While I was researching traditional karate in anticipation of writing a post, I stumbled upon the sad news that Master Angi Uezu of Isshinryu karate passed away a few days ago at age 89. Uezu Sensei was the son-in-law of Tatsuo Shimabuku, the founder of Isshinryu. Originally studying to be an accountant, he began training under Shimabuku starting around 1955. It was about this period that Marines stationed on Okinawa began their training in Isshinryu in accordance with a contract that the US military had with Shimabuku, paying him 300 USD per month. Despite suffering a stroke a while back, Uezu rehabilitated himself enough to return to karate training and teaching. Somewhere I have a collection of VHS cassettes from the 1980s featuring the master's rendition of kata and their applications that are truly awe inspiring. They were my cheat sheets when I couldn't get to the dojo.
It's just as well I didn't post my response to this well-written piece by Tim Shaw on defining traditional karate; there's not much I could add anyway. Though Isshinryu is considered a style of traditional karate here in the US, it is a recently created system that is considered a "maverick" style on Okinawa. Although I never met him, Uezu Sensei was one of Isshinryu's finest exponents. I would also like to direct those interested to a video uploaded by longtime instructor, Michael Calandra, who delves into the master's life and his influence on Isshinryu karate.
Here's a fine demonstration of Seisan, the first kata taught in Isshinryu karate. Seisan is not unique to Isshinryu, but is an ancient form found in many systems of karate. Kata is typically practiced as a solo form, but eventually the student is taught how to deconstruct the kata itself (bunkai) and how to apply the self-defense moves within (oyo). Later upon testing, students are asked to show (with a partner) sections of various kata and their proper application. Here we see this particular kata in its entirety in a theoretical matchup versus multiple assailants. The guttural breathing you hear adds power to the technique.
The master featured in the video (the defender at the center) is Arcenio Advincula. He trained directly under the founder of Isshinryu karate, Tatsuo Shimabuku, during his US military hitch on Okinawa starting in 1958. Years ago I took a workshop given by Advincula-sensei that was attended by at least two dozen Isshinryu karate teachers and students on Long Island. One of my instructors got into a rather heated exchange with the master over a stupid technical issue that did not end well for the former. Pro tip: never argue with a Marine giving a karate demonstration.
Here's a nice story for this time of the year. Meet Jeffrey Wall, a 16-year-old black belt practitioner in the art of Tang soo do who teaches senior citizens in his spare time. I saw this featured on on a cable news show tonight, and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to share this heartwarming and inspiring tale here. Enjoy!
Here's a project that should see the light of day: A full-length feature film exposing fraudulent "martial artists" that con those easily deceived. We're told that some of the frauds themselves will be confronted, so get your popcorn ready. Exposing and confronting fake martial artists is great fun that I've showcased here and here.
Sometimes though it's not fun or funny at all, as one of the creators of this project has received death threats from exposing these people online, whether it's from their cult-like followers, or from the fake masters themselves. As an American diplomat said today, "you can't promote principled anti-corruption action without pissing off corrupt people."
The indie producers are trying to pitch the idea of this documentary to Netflix. Since the executives at Netflix are all big fans of my site, maybe they'll like this. Let's make this happen.
I like a good laugh just like the next person, and for the last few years I've been running a gag blog post every April Fools' Day. In a weird twist of fate (and a bit to my chagrin) a few of my most popular posts are the ones tagged 'humor' and I don't think people are looking for laughs. My blog is subtitled Martial Arts, Philosophy and The Art of Living but most people aren't putting that into their search engines. Viewers want to know how to register their hands as deadly weapons, where they can learn Iron Crotch Kung Fu, and have info on some guy from Italy who holds black belts in 22 styles. You get the idea. Not really humor, but extreme and even bizarre stuff is what often piques people's interest in the martial arts. 'Body hardening workouts' and 'How to karate chop bricks' as search phrases find their way to my blog more often than inquiries into the loftier aims of martial arts, such as character, spirit, or even self-defense.
This site actually started life as part of a monthly newsletter for students at a karate school I used to train and teach at nearly twenty years ago. When the school closed I found another, but my days of writing a column were gone, so my wife suggested starting a blog to export my articles to. At the time I had a couple of dozen, and I wanted to keep future material philosophical in nature; writing posts on the traditions and history of combat systems, including references to authors that were experts in Japanese Martial Arts, such as Donn Draeger and Black Belt magazine contributor Dave Lowry. After about a year of blogging, I acquired a modest online following.
