Footwork

My instructor, Taika Seiyu Oyata, has praised both Morihei Ueshiba (Aikido) and Seikichi Uehara (Motobu Ryu Udun Di) for their excellent footwork.

RyuTe itself is very footwork heavy.  Outside of Aikido, one is hard pressed to find any martial art with more than a rudimentary application of footwork. Everyone works hands. Boxers are known for the skillful use of their hands.

In one story about Sensei Uehara, on New Year's Day of 2000 he fought a televised match against Katsuo Tokashiki. Tokashiki, who was 39 at the time, was a former World Boxing Association light flyweight champion. Sensei Uehara was 96 at the time of the bout. The following excerpt is from "The Okinawa Program" by Bradley J. Wilcox, D. Craig Wilcox, and Makoto Suzuki, page 180:

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The old master displayed amazing flexibility and agility from the minute the bout began. He deftly twisted and turned to avoid the lightning blows of the powerful ex-boxer (mutubu-udundi focuses on avoiding confrontation, and striking only after all other options are exhausted). This went on for more than twenty minutes. Finally, when Tokashiki tired and momentarily dropped his guard, Seikichisensei landed one quick blow--and it was over. The young boxer, who was stunned but not seriously injured, left the ring in a daze, shaking his head in disbelief and muttering, "Yarareta, yarareta!"--"I can't believe it...he beat me...he beat me." When Seikichisensei later recounted the match to our research assistant, he laughed and said, "It was nothing. He was just too young and had not yet matured enough to defeat me."

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Sensei Uehara's footwork enabled him to evade a much younger man. Uehara said similar things about his instructor, Choyu Motobu. He recounted how he could not touch his instructor no matter how hard he tried.

Good footwork will enable you to defeat a stronger, faster opponent. On its face, it's very simple. If your opponent can't touch you, he can't hurt you. But footwork also enables you to attack from unexpected angles and to put your opponent into compromised positions where his balance and angle of attack are bad.

In my training, I spend as much time on footwork as I do on hands. I like to think, when I'm 96, that I'll have a little something "special" to offer a would be opponent!

Ego

Some people just have to be in the spotlight. It's not enough to train with the most knowledgeable martial artist in the world. It's not enough to be highly respected by your peers. So you leave and strike out on your own, starting your very own martial arts system.

I guess I can sort of understand it. There's good money to be made teaching martial arts on the seminar circuit. Money is a powerful motivating force in some people's lives.

And why be content with being a student, just one of many, when you can be "the man." You can be Hanshi So-and-so. Or better yet, make up your own title. Just stick a word on the front of "bushi" and you sound like a real master. I can sort of understand that. Who doesn't want to be esteemed?

Yet I can't help but think of the biblical proverb, which says: "Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips." Seems like a hollow accomplishment if you have to call yourself Hanshi to get the word out. When you have to list your own credentials and trumpet your own mastery. Better when others do it for you.

An old saying goes: If you are in Okinawa and you meet a man on the street and ask him if he knows karate, if he says, "Only a little," then be very careful. That man may just hand you your rear end if you get cross-ways with him. But the man who says "I am a master" probably actually knows very little.

Some of these self-styled masters may have worthwhile things to teach. I won't deny that. But some make up their own katas, their own techniques, etc., out of nothing but their own imagination. If some of the stuff they teach is junk, who's to say that the other stuff is not junk as well?

My instructor is always careful to point out that he didn't "make-up" anything that he teaches. He learned it from his instructors, who learned it from their instructors. In other words, it's authentic life protection arts that have been tried and tested over time.

I understand why people do the things they do. Those same desires are present in all of us. We want to be praised, honored for our accomplishments. Recognized as outstanding individuals. We are all human, after all.

But what I don't understand is this. What you learn from your instructor is given in trust. It's not yours to just do with as you please. My instructor has dedicated his life to martial arts. What he teaches me is not trivial, since it was not trivial for him to learn it in the first place

Shouldn't my instructor have the right to say how he wants this knowledge passed on to future generations? And if he reserves the right alone to give yudansha ranks, why would I think it would be alright for me to award black belt rank to someone?

