Shin Shu Kan Karate & Kobudo-Seminar with Hanshi Steve Stark

 

 Shin Shu Kan-Ryukyu Kempo Karate & Kobudo:

Presents an Open Invitation Seminar with Hanshi Steve Stark

Saturday, October 1st, from 11:00a.m. until 3:00 p.m.

 $50.00 per person

The Shin Shu Kan Dojo is located at 12003 South Strang Line Road

Olathe, Kansas 66062

*Northwest of the AMC Multi-Plex Theaters

Don't miss this rare opportunity to train one-on-one with a senior student of Taika Seiyu Oyata!
About Hanshi Stark:
Hanshi Stark began training in Ryukyu Kempo karate in 1970.
He was a personal  student of Taika Oyata from 1977 to 2010.
Senior student of Taika Oyata.

Hanshi Stark is the author of : Quest-The Ancient Way, a story of his life experiences with Taika Oyata

I've Been Busy (Just Keep Training)

                          

 Goshin Jitsu-Okinawa Kempo Kobudo

This is the new logo I designed for our research group.

*Warning-This blog deals with the truth, it may be too much for some people.

I've been busy!  Have had several people inquire as to why no new martial arts blog posts lately.
You already have the short answer. Here comes the long, drawn out explanation and subsequent
sermon.I have  been very busy with martial arts training,  lifting weights and  running-it's been nice, very productive.Focusing on getting into very good shape and health.
Not spending much time online these days,  I highly recommend it to everyone.
I have been doing martial arts training 3-4 days a week, 2-3 hours per session.
Martial arts are a significant part of my life and always will be.

I am also working on another book-have about 50 really good, finished pages. This one will take

some time, the last one took 10 months.It may be a few years before I have the book I want.

I do not consider myself a writer, but I have a lot of ideas and information to share from my
point of view. I'm not in a hurry-it will be done when I am satisfied.
The last book was something I wanted to do for fun-for family and close, personal friends.
I had a friend publish a limited number of copies.(Some say it was the Greatest Book Ever Written)
(some say it wasn't)
The new book will be sold commercially.

This blog has been great for me and judging from the number of personal emails I receive, there are
a lot of people who can relate to these blog posts.It's hard to believe I am approaching 8,000 hits,
 from all over the world -split almost evenly between the martial arts and tree care posts.

I am trying to be very particular about how I spend my time, keeping things in my life positive.
Negativity is everywhere, negative people, negative opinions and ideas-don't let it affect you.
There are always a lot of people living in the past-that's all they have in their lives, they can't let go, it's very sad.I can and I have- the past is prologue, let it go people. Move past it, get on with your life.
Or better yet, let it continue to bother you forever, gnaw at you, let it eat you up inside, drag all that hate, jealousy - all that emotional baggage  around for the rest of your life.

 I have made a choice to spend as much time as
possible training in the martial arts of  Mr. Oyata-I owe it to him and myself to continue the journey.
I am still trying to live up to whatever potential he saw in me, but on my terms.
My journey will not be yours, that's the way it should be. You live your life, I'll live mine.
I don't concern myself or worry about what anyone else is doing, it doesn't affect me in any way.
We all view martial arts differently, perhaps that is a good thing, or maybe that's why martial artists don't get along in large groups for extended periods of time.Everybody wants or is looking for different things.
For me it's a  very personal journey with some good friends/training partners.

Our martial arts research group (Goshin Jitsu) has been busy-
Aside from everything else we do, here are a few of the newer things we are working on-

 Mike Yoch, one of my training partners, has finished creating some beautiful Hickory and Oak
nunchaku. They are some of the nicest, tapered, octagonal nunchaku I have ever seen.
We have been  working on an advanced nunchaku kata taught  by Jon Dilley.This is a very
detailed, intricate kata.I haven't always been a big fan of nunchaku until Jon shared this particular form with us.(You should see it, it's very nice) I have not seen anyone else with the timing, footwork and detailed fix-ups Jon's kata has. Jon also has some excellent kama fix-ups, lots of subtle motion-incredible detail,
great timing,speed and power-it's very good.

