Fighting Strategy

In an entry last year, I asked if your teacher (or you) had a strategy about and for your fighting art. This doesn't pertain to sport kumite/sparring; it is relevant to the fighting system you and I study, whatever that art happens to be. My former Yoshukai Karate teacher had a maxim: block, strike, take the joint, and throw. This strategy was/is essentially and escalation of violence on the part of the person receiving an attack, or defender if you prefer.


For years I followed this mantra, but as we do as we mature in the arts, I began formulating a strategy that more effectively mimics that upon which I teach and focus. To me, kata is the essence of karate-do, and within that karate is the stratagem created by the old masters who then passed the art to the next generation of budo-ka. Kata practice for me is one of technique/application centered violence used to counter "intent," rather than off-set another technique.


What does that mean? A prime example is the raising of fists by an attacker--this is intent. I have little desire to wait for him to throw a punch at me to know what the result will be, nor do I want to get into a battle of counter-fighting. I prefer to be on the offensive given the opportunity once I glean enough information to warrant an attack by me.


I realize much of what I'm writing here is likely counter to everything modern budo-ka are taught, but for me it's reality and what I have trained myself to do and react. This is what I teach my students, and I stand by this creed. Never do I condone looking for trouble or embroiling oneself in violent behavior, but should the intent of another human being be one of harm, then I fully endorse defending one's self in every manner possible.


With that, I will outline my fighting strategy as I've come to understand the art I study and teach:


Engage
Disrupt
Destroy


Here, I will attempt to explain each of these three categories. When I teach engagement, I mean make contact. That contact may come by means of a punch or kick, grabbing to set up a throw, or simply placing a hand on the opponent to make initial contact (being sure to maintain the connection until a desired technique or outcome is affected). Engagement means the critical distance between self and opponent is established and violence is imminent, and the defender makes and maintains contact until such time as his/her attack has been deployed. Engagement may last a split second, or take a little longer depending on the situation, but the space between attacker and defender is an intimate one.


Like engagement, disruption can take several forms. In a nutshell, disruption causes the opponent to cease motion and intent and fall back to countering or a defensive posture. Disruption can mean an attack is launched by the defender essentially removing or circumventing his original intent. To take it to the next level, stopping an attack on a mental and physical level is disruption, which sets up the last piece in my personal violent strategy.


To destroy sounds ominous, but it doesn't necessarily mean to render another human being lifeless. Like the previous explanations, destruction comes in several forms and layers, the final one being the warranted taking of life. Destruction means, in my mind, total commitment to a technique until such time the attacker no longer has the wherewithal to press onward. Destroying an opponent's will to fight, destroying a bone or joint, or simply destroying his balance is all part of the definition. What does not change is the commitment to technique and application by the defender until such time the attacker is incapable or  no longer desires to continue.


This is my condensed stratagem taught to my students and practiced by me. Your thoughts on the topic are appreciated and welcomed!

So Much Has Happened Since My Last Post

Wow! I have not done a good job keeping this blog updated. I sometimes amaze myself with my absolute love and passion for everything budo, yet find that I fail miserably in updating others with regards to events that I witness or take part in over time. Sounds like the things New Year resolutions are made of, yes?

At any rate, In October, for the second year in a row I made the wonderful journey to Pittsburgh, PA to train with an exceptional group of Chito-Ryu Karate-ka (and others of the Chito lineage). I love the fact that this has become an annual pilgrimage for me, and am always awestruck at the amount of exquisite martial knowledge shared by instructors from all over the U.S. and Canada. I cannot begin to detail how open and accepting the Koshin-ha Chito Kai, United States Chito-Kai, and Ryusei karate-ka are.

