techniques in a clinic and not working on them.. for many reasons.

 

Unless you are an instructor you probably have little say in your training program and without continual reinforcement of what you saw that does not help you remember how to work the technique. Not saying there is no value to your being exposed to those possibilities. But that is a different issue.

 

And even if you are an instructor it is often not easy to add great material to your already structured training program. In fact even when I picked up incredible technique applications it often would be 5 or more years before I could introduce it into my program, simply because I believe in the value of what I was teaching.

 

Then there is the reality that learning a kata application has a potential application is one thing. Having the work to make that application potential an application realization that can actually work is a very different project all together. That is a much more involved sort of training.

 

The most important part of the process of acquiring valuable information via clinic or video is that there is more involved to truly actualize that technique in your life.

 

What I found is to make notes of the experience. Yes a video can be view over and over, but frequently it is not watched that way.  The most valuable thing you can do is to takes notes of what you remember. That performs a time binding function in your brain. Those notes can highlights details to remember. Something to refer to as time passes. Another guide in your journey.

 

So this is how I view what Sherman shared on the opening of Seisan kata.

 

The attacker is stepping forward with his right foot and going to deliver a right strike.

 

As Sherman goes to open the Seisan technique he first crosses his arms before him, the right arm on top. Then he steps out with his left foot and performs a left side block, while simultaneously his right hand chambers at his side. Then strikes into the opponents solar plexus with his right fist. Sherman uses all those motions in his examples.

 

First Sherman is showing what would be the standard answer as to what the first technique would be.

1.    Sherman steps out with his left foot while delivering a left side strike/block to the attackers arm. Then he delivers a right strike into the attacker’s solar plexus.

 

 

But Sherman is showing how he utilized the crossing of the arms as the initial technique to Seisan.

 

 

2.    If the opponents strike comes in higher Sherman uses the initial crossing of the arms to deliver a rising strike into the opponent arm and at the same time strikes with his left fist into the opponents lower right abdomen. In effect a simultaneous double strike. Then his right hand slices down to become a block in the opponents following right punch, followed by a right strike to the opponents solar plexus from chamber.

 

3.    Then Sherman shows how the strikes from the crossing of the arms from the kata is used when shifting one’s centerline to cross the attackers arm at 45 degrees. Then the rising right punch strikes into their attacking right arm while the left strikes into the right side of their chest at the same time.

 

4.    Then Sherman works another variation on that theme. This time the left open hand is raised to move alongside their oncoming fist, while the right hand (using the ridge of knuckles) to strike into their wrist, causing intense pain. To be followed by a right front kick into their left inner thigh, at the same time a right fist strike is delivered into their right side ribs.

 

5.    This time as their strike comes in you step out slightly with your right foot and shift your center line to cross their strike at 45 degrees. Your right rising hand strikes into their arm above the elbow while your left hand strikes into their armpit. Then your right hand while slashing down as you chamber (which could slice into a striking opponents left punch). At the same time you deliver a left low slicing strike into the inside of their right leg, to be followed by a right strike to their solar plexus.

 

6.    As the opponent strikes forward, step forward your self inside their line of attack, delivering a simultaneous strike to their jaw with your right as you also strike into their abdomen with your left fist. Then you strike with your left arm (side block as another use) into the side of their face. Your right hand drops to chamber and then strikes into their solar plexus.

 

7.    This time you first use the X of the crossing hands. As they strike your right hand strikes atop their biceps and your left hand strikes down. This uses the  bottom of the X to trap their arm. Then instantly you raise your left arm and pull your right arm slightly back drawing them slightly forward. That motion bends their arm back, and forces them further downward from that lock. Your right hand can then strike into the side of their neck. 

 

8.    Sherman then shows the same motion but this time the left strikes across the forearm of the attackers strike, while the right punch strikes into their triceps from the bottom. This also forms the X block that can pull them forward and down with a bent back arm lock to finish the movement with a right strike into the side of their head.

 

9.    Then Sherman uses the same motions as in no. 8 to a left strike with the attacker stepping forward with their left foot.     Again they are bent down to their rear from the side as the arm lock is formed. To finish them with a right strike to their head.

 

10.                       As the attacker comes in from the right, your left arm strikes down across their wrist towards your center line. At the same time your right strikes across their biceps just above their elbow. From there your left arm rolls their arm back and up to form a lock using the chambers of your right arm as the fulcrum of that lock. Forming that lock moves them forward and to bend over from that lock to then allow your right punch into the back side of their head.

 

I am sure this is not everything Sherman saw, but it is a good example of what he explored into every motion of any kata movement.

 

And only when you have a clear idea of any movement application potential (and that is a task of its own) can you move into the greater study. That being how to reach the application realization to actually trust that movement against a solid attack (which may not be the same attack where the application potential is shown against).

 

You must work against stronger then more random attacks to work towards application realization.

 

I have seen this from several different instructors programs. To the uniformed it often seems brutal, but the instructor is sharing what worked for them. I believe it is a necessity to move forward.

 

I would not suggest my description of Sherman sharing is the best description of what he is doing.  I suggest you write your own descriptions, they will make more sense to you.

 

May you move forward in comprehension!