I have finished an advanced version of Kunishi Sai-it takes all of the fix ups I learned from Mr. Oyata
and additional striking and covering motion I have added. It looks amazing and it flows.
Currently teaching it to several worthy people. (For free! Interesting  new concept in martial arts)
This is as close to the version I learned from Mr. Oyata that I will ever teach.
(you should see it, it's really nice)

Working on an advanced version of Uhugushuku sai- this one is very cool, takes the fix ups Taika
showed me and additional striking and covering, it's a lot of work but will be worth it when completely finished.(This one is a gem-fast and flowing,  it's amazing, guaranteed to make people's heads explode.)

Personally working on my fix ups to Manji Sai- this has been very interesting.Have not shared this yet.
We have made some subtle and not so subtle changes to the Naihanchi kata-hand motion, footwork, stances and body positions. I believe this is a progression/evolution that translates well into technical application.
Created a fighting Bo exercise, it is smooth, fast and effective-currently working on version #2.

Have an original fighting Tonbo exercise, working on a few extra details- it's very interesting.
Working on very specific tuite techniques, takedowns and pins,lots of different arm bars/rolls, neck strikes,    neck wraps/ takedowns  and lots of other striking techniques-my favorite!

Thanks to Hanshi Steve Stark and Renshi Mike Anderson, we are working on the most advanced version
of Shi Ho Happo no Te I have ever seen-taught personally to Mr. Stark from Taika Oyata.
The interesting thing about his version is how exact/refined  and powerful every motion is- Mr. Stark is an incredible martial artist, this kata done by him looks like  I always imagined it could/should.
I honestly believe that Mr. Oyata taught him this version and timing for a reason, the
foremost being he was probably  the one person who would take it and make it his own.
*I have seen  people doing this form over the years  with all the power, speed and finesse of a drunken, one-eyed chicken hopping around.(There are  some uninspiring versions out there).

I have become much more intent on working very specific kata, weapons and life protection techniques.
My firm belief is that too many people "dabble" in martial arts, they try to learn and know everything, all at one time. Or they just do what is easy or what comes easy to them, never working on things that take them out of their own comfort zone.I believe you have to embrace it all-the hard and soft, the things you like, the things that you don't-this will help make you a more complete martial artist.

Once you have been training for some years, my recommendation is to specialize-find the things that appeal to you most and those that you do well and pursue those things-perfect them. My current theory is to excel at several different  things- not try to learn everything under the sun.
How many things can a human being actually master in a lifetime?
It's easy to do 100 things in a mediocre fashion, anybody can do that. If I know 25 different kata, but they all look the same, there is no timing, power, precision, or particular understanding of my motion-what do  I really have?
Do you understand what you are doing? Have you done each particular form thousands of times?
If you do not  truly understand the kata-if you cannot pull martial arts techniques out of the kata, then
it is just  a  physical workout with some kicks and strikes thrown in.
 How I think about the individual motions, the body mechanics,
how I translate that as life protection techniques/how I think about that technique is equally important as the physical aspects of the kata.

I am working on my own version of my teacher's martial arts- kata done my way, weapons done my way and my own unique life protection techniques-they will not be like yours, nor should they be. Doesn't it seem that Mr. Oyata was training all of us  to do this? To figure it out, to go our own way, to develop things for ourselves,  martial arts that work for us. I stress this to the people I am training with. This has to work for you, it has to be part of you,  it doesn't matter how somebody else does it.


Feel free to train however you want to...........everybody is a critic and an expert these days, everybody knows more than you.
Me? I am still training, pushing myself. I always have and always will.
People will always talk smack-who cares what any of these mouth warriors have to say?
It's just a question of mind over matter-you don't mind them because they really don't matter. 
 How you deal with them is to just keep training, you are most likely better than them already, while they are busy worrying about everyone else and running their mouths, you are light years ahead of them in actual ability. Just keep training, you will always get out of this exactly what you put into it.

Martial arts is a marathon, not a sprint, a  lifelong synergy of mind and body.
The longer I do this martial art, the more subtle motion  I am aware of, the more I see and feel in everything I do. I am constantly adding to what I learned from Mr. Oyata, this is what we should all be doing to advance our martial arts.
My focus now is private martial arts-working with a few talented, committed individuals.
I have little interest in public martial arts-if you want to do that, I wish you luck and  success.