We spent the first evening working universal techniques shared between the Chinese art of Baqua and Chito Ryu/Yoshukai. Valentino hanshi always hosts a wonderful "pre-training" at his home dojo before the main event to be held the following Saturday. We beat on one another, laughed at jokes, and sweat together in the glorious surroundings of Valentino sensei's beautiful home. I cannot thank the Valentino family enough for hosting this event and putting up with a group of smelly, overaged budoka beating on one another followed by an evening of drinking and being merry.

The next day we all gathered at the northern Pittsburgh Koshin-ha Chito dojo to continue the previous night's onslaught, albeit with a much larger group. Classes led by Gerry Beshears, Peter Giffen, the Sbuscio's, and Tony Hedderman, kyoshi. This excellent group of instructors opened their hearts and minds to share their knowledge gleaned over decades of dedicated training. Yoshukai budo-ka would do well to spend time with any of these fantastic sensei!


Even more special was being a part of Terry Valentino hanshi's promotion to ninth dan in Koshin-ha Chito Ryu. No person is more deserving of this honor than this fine gentleman warrior!

I won't even begin to detail the jokes and laughter shared at the after training party. Rest assured, my ribs hurt as much from laughing as they did from the training. The separation between the two were mere bruises! Beshears sensei is a hot mess, and Mina Ludwig shihan is an amazing intellect with a dark sense of humor that I simply adore. :)

November 2018 brought a long awaited meeting between Gary White sensei and yours truly. We have followed each other on social media for some time, but had yet to meet. That
was remedied when I made the short drive to north Atlanta to train with him, Seth Selke, Chris Nelson kyoshi, and Stephen Labar sensei. White sensei allowed me to take the floor and teach some kata applications then followed with his own interpretations of the kata. I thoroughly enjoyed sharing and learning with this wonderful group of karate-ka!

On December 1st a reunion of sorts was in order at Rachel Camp renshi's beautiful dojo in Albertville, Alabama. Chris Ball kyoshi, Alex Brice kyoshi, Scott Tomlinson kyoshi, Rachel Camp renshi, and myself taught a day long seminar that encompassed lessons in kumite, bunkai/oyo, and bo basics. Although it had been ten plus years since I had seen many of those folks, it was as though we picked up where we left off. We enjoyed one another's teaching, friendship, laughter, and camaraderie only known when you sweat and bleed on a dojo floor. These are truly my budo brothers and sisters!

Lastly, on December 8th, Shintai-ha Yoshukai Karate-do was honored to host Paul Lyle for training and testing. Lyle sensei was scheduled to test for his nidan and flew from wintery Woburn, Massachusetts to enjoy training, bruises, sweat, and different ways of "doing business" in our method of what I refer to as martial violence.

We were happy to have our contingency of black belts on our testing panel, and also welcomed Tim Lewis, shihan to join the fray. For those who don't know, Lewis sensei is a gem in Yoshukai karate-do, and if you have not spent time training with him and getting to know him as a gentleman karate-ka, you are missing out on something special.

Lyle sensei tested and received a lot of feedback, but prevailed to receive his nidan. It was great seeing this gentleman again and introducing him to some of the Yoshukai seniors I have come to revere.

Lastly, we were honored and blessed to award Tim Lewis sensei with his rokudan (6th degree black belt) and renshi license in Yoshukai Karate-do. This humble man choked up for a moment when receiving his new rank and mumbled, "I don't deserve this." Following was a chorus of "no one other than you deserve this honor, sensei." He is a man we all strive to emulate.

Osu!

Yoshukai Kata Application

Jim Davenport, hanshi (Koshin-ha Chito Kai), once told me, "Kata has all the answers. The problem is, we have to know which questions to ask before understanding the answers."

Over the years I have spent a lot of time pondering this statement, and on some level, have come to understand these words. When I was younger, I enjoyed sparring on all levels--point, semi-full contact, and full contact kumite. Each of these activities are steeped in benefits, but all are bound by certain rules and regulations. None of them share common traits when it comes to kata application, insofar as ending a close quarter combative situation.

