The Spirit of Karate

 

Today I am thinking about the Spirit side of Karate for I have found that without developing one's spirit behind karate, it is far less likely to work.

 

My own spirit was forged under the instruction of Tom Lewis at the Salisbury Dojo.

 

Just to be clear I first became aware of the idea when I read an article about the Isshinryu patch, it described the 3 stars in the sky as having multiple meanings. The one behind my thoughts is the stars represented the Physical, Mental and Spiritual attributes of karate.

 

Not that Lewis Sensei ever gave us a lecture about spirit. In fact no instructor I have trained with in any arts gave such a lecture. I came to realize how real this was over time, much time. But it was a real component of my training none the less.

 

In the paradigm of training at the Salisbury dojo it was instilled into up by being continually facing those better than us during kumite and continually having the lesson knocked into us. Those that understood kept at it and worked to improve.

 

Then when Charles Murray took over my training those poundings continue at a higher level. I never liked them but I continued to work to improve.

 

I was never inspired at kumite, but there were occasions when I went beyond what I could do, opening manifestations of my spirit rising to the occasion.

 

As in any martial endeavor there is not one answer, but gaining the drive to move forward is a large part of the key behind Spirit.

 

The day when I started understanding how it worked came many years later.

 

I was working with a group of my black belts on application potentials within Seisan Kata. They were all over a decade working on Seisan and knew it quite well.

 

As I was working with them a new application potential for the movement series we were working on came to me. I asked one of them to step in and strike at me (just a tool to begin study with) and he did so. I applied what came to me and I disrupted his attack the first attempt.

 

So then I asked another to attack me, and again I made it work. I realized I was on to something.

 

So then I demonstrated what I did to the group. Then I went through it 10 times, even in very slow motion to be sure they understood what I had done.

 

After that I asked them to try and do it against slow attacks.

 

They felt no pressure from the attack to interfere with their mind.

 

But when the attack came, every one of them did something else. Even feeling very low pressure from the attack, they switched to their favorite answer and did that.

 

As for showing effectiveness each one of them would have stopped a very vigorous attach with what they did. It’s just what I wanted them to do was not what they did, instead they did something else.

 

I did not lecture them as I realized they showed me something. Exactly what that was I would go to sleep still thinking about.

 

The Physical – with over a decade of work on the kata, they all were proficient in their execution.

The Mental – I had clearly explained what I was doing. Even to slow motion demonstrations.

The Spirit – This was where the difference lay. I knew I could make the application work. When slightly pressed with the punch stepping in, they did not believe in the technique so they did something they believed in. The reality that I could do it had not transferred to their spirit so they responded where their spirit led them.

 

I am glad they could stop that attack competently. But I already knew that.

 

That showed me I had to work harder to get across their faith in their own spirit to make a technique work.

 

My belief in myself was forged so long ago. I needed to work harder to help them forge their own spirits.

 

An example of where this applies goes to the crux of kata application studies.

 

Showing what is possible is but a part of the journey. The study of Application Potential. It can lead drills of course, but do they lead the spirit behind what is shown.

 

Once one grasps the Potential the real work begins The larger study to reach kata Application Realization.

 

When I hear many talk about ‘bunkai’ the discussions most often centers around the use being shown. Almost never heard is the work to forge the spirit to actually make that technique work against every potential attack. That is a much longer journey.

 

The union of the Physical, Mental and the Spiritual involves far more than this brief discussion. It involves each aspect of our arts.

 

How you forge the Spirit is as important as how he forge the Body and how you forge the Mind.

 

Memories with Karl Hovey

 

 

 

 

 

One Sunday while I was cleaning the dojo (which paid for my lessons) Karl Hovey and Lewis Sensei came into the dojo to work out a bit. Seeing me there Sensei invited me to join them, but as a yellow or blue belt I felt to intimidated. I did get to observe them though.