My teacher's karate is not necessarily for the masses, very few people are willing to dedicate themselves to this martial art-to put the time and energy into owning it, making it their own.

I was fortunate to learn from a martial arts master and two of his senior students.
I have been around and trained with some talented martial artists in an association-I have also been around some  people who  talked a good game, but in reality did not have the
 physical skill/technique to save their own lives if they had to.Why? because they never really pushed themselves-they only did just enough to get by, or did what was easy-they never pushed themselves or left their comfort zone.

Just having trained with Mr. Oyata does not make any of us great martial artists.
Our teacher was truly great, but we don't get to be great by default, just by having trained with him.
Nobody does-you can pretend if you want to, certainly feel free to entertain the illusion-there are
 people under the delusion that they are great martial artists  just because of their association with Mr. Oyata, not based on actual abilities or ever working really hard for many years.
Convincing ourselves we are great is the easy part.

 Ask yourself the following questions:
Are you  at a professional level in your martial arts?
Do you constantly practice and refine your kata? Do you push yourself in your training?
Are your life protection techniques still relevant? Do they work on everyone? 

My secret to life-Just keep training!

Bad day at work?-Train! And while training, picture yourself crushing  the people who pissed you off today.
Sick/low energy?-Train for 2 hours! Sweat it out crybaby!
Girlfriend/Wife issues?-Suck it up Nancy, all real women are feisty, they are a handful!
More Training!! Training will make you strong- like bull! Women can't resist you!
Are you Sad?  Lonely?-Quit being such a wussy! You are  sad and lonely because you are not training enough-Now Go Train!!!!!
Any Questions? No? Good, now Go Train!

Training in martial arts has raised me up when I was at my lowest-it has sustained me, carried me, nourished my body and mind. That original fire still burns deep inside-from the first time I met Mr. Oyata and began training until today- that burning desire to learn this, to be part of this and to make it mine.I am grateful every day of my life for my experiences with Mr. Oyata. After 30+ years, I 
am really coming to a deeper understanding of his wisdom, philosophy and his martial arts.
I will never stop training or thinking about the progression/ evolution of the martial arts of my teacher.

Thanks for stopping by-but before you go: I am having some great times with good people!
We have our own research group,working on our own martial arts, theories/ideas-it's nice.
I am doing well, training all the time, lifting weights and running-some call it paradise.
Currently living life to it's fullest and doing martial arts on my own terms-thanks for asking.

 I am posting a few pictures of my teacher,
the legendary martial artist Taika Seiyu Oyata.
Enjoy!

Real Okinawan Karate-by Brad Hatfield

I am currently training with Hanshi Steve Stark and his  top student Mike Anderson in Olathe, Kansas. I feel energized in our time together, working on life protection techniques, advanced kata and weapons training in a  welcoming atmosphere. Our martial arts research group continues to flourish with new ideas and skills, working  with like-minded people.

I do not give many endorsements, but in this case feel it is entirely necessary to endorse
Hanshi Stark and Mike Anderson's Olathe school. Their school,Shin Shu Kan, is one of the very few schools in Kansas City teaching real Okinawan karate, the way it was taught to Mr. Stark, by Taika Seiyu Oyata. There is a lot of imitation-there are quite a few posers around, but there is an extremely limited number of people who have the depth of knowledge and fighting technique that Mr. Stark has and teaches.

About Hanshi Stark:
Hanshi Stark began training in Ryukyu Kempo karate in 1970.
He was a personal  student of Taika Oyata from 1977 to 2010.
Senior student of Taika Oyata.