As we age, we realize "fighting fair" is fighting ignorant. The old men who created our kata did so with particular strategies in mind, and none of them included constraints by which the participants were required to follow. In fact, many of our kata include techniques, in my opinion, that will stop an assailant permanently.

I do not recall an MMA or full contact martial arts sporting even that allowed elbow, knee, wrist, or neck breaks, yet all these things are a part of who and what we do as budo-ka, and more specifically Yoshukai karate-ka. To fail to see those applications, or fail to train them, is to ignore what Dr. Chitose compiled in his own system of karate-do.

Punching, kicking, and blocking are miniscule in comparison to what is available to us as karate-ka in the world of Chito Ryu and Yoshukai. The reality of our art lies within, rather than without. What does that mean? The sporting aspects are outward; they represent those hard aspects of the art that can be applied with reasonably safe outcomes. At the onset of this editorial, I want to make it clear that I am not being condescending about the sporting aspects of the art; on the contrary, I think they play a very clear role in the development of a budding budo-ka.


Beyond the obvious lies the hidden techniques. "Hidden" is an interesting term--it does not necessarily mean "secret." In the realm of kata application, hidden techniques are those that are not obvious to the human eye, and the very essence of the kata as designed by the founder. When a teacher pursues an exploration into the kata of a system, the karate-ka must strive to understand what was intended by the creator of the system, and also have a grasp on the founder's background.

We are entering exciting times in Yoshukai Karate-do. I have seen movement by different members of different splintered organizations getting together to train and share, although there are some stylistic differences. The differences should be embraced along with the similarities; interpretation of kata by one may or may not fit with our own understanding of kata, but those interpretations should not be summarily dismissed.

Periodically, I post my own understanding of oyo (application) after spending time considering training a technique (bunkai). Here are some basic interpretations from a single technique found in our seisan kata. I implore all teachers of Yoshukai to share as well!

Small Steps

Shintai-ha Yoshukai Karate-do is a relatively new group (nowhere big enough to call us an organization) with a few dedicated students. In dog years, we are still puppies, but our desire and ambition to grow is strong, Equally as strong is the push for quality karate-ka who are well-rounded budoka that share my want to spread our art slowly but surely.

I have never approached what I do, with respect to karate, as a business. Like many instructors, I've been around the block, competed in my share of tournaments, and had the opportunity to train with some exceptionally gifted martial artists.

As with other Yoshukai teachers, despite organizational ties and alliances, I want only to preserve the art and help foster future growth. We are a small style when compared to other Japanese and Okinawan karate systems, and should we fail as a collective group of teachers, so to will our art die.

I am not ashamed to say that I hold private classes in my garage/dojo. How many of us started in such meager settings? We have all the room we need with no overhead, so the need to "pay the bills" isn't there. All that remains is loyalty and a longing to better ourselves as karate-ka.

On December 2nd, 2017, we held our first black belt testing. Months before the event, I asked several senior karate-ka if they would attend as black belt board members, and we were blessed beyond measure to have so many quality artists share our mat with us!

Deb Ginn, sensei has been involved in Yoshukai Karate close to forty years. Since she is only forty-two years old, she has obviously been training since she was just old enough to walk. ;)
Her insight and feedback during testing were a special gift to my students.

Mike Jones, sensei is literally a life-long practitioner of Goju Ryu Karate, and a student of Nakamoto Kiichi, hanshi from Okinawa. His contribution to testing was fantastic and technique driven, most especially since he is unfamiliar with the Yoshukai system. He and his wife Amber drove from east central Indiana to be a part of our test panel.

Chris Nelson, sensei has trained in karate since the 1960's and came up through the Yoshukai ranks in the Mike Foster camp in Florida. He also trained under such notable karate-ka as Jack Swift and Mike Sadler--both exceptional karate-ka in their own right.

Randy Franks, sensei has been directly and indirectly involved in Yoshukai since the early 1980's having studied under Mike Sadler, sensei. He and his grandson Taylor, who studied with Rayburn Nichols, sensei in Birmingham, Alabama. They both provided wonderful and constructive advice to our students.

