Me with nunchaku

[47MartialMan]

Well, I'm older than most of the people on this forum, and been in the arts longer than many on here have been alive, so I'll add as a "disclaimer" that I'm not even going to attempt to be politically correct and "nice" about my comments.

 

This young man, talented as he is in twirling, is on a martial arts forum, asking martial artists what we think of his martial arts technique...so here's mine.

 

I think if you want to become a twirler in a marching band..you look GREAT! If however, you are trying to pass off twirling a nunchaku around like your video's depict, and think you're doing good, REAL technique, you are terribly misguided and misinformed as to what good technique is.

 

If this was a twirling forum, you'll no doubt get much more favorable responses....but then again, I wouldn't be in here either. If my comments offend you just remember, you asked for our opinions. Perhaps you might want to consider joining a reputable martials arts school, and learning good, solid and bone shattering nunchaku technique. Either that, or find someone to teach you twirling a baton so at least you might make some money as a twirler in a marching band.

 

I SO MUCH AGREE......

[Shorin Ryuu]

Also, I've seen many times where the competitor, or the instructor in a dojo, will be wrapping his/her fingers inside the tongs of the weapon and doing a high block against an imaginary weapon coming at them. The would crush/break or lose their fingers that way, and it's not easy holding a sai with no fingers to hold it with!

 

There's actually some movements in the Yamani Ryu (Shorinkan version of it anyway) versions of the Nakaima Kenkou sai kata where someone would put their index finger around one of the tongs and the centerpiece...obviously none of these are blocking techniques.

 

One of the biggest mistakes that I see people do (and actually, in all weapons, not just the sai) is that they have their hands placed so it does not reinforce the weapon. For example, they may not have the thumb pressed against the moto (center). A lot of this stems from the fact that mass produced sai have a big bubble there, so it feels awkward to do so.

[47MartialMan]

Shorinryu Sensei,

 

May I ask how old are you?

 

I guess Shorinryu is the martial art that you practice?

 

I somewhat get disturbed when I ask someone, is *blank* your style? I dislike using the term style for various reasons.

 

I had like the way that you wrote your comment/opinion.

 

It brings up a story:

 

It was at a tournament. I was not a participant, I went as an observer.

 

I noticed a young fellow whom had won the "Championship" award after doing a blinding fast form.

 

When I had seen him outside, I had asked if he "knew how to use the nunchakus." My very pronunciation of them had him startled for a short moment. After his composure to understand what I was talking about, he had replied "Yes, I won the Championship."

 

I said, "That's not what I mean". I repeated my question with a little more emphasis on sound:

 

"I asked if you KNOW HOW to use them?"

 

He commenced on doing his routine...

 

I barked out "No No No....."

 

Seeing his confusion, I stated to him; "See, that telephone post over there". He nodded yes. I said: "I bet you can't go and hit that as hard as you can." I used the word 'bet" as to dare him do. Young people have a tenancy to dismiss requests from elders, esp. those whom they had first met.

 

That young fellow, black belt, I may add, went over to that pole and swung his nunchakus so fast and hard. The free section of the flail bounced off and hit him square in the face. Luckily there was a first aid person (usually there is one a tournaments) nearby to check him out.

 

I had no idea that the result was going to be that quite that way. Besides a small facial redness, I think the young man's ego was more bruised. I had wished I had a video on it to send to the television program "Caught-On-Tape"

 

When visiting his school (I knew his Sensei), I met up with the young man weeks later. I told him I felt bad that he obtained a small injury. I gave a full apology to him. I had asked if he had "still practiced with the nunchakus." He replied with a resounding "NO"

 

I like the analogy of a marching band member. I had thought of the same once, at another tournament, which the sponsor wanted me as a judge. Participants substituted the weight and thickness of the Bo/Jo/Staff with a fancy taped-up "wood dowel" As the participants twirled this, I thought of Salsas marching band music.

[Shorinryu Sensei]

Shorinryu Sensei,

 

May I ask how old are you?

 

No problem...I'm 51 (52 in November) and been involved in Shorinryu since Januaryu of 1975. 30 years this coming January and still have tons to learn.

I somewhat get disturbed when I ask someone, is *blank* your style? I dislike using the term style for various reasons.

 

I'm a very easy going guy. I'll answer just about any question directed at me (and many that aren't! ). And system or style..you have to label them something, right? As long as we all know what we're referring to..which isn't alwasy the case on a forum such as this.

I had like the way that you wrote your comment/opinion.

 

Thanks. I'm rather opinionated sometimes, which isn't always to people's liking. But I speak what I feel, and say what I feel is correct from my point of view. Some like it, some don't...makes little differance to me.

 

That was a good story. I can tell several of my own along the same lines and have in the past on other threads, but I know exactly what you're saying. These people "think" they know what they're doing because they can make the weapon move fast, and they get lots of positive feedback from friends and fellow martial artists that also don't know what they're doing. The ego is well fed, so why learn to do it the right way, when the right way isn't as much fun?

 

It's as close to perpetual motion as it gets I think. They learn crap, and in turn pass that crap to their students, who pass it on to theirs, who pass....well, you get the idea. We're probably on the 3rd or 4th generation of "flash-masters" in the world right now since the martial arts have been introduced to the West. When will it stop? Never, I'm sad to say. All I can do personally is pass on what I have learned and what I practice, to my students, who will hopefully do the same to theirs when the time comes.

