Matsubayashi Shorin-ryu Article

Why is it, in your opinion, that a lot of students start falling away after two-three years of training?

Impatience and frustration. After a couple of years they’re starting to pick a few physical skills and can begin to see some basic results of their efforts. They may even be able to handle themselves in a minor scuffle pretty good. But then they have that “ah ha” moment and realize that it’s going to take many years, decades even, before they reach the level of competency to really know the art. It’s frustrating to be sure. The more you train and the better you get the more you realize just how much you don’t know! In the WSKF (www.shorin-ryu.net), for example it would take the average student about five years to make Shodan (1st degree black belt), provided they attend a couple classes a week and practice enough on their own. While that may be a goal for some, once one reaches Shodan they have just enough knowledge and ability to really learn the important stuff. Think of a professional baseball player as an analogy. A typical brown belt (the level just before black in our system) may be the equivalent of an AAA ball player and an AA player maybe a first or second degree black belt. In my mind, you’re a Sandan (3rd Degree) before you’re playing in the big leagues. That’s when we certify our instructors, they can open their own dojo and they are invited to attend our special quarterly Kuri-Obi Kai training program. But even though you’ve made it to the big leagues it doesn’t mean you’re starting or even getting off the bench. You still have a long way to go.

Have there been times when you felt fear in your karate training?

Fear? Absolutely. As a matter of fact, I wrote about it in the first Chapter of my book. Let me read you a little bit of it; kind of a sneak preview for the readers: “It was as I was walking down the stairs from the airplane in Okinawa after a very long flight. Truth be told, I have never been scared in my life, but here I am half way around the world. No one knew I was coming. I didn’t speak the language (except for kick and punch and counting to ten). I knew that wouldn’t get me too far! I just knew for certain I had to be there. I knew I had to train with Grand Master Nagamine. I felt I had gone as far as I could with my instructors in the States. So to advance, I had to study directly with the Man himself.”

“Two weeks prior, I sat up in bed in the middle of the night and said to myself, “I have to go to Okinawa.” I told my wife I was going to Okinawa in two weeks. Of course, she thought I was out of my mind. She said, “You have no money, no passport and a dojo to run. How are you going to do it?” I told her within two weeks, I’ll have what I need. I arranged for a six month leave of absence from my job as a journeyman lithographer and put my wife and top student, Tommie Harris, in charge of the dojo. My students helped me raise the money for the airplane ticket. The next thing I knew, I was walking down the steps from the airplane to the tarmac. It was extremely hot! It hit me like a blast furnace. I’m starting to think that maybe my wife was right. I am out of my mind! Then again, that never stopped me before. Not knowing where the dojo was located, I hailed a taxi driver and asked if he knew the location of Nagamine’s dojo. He looked at me like he thought I was crazy. I tried again. “Nagamine Karate Dojo.” Then he perked up and responded, “Oh yeah, yeah, I know. I take you.” He dropped me off in front of the dojo and I placed my bags inside the entrance. I entered, scared to death. I didn’t know what was going to happen. I understood he had a dossier on me, but we had never met or even corresponded. I just sat on a bench for fifteen or twenty minutes and then he entered, Grand Master Shoshin Nagamine, the Master of our style and inventor of Matsubayashi–Ryu. He glanced over at me, so I stood and bowed. He looked at me briefly as if he had been warned by both the taxi driver and my wife. He came over and asked me what I wanted. I said, “I came here to train.”

“Now his English was about as good as my Japanese, but we could communicate enough for him to inform me to get a hotel and to come back later that very same night as he would have an interpreter there. That night, I met Grand Master Nagamine back at the dojo. Together in a taxi, we went to Sensei Chotoku Omine’s house. Once there, we sat down and conversed. He asked me, through Omine, why I was in Okinawa. I answered that I came to learn karate from the Master. He asked me what was going on in the United States. I explained that there were 25 dojos and Ansei Ueshrio had control of all of them. However, I felt there was a lot missing in my training. I had been training hard and was in great physical shape, but I told him I felt there was a piece missing. I was particularly looking for more of the mental aspect in my training. I already had a lot of the physical aspect, but knew there was much more that I just couldn’t get in the United States.

He asked me again, “But why did you come?” I took a long breath and responded, “Master, I need your help. Help me learn so I can go back and teach the people in the United States. Please help me.” He then told me that had I not asked for “help,” I would have gone back like everybody else, empty handed. He went on to say, “Help. H.E.L.P. Hope, Eternal, Love, Patience.” We then talked about some of the philosophical aspects of karate. I told him what I knew about philosophy up to that point. He said, “No, only people in Asia understand these things.” I responded respectfully, “I’m sorry but we have some very smart people in the United States.” He then told me that he wanted me to forget my way and learn his way. “Then at the end you go back home and put your way together with my way and take it to the Next Step. Then you understand.” When I realized that I was now going to train with The Master, my fear finally subsided and the hard work just began.”

What are your thoughts on the future of the art?

The future of the art is what I’ve dedicated my life to and the basis for the title of the book, . That promise was to take it to the “next level” and share The Master’s teachings and philosphy. That’s why I’m extremely grateful to Masters Magazine for giving me this opportunity to share my story with your readers. When I see just how much we’ve taken what we were taught by Grand Master Nagazime and enahced it while remaing true to his ideals and traditions, I’m extremely excited for the future. I see it continuing to grow and improve, not by leaps and bounds so much, but by tiny revelations and inspirations that continue the art forward into the 21st Century. I see it being as relavent and valuable in the next 50 years as it has been in the past 50 years. As long as we have dedicated karateka who are willing to train, learn, analyse, teach and motivate the karate will be forever be a part of martial arts landscape and trandcend fads and false “experts” who haven’t put the time, talent and teneacity into really understanding the essense of the art. As I tell my students, “I teach karate and I teach karate-do.” Anyone can learn to kick and punch, but its that higher level of understanding that melds the physical, philosphical, and physcological into a art that has a life of its own and avialble to anyone who is willing to make the effort to give to it what its ready to give to back to them.

Since you’re Chairman Emertis of The World Shorin-Ryu Karate-Do Federation (WSKF) can you tell us what the organization does for its members?

Sure. WSKF was the first organziation given a charter by Grand Master Shoshin Nagamine outside of Okinawa. We started in 1970 and our mission is to honor the Master’s vision for Matsubayashi-Ryu with a focus on continued high technical standards while remaining true to the traditions that form its foundation. As part of that commitment we, of course, provide promotion boards for advanced students, high level training, instructor certification, business direction for the dojos, conduct monthly and quarterly training programs for our advanced students and dojo owners. We also recognize those who have made contributions both on and off the deck to karate. Additionally we have created several scholarship programs. Lastly, we sponsor the WSKF Internationals every summer where karate students and guests, Shorin-ryu and other styles, attend and learn and network with each other. Your readers can take a look at our website at www.shorin-ryu.net to get an idea of all the different services we provide our members. I see WSKF at a major part of my legacy and, in addtion to the book, a way to honor my promise to Master Nagamine and I’m very proud of my Board of Directors who work tirelessly on behalf of all our members.

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