I have trained off and on with Steve Stark for 20+ years.It was my honor and privilege to train as his student and to  help him run classes at his school in Overland Park, Kansas. There are very few people in the United States with his skill and knowledge.
My personal opinion?
He is probably the most complete, most skilled martial artist to come out of Mr. Oyata's organization. I believe his intelligence, physical skill, explosive speed/power and understanding of Mr. Oyata's martial arts have given him superior life protection techniques that  put him at a level very few practitioners have attained.
Mike Anderson is the top student of Mr. Stark. Having trained with him at Mr. Oyata's Headquarters for several years, it is a genuine  pleasure to see the level of maturity and skill he has attained in martial arts.He is a highly qualified instructor who holds Godan ranking. (5th degree) I am truly proud to train with these gentleman and to  share in their unique views on Taika Seiyu Oyata's martial arts.

Anyone looking for real martial arts training, not never ending discussion, martial arts
theory or tippy tap training, but real life protection/fighting skills,
 should come check out Mike Anderson's school in Olathe, Kansas.
Shin Shu Kan is located at 12003 South Strang Line Road,
just Northwest of the AMC Multi-Plex Theaters. 913-636-9325

Dormant Pruning of Trees by Brad Hatfield

It's getting to be that time of year again. The perfect time for pruning trees.
Late Fall/Winter or dormant pruning is important for several reasons.
First and foremost, there are no active pathogens at this time of year-no active diseases
to infect wood, branches or leaves.
There are also no active insects that might otherwise be attracted to fresh pruning cuts,
particularly bark beetles (Nitidulid) that might be attracted to Oak trees and a known vector of
the Oak Wilt fungus. This is a great, safe time to prune Oaks, particularly in areas where Oak Wilt has
been an issue.
American Elm trees should also be pruned this time of year, when there are no bark beetles that would be attracted to fresh pruning cuts-these are the beetles transmitting the Dutch Elm disease fungus.

The nice thing about dormant pruning is the lack of leaves-every part of the tree is visible this
time of year, without thousands of leaves blocking the light.
Individual limbs, points of attachment, any cracks/splits on individual limbs or between tree stems-everything is much easier to see.

Pruning-We need to be careful when pruning-every pruning cut is an injury to the tree, we must
make pruning cuts at branch collars or to an adjacent lateral limb 1/3 in size or greater.
When in doubt, hire a Certified Arborist-they can tell you exactly what your tree or trees need and  what they don't need.
Less is more in pruning. Branches and leaves are a "food" source for the tree, be careful that you
are doing selective pruning-have a plan so the minimum of foliage is removed.
Here in the Midwest, there is a tremendous amount of overpruning occurring.
People equate the amount of foliage removed with a good pruning job-this is not a haircut!

Remove 2 inch sized deadwood and larger, lightly thin inner canopy-selectively!
Prune back from roof, house, wires....etc. Consider pruning limbs back instead of complete removal.
Once that limbs is cut and removed, there is no putting it back on.

I cannot stress enough the importance of hiring professionals-you always get what you pay for.

Here is a photo I like that explains some of the basic concepts of pruning.

Emerald Ash Borer in Kansas City-It's Here!
If you aren't planning on preventative treatments, 

you can Kiss Your Ash tree goodbye.

*Emerald Ash Borer Update-
EAB is now in suburban Johnson County!

Based on the recent finds of EAB, we are recommending all homeowners with high value Ash trees inject them in 2015 for control of Emerald Ash Borer.

 If you have a valuable Ash tree or trees, there is  one treatment method that has worked every time it has been

 used correctly. Do not settle for anything less than Tree-Age.

 

 *There are other chemicals being marketed for EAB control that are not going to work well on large trees or under heavy beetle pressure.

 

The picture below is worth a thousand words-Tree-Age treated tree on the left, untreated tree on the right. Any Questions?

Pictured below is an Ash tree we removed March 19th, 2015  in Prairie Village, Kansas.
The tree was dying and had serpentine galleries caused by Emerald Ash Borer. Folks, have no doubt, EAB is here!

Map of Emerald Ash Borer Infestation as of March 2, 2015

 Pictured below is an an Ash tree in Wyandotte County, Kansas.Picture was taken May 2nd, 2014. EAB infestation was confirmed.

To put things in perspective, here is a photo of what a typical street lined with Ash trees looks like before and after EAB.

 
*We will see this in local neighborhoods, on untreated Ash trees.