To expand my newfound readership and to keep things interesting I began to lighten things up with the Top Ten Most Annoying Things in the Martial Arts and The Way of Spock. Later I uploaded videos from Enter The Dojo, a comedic web series starring Master Ken, a delusional instructor who hawks his self-proclaimed street lethal fighting system. In time I began to revise my humor into reservations I had for arts like The Drunken Style and dubious claims such as the ability to knock people out without touching them.
Several years ago I found and posted a video that featured someone performing so-called ki enhanced throws and takedowns on his students that looked suspicious, to put it mildly. The demonstrator came from a martial art I was familiar with. I had previously attended a one-day workshop in this style given by an active member of the NYPD that showcased brutally effective techniques, minus any of the woo nonsense in the video, and I mentioned that in my article. My point was that the video I put up was a grossly inaccurate and unfair representation of an otherwise legit style that was being peddled by a conman. Soon, my article in its entirety ended up on a very popular martial arts forum (with a link back to my blog) where many of the commenters were actually sympathetic to the "master" in the clip. Some of them claimed to have trained under him.
The comment section on this forum became a train wreck of believers versus realists. Rage ensued on both sides. The critical thinkers there had my back, but soon I began to receive threatening emails from wack jobs, including the chief instructor of a school. Somebody else derided my style (as if that mattered), and another promised God would retaliate for my flagrant disrespect. No, I argued, you cannot drop five people simultaneously with the flick of the wrist. Apparently I was the bad guy for pointing this out. It amazes me how certain "martial artists" don't like to have their fantasy bubbles burst.
The clip below features a similar demo with a different guy from the one I originally posted, now long removed by the owner. If you've never seen this before, brace yourself for a display in breathtaking stupidity:
Bear in mind that this is intended to be taken at face value. It's ridiculous, of course, so most of us can't help but laugh at this. Humor can be a way to cope with inanity, but in the form of satire (e.g., Master Ken) can be an antidote for credulity. I see it as providing a public service. So today if you can, goof on someone to enlighten them — but do so with the best intentions. Happy April Fools' Day!
There was a famous bodybuilder from the 40s (I believe it was John Grimek) who as a teenager decided to enter a swim meet to be held at an Olympic style pool in a nearby town. He didn't have access to a pool or beach, so he decided to train for this event by swinging around a pair of dumbbells to mimic the motions of a swimmer. He did this for several weeks, and when the big day came and he jumped into the water for the first time, he nearly drowned before somebody rescued him. It's really reminiscent of the Bruce Lee aphorism, “If you want to learn to swim, jump into the water. On dry land no frame of mind is ever going to help you.”
Lee was speaking of what he saw as unrealistic training that doesn't prepare you for an actual fight. Of course there are styles that don't emphasize combativeness as much as others. It is also contingent upon how the syllabus for said style is presented, and this can vary greatly from school to school. Some clubs train for heavy sparring while others pair up students to work pre-set self-defense drills exclusively. Others still, more closely resemble the atmosphere of a gym. Be careful with that one, as gym is used as a term to describe some MMA and boxing clubs.
Over the past couple of decades, MMA has been held as a crucible for testing the efficacy (or lack thereof) of certain fighting systems. Again, not all styles prioritize fighting, but rather other ideals such as character, fitness, and tradition. A fat, brutish thug can still whip ass, and all the good intentions and knowledge of etiquette won't stop him in his tracks. A point match is not like getting mugged. How you train is how it happens.
Recently there was a match that pitted a retired MMA competitor against a proponent of taijiquan after the former issued a challenge to the traditional martial arts community in China in an online tirade. Taiji (tai chi) with the added quan suffix translates as "Grand Ultimate Fist" but for most people tai chi is not a martial art, but a regimen of slow moving exercises that supposedly enhances longevity and health. Clearly, the tai chi representative who responded to this challenge was not doing this for his health. For the record, the combatants are Xu Xiaodong, a Beijing-based MMA coach and promoter, and Wei Lei, the founder of his "Thunder style" of tai chi. Let the lightning strike:
While not particularly graphic, this was still painful to watch. Most of the spectators were clearly less than enthusiastic with the outcome. I'm glad Wei, the tai chi man, wasn't as seriously hurt as he could've been. But Wei said after fight that the only reason he lost to Xu was because he was showing mercy, fearful that his "internal strength" would prove to be fatal against Xu, the MMA guy. Not to be outdone, Xu remarked that tai chi is a "sham", followed by reiterating his challenge to the Chinese martial arts community.