 

They were mostly talking in their gi’s when suddenly Sensei asked Karl if he had ever seen Tom’s Sea Gull kata. Karl replied he had not.

 

Then Sensei began the form (I now recognize it was the opening of his Kusanku kata, but at that time it was way beyond me.) He rei’d, then bowed down and raised his hands toward the sky, Then raised his hands circled down and raised up into kamae. At the same time Sensei raised his hands, his knees uncompressed and as if on time, his gi pants dropped toward the floor in unison with his hands. He may have uttered a sea gull call as that happened.

 

Karl and I were astounded expecting nothing like that.

 

 

The next year I remember when Tom took the club down to Karl’s tournament in Virginia. It was a very good tournament.

 

 

In 1976  Sensei took a group of us up to Sunnyside Gardens in NYC to a tournament to raise money for a monument for Shimabuku Tatsuo. There were Isshinryu competitors from all over the place, and many of the senior Isshinryu instructors across the States too. Master shimabuku’s oldest son, Kichero, was there too.

 

Karl was Okinawan, had studied Kempo over there, but learnt Isshinryu from Don Bohan in the states. That day both he and Tom were competing in the black belt forms division.

 

Karl did Chinto and his jumps from the floor when kicking were unreal, so high and precise. Of course it was his own interpretation of Chinto, not exactly standard. His scores reflected that, which was a shame, because his form was so good.

 

 

As I mentioned Tom also competed. To me he was perfect. As it turned out he took 2^nd place.

Later in that afternoon Karl came up to us to gather our attendance certificates to request Kichero to sign them.

 

When he approached Kichero there was an interpreter there saying Kichero didn’t speak English, and to have him sign the certificates would cost $20.00 a certificate.

Karl speaking Japanese directly asked Kichero to sign them, but Kichero pretended not to understand Karl.

 

Most mad, Karl came back and returned our certificates of attendance to us unsigned.

 

 

 

One year perhaps 8 years later, in the spring, I was attending a George Dillman tournament to compete. I decided to practice the Yang form to warm up after the drive there. Doing so alone in my section of the field-house floor a senior Isshinryu instructor, Karl Hovey, came up to me. “Hey you’re Isshinryu, how can you be doing Tai Chi?”

I had met Karl as a beginner at Mr. Lewis’ dojo in Salisbury in 74 but he didn’t know me. I replied “Why not?” and then explained who I was and how I came to study tai chi. Karl then remembered that day long ago.

 

 

 

Living far away from Virginia I never had occasion to see him again.

 

But this photo of him is how I see him in my mind.

 

 

 

 

Jeff Lewis said...

Self Training a memory

 

 

When I began my Isshinryu studies back in 1974 two classes a week were never enough. I trained outside in my yard and inside in my living room all the time. Two young friends from the dojo lived nearby and often they dropped by to train too.

 

Then one day Lewis Sensei announced that the club needed someone to clean the club each week and they would not have to pay dues in return.  That seemed a real bargain to me, so I offered to keep the dojo cleaned. I received a key and from that time forward that is what I did on Sundays and of course used the club as a place to train before I cleaned it.

 

I had to have more and began to take non class day trips to train at other IKC dojo, Princess Annne, DelMar at the state line, Dover Deleware on a regulaf basis I visited all of them and trained with those schools.

 

When I had to move for work and then had to start training in Tang  Soo Do  Moo Duk Kwan, I continued to work for the next year on my Isshinryu. I remember working out on my in-laws driveway, outside my house on the sidewalk early mornings. When it became time to take my mandatory vacation from my Bank work I returned to Salisbury camping near there, then attended class in Salisbury and Dover. Always training, allowing me to retain my Isshinryu.

 

Right after that Charles Murray moved to Providence , outside Scranton, and I began training with him in Isshinryu. However I also continued to train in Tang Soo Do as I had another year on my contract there. With Charles the training was irregular, classes were started for the youth of his church and I assisted him then after those classes was my own training. If he wanted to train he would call me at midnight and I always went over. Even in blizzards we trained even if after that training I had to dig a foot of snow off my car.

