One plausible answer for the Oyata light touch KO’s

 

 

 

Now I have never trained with Seiyu Oyata. But he was the first to demonstrate the finger tip light strike to KO an opponent. For example while not an Oyata student, George Dillman spent some time with him, then began doing his version of the same.

  

If you search YouTube you can find many video example of Oyata demonstrating this technique. This began about 1984 when Dillman first saw Oyata doing this technique.

 

In 1985 Ernie Rothrock saw Dillman demonstrate this on one of his students at a demo, and the next week he told me he kept doing the same (with no success) to his senior students multiple times.

 

 At that time I just filed this away as something of interest.

Then in 1995 I attended my first clinic with Sherman Harrill at Garry Gerossie’s school and observed something very close to this demonstrated by Sherman. He was showing a method of striking into the arm with either 1 or 2 bent knuckles. After watching how each strike obtained a different effect, my mind started working.

 

Later I approached Sherman and asked if it could be done into the neck (perhaps similar to what Oyata did. So Sherman showed how striking with the bent knuckles into the side of the throat would deliver a powerful strike The observer would only see the two straight fingers and not the bent knuckles delivering the strike.

 

Now I never experimented striking into my students neck’s to KO them, but I saw the similarities to what Oyata showed.

 

It likely is not the same as Oyata Sensei did, but close enough IMO.

 

Later on further reflection I realized that I was shown this hand position in 1980 when I began studying Tai Chi Chaun. It was identical to the Tai Chi Hidden Hand used in my Tai Chi Straight Sword form. I really just learn the form not applications for those moves.

 

The Hidden Sword is used for the  reciprocal hand from the one holding the sword. I worked out that the hand could be used for a finger jap to the eyes of the throat. I did not see this striking potential.

 

The first clinic I attended with Harrill Sensei at Garry Gerossie’s group had Harrill Sensei showing how to use the lead finger to slide a strike into the arm with the inner bent knuckles (striking into the radial nerve, and also using a 2 finger guide strike into the median nerve of the arm. This was a stand-alone technique, not showing its kata relevance. 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDh1W81QO4g

 

 

The same technique really was the Tai Chi Sword ‘secret sword’ strike and I discussed with Harrill Sensei’s direction how it could be used for the finger strike to the throat KO of Oyata, where you’re actually striking with the bent knuckles, but the observer doesn’t see that.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLTPtQ40Qoc&t=1s

1.      Reviewing my notes I came to see this is a great way to use stacking both hands for the strike.  Such as in Seisan Kata, the left hand parries and grabs to pull in. The right hand can use the straght finger strike to guide the bent finger strikes into the arm (to cause pain) and then set up the backfist strike, which really works using the closed fist little knuckle strike into the throat.

 

2.      That same Oyata article showed him striking to the face of an opponent with the same index finger extended strike (or perhaps extended first 2 fingers). The strike looks like its descending into the sinus cavities, and it is possible that the knuckles are the actual striking area. (from my perspective).

 

 https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2021/03/crafting-class-shotokan-july-2nd-2005.html

 

 Don asked a question about the tai chi ‘hidden sword’ with the empty hand and that led to a discussion about Oyata and Dillman’s finger tip neck KO’s, how I worked it out from my first Sherman Harrill clinic (it being the use of the hidden bent ring and little finger knuckles) and then explained how the KO worked and why not to practice it on each other, rather arming them with the knowledge why they didn’t want somebody to strike their necks.

 

 

Victor after Tai Chi practice

 

Victor 2.0 Victor Play Guitar

Victor Yang Tai Chi Sword

Bogu Armor

 

Sensei would explain, when I was a beginner, that Kumite on Okinawa, was full contact and done wearing Bogu Armor. That meant those full contact strikes would not injure the fighters, instead kumite would continue until one of them was knocked to the ground.

When he  returned home to the states kumite developed in a different way, no armor was work, no gear was worn, it became contact to the body and no contact to the face. Contact to the head could draw a warning  or if too hard – disqualification.

 

He explained in the Bogu Armor very quickly in a fight breathing became quite difficult. You could only see before you with tunnel vision and nothing could be seen to the side.