Everything I know came from my instructor. It seems only proper that I honor his trust in me with my loyalty. I'm not in martial arts to be somebody. I don't care about rank. Either you understand what you're taught, or you don't. A "black belt" doesn't mean squat if you can't defend your life when the need arises.

So, yeah, I don't understand betraying your instructor's trust. I can't see lying to cover up that betrayal. Lying, deceit, betrayal: those are not characteristics in keeping with the spirit of martial arts. In fact, they're not in keeping with being an honorable human being.

It all boils down to ego. There is no place for ego in martial arts. When we start to think we are somebody, we stop being teachable. We stop learning and become more interested in being the source of knowledge. Humility will keep us on the right path. Ego leads us to set up our own shop. And as bad as that is, these self-styled masters have students of there own, students who are often infected by their teacher's egos.

I know one such student, who's gone from shodan to sandan in just a couple of years under the guidance of so-called masters. He may feel a real sense of accomplishment. But in the end, he's been done a disservice. He's gotten it in his head that attaining rank is the measure of a martial artist. And there is no one to tell him any different. Unless someday that someone happens to be a six foot one body builder with a bad attitude. In which case, if he learns the lesson, it just may be in the very hardest way.

Training Taika's Way

Taika Oyata has a saying: "One drop of sweat, one knowledge. Two drops of sweat, two knowledge."

Training, even intense training, if of little value if you don't train the right way. Just working out is not going to give you the tools to defend yourself. How much you sweat is not a good indication of how well you trained.

For training to be useful, it has to be purposeful. Deliberate. Thoughtful. Training should engage your mind as much as your body.

So, instead of just running through your katas, try focusing on some "small" motion in particular. Work on it slowly at first. Get it right. Build up to what you think is full speed. Then analyze your motion to see if you are slowing it down anywhere. Find a way to make it smooth. Do a few hundred repetitions. Do a few thousand.

This is not glamorous training. It's hard and potentially boring if your mind is not actively engaged. And in the end, you may only sweat a little, but with those few drops of sweat will come real knowledge.

How To Be A Karate Master

Practice all your katas

It's a good idea to run though all your katas on a regular basis. Heck, run through them two or three times. Don't worry about problem spots. You'll work out the kinks as you keep going over and over the kata. The important thing is that you're practicing.

Work on what you're good at

If a move is awkward, you might want to skip it. Concentrate on what you do best. Who knows, you might be the next Bill "Superfoot" Wallace!

Practice slowly

Go slowly so you get all the moves right. If it feels awkward, go even slower (or just skip the awkward stuff, as I've already said).

Practice hard and tight

Go ahead, clench those fists. Tighten every muscle in your body. Make those GoJu Ryu Sanchin weenies jealous of your ki development. Develop your body to the point that punches just bounce off your Schwarzenegger like pectorals. Don't worry about your groin. Your opponent will never get past your superfoot.

Study many different systems

Study all the different martial arts systems you can. Don't worry about contradictory and incompatible theories. You'll sort through what works and what doesn't to arrive at your own "super" system of martial arts. And, you better patent and trademark it. There are guys out there already doing that and they're making good money on the seminar circuit.

No-touch knockout

Do not practice the no-touch knockout on yourself. This is pretty self-explanatory.

Link it all back to ninjutstu

I don't know why, but this just works. If your training incorporates even a little "ninja" in it, people will be impressed. It doesn't hurt to wear the ninja hi-top tabi shoes everywhere you go, either.

Don't be a showoff

If you have blackbelts in five or six different systems, do not wear all those black belts at one time. Choose the one blackbelt you like the best, and make that your primary blackbelt. You could, however, design a patch that incorporates all those different blackbelts in the design.

