Kyan on Teaching Karate

I continually find how interesting that so much that has been written is never discussed on the nets in today’s ‘enlightened’ world. Rereading “Motobu Choiki My Art” is just one example.  Consider how Kyan Chotoku described teaching karate on one Okinawan school, and then contrast that with modern karate practice. This is geared more towards beginner and beginning instruction. Clearly not so much what more advanced training would become.

 

From ‘Karate  Training & What to Know About Fighting” by Kyan Chotoku for the Okinawa-Prefectural School of Agriculture and Forestry. Translated into English by Patrick and Yuriko McCarthy (2001-2002)

From “Motobu Choiki Karate My Art” by Patrick and Yuriko McCarthy

 

What to Know About Training

 1.       Teaching should take place in the following order:

a.  It is important to explain what karate is and what karate is not.

b.   Then, what one should know about physical practice should follow this.

                        i.      Posturing,

                        ii.      Forward and backward foot movement should then come next/

                         iii.      Gradually evasiveness can be introduced.

                         iv.      Teaching how to use the clenched fists,

                         v.      Striking with the elbows,

 

                         vi.      And kicking with the feet

                         vii.      Along with deflection, trapping and blocking, follow this.

c. When these points are learned satisfactory, kata can then be taught.

d.   When one is proficient at kata sparring can be introduced.

 

2.       In the past, sparring was often dangerous because there was no protective equipment used.  Because of this, it has, therefore, become necessary to wear protection in key parts, of the body, like they do in bayonet training (Juken-jutsu). Using this kind of protection and rubber hand pads on the clenched first will help reduce potential injury associated with the practice

 

3.       Except for what I already mentioned above, and the use of a makiwra, there ‘s really no other special training equipment required to learn/teach karate. More ever, training partners and spacious facilities are not required, either. These are some of the advantages of learning/teaching karate.

 

For one thing the beginner faced far more training in karate technique prior to the commencement of kata training. And I would suspect those beginning studies were at greater depth into the art than what we would do today.

 

It is something to think about.

Motobu Choiki on Sente

When I read something like “Collection of Sayings by Motobu Choiki” as translated by Joe  Swift, there are so many pieces that it is easy to go to fast and not focus on each of them. I see this is a problem, especially as there are so many sayings.

 

Perhaps a better answer is to focus on them individually. Let me focus on one of them as an example.

 

No. 7 Karate is Sente (3). Where in foot note (3) Joe adds. Here sente means the initative, or the first move. 

 

The footnote follows with the following. C.1. Karate is Sente Nashi – there is No First Move in Karate. Which I take as an example of the use of sente.

 

To me Motobu was expressing that one must use ones awareness of what an opponent might be going to do, and then move to stop it. I find this makes sense in actual confrontation with an opponent.

 

Of course in Japanese Sente might have many meanings, such as in the game of Go it might mean to take the initative. IMO similar to the use Motobu Sensei might mean.

 

Initative to be taken when appropriate. Especially  when taken in context with his other sayings.

 

Funakoshi and Motobu

While Funakoshi Ginchin and Motobu Choiki may not have been friends, these photos show that they came from the same island of Okinawa.

'

 

http://www.fightingarts.com/reading/article.php?id=710

http://www.fightingarts.com/reading/article.php?id=711

 

At times it helps to know when to come in out of the cold.

Illusion versus Reality

 

I was an Isshinryu stylist and in my early years I competed in tournaments in Maryland, Deleware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York.

 

That more than anything made me aware of the existence of other styles of karate. However at tournaments you only saw what you saw. My major other source of information came from the various karate magazines I read. None of which are completely reliable sources of information (as I gradually came to learn).

 

I was interested in almost everything, which also included Goju because of Isshinryu links to that art. In those magazines I learned of the existence of the most advanced Goju form, Suparimpe. But I never saw that form (or many advanced Goju forms) at those tournaments. I got the impression those outside of Goju were not to see them? Correct of not, that is what I observed over those years.

 

This was the time well before Youtube.

But the existence of that form still reverberated in my existence. There was a Shorin Group that used a form Super Empi (truly), which seemed to be a jazzed up version of Empi (but I wondered of the name was also cashing in on the Goju name (not an impossible thought).

