DOES WHAT WE DID THEN,
STILL WORK NOW?
Let me start with a disclaimer and reminder. This is my opinion and not a
declaration of what is right or wrong with the way anyone teaches or what they
teach. My motto is” Many roads, One destination.” It is a matter of choice and
no ones business what you do in your dojo. There is however what I consider an
obligation, to teach what is legitimate and can be handed down to the newest
student and so on. People have to look into their own hearts and see if they are
teaching what is in the best interest of their students. Passing on inferior
techniques, and information, just makes each new generation, (if your dojo last
that long), weaker and less prepared. With some people, even though they see the
limitations of what they are doing and have been taught, continue to turn out
the same puppy mill of martial arts. There is no reason for this beyond ego or
lack of intelligence on the schools heads part, as there are so many people
willing to share their knowledge. I see so many good things going on now. There
are good seminars, training Jams, camps, and even better, dojo visits between
sensei’s. I have always preferred dojo training to any other. Were it not for
the fact that we would always just be swimming in our on knowledge pool, I would
just stay there. The only bad experiences I’ve had, was when I went outside the
dojo. But you can’t do that if you are going to expand your fighting variables.
There are also so many great people to meet and associate with, that missing
that would be missing the best part. There are also people and things for you
and your students to avoid. I saw on face book the other day, a guy trashing
karate schools. He had a post that you might be in Karate If.. He was a jujitsu
and MMA wanna be, that had formed an elitist attitude. Several of his wise a-
friends put post like; you might be a karate person if; you grapple in gi pants,
if you bow to a picture of someone dead, and so on and worse. I called and
inquired about his problem, only to find that he is an assistant to a well known
martial artist and Fight organizer. The blame lies at the feet of the man in
charge. We have been invited to his open mat workouts, but we won’t be going. I
am through with that type of thing. I want to walk into a dojo and shake hands
with friends that will later help you to your car, and go eat with you. I’m dead
serious. I am getting to a diminishing return physically. I will eventually need
help to my car. I want it to have been a good day to limp.
Is there a time to back off the outside sessions? It depends what they
are. I have a system that I teach, that is the same but different from most. It
is about finding your authentic fighting self. It is not a system that compels
people to do certain things just because it’s what the system dictates. One of
the few things I learned from Bruce Lee was to keep it simple. He referred to it
as ,”non classical and direct.” I asked him what that meant and he said,” if I
throw a ball to you, catch it!” He didn’t say how or where to catch it.. Just
simply catch it. Was that an over simplification? It was then. But decades
later, it formed the base for my teaching philosophy. The techniques I teach are
nothing more than recommendation, not procedures. Students take these
recommendations and develop themselves according to age, height, weight,
athleticism, and personal preference. It is my goal not to have any student
looking like the other one. Due to this, participating in seminars that develop
static and premeditated attacks are confusing to our style, and for us
counterproductive. I like for them to see other styles so they will know what to
expect in the street. However, there is a lot of Isshin-ryu and some Kung Fu in
our system, so they see some variations already. We attend systematic JuJitsu
seminars and tournaments even though they are polar opposites of our Jujitsu
methodology and Sen-I Jutsu philosophy..
You have probably heard me say this many times before. Any concept must
have an accompanying philosophy. So both must be equally practiced. Taking
bi-lateral disciplines (Stand up and Ground fighting)that are the antithesis of
each other and turning them into a unilateral system of balance, takes
conceiving of, and believing in, what you do. Not to mention a heck of a lot of
work…
When I stepped away from traditional Isshin-ryu, it was a plural step. We
had to step in many directions from people who disapproved, tournaments that do
points only, and friends we were use to supporting. We also were stepping into
uncharted waters, as far as the kind of events we attend, knowing we were not
going to enjoy paying the dues you have to pay, when you are the new kids on the
block.
HOW MY TEACHING PHILOSOPHY HAS CHANGED
I had to down size my traditional approach to everything. I still demand
traditional respect, conduct and uniformity in training apparel. I award belts
but a different nomenclature 5th kyu is now a student grade 5. Blackbelts are
student instructor 1-5. Masters are, Master Instructors to Senior Master
Instructor, to Grand Master Instructor. I want to change mine as I don’t like
being called grand master. I’m just referred to as Shihan in class. I’m not
crazy about grandiose titles, but I think some respectful designation is
required, as long as you don’t get silly over it. I have had to realize that
unless you like our dojo a great deal, you aren’t going to last any longer than
your first pop in the mush... It is very hard and aggressive training. It is an
unforgiving activity, as it combines the striking and grappling with clinch
fighting thrown in. There are no, non contact activities to pursue like Kata.
That is why we have only two kids, who are psycho’s, two women who are also
psycho’s and the rest adults. I have charts(stand up and ground) but it is used
for warm up and review for the basics. There is also plenty of bag work,
combinations on the hand pads, striking and grappling drills, kung fu, hand
fighting and I don’t teach kata or weapons other than the knife, as a time
management decision. People are free to practice them on their own and continue
their rank in Isshin-ryu if they will put in the extra time. I know that there
is a place for kata, but not in my system. I have one hour and a half to get a
lot of material across, plus the physical training. I had to prioritize the
components that best fit our philosophy and that was what I decided to omit.
Without kata it really challenged me at first to organize a good lesson plan.
When I was teaching both Isshin-ryu and Sen-I Jutsu, I nearly lost my mind at
times. I would have too, only, no one in our dojo would have noticed. Again,
that is my approach and not the only one, by a long shot. I taught Kung-fu for
two years, Isshin-ryu for 35 years, Isshin-ryu and Sen-I Jutsu for five years,
and Sen-I Jutsu for the last five years, with some Isshin-ryu also. That is 47
years. If you can’t figure out how to teach someone to fight and enjoy the other
aspects of the martial arts in that amount of time, then you are one mother of
an incompetent moron.
Even with all that said; things, times, attitudes, cultures and the world
itself changed and evolved during those 47 years. Isshin-ryu was only 12 years
old when I started studying it. You change, evolve and move with the times.
Otherwise you may be teaching the slide rule when everyone else is using a
computer. MMA has changed the face of what people believe the martial arts to
be. Many see karate as kids with stripes on their belt and people breaking
boards. It is a bad call because karate sensei’s do more for kids than any other
coach or sport. Often dojo’s get the kids that aren’t very athletic and don’t
play other sports. They are timid, heavy and/or a discipline problem. In spite
of all that, you karate sensei’s turn out some great kids and help them find
themselves. The perception that karate is dying, need only look to the raft of
kids at the tournaments, and the fighting and form skills of all the
participants. The Job is still getting done. Not only that, karate keeps some
balance and class in the arts. We have now visited and participated in many
styles of empty hand combat. By a mile the karate events have the friendliest,
most courteous, with respect for tradition and senior rank, than any other. Many
Sensei’s and Masters have seen fit to augment their karate with some other form
of martial art. It has worked well and will continue to.
Most everything changes with time and probably should. That is everything
but your personal growth and safety go out of style. Make sure you are
positioned so as not to go out of style with it.
Be well and train hard.