 Winter 2014/2015-Received an email from KCMO City Forester Kevin LaPointe. Forestry crews are finding EAB everywhere on the Missouri side and are finding it far South, close to State Line/119th.

September 2014-EAB is on the move!
EAB was confirmed in Shawnee Mission Park and in Overland Park. These 2 recent finds tell us that EAB is moving through Johnson County.
Kevin Lapointe, City Forester for Kansas City, Missouri has confirmed that his crews are finding EAB everywhere.

June 26, 2014-Emerald Ash Borer found in Roeland Park, Kansas.City Forester Carl Wisdom confirmed EAB was found in a trap tree.
This was verified through state and federal agencies.
This is the first confirmed find in the suburban Johnson County area and should be considered a wake-up call for residents with high value Ash trees. Now is the time to start injecting for preventative control.

 

Ryukyu Ronin and other excerpts from my book

*Warning-My uncensored take on things. Also, if you are sensitive and your feelings are easily hurt, you sound like a bitch-don't read my blog.
Caveat Emptor-Let the buyer beware, my book  excerpts and this  blog are worth exactly what you paid for them.

Chapter Three-Ryukyu Ronin 
I began training in Ryukyu Kempo in 1986 with Kyoshi Greg Lindquist. I started training at Ryukyu Kempo Headquarters in 1990 and continued training there  until 2007. I am still very active, still training. I will never stop working on the things my teacher  taught me.

 My teacher is gone.  I will never  acknowledge  anyone as his equal.
There is nobody remotely close to his skill level and depth of knowledge and
there is nobody else that I would be willing to follow as a true Master. We were all fortunate to train with a living legend, perhaps the last real Master of Ryukyu Kempo. I will spend the rest of my life trying to polish and perfect what he taught me.

Japanese characters/Kanji for Ronin- Literally “wave man” a man adrift, tossed by waves,  a masterless samurai. There is a small group of serious martial artists I am currently training with.This is the symbol we have chosen for ourselves, worn proudly on the backs of the shirts we designed. We have no problem standing alone, or being outside of a group.
Ultimately we all must be able to stand alone with our martial arts.
We are constantly studying and refining kata, weapons, Tuite, Kyusho and tying different techniques together. It is pretty interesting so far. We spend a lot of time polishing certain kata and specific  life protection techniques.There is no rank,no egos, no money involved and there are no politics. It is a wonderful thing and I am perfectly happy.

To me, this is how martial arts training should be.
This is nothing but pure martial arts training, working on what we choose.

After all these years of training, I can stand alone, I don’t need anybody to hold my hand.
I have no interest in training with large groups of people, especially a group full of people who don’t like each other. I am only interested in drama free martial arts training.
I do not have the time or patience anymore to deal with other people’s  bullshit.
It sounds bad to say I don’t care, but the reality is, I just don’t care-save the drama for your mama.


The martial arts I learned from my teacher are enough to keep me busy for the 
rest of my life. Until I find my teacher's equal, I do not feel compelled to listen to
anyone else tell me how to train, do kata or technique.
You do things your way and I will do things the way my teacher showed me.
My loyalty begins and ends with my teacher.

At this point, I am more concerned with training  and passing on the Master’s teachings to a few  worthy individuals than I am  about belts, money , who is better than the other guy, who did what, who said what……..does it really matter any more ? Any of that crap? It sure as hell doesn’t matter to me.

I feel our teacher challenged us on many levels-to be better people, to be honest, fair, to persevere and most importantly : to find the right individuals to train with and teach.
I feel like I owe that much to my teacher- for all the time he invested in me, for trusting me,  yelling at me,correcting me and for sharing his life protection techniques.
The Master stated to me many  times I  only needed to have 2-3 serious students,not to worry about having a martial arts school but to have the right individuals, decent people with  good, strong character, to train with and teach.I could not agree with him more.

My teacher  gave me his permission on several separate occasions to have some private students-that is all the permission I will ever need to train people,I asked for and received my teachers permission and blessing.

Let me be perfectly clear about something:
I will always  work on kata and techniques the way my teacher showed me. 
I will also take his ideas about kata, body mechanics, technical applications
of life protection techniques and add to them, expand and build on these ideas.