Apparently this is causing a big uproar in China, including complaints issued by the Chinese Wushu Association, as they see this kind of a no-holds-barred match as an affront to Chinese culture and that it violates the morals and principles of martial arts. For this, Mr. Xu has gone into hiding. "I've lost everything, my career and everything," he said. "I think people misunderstand me. I'm fighting fraudulence, but now I've become a target."
I really thought the debate on this was long settled. I could entertain hard-style kung fu stylists taking up this guy's challenge, but to what end? Tai chi and other neijia (internal) arts were simply not designed for a ground-and-pound affair. Maybe if Xu comes out of hiding we'll see more of this kind of spectacle. I hope not.
— A Taoist Priest, from the opening pages of Tao of Jeet Kune Do, by Bruce Lee.
While doing research for an article it happened that I got sidetracked by another blogger's post, in addition to an unrelated but relevant news report. So for now, I feel compelled to bring you a lesson in dojo etiquette and managing one's impulses out into the real world. A Karate Man Would Not is the fictional tale about a young trainee who is exhorted by his master to temper his relationships with others outside of the training hall. The master, in typical fashion, is not very direct about how one should exactly approach this, hoping that the student will get it on his own with minimal prodding. Without giving too much away, the story focuses on how to remain cool when challenged in a non-physical way. Easy in theory. Not so easy when it really goes down.
Case in point: A man confronts a group of people protesting a fracking project taking place near public schools in Mars, Pennsylvania. Clearly spoiling for a fight, the antagonist lets loose with a barrage of insults and insinuates that the camera man is somehow responsible for "milking my tax dollars" (to say nothing of the fact that oil companies are entitled to billions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies, but I digress) because citizens have apparently little better things to do than to worry about natural gas drilling where they live.
Please watch this to the end. Examine your inner state as you view this.
DISCLAIMER: Profane and racist language
I don't know about you, but my initial viewing of this left me feeling like I wanted to put my foot through a wall. The fact that this is an environmental issue, or about free speech, or that this idiot ended up getting fired from his job because his boss saw this now-viral clip on YouTube is besides the point. The peaceful group were for the most part unfazed by this verbal attack. There's no doubt they harbored some fear, and for good reason. Realize that this guy felt that he held the moral high ground with this tirade.
Who among us could remain poised in the face of such a vicious verbal barrage? In the past I've written about honor and a real life tale of what happens when self-restraint fails. Whether your reaction is one of fear or that of anger, it should not dictate how you respond. As Musashi said, "In fighting and in everyday life you should be determined through calm. Meet the situation without tenseness yet not recklessly, your spirit settled yet unbiased. An elevated spirit is weak and a low spirit is weak. Do not let the enemy see your spirit."
Here's a clip of Joe Rogan talking with biologist Rupert Sheldrake about threat awareness in the martial arts. Rogan lamented the ineffectiveness of certain "self-defense martial arts", quoted Musashi, and extolled the virtues of expanding human potential resulting from a lifetime pursuit in the martial arts. But he largely sidestepped Sheldrake's important question of whether someone could be trained to develop an intuitive sensitivity to threatening intent. Although not a practitioner, Sheldrake delves briefly into the aspect of threatening intent in his book The Sense of Being Stared At from the martial arts perspective. The following involves an investigation of a so-called ancient technique called to-ate — attacking someone without physical contact from a distance:
In order to rule out the possibility that the person attacked was responding to visual or other sensory clues, or to suggestion, the researchers kept an "attacker" and a "receiver" in sensory-shielded rooms, three floors apart. The "attacker" was a Chinese qigong master. They videotaped the receiver, and measured his skin resistance and his brain waves, by means of an electroencephalograph (EEG). In a series of trails, the qigong master directed to-ate at the receiver at times randomly chosen by the experimenters. In many of these trail periods the receiver visibly recorded and showed alterations in EEG and skin resistance. The results of these randomized, double-blind trails were highly significant statistically, indicating that the to-ate involved an "unknown transmission"; that is to say, a form of transmission currently unknown to science. From the point of view of the qigong master, what was being transmitted was ki or chi.