 

When someone asked you to fight, the others in the dojo would just continue training. Then you would fight till one of you was knocked down, to then doff the bogu armor and return to other training.

 

Note: When the dojo in Agena was open training was most often left to the individuals. There were only group classes for the new students. People trained as they wished. Shimabuku Sensei would sit off to the side observing, and when he saw one made progress he would enter the floor to show them the next piece of the kata or the beginning of the next kata, and then only three times.

 

 

One thing that was also different was that when the Okinawan students fought, they would throw their front kicks striking with their heel,  obviously generating more power to knock the opponent down.

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1959,during a Demonstration in Okinawa Master Shimabuku Tatsuo had Kikuyama and Sensei Harold Mitchum fight with full Bogu Equipment.

Several observations on the use of the lower body.

 

From a clinic by John Kerker 

in Chicopee, Mass. 2013

 

Kicking to the inside of the leg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJor0IRdlK8

Parry counter kick to the leg

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HI0mM52KCM

 

John Kerker variety in striking options

 

 

In a clinic John Kerker held in Chicopee, Mass.

on 10/25/2008, he presented the following striking options.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqsQGTa0hjQ

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0OiKSKLLbo

 

 

The eyes miss nothing.

 

There is ever so much more to be addressed in the study of karate than basics, kata, kata application study and kumite.

 

 

As stated in the Isshinryu Code of Karate

 

The eye must see all sides

The ear must listen in all directions

 

Patrick McCarthy’s translation of the Bubishi

 

See what is Un-seeable

Expect what is Unexpected

 

Ken Penland translation of the Bubishi

 

The eyes must watch all four directions (Left, Right, Up and Down). Do not become so engrossed in your own techniques that you fail to observe your opponent’s actions. This will cause you to lose.

 

The ear must listen in all eight directions (Left, Right, Up, Down, Forward, Behind, Left Angles and Right Angles).

 

Eight Important Phrases of ‘Karate’ from Karate Jutsu (Funakoshi Ginchin) translated by John Teramoto

.

The eyes miss nothing.

The ears listen well in all directions.

 

Each a different way to suggest what amounts to the same thing.

 

Of course pretty words, but IMO something rarely addressed in our studies.

I would suggest two real world situations that highlite the problems.

The first occurred when the statue that was to be presented to former President Ronald Regan was smashed when an individual just walked out on the stage and smashed the statue.

Now Ronald Regan as a former President was under Secret Service protection, however they did not really observe the attacker doing so as it occurred. Surely not the same level as a sitting President, but IMO the attacker kept his focus on the statue and no one observed his focus as they were focused on Regan’s speech.

Thus his actions did not registered as they occurred.

A similar but different situation occurred a few days ago.

NY Governor Candidate Lee Zeldin was attached while he was speaking on stage. The attacker casually got onto the stage, approached the candidate to attack him with a weapon-ized key chain. Showing no intent that this was an attack, he took hold of the candidate, but was wrestled to the ground and restrained before something more serious occurred.

Again I suggest his focus was not showing intent. Falling beneath others focus and allowing him to approach the candidate.

 

I believe these events suggest how difficult it can be to simply observe what is happening.

IMO something to think about.

I am following this piece with accounts of the two attacks I described.

Man Rushes Reagan on Stage, Smashes Statue

L.A. TIMES ARCHIVES

APRIL 14, 1992 12 AM PT

FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS

LAS VEGAS —

 

An anti-nuclear activist rushed the stage while former President Ronald Reagan was giving a speech Monday and smashed a large crystal statue that Reagan had just been given. Pieces of the statue hit Reagan in the head, but he was not hurt.

 

The activist then tried to speak into the microphone as Reagan, appearing angry but unhurt, stood beside him. Secret Service agents quickly grabbed the protester and hustled him away.

 

The 81-year-old Reagan was jostled during the scuffle. He later returned to the podium, picked up a piece of the broken award statue, then finished his speech to the National Assn. of Broadcasters.

 

“I think I’m going to go out and see who that guy is,” Reagan said at the end of his speech.

 

Reagan later told reporters: “He hit me with a fist, but it just bounced off.”

