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ARTICLES AND COMMENTARY
THE PHILOSOPHY OF CHANGE
First let me thank everyone for the support you have given our web site. We have nearly doubled our readership this year and have had two straight record months. I attribute most of this to the interest in cross training and the many activities we have been involved in this year. October was an all time record month of hits and pages read. This is directly due to the Harold Long articles and the increasing interest in him by our younger readers. The Harold Long Foundation and ICA, have worked hard to see that as the years have gone by, and most have never met Mr. Long, that he is remembered and even celebrated.
A month ago, I wrote an article on blending martial arts disciplines or even systems in the dojo. The ICA group has been the rallying point for the perpetuation of Isshin-ryu with assorted disciplines thrown in. It has been a huge success due to the knowledge of the teaching masters and sensei’s giving the seminars and the progressive open minded approach of those attending. The question and challenge still asks; how do you work it into your classes? Many experienced and creative masters who have been doing this for some time, but what about the new comers.
As I said in my first article, you have to decide who you are and what your philosophy is. If you just can’t bring yourself to break from the “Karate, or Jujitsu, or Kobudo, or boxing only” tradition, then you can forget it. Traditions say, that you don’t need to know any more than the one system you are teaching. Loyalty is a big part of our creed and it does seem like we are throwing out mixed messages from time to time when we incorporate another martial art. You can’t change your mind every time you talk to someone with opposing views. You’ve got to respect their feelings but be true to yourself. Focus on the destination, not the journey. Every time you take a step forward you leave someone behind. Sometimes it is a painful process as it separates you from old friends and your old culture. It robs you of your safe and secure place in the brotherhood of traditionalist. If safe is what you want, don’t start something new or different. Don’t jeopardize your popularity with others or your next promotion by taking a chance on what is not popular.
Here is the system of teaching I use, in developing the skills and understanding of my students in integrated martial arts. It is basic, yet flexible and covers all the bases of learning. I always remind myself that it is better to learn one thing well than two things poorly. So analyze, organize then execute.
I always start out teaching Isshin-ryu and Isshin-ryu techniques. This gives the students identity and direction. I emphasize kata. Nothing else teaches coordination, balance, foot work and combinations like the kata. Seisan as far as I am concerned, is the best and most practical series of street techniques(bunkai) for new people in the system. Along with Seisan, I start them on all their kicks strikes and the Sen-I striking chart (see chart I below). The chart and Isshin-ryu, are very compatible. There is minimal contradiction found only in some blocking and striking techniques. Sen-I uses both the vertical and horizontal punch, but the elbow on the blocks is further or closer flexed than Isshin-ryu.
Snapping of punches and kicks are still recommended. But hips as power and direction drivers, come in to play more, as the distance of the fighting is different in Sen-I punching, blocking and kicking; than it is in Isshin-ryu. So both approaches must be explained. Explaining any basic differences is essential for a huge reason. As you continue the students training you help them discover their “authentic fighting self.” Some have the tools and attributes to excel at one discipline over the other. Is it stand-up striking, jujitsu and what combination of the two works best. You give them the options. They discover their “A” game, then their “B” game. Just keep emphasizing both. The big thing in football is multiple offences due to the growing skills of the defense. Street opponents now have these multiple skills now due to mma exposure and popularity. Of course if they haven’t been sufficiently trained and are not real skills they would be better off just swinging hard and often. You can not however hope the latter is always true as, “You can’t hide what you don’t know in the street.”
I also have a Jujitsu chart to train by (see chart II below). As their jujitsu training evolves, so does the teaching of Seuchin and Nahunchi. I have belt test and requirements for both Isshin-ryu and Sen-I Jutsu (where their jujitsu training) comes in. As the, “in the clinch” portion of the training evolves, Wan-su and Chinto are taught. Clinch training consist of what some call, stand up grappling, with take downs, throws, close order striking and punching out. I love the balance and angles of Chinto. The traditionalist will kill me here. My study of Chinto linage lore and execution has always led me to believe it was first a weapons kata. Put a pair of sai’s or sticks in your hands, run Chinto and see what you think.