I must warn you that Sheldrake is not without controversy in the scientific community as some of his theories are held as quackery or the stuff of woo. However, the previous example was actually in reference to a 2000 study conducted by medical-imaging researcher Mikio Yamamoto at the National Institute of Radiological Sciences in Chiba, Japan.
In the past I've trained with the blindfold prop with limited success. Maybe my psi abilities are subpar. There are blind practitioners in grappling styles, such as I've posted about, but striking arts for the most part require physical sight to work. Not everyone agrees, though. Ninpo exponent Glenn Morris recounts testing for rank while blindfolded that involves avoiding a strike from behind delivered by the master wielding a shinai (light bamboo practice sword):
I crawled forward, sat on my heels in seiza [seated-kneeling position], closed my eyes and reached out with my feelings to connect. The first surprise came as I encountered "nobody home." Hatsumi [the master] was in mushin [state of no-mind] and I was in deep s---. As far as my body was concerned, no one was behind me. (There is more than one level of disappearing in this art and sometimes you don't connect things until you experience them. I had expected to be able to feel him.) I watched the white light behind my eyes and waited, saw a flicker in the phosphorous, and rolled. The sword smacked into the floor where I had been kneeling. Victory.*
The historian Donn Drager discusses the subliminal sense a medieval Japanese warrior would acquire called kan-ken futatsu no koto, a type of intuitive "seeing" that enabled him to deal with an opponent laying in ambush, or in a more practical example, "to step instantly over a log, body, or rock lying out of sight behind him in the path of his backward movement."† Draeger maintains that this skill is developed through meditation and tireless practice. I still train and even meditate. But I won't be donning a blindfold in the dojo anytime soon.
* Glenn Morris 1993. Path Notes of an American Ninja Master. North Atlantic Books.
† Donn Draeger 1973. Classical Budo. Wheatherhill, Inc.
This is a flyer from the first professional kickboxing card held in the US. I first chanced upon this image from the book Al Weiss' the Official History of Karate in America. The organizer for this event, one Lee Faulkner, apparently took some well-deserved heat* for the inclusion of this little gem:
SPECIAL BOUT BETWEEN BLACK MILITANT
GREG BANIES & WORLD CHAMPION JOE LEWIS (WHITE) JOE LEWIS
Lewis did go on to defeat Baines (misspelled as Banies), but that's besides the point. One wonders if either man realized they were being used for race-baiting in an attempt to drum up ticket sales.
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When Bruce Lee began teaching martial arts in California in the early 60s there was outrage in the Chinese community because of Lee's open door policy of instructing non-Chinese students. A match was arranged between Lee and Wong Jack Man, another kung-fu sifu from the area, with the understanding that if Lee lost he would have to close his school down. A victory by Lee would ensure that he could teach Caucasians or anyone else he wanted to. Lee prevailed, the bout taking either 3 or 25 minutes, depending on who was asked. Within a few years, Lee would begin to instruct Hollywood's elite, charging up to $300 per hour.
Speaking of kung-fu, one of TV's most popular shows, Kung Fu, depicted the struggles of a Shaolin monk who finds himself dealing with everything from racism to barroom brawls in the American Old West. Ironically the lead role of Caine, the orphaned son of a Chinese mother and American father, was originally supposed to go to Bruce Lee (who reputedly contributed to the storyline) but was turned down. Instead, the part was given to David Carradine, an actor with hitherto no background in the martial arts. The reason: Lee was considered "too Chinese" to play the mixed-race character.
Here's a clip of Caine dealing with racism:
The method of nonviolence seeks not to humiliate and not to defeat the oppressor, but it seeks to win his friendship and his understanding. And thereby and therefore the aftermath of this method is reconciliation.
— Martin Luther King, Jr., 1956
*Mitch Stom 1970. Black Belt (Magazine). Vol. 8, No. 3, p.55.