Name your system carefully

If you do become a master, or even a grandmaster, and want to start your own system, then name your system carefully. Ryukyu Kempo Tomari-te is an excellent example of a well chosen name (it doesn't have to a real name). You might try Extreme Shaolin Ninjutsu, for example, except that I already came up with that name. Be creative.

Lessons from Fedor Emelianenko's loss

Those of you who know Fedor Emelianenko (mixed martial arts) know that he suffered a tremendous upset loss Saturday to Fabricio Werdum.

After apparently knocking Fabricio down, Fedor rushed Fabricio in an attempt to end the fight quickly. Instead, 69 seconds into the fight, Fedor tapped out, the victim of a triangle choke.

True, this is a sport contest, but some key features stand out.

Ground fighting, as popularized by Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, stresses dealing with an opponent on the ground and ending the fight there by submitting him. This was in response to martial artists who relied on striking (boxing) skills to defeat an opponent.

Fedor rushed his attack and played right into his opponent's hands. He engaged his opponent without having control, trusting that his superior skills would allow him to gain control. And, yeah, Fedor was trying to beat the hell out of Fabricio while he was on his back, and true, Fabricio did look like he might have been stunned. But Fedor was not in control of Fabricio. It would have been one thing if Fedor had been knocked to the ground and was countering his opponent's attack. But it was just the opposite.

Any time I'm separated from my opponent, I'm not in control of him. I might be able to influence what he does, depending on how close we are. But then I'm relying on his reactions to my actions. No, the type of control I'm talking about is me physically having a hand on my opponent.

Yes, in RyuTe^®, we frequently take opponents to the ground (I am drawing a distinction between "taking someone to the ground" and "knocking someone on their rear"). But only when we're in complete control of the opponent. Either through a wrist lock, an arm bar, or through control of the head, etc. Why leave something to chance?

I don't know what philosophies are stressed in BJJ schools and others that teach ground fighting. But if your opponent ends up on the ground while you're still standing, you might think twice about jumping on him and relying on your considerable skills to take control. You just might end up like Fedor, only with no referee to end the match!

Your Kata Tool Chest

Kata motions are like tools. They each serve a different purpose. Just like you can't back out a screw with a hammer, or drive a nail with a saw, kata motions are only appropriate for specific self defense situations.

You should not slavishly apply the exact motions of kata when using them for self defense.

If I taught you the following:
1) Pick up hammer, practice hammer motion
2) Put down hammer, pick up saw. Practice sawing motion.
3) Put down saw, pick up wrench. Practice twisting wrench.

If you were then putting up a fence, and you picked up a hammer and nailed a board up, that would be completely appropriate and useful. But if you next picked up a saw and sawed the board in half, you just ruined all your previous efforts.

Kata is the same way. The motions are linked in the pattern of the kata, but don't think that's how they will ultimately be used in self defense. Pick the tool, the motion, that solves the self defense situation.

A high block works well for a punch to the face, but not so well for a kick to the groin.

Also, the kata motions are, in some ways, snapshots of the self defense motion. Sometimes you need to add something to it to make it work correctly. I can show you how to open and close pliers. But in actual use, you may wiggle them side to side when pulling a staple out. I didn't teach you incorrectly. But their are subtleties that are difficult to ascertain when just doing kata by itself.

So, the next time you do your kata, think about what you are doing! Where is my opponent standing? Research the motions. The answers you find may surprise you.

What is RyuTe?

Martial arts styles are like religions. Many people are convinced that their martial art is the only way to go, and all other martial arts are just plain wrong and misguided.

I can understand the sentiment. Nobody wants to find out they've spent ten, twenty, or thirty years studying something that's ultimately ineffective. Something that will get them killed in a real self defense situation.

I'm not going to say RyuTe^® is the only martial art you should study and all others are crap. But, after twenty-eight years (and counting) of studying RyuTe^®, I can say it's the only martial art I've found I needed.

Many formal explanations of RyuTe^® can be found on the internet. I won't repeat any of those.

What is RyuTe^® then?