 

Mornings at the crack of dawn I would run a mile or so, then a ½ hour a kata, take a bath then walk ½ an hour into the Bank. After work I would then train evenings with Charles or in Tang Soo Do.

 

Time passed to quickly and I became a shodan. Then even quicker Charles informed me he was going back into the Air Force for his career. Before he left he taught me Shi Shi No Kon No Dai outside in his backyard where a line of thunderstorms came up, he went back inside to pack while I remained outside in driving rain working on that form. Then that line of storm passed, he saw I was still outside so he came out and taught me some more, only to have another line of storms come in, then he would go inside back to packing. I remained outside in the rain, working on the form. That repeated itself and finally I had the entire form.

 

He wished me well, I gave him my fondest hope for his life, then sadly went home.

 

Of course I worked and worked to keep the form.

No longer having an instructor I made adjustments to my training. This began in 1979.

1.        I began a youth Isshinryu program at the Scranton Boys Club.

2.        I started competing regionally at karate tournaments

a.        To push myself

b.        To compete continually against some of the best individuals in the country forcing me to improve in the process.

c.        I made regional friends among the competitors and that often provided me other schools to visit and train with.

3.        I continued my early morning running and training

4.        I began to visit those school of the instructors I met, training , learning, pushing myself  further.

5.        Then when we took vacation they became further training locations

a.        As when we traveled to the Grand Canyon of Pa. to camp, we hiked down to the canyon, in the campground I practiced outside continually working to find new things about my art.

 

The time came after another 5 years had passed that again I had to move for work. This began in 1985.

1.        I began another program for youth at the Derry Boys and Girls Club.

2.        That work meant I had less time for additional travel, so I focused more on the Youth Program.

  3.        I started an adult program at the Derry Boys and Girls Club after the youth classes. As it turned out I was teaching youth 2 days a week, then adults also on one of those days and on Saturday mornings.

4.        I continued to practice outside in my yard for personal development.

5.        Each year I would travel to Conferences around the country and at each of them would work out early mornings in the parking lot of those locations.

6.        I made trips to train in Salisbury (and often Dover too) as frequently as possible. At times driving 6 hours to train for 2 hours and then driving 6 hours back.

7.        I participated in annual Summer camps of mixed styles.

8.        I began teaching a Yang T’ai Chi group on Sunday mornings on my driveway. That continued for about 14 years.

9.        I continued to seek our new opportunities to train many places.

 

 

Then in 2011 things changed, I could no longer participate at the pace I had been doing.

 

So I cut back. The instructors I trained took over the youth program, I just supervised.

I focused on the adult program.

 

But as things progressed I could do less and less.

 

I continued to work on my new diminished abilities. After decades of work on my own t’ai chi, I was dimished and could not really do it. It took me a year but I worked out a way to do it as much as possible.

 

My ability to do kata was also diminished, but in a different way I continued to work on what I had.

 

Through all of that I would go outside to train as much as I was able.

 

Then in 2016 we moved to Arizona,   where I only have myself to work out with. I would go outside and continue to work on my t’ai chi and my karate. Limited as I was I could not stop what I have been doing for a long time.

 

Back in the 6 years when I was competing, I never had a camera to be filmed doing my kata. In fact for more than a decade I never was able to film my self.

 

Years later in Derry my program was able to buy a camera for the Boys and Girls Club. I used it mostly to film my students, not to find perfect performances, no matter how well they did. Rather to be able to analyze what they were doing more fully and their best performances ( at any level) to use a points showing where they would move through at that stage of development and to focus on where they would move forward from that stage.

 

I was able to film many of the clinics my friends gave my students, to preserve what was shared.

 

A few times I did film myself to save something for my students to eventually use, or to record where I was at that time.

 

But all of it rested on the fact I never stopped training whenever I could.