Somebody recently asked me which are the best techniques to use in a "real street fight." Are grappling moves superior to striking methods? Should punches be favored over kicks? I advised him to give equal regard to all things -- in training. That the best strategy in any fight is really not to fight. Later, I was reminded of a tale from medieval Japan about a samurai, Tsukahara Bokuden, a story I first encountered in the works of Donn Draeger. A modern version of this tale appears in this great scene from Bruce Lee's Enter The Dragon. Lee's character is threatened on a boat en route to a martial arts tournament by another competitor.
What follows is a lesson in the ultimate martial-art "technique":
Here's a short clip featuring a Xing Yi Quan man dishing out some abuse on multiple attackers. The dramatization utilizes moves from one of the style's forms or toalu. Xing Yi Quan, or Intention Boxing is one of the three major systems of Internal styles of Chinese martial arts, the other two being Baguazhang and Taijiquan. Of the three, Xing Yi is the most "external", i.e., having linear and explosive movements. Various hand techniques are featured including "crushing" and "exploding" fist and eagle claw, along with a judo-type throw and arm-bar/break.
The fight sequence, performed by stuntman and Xing Yi master Keith Min, conforms to the ancient Five Elements philosophy (wu xing) that governs cosmic cycles and human physiology. The Five Elements are wood, earth, water, fire, and metal.
Meet Jukka Lampila, the Finnish founder of the EFO system - Empty Force martial arts. EFO's techniques are purported to incapacitate attackers with little or no contact. Lampila wears a hakama - traditional garb worn in the aiki arts as well as some other Japanese budo, for what it's worth.
Earlier this month an EFO workshop was attended by some well behaved skeptics in Spain. Watch below and notice how the attendant skeptics respond to ukemi (attack/defend scenarios) from the "master" versus the brainwashed sheep. The clip has gone viral, which was uploaded just a few days ago.
In our training philosophy, an important aspect is not to try to use any physical force or pain to gain control of the attacker. With Efo, there are no specific forms or technics and each trainee applies it the way it best fits oneself.
In Efo there are no "courses" that would start and end somewhere. Instead, the fundamental principles (relaxation, mind and breathing) are exercised during every session. Thus, anyone can join and train any time. And if you can't join each and every session, you won't miss anything irreplaceable.
Spoiler alert: it doesn't work. You're not missing anything.
The ultimate aim of the art of karate lies not in victory or defeat, but in the perfection of the characters of its participants. - Gichin Funakoshi
I've previously posted about the pitfalls of competing. Some of the antics of participants through the years have been deplorable. In 2008 Cuban competitor Angel Matos kicked a referee in the head after he was disqualified in an Olympic tae kwon do bout. In a separate incident, Isao Nakamura Fushiki actually attacked a contestant in a karate match in which he was the referee.
This past weekend I watched a karate tournament that left me shaking my head in disgust. While the judging was fair and competent from my view, a few of the competitors (kumite, men's BB division) were arguing with referees on certain calls in a manner that I felt was quite disrespectful. [One liability of point-matches is the seemingly arbitrary nature of scoring points or ippon in a stop-and-go fashion, something that doesn't exist in continuous sparring events that allows full contact and KO's, a la Kyokushin or the K-1, but I digress.] Generally I'm in favor of sportive karate, but not when the players engage in disgraceful behavior. What's particularly bad is how this leaves such a negative impression on anyone who has to witness this kind of thing, especially novice and young practitioners.
Fortunately, nothing I saw came remotely close to this. Brace yourself:
Season 2 of Enter The Dojo kicks off as Master Ken discusses how the A-bomb ended the Civil War, tips on outsmarting your mirror image, and his promotion to 11th degree black belt. And then things get really weird.
The eye must see all sides. The ear must listen in all directions. - from the Kenpo Gokui
The Zen monk, Thich Nhat Hanh, advises to practice mindful awareness with every waking moment. When opening the door, be aware of opening the door. Pick up the candle with two hands instead of one to accentuate mindfulness, and so on. That doesn't sound easy, does it? Think about really placing your full attention on every mundane task you do throughout the course of the day. To be thoroughly aware of every nuance and event within one's purview is the basis for meditation and the path to satori (enlightenment).
