8-22-2001
Some of this last week’s discussion has brought up the fact that some martial artists have passed from the Isshinryu scene.
I’m sure there are multitudes of reasons.
If only considering those from a positive nature, they might include, relocating and training with the martial art that’s closest and most reasonable for one’s new environment. Or they may include finding an art with a range of technique not found in Isshinryu, and being interested in such techniques makes the appropriate changes. Or they may include meeting an instructor with vastly superior skills in the mind of the person making the change and choosing to follow that person’s skills, as opposed to remaining in Isshinryu.
Then there are those negative reasons, cost, conflict with class members, conflict with the instructor, and so forth. I’m choosing not to dwell on them at this time.
And this can happen at beginner stages, at advanced kyu stages, and at anytime in the black belt level, too.
My own seniors, with my distance from their schools, and Charlie Murray returning to the Air Force, felt I should find the strongest school to train with (as there was no Isshinryu nearby my home) and follow that path. My instructors impressed on me I would always be one of their dans, and they felt becoming the best martial artist one could be was most important than the art.
I did follow some of their advice. I found incredibly powerful artists, with arts more complex, with greater application potential in use than I had seen, and were willing to share with me, an outsider. At the same time I knew my instructors were likewise powerful in their own ways, and among the best individuals I’ve ever seen on every level, too. My path choose to seek out and attempt to learn from others, but to then return that training within my Isshinryu path and seek to strengthen my own Isshinryu to counter those other ways.
There are always arts, harder and softer than Isshinryu. More complex and less complex, with more applications and with far different ranges of technique. As well as there are great martial artists in almost every area of study, if you work to find them. But at the same time, regardless of what others have, there is nothing second rate about Isshinryu either. All of this simply presents challenges each will address or not.
But it is interesting to understand those who’ve moved on. So I’d like to tell a brief story about one of the early ones. In the early 80’s I attended a summer IKA party in Salisbury, Md. Where among other events I was promoted to San Dan. I also met one of Tom’s close friends, Rich Nemara. Rick was retiring from the Washington, DC Police Force after 20 years and was regaling us with various stories about various police incidents he was involved with using hand to hand skills (even including some where it took 20 brother officers to restrain an individual after Rick and his nightstick failed too).
Rick Nemara was an original student of Don Nagle, from the North Carolina days (very early in American Isshinryu history). He told us how in those days Mr. Nagle had a number of different dojo and he would travel between them, and on the nights he’d show up everyone had to spar with him. He mentioned one time when everyone in the dojo ended up in the hospital from kumite with Mr. Nagle. I imagine those were very intense days.
Rick was both a 5th Dan in Isshinryu and a 5th Dan in Bando, at the time I met him. In Bando only 5 dans were awarded. I never had a chance to discuss why, but for some reason Rick was one of those who passed on, retaining super friendships with Tom and Don Bohan among others, but choose to follow that different path.
Several weeks after that meeting I attended the annual Bando Summer Camp. Quite an interesting experience in its own right. Dr. Muang Gyi was there as were Don Bohan and many of his people, Bob Maxwell a real powerhouse in Bando from my perspective, Rick and many others including others from Mr. Lewis’ Isshinryu. While Rick ran a great seminar on chokes (how to apply ones like the ‘naked strangle’), his greatest impression was when he dropped by the seminar on breaking.
Now at the Bando Summer Camp nobody wore rank or obi. The Bando Seniors obviously knew who they were, but the rest, kyu and dan, all looked and trained alike (abet with different skills). As it turned out all of the students for the breaking were the kyu’s. One instructor was showing how to punch through several boards laying on two cinder blocks, and person after person were jumping up and driving a strike down to try and break them.
A number of the Bando Dan’s were standing by, watching and chatting when Rick came up and observed what was going on. After watching one gentleman spring up into the air and then drop down just barely breaking his boards, Rich strode out and proclaimed, “No you’ve all got it wrong.”
He then proceeded to stack 3 or 4 boards on the cinder blocks, put either a small telephone directory or a towel on top, slowly raise his palm about 4 inches over the boards, and then slap down with his palm (and his body wasn’t behind the strike, either) to demolish them in one fluid movement.
This got all of the dan’s attention and for quite some time, the rest of us were beating our hands red trying to duplicate Rick’s compression break. I don’t recall if any of us got it. But Rick showed a different way and left an impression.
I’m sad to say several years later I received a call from Sensei telling me I had to come down to Salisbury and attend a Bando/Isshinryu tournament. He had originally held one in 1970 and was holding one again. But this time Rick was dying from cancer and we were all getting together to honor him (and raise some funds for his expenses too). It was a good tournament and an emotional day all in all.
Rick did leave us, as is the way of the world. He was a powerful force which drew Isshinryu and Bando together in his days, and as I remember him, always, was a great and powerful force in his own right.
I’m sure some of you may remember Rick and perhaps can add some of his story for the rest, too.
Victor Smith
Bushi No Te Isshinryu
https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2023/08/memories-of-rick-niemira.html
https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2021/02/rick-niemira.html
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