ARTICLES AND COMMENTARY

 

ATHENS SEN-I TRAINING

 

   The “Red Dragon Training Team” (Jason Anzur, Leon Scott, Woody Woods and Eli Rhodes) traveled to Athens, Tennessee this weekend, to train Master Dennis Thomas and his students in Dragon Sen-I Jutsu. It was our second trip as we had already trained them on the first level which consisted of basic ground grappling. We left them with a sheet of techniques to train on, until the next trip. They (Dennis Thomas, Dan Comford, Alex Clary, Carole Lewis and Sid Wright), did so well in that first session and with their follow up training, that I promoted them to the first level complete with certificates and patch.



   This second session consisted of; close order street strikes, boxing, stand up grappling control and take downs; along with, Sen-I charts one and two warm up, execution and understanding. This session produced more people than the first one. It is obvious that Sen-I is catching on at their dojo. It was also obvious that they are catching on the way they absorbed the information and cut the day short with their work right through mentality. I had projected a nine to five day, but we were finished at two and had time for a short visit.



   I must say that the credit goes to their sensei, Master Dennis Thomas. I am more and more impressed with his “can do” attitude every time I’m around him. As I told his students: For this to work, it requires a sensei who is committed to the training and participates also. Dennis has seen fit to check his ego and rank at the door while training. He has done this unselfishly in the name of getting his students the kind of training he feels they need. This is rare as most sensei’s are unwilling to admit they don’t know something, or something is as good or better, than what they are teaching. You can see the respect growing for Dennis from his people and it has seemed to be a bonding and morale boosting experience. Their solid training in Isshin-ryu gives them an edge in learning much of this.

 

   When I started working with Dennis we discussed that he had a Sensei (Master J. C. Burris) that he had been with for some time. We made sure up front that we both understood the situation. My input is the same as the Sen-I system. It adds to Isshin-ryu. It does not take the place of. This includes the offer of Isshin-ryu rank or any other incentive other than hard work. Likewise my association with anyone who presently has a sensei is based on the same guidelines. For me to award anything other than the Dragon Tab or Sen-I certificates of rank, the person must be my student.

   With these guide lines in mind, we were honored to award Dennis the "Red Dragon Tab" of leadership and friendship. Although our relationship with Dennis has been short compared to others he has quickly won our respect and feel that he deserves to be placed among our other honored friends and "Dragon Tab" holders.

 

KATA BUNKAI

FOR SOME, NOTHING MORE THAN
A GREAT SLIGHT OF HAND CARD TRICK
FOR THE SELF APPOINTED EXPERT

   What is lacking in some bunkai teaching, is the skill to execute it. Without proper training in throws take down, transitioning from one hold to another and most important finishing; the bunkai is useless. Uke driven bunkai is just that. It will also do you no good to practice all kinds of bunkai and not know when and how to use it. In all the kata, there are only about sixty nine different moves and far less “useable” bunkai. There are mostly striking techniques in the kata with some chin-na and tuite. Very little of any of this was learned or taught to most of the first generation that spent limited time in Okinawa. In fact, I never heard the word “bunkai” for the first twenty five years. The bunkai was mostly a later thing to come along. We just kumited, ran kata, with some minimal explanation and occasionally weapons. There were self defense techniques that were and still are good. But at no time, was there any consistent training or seminars on kata bunkai, or what happens if you get knocked on your butt, or how to fight someone from another art such as, jujitsu/grappling. Many teach the kata from a standpoint of you fighting against another karate person. The second and third generation, which was tired of doing the same things, embraced the bunkai revolution. It was fun, it made for great seminars and a lot of over night experts, who made it up as they went. And who was to say it wasn’t workable or useable. It was all so arbitrary. Yes you can take many jujitsu/grappling techniques and cross reference them to the kata. The kata will always be valuable for the following: Teaching foot work, hand to foot coordination, follow through, motor skills, cardio training and gives you access to all the strikes to practice in a combat way. It also makes using some of the jujitsu techniques easier because you practice some of them in theory every time you do portions of the kata. All this is important and should be kept in your training. But this is like non contact practice in football. It is not the real thing. WARNING!!! Unless it works for real, it’s only make believe. How make believe? Only honest dojo testing with a motivated worthy opponent and observing the fighting of the MMA people, will tell you that.



   I want to end this part by emphasizing that this is my opinion. It is the philosophy from which I teach. I never expect any one, but my students, to substitute their beliefs for mine. It is not a put down or an attack on any time honored tradition or person. It is an opinion and conclusion. A conclusion I have come to from training for 43 years in Isshin-ryu and associated arts. I am still very physically active in my training. I run a very, very, physical and successful dojo. I alone do all the teaching on every phase of my curriculum. I am not an observer or an expert based on time spent observing. At times it aggravates me to hear opinions from any one not putting in their time in a dojo. Some weeks I am too tired or sore to do anything, but I do it anyhow. I’m trying to make a difference and I don’t have a lot of time when my body is still going to let me. When I am compelled to rest on my laurels, I want it to be legitimate laurels. Not the kind that old fools that make up about themselves that are mostly lies. I want to be remembered for what I was. Not who I fantasize about being. The people who trained under me and with me will determine that in the final analysis.



   It is my goal for the Isshin-ryu Cross Training Alliance to guarantee Isshin-ryu’s popularity and progress, with solid training and information delivered by the most qualified people in the country. I feel we have many of these people and will continue to add more.



   Don’t miss the STEEL JAM at Joe Laney’s dojo, from 12:00 til 5:00 pm, Saturday September 27th. It is sponsored by the ICA for the purpose of financing the Harold Long foundation and further developing Isshin-ryu in his honor.

 

   If you aren’t already a member of the ICA or HLF, please contact Master Joe Laney jl@steelhanddojo.com or me at shaffersdragons@aol.com and we’ll tell you how to be a part of the fastest growing training group in the country.