The protester was identified as Richard Paul Springer, 41, of Arcata, a small college town in Humboldt County, north of San Francisco.

 

Secret Service spokesman Carl Meyer said Springer wore the badge required to attend the broadcasters’ convention, but he did not know whether Springer had a legitimate reason to attend the meeting.

 

After making his way to the stage, the assailant ran to the podium and picked up the two-foot-high, crystal eagle statue, raised it over his head and smashed it on a pedestal. Meyer said the statue weighed 30 pounds.

 

Flying glass hit Reagan in the face and upper body, but apparently did not cut him.

 

Springer is the founder of the 100th Monkey anti-nuclear group, said Lisa Law, a group organizer. She said Springer came up with the idea of staging a weeklong series of events protesting nuclear testing at the Nevada Test Site. Hundreds of anti-nuclear protesters are in Las Vegas this week for the demonstrations.

Law said Springer participated in a morning demonstration at the Department of Energy building in Las Vegas, then left.

 

“He didn’t tell us he was going to do it,” she said. “We are as shocked as you are.”

 

Richard "Rick" Paul Springer (c. 1951 – 2010) was an anti-nuclear activist. He was best known for his arrest after smashing a crystal statue in front of former President Ronald Reagan at a luncheon in 1992, and his subsequent imprisonment on various charges.

 

On April 13, many participants traveled to Las Vegas for a demonstration at a U.S. Department of Energy office, during which 24 people were arrested.^[1][2] The same day, Springer walked onto the stage of a National Association of Broadcasters luncheon in Las Vegas, Nevada, while former President of the United States Ronald Reagan was addressing the attendees. On stage, Springer smashed a 30-pound crystal statue that had earlier been presented to Reagan and then attempted to commandeer the microphone into which Reagan was speaking. He was quickly swarmed by special agents of the United States Secret Service and dragged off-stage. Springer had accessed the luncheon using a press credential issued by Indian Voices, a Native American affairs newsletter. At the time, the Secret Service did not have a policy of examining the press credentials of persons attending appearances by former presidents.^[3]

Springer was arraigned and released on his own recognizance pending trial.^[1][3] The following week he was interviewed by CBS This Morning about the incident, and explained that he was hoping to raise awareness about the dangers of nuclear testing. In the interview, Springer went on to say, "I certainly must offer an apology to Mr. Reagan", explaining that he was committed to non-violence

 and regretted any concern he had caused for Reagan's safety.^[1][4]

The following February, Springer pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge of interference with the Secret Service. Springer was due to surrender himself to begin serving a four-month jail sentence over the incident on June 2, 1993. Instead, however, he sent a fax to a Nevada television station saying he would not surrender himself to authorities until the United States government began adhering to all treaties "calling for the cessation of all nuclear weapons tests in all atmospheres for all time". Springer also sent a letter to the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada denouncing the United States as an "oppressor nation" and alleging mistreatment of the Shoshone. Five days later an arrest warrant was issued for Springer.^[1]

 

Springer was apprehended two months later and charged with Failure to Surrender. In his subsequent trial, he pled not guilty, stating that a higher moral law required he continue anti-nuclear activism rather than go to prison. His first trial on the new charges resulted in a hung jury; however, he was convicted on a second attempt and sentenced to prison, being released in 1995.^[5][6]

Lee Zeldin, New York GOP gubernatorial candidate, attacked at campaign stop

New York Rep. Lee Zeldin was unharmed after the incident

Garden City, N.Y.: Republican Party nominee for New York State Governor, Lee Zeldin, speaks at the party's convention in Garden City, New York, on March 1, 2022.  (Photo by Reece T. Williams/Newsday RM via Getty Photos)

After the attack, Zeldin went back on the stage and continued talking, according to the report.

 

The Monroe County Sheriff's Office told Fox News that it is "aware of an incident at the speech of gubernatorial candidate Zeldin this evening. A suspect is in custody and Major Crimes is investigating. We will update as further information becomes available."

 

Katie Vincentz, a spokesperson the gubernatorial campaign, said that Zeldin and lieutenant governor nominee Alison Esposito are safe following the attack.