In classical budo the emphasis was on constant surveillance of one's surroundings. This made it to the modern ways as expressed in karatedo. Shotokan founder Gichin Funakoshi would demonstrate on his students how improperly held chop sticks could be rammed down the throat if one was caught off-guard. He would walk wide around turns in the street so as not to be surprised by a would-be attacker. In the dojo Funakoshi would deliver sound kicks to the back of the legs of students that he deemed weren't paying attention.
The problem with being on-guard all the time can be debilitating. In this way you're not alert at all, in fact, you're merely thinking about being alert. All one can really do is be awake, open-minded, and relaxed. Then the potential attack can be fended off effectively and swiftly without the mind being laden with a cacophony of "what if" scenarios.
The fact that our daily lives are invaded by ceaseless thoughts and preoccupations or "monkey mind" as they say in Zen are by-products of modernity and our culture. I consider the ability to ponder one's daily routines alongside of a job and whatever you have to do in the course of the day as multi-tasking, not some form of lower consciousness. Most people these days aren't cut out to be a Zen monk or a Japanese bushi.
Here's a good example of spontaneous right action to an attack, Spaghetti Western style. In the 1971 movie Red Sun, Charles Bronson's character attempts to ambush a samurai. We'll call this one a draw.
Master Ken talks about the use of a special technique he created for multiple attackers.
Now because of how dangerous The Hurticane is I can't really show it to you at 100 percent. But thanks to modern technology I will do a combat scenario for you right now.
Recently a karate school owner told me he picked up an entire family of students courtesy of abuse attributed to their former instructor. Apparently the young boy spilled water on the deck and was summarily back fisted in the chest by the burly sensei. Great marketing ploy. One wonders if this genius has a good attorney to counter these episodes. Sadly, stories of this ilk are fairly common. In fact this particular account is relatively tame.
A Japanese court on Wednesday found a martial arts instructor guilty over the death of a six-year-old boy, a court official said, in the first criminal case over judo training in Japan.
It is the first criminal case filed by Japanese prosecutors against judo trainers, according to a victims' group, despite over 100 child deaths blamed on harsh training or hazing between 1983 and 2010.
The 36-year-old instructor, who owned a private judo club in Osaka, admitted he threw the boy excessively in training. The boy died in November last year from brain swelling, local reports said.
In Japan, judo hazing has a lengthy history and I suppose it was only a matter a time before this practice had a trickle-down effect to the kids' class.
Whenever there is a rigid hierarchy in place with passive or helpless bystanders there exists the propensity for anything from bullying to full blown physical abuse. We see this in institutions such as prisons, public schools, hospitals and nursing homes.
In 1971 the social psychologist Philip Zimbardo conducted an experiment at Stanford University to simulate a prison environment using students as prisoners and guards. The "prisoners" were even picked up at home donning jail garb and brought to the basement of the school's psychology department to begin their "sentence." But the experiment had to be stopped after just six days as the behavior of the "guards" far exceeded the expectations of Zimbardo and his colleagues. Prisoners were subjected to being sprayed with fire extinguishers, cleaning toilets with their bare hands and performing pushups with the guards standing on their backs, among other things I'd rather not go into.
This sort of dehumanizing behavior can translate into the power structure of a martial arts school. Some sensei let their own sense of power get the better of them. As one blogger puts succinctly:
The instructor's ego is one of the most dangerous opponents the student will ever face. Sometimes it is obvious. Martial arts has a hierarchy and a power dynamic and in too many places competency is not tested and compassion is assumed. It is a sweet spot for bullies and predators. Where else can you hurt people and they pay you and say, "Thank you, Master." What bully wouldn't get off on that?
Master Ken wants people in the martial arts community to spread the word about his reality show which chronicles the most lethal martial art known to man: Ameri-Do-Te.
Actually he needs money to keep his series going.
I first saw one of these Enter The Dojo episodes at TDA Training. Aside from the fact that this parody of the martial arts has great comedic potential, it's at times a little close to home. Through the years I've met my share of Master Kens, and believe me, these characters in real life are not funny at all. I bristle to think how many "instructors" are woefully incompetent, think they're killing machines, and then devise their own systems of self-defense complete with contracts, camouflage belts and disdain for other styles.