Something I have noticed over the years is how many martial arts
practitioners want everyone to do things their way, often trying to
dictate kata, exercises and technical applications to their own standards and
 ideas and trying to tell you this is the only way they can be done correctly.

I have a problem with this and so should any other intelligent, free
thinking martial artist.You cannot put martial arts into one box and
say "this is it, this is the only way we can do  it".
Does anyone else see how ludicrous this is? Yet in every group or
association there are people doing this every day, saying this is the
 only way it can be done or if you didn't get NaihanchI 7 Office, 
the latest updated version, you cannot do or understand Taika's
martial arts. This is complete and utter bullshit.

Don’t be offended if I don’t want to do a kata or exercise or technique  the way you think it should be done.Or if you choose to be offended, it’s your problem, not mine.
I stood in front of the Master  almost every week  for 17 years, being fixed, corrected, yelled at and cross-examined. I spent hundreds, actually a couple thousand  hours training 3 feet away from him, with him watching my every move. I know what he wanted and how he wanted it done.  Generally because he was in my face telling me.
So I wouldn’t forget or misremember, I  wrote it all down, every night after every class.

I also have an interesting memory that is pain based, I never forget a beating or a particularly painful technique.Like many others, I graduated  from Ryukyu University with a degree in hard knocks.

The world is full of people claiming to be students of the Master. I know most of the
people who trained for many years with him.

I wonder how many people claiming to be students of the Master  can honestly say the same thing? That they spent years training in front of/with  a martial arts legend every week.
That they had a close, personal relationship with a martial arts master. I know how lucky I am.
Does any of  this make me great? Hardly, but I worked my ass off,took my lumps, paid my dues and learned  many things over the years from my teacher.

Years ago I was obsessed with getting a black belt from the Master. Once I received this from him, I realized how much more I had to learn and quit worrying as much about belts/rank.
I never asked to test or asked for rank. I waited for it.
It was enough for me that I was training with an Okinawan karate master.
I figured when my teacher felt I  I was ready, I would be tested. Belts and titles mean very little to me at this point, whether it’s my own or someone else’s.

Can you defend yourself and your family? Protect your life and the lives of the people that matter the most to you? That is what’s real, that’s what we should all be training for. That’s all that really matters in the end. I don’t care  how pretty  your weapons katas are, how many katas and exercises you know, how pretty your little  calligraphy is, how good you look in your uniform,how many belts you have, who gave you what title. Do you train hard? Do you have good life protection techniques? Can you put people down quickly?
This is real martial arts, not a social club or fraternity-you better be able to fight when you have to or you are truly pissing in the wind. 
 
 Delusions of Grandeur-Over the years of my training, there have been many people  who seemed to believe they were going to be the one to get a Menkyo from Taika .
( A Menkyo kaiden is a scroll or certificate given  to the person that will assume the leadership position of a martial arts system and has the rights to teach that system). I wish I had  5 dollars for every time someone told me how great they or their teacher are and how he would go on to take his place when he retired. Heard this one a lot.
I have heard multiple people over the years say  they or someone else  were his best or most special student, that he had chosen them as The One. (I believe delusions of grandeur are a classical symptom defined in the manic state of bipolar disorder and also present in  schizophrenia).
I have heard many people over the years stating  that they or their instructor were going to be handed the keys to the kingdom.That they were the Master’s right hand man and would take over after he was gone.

The only living person that has an actual certificate and teaching license
in their possession is my first instructor, Tasshi Greg Lindquist.  Tasshi Lindquist is the only living recipient of a nin te sho certificate, publicly awarded to him by the Master. This certificate gives Tasshi Lindquist full rights and responsibility to teach the public and private family art of our teacher, as well as evaluate and award rank and titles in his art.

If anybody else  had been given one, it would be shouted from the rooftops , would be all over the Internet and message boards and the subject of martial arts gossip the world over.
Had this ever happened,  we would have heard about
people’s heads exploding, martial artists throwing themselves on the ground, kicking and screaming- having tantrums and weeping openly in public. We would certainly hear of some holding their breath until they get one , with some actually turning green and dying from envy  and frustration.
Or perhaps I am wrong, according to all the people I have heard speak of this, there must be several floating around-who knows, maybe everybody but me received one. Maybe there are hundreds. As our teacher would say “I don’t think so”.

