Tuesday, October 24, 2023

A strilking Lesson from Sherman Harrill

 



 

One day we found ourselves schooled by Sherman Harrill. At an early clinic he took Tom Chan aside to discuss a point about Uechi. When doing so he struck Tom to demonstrate a point. Others of us were also struck that day. The point is not that Sherman had makiwara conditioned hands, which he did, but the manner in which he struck us.

The next day, Sunday, everyone came over to work out in my back yard. When there we compared the marks still present from Sherman’s strikes, for they were still present on our bodies. What we discovered they were made by his first two knuckles, rather the ridge of his first two knuckles, Showing us vividly a slight difference, adjustment, possible with our way of striking.

Since that time we adjusted out strike. Even without makiwara conditioning, not possible where we trained, the altered striking made even more penetrating results.

Harrill Sensei always covered so much, never was that discussed again, But he literally made an impression than changed, ever so slightly, how we punched. And but a fraction of an inch adjustment allowing striking with the ridge of the knuckles.


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