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Master Maurice Masarsa As I indicated in my introduction, this is one of the real pioneers and a true Isshin-ryu "beast". I have repeatedly mentioned him in other masters profiles and singled him out in Shaffer’s all stars. This guy really stands out in my mind in so many ways. Although we have not spent much personal time together I feel like I know him well and consider him a personal friend. He is tough to the core and has a well-earned reputation as a dojo bulldozer. The first time I saw Maurice was at Randy Webb’s tournament in Cleveland Tennessee. We were fighting in the greenbelt division. It was my first, I was by myself and I didn’t have a clue as to what to do. I watched the first competitors closely for pointers. Most of the competitors were Knoxville people. The one that caught my eye was this big guy who was using sweeps to win his match. I mean he was cutting people down with that sweep like an alligator tail sweeping through. Yes it was big Maurice and he had everyone’s attention. So there and then I decided the sweep was what I needed to do. It worked like a charm and I won the tournament. I honestly don’t remember what happened to Maurice. He was a white belt; white, yellow and green all fought in the same division. I think he got disqualified. He was certainly well on his way. I thought of him often after that. It still stands as my most memorable tournament win and I owe it all to Maurice. It was a year later when I changed over to Isshin-ryu that I got to see him again. In one tournament Maurice and I fought, and I honestly felt like a piano was falling on me over and over. Mind you I was 225 myself and was benching 400 pounds plus but his power was just overwhelming. On one charge I hit him in the chest as hard as I could. It dislocated my shoulder. I don’t think he even knew I hit him. I still have my Maurice shoulder today. There are some days I think of him more than others; rainy days and when I sleep on it wrong. One of the funniest karate stories I’ve heard is when Maurice and his boss went to Chattanooga on a business trip. They stopped in at lunch at a dojo of a well known Karate -ka so Maurice could get a quick workout. The owner mistakenly in showing Maurice some jiffy new techniques kept making contact. Maurice grabbed him by the back of his head and knocked him cold. Left him laying on the floor. The boss was a bit un-nerved but probably gave Maurice a lot of latitude after that. All this is just one side of Maurice. The best side and his favorite side, is his fine family and his service to Isshin-ryu. He and his family, all Isshin-ryu people, were fixtures at the tournaments as competitor’s workers and ambassadors of Isshin-ryu. They were our area’s first family. Maurice also labored tirelessly as tournament director. He always had everything completely organized and the tournaments ran like clockwork. Certainly in part because of his organizational skills, but just as much due to the respect he had from all the participants. Maurice has a broad martial arts background to include Judo, (where the dreaded foot sweep originated), boxing wrestling, Ju-jitsu, and a yo-dan in Tae Kwon do. There are some hip problems that he’s been fighting for a while but he has become a student and very good instructor of pressure point strikes. This is his way of staying active and learning something new instead of giving in to his situation. His demo of basic street defense bunki (from seisan) at one of the IIKA meetings was as good as it gets; as was his pressure point seminar. This man has done as much for Isshin-ryu as any one I know. He has been a roll model for so many people, and continues to represent his family, his art, and his friends with dignity and integrity. A big man, with a big reputation, and heart to match. Denny Shaffer, Ku-Dan |