 

Training wet, training dry, training cold and in the snow and ice, training when hot.

Whatever the weather, whenever the weather,  would train and then train and then train.

 

 

 

 

My Promotion to Isshinryu Sho Dan

It was January of 1979 that I drove down to meet Charles at his home in Delaware near Rehoboth Beach at his parent’s home.

The next day we would be attending Harold Mitchum’s clinics at the Salisbury dojo of Mr. Lewis.

There was first one for kyu students of the IKC.

Then during a break between the clinics Charles had be show the kata Chia Fa which I had been working on, as he had me teach it to myself from the 1966 movie of Tatsuo Shimabuku kata. So I did so and afterwards Mitchum sensei remarked that when he trained in Agena it was not taught at that time.

As the break continued Mr. Mitchum and Sensei were talking in his office, Charles was among those in there. Reese Rigby (one of my seniors who ran the Dover Deleware dojo) came up to me and asked me to spar with his senior brown belt. So I did.

After all the sparring I had with Charles, I remember exploding on him, over and over. He was good, but I believe I was supercharged that day. It went on for a while when I remember Charles charging out of the office and stopping us. I recall he said “Victor,  Stop what are you doing. You have to save you energy for later.”

So Mitchum Sensei gave the dan clinic.

After that the entire group went out for dinner, Mitchum, Sensei and all of the IKC black belts and I the only brown belt in that group.  As it came to us and I began to eat, one of my seniors remarked to me …” I wouldn’t eat if I were you!”… It did make me think.

Afterwards  I was taken to Sensei Lewis’ home, so Charles and I could change. Then in the living room I was blindfolded, taken out to the car and then driven around. Eventually we got someplace, and even though I could not see, I knew it was the dojo, where I was conducted inside then sat down still blindfolded in the locker room. I remained sitting there for a while.

Eventually I was led back into the dojo and my blindfold was removed.

A search light was shining in my face, making it akin to make out much detail out there. I knew there was a crowd of chairs, with people sitting In them, before me. I could not clearly make out who was who.

Then I was asked to perform my kata, one after another. Empty hand and Weapon kata. I did so.

                Seisan

                Seiunchin
                Naihanchi
                Wansu
                Chinto
                Kusanku
                Sunsu

                Tokomeni No Kon

                Chantan Yara No Sai
                Kusanku Sai

                I was not asked to perform Chia Fa but they had seen me do so earlier in the day.

Then I was asked to remove my gi top and perform Sanchin.

After that standing topless with the spotlight still shining in my eyes the questioning began.

I believe there were about 29 people there total. They went down the line with questions and I believe that continued several times. Questions in no specific order and on anything that came to their minds.

There were historical questions, questions how I would respond in specific situations. More and more and more.

Finally they ceased and I was asked to come forward. Then doing so the next phase of the testing took place.

I will not say more about that because it is private for those who test. Suffice it was uncomfortable and I went through it.

 

Then my blindfold was  replaced, my gi top placed over my shoulders and I was guided back into the locker room to sit again.

Then waiting sitting there for a long time so it seemed to me.

Eventually someone came for me and I was guided out into the dojo and then into Sensei’s office.

My blindfold was removed and Sensei informed me I had passed, handing me a black belt as well as my certificate.

What occurred after that became blurred.

I went back to Sensei’s house to change back, then Charlie took me back to his parents house to sleep for that night.

I remember placing my black belt under my pillow and then falling off to sleep.

The next day I drove back to Scranton, Charles accompanying me.

As we talked I remember him asking me this question that he told me he was considering asking me during my black belt test.  “Vic, you are in a plane at 50,000 feet and it begins to crash. What good is you black belt going to do you then?”

I remember clearly that I gave this answer: “I would jump up into Sanchin stance then strike forward at the moment of impact, negating the force of the crash!”