Jim Merris, sensei has been training in Chito-Ryu Karate since the 1980's. His easy going personality and sage advice was taken to heart by everyone at the testing. We were honored to have a representative of our parent style on site.

At the end of testing, Christine Watts was promoted to nidan and Shawnta Moore was promoted to shodan. I am very proud of what these two have accomplished and trust that they will continue to learn and teach our brand of Yoshukai Karate.

An Amazing Gathering

I have entered into a quest to unlock as much knowledge as possible when it comes to karate-do. Certainly, no one man will contain everything there is to know and learn about the art, but I find the pursuit of knowledge to be almost as interesting as gaining it. Perhaps that is a little strange to the karate neophyte, but in my mind at least, the thought of gleaning knew information is very tantalizing.


There is a certain apprehension when you know you are about to embark on an information gathering mission with several folks you barely know, each of whom have a lifetime of martial knowledge in their respective memory banks.


Don't get me wrong--I've trained with some of the best and brightest out there, but there is a feeling you get in the pit of your stomach knowing you are about to step onto the deck with some spectacular martial artists, no matter the system or style. Humbling is the word I'm searching for here; to stand in line with other budo-ka having a cumulative thousand years worth of knowledge is just that: humbling.


I hopped a quick flight from Atlanta, Georgia to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on the fourteenth of October. After grabbing my rental vehicle, I drove half an hour north to Sensei Terry Valentino's beautiful home, where I had the excellent fortune to meet his lovely wife, Virginia before training into the night.


Friday evening's training included a crash course on Annako kata. For years, I was interested in learning this Chito Ryu kata and finally had the opportunity to train on it and its concepts with Valentino sensei. We moved forward and backward across the dojo floor as sweat rolled down my face (this wasn't necessarily a huge accomplishment, since sweat pours off me all the time).


Next, several of our Canadian brothers showed up and we focused on Valentino sensei's interpretation of the Chito Ryu Hen Shu Ho, or two man self-defense kata. There was much controlled violence to be had, and by the end of the night our arms, shoulders and torsos had taken a severe beating.


I made it back to my hotel and stood in the hottest shower possible for over twenty minutes, willing the bruises and soreness away. Shortly thereafter, I melted into my bed and slept a dead man's sleep. All was better until my alarm sounded the next morning.


I pushed and pulled my sore body out of the bed and stepped into the shower for a second time in just a few hours. After grabbing a quick breakfast and some energy infused coffee, I made my way to the dojo to find several that had arrived before me.


We bowed in, stretched and warmed up before breaking into two groups. I attended sessions taught by Terry Valentino, Peter Giffen, Gerry Beshears, Joseph Hedderman, and Tony Hedderman. Each of these gentlemen were exceptionally gifted martial artists and continue to excel in both teaching and practice.


We spent significant time covering the Chito-Ryu Hen Shu Ho interpretations, incorporating jujutsu and judo in our various waza, as well as time spent covering Shi Ho Wari and Shi Ho Hai katas and applications from each.


Afterward, we all attended a dinner at one of Valentino sensei's black belts home and the festivities and site were amazing. When I awoke the next day, my body ached and my ribs were sore from laughing at everyone at the after-workout-dinner.


I can't wait to attend another training with this fine group of martial artists--and to everyone with a vested interest in Chito Ryu, Yoshukai, or one of the derivatives, I recommend contacting one of these men for the opportunity!

Break Falls and Karate

I am a firm believer that a student should be as prepared as an instructor/teacher/sensei can make him/her. The focus on punching, kicking, and blocking is a given. After all, this is karate! The striking arts, and how they are deployed, are the things that make our art uniquely different from other combative systems.