RyuTe^® is an intact family system of martial arts

Two family systems, in fact. Uhugushiku family system (kobudo) and Wakinaguri family system (tode). Before the Meiji restoration, much of martial arts in Okinawa where closely guarded family secrets passed on from father to son, usually the first born son. There were some who taught outside the family during this time, but very few names have come down to us through history.

Since the son was his father's only student, he was able to assimilate the entire body of knowledge that represented their family's understanding of martial arts.

After the Okinawan feudal system was dismantled, professional martial artists, who had previously been court retainers, were forced to find employment. Some of them began teaching publicly, while others were content to take their knowledge to the grave. With the establishment of karate schools, and the inclusion of karate in public school curricula, the kata and techniques were necessarily simplified for group instruction.

Over time, much of the original knowledge of self defense, which had been preserved intact in various family systems, has been lost.

My instructor, Taika Seiyu Oyata, was fortunate to meet two martial artists who passed on their unique knowledge and understanding of martial arts.

RyuTe^® is a comprehensive system of martial arts

Brazilian jujitsu is all the rage these days for the simple reason that it's proved effective in mixed martial arts competitions. But people didn't just start tackling in the last twenty years, and so discover a need for ground defense.

Taika says that, regardless of any claims some martial artists may make, no self defense technique or theory is really new. How far back in history can you trace wrestling? How long have people been boxing?

I'm not capable of discovering all the intricacies of self defense on my own. No one is. But when knowledge is systematized and passed down to succeeding generations, then a comprehensive body of proven self defense emerges. Why reinvent the wheel when someone can hand you the keys to the car?

Taika is the benefactor of the accumulated knowledge of generations of professional martial artists, warriors whose techniques were tested and refined in life or death encounters. As such, the techniques and theories of RyuTe^® encompass every self defense situation I've ever seen.

Like the pieces of a puzzle, these theories and techniques fit together to form a perfect picture--a complete and total system of self defense. Not like other systems that are missing pieces and must incorporate other ideas and techniques to shore up deficiencies, ideas and techniques that are often at odds with each other.

RyuTe^® is sophisticated

I know that sophistication is not a technical term, but I'm very big on aesthetics, and Taika's techniques are beautiful!

I can't tell you how many systems I've seen where the defender, when he or she gets close enough to the attacker, resorts to a flurry of forearm smashes and knee smashes to disable the attacker. Maybe it's effective. But then again, maybe you're putting yourself at risk by getting that close to your attacker. And it's certainly not sophisticated.

Anyone can smash a face, or poke an eye. Taika stresses staying out of range of your opponent and disabling him from there. If I damage my opponent's arm, then I can easily tie him up with a tuite technique--all from a safe distance.

But if someone pushes me and I beat his face to a pulp, who do you think is going to jail? With RyuTe^®, I have techniques that scale well with my attacker's level of aggression. I never use more force than is necessary. And if possible, I will try to gain control of my attacker so that neither one of us gets seriously hurt. The sophisticated techniques of RyuTe^® allow me to do this.

RyuTe^® is self-control

Taika's body is always under control. Everyone who sees Taika in action is impressed at how smoothly he executes his techniques. He never jumps around or makes unnecessarily large foot or hand motions. And, even at eighty-two (as of this post), he has no problem handling larger, younger opponents.

Beginners tend to be wild. They don't know what their arms or legs are doing and their motions tend to be jerky and uncoordinated. Smooth motions are not easy to come by. Taika likens it to the difference between writing block letters and writing in cursive. Block letters are for kindergarten, cursive is for someone more experienced with the alphabet. The kata motions are the alphabet. I'll never be able to put kata motions together for technique if I'm still "writing" in block letters.

I can't tell you how many times I've heard Taika stress the need for us to control our own body first. Our own hands, feet, balance. Only when I'm in complete control of my body can I effectively control an attacker's body with technique. Only by refining my motions can I gain control. Smooth, compact execution is essential.