I end Isshin-ryu kata here as a requirement for class participation. If you desire, a black belt in Isshin-ryu or beyond, all kata and necessary requirements for promotion must be met. After Kusanku Sai and Tokumine Bo, weapons, other than knife and gun are not taught. I encourage all to continue their Isshin-ryu study and training, as I and my present black belts do, and always will. However, my main thrust is to create pure street fighters, with integrated martial arts skills, not tournament fighters or exhibitionist. Taking someone’s time teaching weapons other than a knife or a gun just seems unrealistic. What I have to consider for my students and teachings is “time management”. I can’t take time teaching something that has no modern relevance for getting someone home safe at night. Yes, someone good at these weapons could beat the crap out of me with them. It is the availability of these weapons at the time when you need them that isn’t realistic. Guess you could take a bo, or sai’s, or tonfa around with you, but would you want to?? This isn’t a slam on kobudo, just a teaching philosophy. Just my opinion; don’t get your gi pants in a wad.
My classes are one and a half hours long. They have both kids and adults. I break them up as follows: Tuesday
nights Isshin-ryu kata and all strikes. Boxing and punching drills to
include sparring. This is Sen-I street sparring not kumite. We don’t do any
point kumite.
It must be noted here that we are not Jujitsu/grapplers in the sense of most schools. Our standing and ground game is to get us back on our feet for striking. We will never as a dojo be real good grapplers. We work to not continue the grappling when it begins rather return to a striking position as soon as possible. On the ground we neutralize the opponent, minimize the damage to us, and wait for an opportunity to resume striking. This comes through drills, practicing separation for striking and disengagement (toketa) for striking. We also down play pain compliance holds. We do not eliminate them or anything else. We just prefer to knock or choke the person out. Striking, gouging, choking, and cranks, are our first choice. Pain compliance can injure an opponent past them continuing but if not then what happens when you let them go? You’ve gotta finish!!
At times the two classes are mixed and matched depending on the time and what we are emphasizing. After Jams, we will come back and work on what we learned and what weaknesses we discovered by training with other good people. I never become predictable or repetitive. I also try never to just give a class rather than teach a class. If you are having high turn over you blame yourself first and research your training philosophy. We have lost only three people since May. Students need to be constantly motivated and challenged. I am blessed with eleven black belts who give their time willingly and unselfishly. That gives me the advantage of keeping all students on their individual training level.
My Monday night Sen-I Jutsu, advanced class, is the cherry on top. Everyone wants in that class. It is fun and the camaraderie is fantastic. You do however have to earn your way in with your work ethic, physical toughness, attendance, and attitude. I promised my black belts when they moved to Greenville with me, that I would never let anyone in that Monday night class that would be a distraction, or an attendance problem. Our class depends on having a working partner. People who don’t show aren’t good partners. Mondays is that old time religion class. It is no nonsense. Screw around even a little bit and out you go. The committed atmosphere adds to the effort level. As is said it is fun and high energy.
Our training consists of round robin boxing and grappling. Bag work, jujitsu and striking drills. Then the fun begins. We go one to two minute rounds of kick boxing, jujitsu and free fighting, with one minute rest in between. It is aggressive. However, I demand that we train, not compete. Sometimes we forget the training aspect, but that comes back to haunt you with injuries. I love Mondays as I get to train with them. I don’t take up unnecessary ring time from them but I do get in a couple of rounds. I also still have an obligation to them to continue their instruction.
Saturdays are open but mostly test time. My black belts do all the testing and keep the test money. The test is given by one of them and it doubles as a personal training day for the student. Test cost is 25.00 for yellow belts, 35.00 for green and so on, adding ten as we go. Students pay an extra 15.00 for their belt and certificate. My black belts pay me like everyone else, so it is a pay back to them for their time and gas to Greenville. We currently have 40 students, mostly new. We are in Pivotal Fitness Center. I charge their members 60.00 dollars and non members 90.00. I plan to go up after the first of the year.
This article was the Readers Digest Version for you. I tried to keep it as short as possible. In a nutshell, you teach what you know to be true and go learn what you don’t know. The world is changing fast and we have to change with it if we are to run commercial dojo’s, while not compromising our training principals. We’ll never get anywhere teaching them only what you want them to know, if we don’t get a line on what people want to learn. Running a dojo doesn’t make us a good qualified teacher, any more than sitting in a garage make us a NASCAR driver. I know the one eyed man is king among the blind. However, that doesn’t bode well if we that don’t realize that students have better eye sight than we think. It scares me into practicing what I preach. So train hard and keep up the good work the majority of you are doing.
Links to the references from above; Gift Certificate for Free Visit Gift
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