 

That was also the time period I was training with many people, and learning impossibly complex Chinese forms too. So I built a fantasy version of Suparimpe in my head. Not based on reality just supposition and perhaps a bit influenced at all those Chinese forms I was studying.

 

Don Warner came out with a self published book on Goju forms. I sent away for it, but it did not show Suparimpe and I set it aside. I trained a bit with the Goju instructor at Ithica College, Ed Savage, and he did show me a number of forms, through Shisochin, But our time together was limited, because of distance. It never went beyond that level.

 

A decade later Panther came out with a Morio Hiagonna series on Goju kata. I sent away and purchased the Suparimpe VHS tape.

 

When it came I finally saw Suparimpe for the first time. Of course I was nothing like I had imagined. No reason my imagining should have anything to do with reality.

 

It was what it was, nothing less, nothing more.

 

I learned a very real lesson, it is better, far better, to see for yourself what is real than to imagine what it might be.

 

 

Of course since that time I have seen the form innumerable times. After all with YouTube how could you not find so many versions.

 

Right after that time in the 1980’s there seemed to be an explosion of Goju material now available. Nothing hidden.

 

But perhaps the past was more interesting, when there was wonder at what was.

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

 

 

Kusanku Sai with 3 Sai

 

When I learnt Kusanku Sai I was taught the form using 2 sai (when the thrown sai was performed you didn’t really throw the sai, rather retained it and then continued the form).

 

Years later I saw it performed at a tournament where the competitor placed a foam block on the floor and then did the form with 3 sai (the third sai tucked in his obi at his belt). Then when he came to the throw he actually threw the sai into the foam block, then reaching behind his back extracted the 3^rd sai and continued the form.

 

While I observed that form I did not attempt to practice it that way. Of course after 30 years I was content with what I did). But it was interesting to see.

 

I realize most did not practice it this way as many did not have 3 sai, or a foam block for throwing it into. Most dojo would discourage throwing a sai into the floor.  When working out in my yard I did throw my sai into the ground to learn how that worked out.

 

I remember once mentioning this to Sherman Harrill and the way he explained that change made sense, so this is how I remember that discussion going.

 

“Originally the kata was practiced with that throw into the abdomen of an opponent (or rather toward where their abdomen would be), then the dojo became more crowded and the sai could not be thrown safely that way. Then the Kusanku Sai throw was changed to the floor.”

 

I can understand that, the stories that the sai throw was into the foot of the attacker to pin them to the ground I always considered a very strange use for the sai, even if you were carrying 3 sai. A throw is a high risk move which would not always work, and who wants to throw their weapon away. But throwing a sai into the body of an attacker is a sensible move.

 

So my question is how many practice Kusanku Sai with 3 sai?

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2017/10/isshinryu-sai-throw.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2016/07/throwing-sai.html

Addition 9-30-2022

Ittsukan Dojo

He also demonstrated Kyan Chotoku no sai with three sai in 1958.

Tatsuo Shimabuku Kyan No Sai 1958?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Y7obnU3r-4

 

 

Shimabuku Tatsuo demonstrated Kusanku sai with three sai in the 1966 film. Here he is throwing a sai into the floor at Steve Armstrong's dojo.

https://www.youtube./watch?v=WFDcDYIRbgA

 

 

One Moment in Time

One evening I went to a nearby town outside of Scranton, to train with friends in a Japanese style most of you have never heard of (Synko Ryu). The instructor ran two programs in the area, one at Marywood College and this other program.

I attended for the sweat workout with friends, not to really learn that system.

 The evening I recall he called for everyone to work in pairs. Then one person got atop the other person’s shoulders and the individual on the bottom was to work across the gym floor throwing front kicks. Then reaching the other side the people were to change places and the other person was to kick back across the store.

 I am not a small man (and never was), I drew the other large individual to sit on my shoulders to start then I began to throw front kicks across the floor.

Next we changed places and I was now on his shoulders, Sitting there I rode him as he did his front kicks.

As I remember it, it was very trying to kick down the floor with someone on my shoulders.

But it was more trying to sit atop him as he kicked himself. The entire time I was sure I was going to fall as I made him work to do it.

That was a one time experience. Never did it again anyplace else.

I guess it was the season.