In my opinion, there has been a re-learning of martial lessons throughout the western world since the early 1990's. For many, the sole focus in the arts, unless you were fortunate enough to train directly under an Okinawan or Japanese teacher for an extended amount of time, was on the striking arts. To complicate matters, tournaments provided a surrogate for a serious lack of knowledge in the U.S. Finally, a false sense of security and bravado became the new normal for many as a result of their positive tournament experiences.


Like most martial artists, I have spent a lot of time reading about the tradition martial ways. In the past decade, my reading and research has centered primarily around the limited writings of Yamamoto Mamoru (founder of Yoshukai Karate) and Chitose Tsuyoshi (founder of Chito-Ryu Karate, and teacher of Yamamoto). Of special interest to me has been a third or fourth reading of Chitose's Kempo Karate-do, which serves as a basic primer for newly inducted karate-ka.


Chitose's small book outlines his karate lineage before dedicating several pages to his henshuho, or two man kata practice. Having trained a few times in the henshuho, I was impressed with the joint taking techniques and throws. It has been rumored that Chitose sensei held high dan ranks in judo; I am unsure of this claim, but to see how well he executed throws (positioning, angles, etc.), the rumors may be true.

In fact, Chitose makes long mention of nage (throwing) techniques in his book. He goes on to say that some of the throws found in karate are similar to their judo counterparts, but without the ability to recover by the person receiving them. In other words, an inability to properly fall and displace energy on the ground or floor.

All that being said, teaching a student the correct method of falling to prevent injury in the dojo is a must. To take that one step further, learning how to fall in order to limit injury can be a skill that may save the student's life outside the practice of budo. Executing a good throw is secondary, again in my opinion, to understanding how to recover from it.

Each instructor has a responsibility to not only teach the basics of their art, but also those advanced techniques. I recommend against beginning this after black belt! The earlier a student learns ukemi (break falling), the better off they are. Reduce the risk of injury and assure the legacy of your art is carried forward.

Osu!

Kuzushi and Disruption

As with most anything in the world, karate transmission means new knowledge for many and lost intricacies for most. When a combat art is removed from its area of origin, it is natural certain elements will be either withheld or simply not taught, as the presumption of knowledge and understanding by the teacher to the student was misplaced or misguided. This is more a flaw of human nature than any real or perceived notion that certain aspects of an art are retained for only the closest student.


The taking of kuzushi, or balance, has been studied and discussed in great detail, most especially by judo-ka and jujutsu-ka. To off-balance an opponent is to gain control of his body and energy for the purpose of throwing or joint locking applications. This is not necessary if the objective is to simply punch or kick him. After all, it is not really necessary to off-balance an opponent if your intent is to punch him in the sternum or kick him in the testicles.


Disclaimer: if you do either successfully, the opponent will likely be off balance anyway!


Within Chito-Ryu and Yoshukai Karate exist kata showing the off-balancing of an opponent. Since I am of the belief that fighting is a game of millimeters, rather than inches or feet (no pun intended), it should come as no surprise that my focus in delivering an attack happens at a very close range with my opponent. Kata such as Chinto, Sochin, Ni Sei Shi, Sanshiryu, and Ryu San immediately come to mind when considering techniques specific to disrupting an opponent's balance and timing.


Oftentimes, I see sensei attempting to teach nage waza (throwing techniques) or kansetsu waza (joint locking techniques) from a distance entirely too far from their opponent. The first time a student resists the technique, I have personally witnessed a teacher applying power and force to the technique. Such increases in energy output are not necessary if the space between tori and uke is null and tori's hip placement is correct.


The exact same thing can and will be said for balance disruption. Jigoro Kano, Ph. D., the founder of judo, famously said, "When the enemy wishes to enter your house, open the door and let him in. When he wishes to leave, show him the way out."


Kano sensei's meaning was clear: Maximum efficiency with minimum effort. A throw, joint lock, or disruption should be executed with minimal output, but with maximum efficiency or devastation to the opponent.


Study hard, train harder!