George Dillman as I experienced him

 

George Dillman was started in Isshinryu under Harry Smith back in the 1960s. Later he got into a lot of other Okinawan systems, and was no longer Isshinryu. He was an early tournament champion, mainly in weapons back when almost no one did weapons. Always a big self promoter he then promoted 2 very large tournaments each year in PA. After a brief weekend meeting with Hohen Soken where he claimed  he received secret notes on pressure points (which now I have a copy) in the early 1980s when he met Oyata Seryu he was entranced, going to train with him in his kyusho and tuite applied to his Okinawan kempo kata. True light touch knockout stuff. Then with perhaps a partial year with him, broke away, changed his system name to the name that Oyata was using, and began teaching seminars all over the place, writing books, selling video tapes on his ‘own stuff.

 

I saw this happen, was at one of his tournaments when he approached Tris to come and train with Oyata. Of course Tris laughed as he had all that and more in his family system. Right after I moved to NH an acquaintance invited me to a Dillman seminar in Manchester. I attended, was astonished he remembered me from Pa. for I was too low ranked for him to talk to back then. All hedid was talk and talk (he was good at that ).

 

About ½ through his seminar he turned to me and asked me how I would apply Seiunchin kata’s augmented high block, where about ½ way through the form your left hand presses into your right high side block. I am sure I would give him a stock Isshinryu answer that you are pressing to support the block, allowing him to show his superior knowledge. He had a guy punch to my head.

 

About that time I was beginning to put the knowledge of how things worked I got from Tris and applying it to my Isshinryu.

 

When the strike in I lightly parried the strike, separated my hands sliding my right open hand down alongside his arm to the wrist, and the left open hand fanned the opponents face taking his down.

 

He did not like that I could do that, tried to cover it saying that could also be reversed for another takedown (which I had from Tris). And for the rest of the time I was at the seminar would not look again in my direction having burst his bubble as the owner of true knowledge.

 

As I left I realized I had seen him do nothing, later purchasing his vhs for Seiunchin kata to see what he had.

 

These videos are what he was originally pushing, later going into extreme pretend range.

I am not saying what he is showing has no value, rather there is so much more involved

 

 

Dillman DVD #1 - Kyusho Jitsu/Tuite

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-LIAxXqdOQ&t=3131s

 

 

 

 

This was the vhs tape I purchased. When I heard him on the tape say (and also heard at his seminar) that it was not important to do the kata good, just know how to apply its movements. Then I watched his student do his version of Seiunchin kata, well I gagged. I had seen the student in Pa. at thost tournaments, but never say his doing anything. My personal feeling was the students of his had seen there gave no evidence of the skill I would have expected from an instructor of a tournament champion.

 

Personally I was most unimpressed at the kata shown.

 

I stopped the tape and didn’t watch the rest.

 

 

Dillman DVD 2 - Kyusho Jitsu/Tuite Jitsu

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJBjxP7z5FY

 

Several years later I was speaking to Reese Rigby on the phone, As stand up a guy in Isshinryu as anyone. He attended one of those seminars and also left knowing nothing, as nothing was demonstrated of kata. He did try arm ko’s on everyone there. When he attemted Reese did not KO him, but said he was just showing how that more could also destabilize an opponent. Right I am sure he was going for a KO every time, but it is not guaranteed and he had an answer to cover himself.

 

So I sent Reese that vhs Seiunchin kata tape. Later he called me and was also laughing, He passed that tape along to let others not be snookered in to George.

 

My theory as to get greater revenue from his seminars he came up with the line I doesn’t matter how good you do your kata as long as you know the points to strike, He was making it easier for students to keep training, from a money angle.

 

Where the truth is, what is more important is that your kata performance becomes stronger and stronger. Only then can you have enough power to make strikes work.

 

Where to strike has value, but as Sherman said, what is more important that you can hit anyone anywhere and drop them.

 

But to drive attendance around the world at his seminars, he went into iffier and iffier things.

 

Of course striking an extended slow arm is one thing, No mention of the more important battle, that of moving from application realization to the greater study of application realization. Which is a whole other beast.

 

And also course now his dvd’s are free on youtube. Wonder happens each and every day.