Not Every Idea Works Out- then try again

Back in 1987-1988 I worked on a project of my own design. While not the way I had trained, in the magazines I read about systems that used to have brown belts write papers about their karate, and of systems requiring their students to maintain extensive note books.

 

As I thought about I came up with an amended design that I intended to use in my own program.

 

Not having my brown belts write papers. As far as I was concerned karate was experienced on the floor via correct training.

 

But I thought I might be useful to create a series of manuals for my students to use as they advanced. Not to hand them out as they were learning the various belt standards. Rather to hand to them when they advanced to newer more difficult challenges. Then to be serious reference of what they had studied, to try and better allow them to retain their studies.

 

So I created a very extensive series of manuals covering White, Yellow, Blue, Green and Brown Belt studies.  They went into detail of everything they had studies. So they would be something to assist them when preparing for Black Belt initiation and beyond. Showing them how they might document their studies in the future to better understand what they kept learning.

 

So I worked them all up. Then came to the realization that while that might have been useful for me,  it was not best those students who were advancing. Their material was correctly taught, and of course those lessons repeated as necessary from then on.  But the thing they needed was the understanding they really were responsible for all of it. No one thing was more important than everything.

 

I just ran across my sole copy of those documents, along with monthly newsletters that I distribute each month.

 

The newsletters were another attempt to share more ‘knowledge’ about Isshinryu But there I also realized that knowledge that was not being taught in class,  became vaporware for students. I was not teaching an academic Isshinryu after all.

 

But I retained what I wrote. It gives me a context how my program did and did not change as time passed. And brings other things to mind, supplemental drills,  that were set aside as time passed.  Often for other reasons,  always to create a stronger program for my students.

One of my successes were these Advanced Drills I created.

Advanced Upper and Lower Body Combinations

1.      High Block, Middle  Block,  Low Block – Reverse Punch

2.      Cross Block,  Front Kick,  Side Block,  Reverse Punch – Cross Block

3.     Low  Block,  High Block,  Shuto,  Front Kick – Back fist

4.     High ‘X’ Block, Augmented Block, Side Hammer fist – Reverse Punch

5.     Low ‘X’ Block, High ‘X’ Block, Side Hammer fist – Reverse Punch

6.     Low Block,  High Block, Low  ’X’ Block,  Side Block, Side Block – Front Kick.

7.     Back fist,  Elbow Strike, Low Block – Hook Punch

8.     Crescent Kick, Low Block, Side Block, High Block to Side,  Low Block – Side Block

9.     Side Hammerfist – Hook Punch

10.     Cross Block, Parry, Grab, Elbow Strike – Back fist

11.      Side Block, Back fist – Double Reverse Punch

12.     Crescent Kick, Low Block,  Side Hammer fist – Reverse Punch

13.     Back fist, Front Kick, Low Block, Reverse Punch – High Block

14.     Back fist,  Crescent Kick, Low Punch – Double High Block

15.     Front Kick, Roundhouse Kick – Side Kick

16.     Front Kick, Roundhouse Kick, Front Kick
 
17.     Front Kick, Roundhouse Kick, Side Kick – Back Side Kick

18.     Triple Roundhouse Kick – High, Middle, Low

19.      Outside Crescent Kick, Inside Crescent Kick – Side Kick

20.      Side Kick, Side Kick – Back Kick

21.      Side Kick, Side Kick,  Back Kick – Front Kick

22.       Front Kick, Front Kick – Jumping Front Kick

23.       Alternating Legs – Side Kick, Side Kick, Front Kick, Front Kick, Roundhouse Kick, Roundhouse Kick, Back Kick – Back Kick