[47MartialMan]

Shorinryu Sensei,

 

I had no desire to offend you by asking your age. Which was definitely not a ploy to find out your experience. You have only a "few" years", your senior over me in age . I have been training since 1969. I too, have a lot to learn.

 

One of my students had asked if he would ever complete his training.

 

I had shown him my curriculum.

 

He had asked when I had finished.

 

I answered " I am ALMOST half-way there."

 

He facial expression was humorous indeed.

[Shorinryu Sensei]

Shorinryu Sensei,

 

I had no desire to offend you by asking your age. Which was definitely not a ploy to find out your experience. You have only a "few" years", your senior over me in age . I have been training since 1969. I too, have a lot to learn.

 

I took no offense...did my reply seem as if I was offended? Sorry if it did...it was not intended that way. Hell, I'm proud to have reached 51! lol My sandy colored hair is 50% gray now (but still thick and curly! lol), my "six-pack" stomach has added a few extra cans in the last 5 years (working on a 12-pack), I still have all of my own teeth (this is important as you get older), still have my wisdom teeth (waiting for the wisdom to kick in any day now), still have my appendix and tonsils too! Everything else is still working normally...or last time I checked anyway, and I still can bounch my students around pretty darn good when I need to! That always makes me happy!

One of my students had asked if he would ever complete his training.

 

I had shown him my curriculum.

 

He had asked when I had finished.

 

I answered " I am ALMOST half-way there."

 

Well, I don't know exactly how far in the whole scheme of things I've gone yet on this path, or how much farther there is to go...but I do know that no matter how hard I train, or how much I learn...it's never enough to say that "I'm finished" and know it all. Another member of this forum, Shorin Ryuu, is very knowledgable and I've already learned a number of things about my chosen "system" that I wasn't aware of prior to his posts. Thanks Shorin Ryuu...glad to have you on this forum!

 

My way of thinking is this. The day I know it all is the day they can drop me in the "hole" and pour dirt over me...I'm done. So, I hope to have a very long life, because it isn't ever going to happen!

[47MartialMan]

Shorinryu Sensei,

 

You did not come across as offensive.

 

I like the way you pont out things bluntly.

 

If ever I need to hear something like that, it would probably be well derserved from you.

 

I know it can go into great detail, what is the difference, basically of Shorinji-ryu, Kobayashi-ryu, Chubu Shorin-ryu, and Ryukyu Shorin-ryu and plain Shorinryu?

 

The Ason-Iwah-Kaugawana Satunuhi lineage is amazing.

[47MartialMan]

Dang, I cant believe I remembered that....I hope I had spelled everything correctly.............

[Shorinryu Sensei]

We're getting WAY off topic here, but I'd say the topic has been pretty well hashed to death at this point anyway.

 

One thing you need to keep in mind here is that I live in the wilds of Northwestern Montana (middle of the Rocky Mountains actually), far from the big cities, and also far from exposure to all of the systems you mention there. Therefore, I can't really comment on the differances much..perhaps Shorin Ryuu can? One thing I know is that some of the more "progressive" of the Shorinryu branches are doing head kicks, board breaking, flying kicks and getting away from the "old" techniques in leau of more "modern" (aka new and improved) techniques. We don't.

 

I practice Shorinryu Matsumura Seito (also called Orthodox), which was renamed...or our particular branch of it anyway..by the late Sensei Yuichi Kuda (died in '99) We are now called Shorinryu Matsumura Kenpo. The systme itself remained unchanged, so all we were hoping to accomplish was to get away from the politics of many of the other organizations. So far, we've succeeded!

 

Our linage is basically like this.

 

Soken Matsumura to Hohan Soken (his nephew), to Yuichi Kuda (whom I've been under for nearly 30 years), to my origional Sensei, Dennis Miller (and various others since). The organization is currently headed by Sensei Kenneth Penland (9th Dan) of California, and the association head is Sensei Larry Mason (6th Dan) of Maryland. When Sensei Kuda passed away in '99, his son (forgot his name right now) took over his teachings, but as I understand it, he has switched the emphasis to sport fighting as opposed to the old ways. I don't like that and am not interested in belonging to that organiztion for that reason.

 

A bit about this system. Very upright stances, no (or few anyway) jumping kicks, low kicks (no higher than the belly button), a very fast moving system, and lots of lateral movments that are highly stressed from the beginning of training (or I do anyway). Belt promotions aren't a big deal, as emphasis on learning far overshadows getting the next belt. We do nothing flashy at all, and it is a very effective for personal self-defense that I, personally, have used a number of times over the years. We are rather infomal in class compared to many other systems and again, emphasis on training, retention of knowledge, and being a good person is stressed and smiled upon in class. I don't know anybody in our particular branch of this art that is trying to make money at it, but rather a dedicated few that are trying to preserve and pass on the "old way" of doing authentic Okinawan karate-do.

 

Do I like it? OH YEAH!

 

I would imagine that if you searched Google (I LOVE GOOGLE!) you'd find lots of information about those other systems.

 

I have to run and do some work "stuff", so forgive the hastily typed words and typos. I'll come back later and clean it up if I can...probably tomorrow.

[47MartialMan]

Very impressive lineage......