Paper Tigers....hear them roar!

A slightly out of focus shot of Nakasone-san and me, circa 2005

I first met Nakasone-san in early 1984, back then his Shureido company was run from a tiny shop a few hundred yards along Sogenji dori from where Shureido stands today. I'm not sure why, but he and I have always gotten along very well, and whenever I visit Okinawa I stop by his store to say hello, have a coffee, and see what goodies he has for sale.

A few years ago I interviewed Nakasone-san as part of a series of short conversations I was collecting for research, and also to edit into a series of magazine articles. I never publish a whole conversation though: for a couple of reasons. Firstly, people sometimes tell me things they don't want their students to know, or they tell me things they don't want to appear in print for fear of litigation...and sometimes: they tell me lies!

Nakasone-san did none of these things, he's a gentleman in every sense of the word; but the second reason I don't publish everything people say during an interview is because that would be too easy for you...the reader! The Internet makes it all too easy for knowledge and information to pass from one source to another, and as a result a lot of you have become lazy; you no longer go to the source, you go to google instead.

But that's okay in my book, you do what you like; get your information second and third hand, build your knowledge on what other people said to someone else, people whose agendas you have no idea of. Accept whatever you read as fact, unless it doesn't happen to agree with information you have already accepted on a different web page; and express your opinions based on what you've heard about...but never experienced. But as you grow your understanding of karate this way, remember this; knowledge gained without personal experience is merely hearsay, and an opinion formed in comfort then expressed with passion, is little more than the roar of a paper-tiger!

Blitzed..!

Blitz photographer, Charlie Suriano, capturing karate at 12 frames per second...

This week the dojo was, once again, blitzed by Blitz, Australia's #1 martial arts magazine. As usual, it was a long day spent in the dojo capturing various training drills and concepts one frame at a time. Even when Charlie switched to "machine gun" mode on his camera, the whirl of clicks represented no more than karate in segments, all be it segments that were captured very quickly.

This is the third photo shoot I've done for Blitz magazine, and the second done at the dojo; the first was a studio shoot done at Charlie's place in Melbourne about ten years ago...wow, how time fly's! On average somewhere around 800+  photos are taken over a six hour period; it's a difficult process and keeping track of what images have been captured, and what images are yet to be caught, requiers some concentration; a story board is therfore essential if you want to avoid duplication and wasting time.

Blitz editor, Ben Stone, and Charlie, check a captured image before moving on to the next.

On this occassion there was an addition to posing for the usual still images. As the march of technology continues on, it is now possible for Blitz magazine readers to get extra content from the page through their i-pad. By scanning the code for the Blitz App, readers can access video clips of real-time action as well as short tutorials. It's all double-dutch to me of course, and kind of ironic too, that vision of a dinosaur like me would be among the first to find it's way to readers through the latest technological wizardry.

I am grateful to my student, John Mercer, for taking the time out of his busy schedule to act as my partner. It was also great to catch up with Ben and Charlie and spend time in their company again...we always make these occassions a fun day! Oh, and before I forget....the photos you see here were taken on the previous shoot in the old dojo. I did manage to bring my camera into the dojo the on this visit too....but then forgot to use it! I know, I know...what am I like?

Yoshinkan Aikido Senshusei Training Program

A few years ago the book Angry White Pajamas was published, telling the story of one man's experience learning Yoshinkan Aikido in Japan. The book was a big hit as it was well written, funny, and informative. The last I heard, negotiations were under way for the film rights, but since then...nothing!

I came across this ten-minute film on YouTube recently and found it interesting on a number of levels. First of all, and more than anything else, I really admire these young people for getting off their collective backsides and going to Japan. That so many young people these days are too scared to step outside their comfort zone, speaks poorly for the future of the martial arts.

That said, I found almost everything else in the film slightly disturbing. The militaristic atmosphere of the dojo, the harmful exercises, the sensei feeding off the adulation of the students, and the (much too willing) number 2, who is trying way too hard to be "Japanese". All of these things smack of those twin desires that plague the martial arts these days: the desire to be a disciple, and the desire to be a god ( with a very small 'g' ).

My concerns to one side however, I think the karate world could do with young people like the aikidoka in this film; individuals who are prepared to move beyond the excuses and their attachment to comfort: and make their life an adventure!

Grounded...



A Japanese black pine tree, learning to grow

 There are no two ways about it, learning karate is difficult. The physical movements and techniques are hard enough, while the speed, stamina, and strength required to bring your karate to life, are not easy to achieve either; still, with regular training and a decade or so to spare, karate begins to reveal its self.

Staying grounded, connected to the earth, is a necessary skill if you want to use your body weight, rather than muscular strength, to generate power; put simply, the poorer your connection to the ground, the more you have to rely on your muscles to generate penetrative shock. Which is fine if you're built like the hulk, but many of us are not, so remaining close to the ground is a real necessity.

With the help of a student, I've been planting trees in the dojo garden this week. One of the trees, a Japanese black-pine, is being "encouraged" to grow in a particular way. Learning to do that has meant tying two of the lower branches to stones that sit on the ground. In time the tree will learn to keep these two branches low, at which point the stones will be removed.