So began day one…

Isshin: Writings on Martial Arts and Life" by Victor Smith - contents

When Jim Keenan created the book “Isshin” as a surprise for me, he took the time to select some of the over a thousand posts I had made, to represent my thoughts on many martial matters that I wrote on.

This is what he selected for the contents of the book:

 

Foreword by Tom Lewis

Foreword by Charles Murray

Foreword by Ernest Rothrock

Foreword by Joe Swift

Preface by Jim Keenan

 

Isshin definition

Isshinryu Karate Classic vs. Traditional Bushi No Te Isshinryu no Kobudo

Viewing Rank Thoughts on Old Style Karate Isshinryu

Standards On Being a Black Belt

Passion Being a Black Belt - Knowing When to Fold

 Lessons on the Road to Mastery Student

A Saturday Morning in New Hampshire

Some of the Underlying Principles Forging the Black Belt Is Karate Really About Testing?

Your First Time The Art of Conclusion

When a memory occurs what you may remember is a gift

The Value of a Karate Lesson

The Salisbury Years - part one

The Salisbury Tales - part two

The Salisbury Tales - part three

The Salisbury Tales - part four

The Salisbury Tales - part five

The Salisbury Tales - part six

The Salisbury Tales - part seven

Walking Karate Breaking a Memory in Three Pieces – Section One, t

he Salisbury Years Section Two - Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan training

Section Three - Youth Conclusion

Veni, Vidi, Vici Pleasant Isshinryu

Happy New Year 2014 Repetition Should Children be Black Belts...or more interestingly should anyone? T

he Art of Correction

The Art of Communicating Teaching Children –

the role of Bushi No Te Isshinryu For Friends Long Gone

An Instructor Thoughts on training the young Texture

The Instructor's Burden Structure of a program

Why I did not go commercial with my karate

Conversations with a Ghost

The Ghost Departs

The friendly Ghost!

Some thoughts on Ghost Techniques

Just a step back - the simplest of Ghost Techniques

If you don't write it down it didn't happen

Kotekitae an art to Isshinryu Body Pounding

My Isshinryu and Weapons Study Attending a martial clinic - the student's options

Brown Belt-itis

On Power

The Applications Unlimited Toolbox

The theories behind blocks Kata a Lifetime Study Forearm Strikes etc.

The Fluid Movement of Kata

The Value of Keeping Notes on Training

On the uses of PAIN

Bushi No Te and the Knee Strike

What ever happened to Mae Geri?

The Art of Kata Beyond Technique

Environmental Karate Training

Notes on Close Range Combat Before it was called Cross-training

Breathing to Slow Down

The Sai's of It

Breathing Patterns Time

Kata Study for Life, a personal journey

Sanchin Boogie

Secrecy

How many forms are enough?

The Wheel Turns On Chinto Memories

Karate and Tai Chi - Part One

Tai Chi and Karate - Part Two

Hidden Moves

The Place of Training

One Step at a Time How

To Learn as a Black Belt seeing things one time

The Weakest Possible Technique

A Descent into Darkness Injuries, Illness, Disability and Aging Considerations

Diabetes, Cancer, Paraneoplastic Neuromyopathy & Neuropathy,

Falling and More Beep...Beep

I am disable but I still train

Extremes Kata Study for Life, a personal journey

Intent The Journey

First you have to want to get better, they you have to make the effort

Lessons from a Life Martial The Body, the Minds and the Spirit

Obsolesence

The Worst Thing

When in the Desert

 

These were so many things from my private martial study. Most of then I never had time to share in class but I wanted preserved for my students. Of course it shows I was interested in many things.

 

It is for sale on Amazon if you are interested.

 

"Isshin: Writings on Martial Arts and Life" by Victor Smith

 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1886274010/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=isshin%20victor%20smith&qid=1579026172&sr=8-1&fbclid=IwAR2gyX__62cEdDwwwbYyHCttvY1y653oogve03pcG9af_byfBf-oo3YMFgQ