Sanchin training in the old dojo

I practise sanchin kata often, tensho kata too, like the stones tied to the tree, the two kata help to keep me grounded. When I pick up the nigiri-gami (gripping jars), I'm reminded of the tree...standing between heaven and the earth...I harmonize my breathing, and, for a few brief moments, leave the worries of the world behind.

Okinawan Culture & Tradition

As the last few posts have been a bit serious, I thought it was time for a little relaxation and inspiration. When I'm asked why I continue to return to Okinawa (the implication being that after 40 years, surely I must know karate by now ? ), I am always quick to let people know that it's not just the training I go for, but to spend time with friends, and experience the culture of Ryukyu: this is what draws me back.

As Charles Goodin sensei of Hawaii so rightly pointed out in his lectures on Okinawan karate, in order to understand karate properly it is necessary to study it through the culture from which it emerged.....this video offers you a glimpse of that culture. For the best effect, go to full screen and put the sound up a little!

The Grasshopper Syndrome

Miyagi Chojun (right) pictured here in 1930

Following on from the previous post, I found myself wondering how many people using the name Goju-ryu today imagine they are training in the same way as Chojun Miyagi? I don't mean people who think they are doing their kata exactly the same way he did his, I doubt very much anyone alive today is doing that. I was thinking more along the lines of how many people today have convinced themselves that they are actually training in Goju-ryu karate? You see, in spite of the hundreds of changes that have been made,  the additions, and the training methods that have been abandoned by so many in the sixty-years since Miyagi sensei died (in October 1953), millions of people around the world today continue to believe they are practising Goju-ryu karatedo.....well they're not!

But this is not to say that what they are doing is bad or in some way inferior to Goju-ryu...it's often not: but whatever it is, it is different! If you have no understanding of, and do not practise, junbi undo, hojo undo, kigu undo, ude tanren, kakie, and bunkai, then the kata of Goju-ryu (however they are done), are of little use to you. So please think again if you want to claim an understanding of Goju-ryu, because remembering a few routines in thin air, and a list of fancy bunkai, is not the same as following a tradition; and there is nothing authentic about jumping from one school of karate to another (like a grasshopper) just so you can say you are now training in this style or that.

Moving from one school of karate to another is nothing new, I've done it myself; but if you do make a move then at least have the integrity to do as I did, and leave all the trappings of your old school behind...and that includes your rank. You can't do it eh? Then perhaps, in spite of the bristling self-image you project in public, you're not the highly developed, non-egotistical, karateka you like to think you are.......grasshopper!

In the name of the Father...

Chojun Miyagi practising his bunkai on Eiichi Miyazato

One hundred and twenty-five years ago today, Miyagi Chojun sensei was born. It was no big deal really, he was one of many born that day in Okinawa. His fate was to become a world-famous karateka, not that he ever aspired to that; still, you know what people are like, if they can't do something well themselves, they look around for someone to adore and then claim to be a close follower.

When Miyagi sensei passed away on the 9th of October 1953, he'd lived a life few would envy; suffering the death of two daughters, Tsuneko and Shigeko, as well as loosing his senior student Jin'an Shinzato in the utter devastation that engulfed Okinawa during the closing months of WWII.  That so much focus on Miyagi regularly ignores the man, seeing only the karateka, is it any wonder that many today have a very strange idea of who he was.

When he died, in October 1953, he had only a handful of students training with him in his backyard; but within a few short years there would be many thousands outside Okinawa laying claim to his karate. Gogan Yamaguchi in Japan was quick to claim that he was the successor to Miyagi's karate, but no serious karateka today accepts his story. Besides, you only have to observe the direction the Yamaguchi school of karate has taken with it's training, to appreciate just how far they have moved away from the karate of Chojun Miyagi.

Miyagi Chojun with his students - circa 1952

Chojun Miyagi never awarded a grade to anyone, he never appointed a successor, and he never had more than a handful of students training in his backyard at any one time. I can only wonder therefor at the depth of insecurity that must exist in the minds of some in Okinawa, and around the world, who insist on using Miyagi sensei's name to endorse their karate. If you are sincere in your efforts to understand Miyagi's nature as well as his karate, then I think it can be argued that you are his successor.

History is written by those who write it, and seldom by those who make it. A big part of Miyagi's life was spent investigating karate, he was trying to make it his own, to understand not only what and how he did the things he was doing but, perhaps more importantly, why he did them. On this day, maybe everyone reading this who uses the name Goju-ryu to bolster their karate, should give a thought to their true nature. If you're claiming a connection with Chojun Miyagi, then at least have the integrity to study his character and his life, as well as the training methods he developed, and have the strength of character to develop your own understanding of the karate he left behind.

Within the parameters of Goju-ryu there is room for personal interpretation and growth; but, a few (half) remembered kata, and a bunch of fancy bunkai, wont make you a student of Goju-ryu: regardless of what grade you're claiming!