I stepped back from organized training  in 2007 for a variety of reasons, but  spending more time with my family,especially my son, was certainly on my mind.  Nothing in my life is more important to me than my  family. I was also tired of the grind, politics and just tired of some people in general. There are no bad feelings, just a general discontent with the status quo.

It was around this time that a fellow practitioner made a rather interesting observation:
He said he thought the Master had taught us 95% of what he was going  to.
At the time, it certainly  seemed that he was correct-we were not doing a lot of Tuite or Kyusho or much technique in general. We were doing a lot of exercises, footwork……….etc.
All of it was very relevant, but not very satisfying.
I felt that we were not working on the things I really wanted to do.

Chapter Ten-Pain is Weakness Leaving Your Body

" From life's school of war, that which does not kill me, makes me stronger"-Friedrich Nietzsche

Bogu Kumite-
Bogu/full contact fighting is only one aspect of Taika's art, but a very important
one that should never be neglected.We did a lot of bogu fighting in those days.
Our instructors would throw the beginners in with the advanced students-
It was painful, you got your ass handed to you repeatedly.
I'm still not convinced it builds character, but it will toughen you up, make you mean.

You learn quickly to keep your hands up, how to block  powerful kicks and punches  and the importance of moving to your opponents weak side.
You also learn what it feels like when people are trying very hard to knock you out and
kick your ribs in.

There are two kinds of people in this martial arts world:
Those who do bogu fighting and really like it and those who try it and never want to do it again.
*If you  don’t want to get hit or kicked, maybe you should find and practice a martial art that is not based on striking and kicking techniques. Perhaps you should look for a hobby that doesn’t involve hard work or pain.Try sewing, macrame, basket weaving, finger puppets, finger painting or kite flying . Excuse me-I digress.

Bogu fighting hurts-it is an exercise in pain , but it teaches you to fight, to respond, to accept the pain and continue fighting. Life is a test and what better test than to  fight someone trying very hard  to knock you out, to physically  hurt you.
I loved bogu fighting then and I love it to this day- a chance to hit people,  hit and kick them as hard as you can and not get into trouble/thrown in jail ? Sign me up.

I had been training for several months, working on basics/ exercises and the first katas.
Aside from Bogu fighting and endless kata training, we did a lot of heavy bag training, shield training, suburito drills (wooden sword) lots of tuite/grappling  and makiwara.

*Makiwara-just a quick word on this, please allow me  a moment  to vent- I have been listening to people bitch and moan about makiwara training for years. A lot of people don’t like Makiwara. A lot of people are also lazy, weak  crybabies.
(This is too hard, ow-that hurts) If you are too much of a pussy to hit a makiwara, then don’t  hit a Makiwara. Nobody  cares!  
There are  different types of makiwara, this is the one I prefer. A thick, wrapped bundle of rice rope attached tightly to a thick  board.

I Hate Crybabies! This is what I see in my mind when I hear  people complaining.
*I don’t want to Bogu fight, it hurts when I get hit- I don’t like to hit the Makiwara, it hurts my  little  hands and makes me cry”. Our teacher  would say ”Like doodle (little) baby”.

If you want to have the punch technique of a schoolgirl, by all means,
don’t ever do any heavy bag work, makiwara or hand/arm conditioning.

Pictured below-Okinawan karate legend Choki Motobu working  technique on Makiwara.
These photos are public domain in the United States

Okinawan martial artists are well  known for their striking techniques, particularly the penetrating
power of their punches, as well as specific knuckle, finger and thumb strikes.

Shigeru Nakamura and Choki Motobu were legendary for their punching technique and power
and well known use of the makiwara. My teacher is equally  legendary for his punching technique and power and well known use of makiwara.
Do you see a pattern forming here? I sure as hell do.
When I first trained with the Master  at the 23rd Street Headquarters, guess what lined the walls-Makiwara!
Guess what we trained on under the direction of our teacher? Makiwara!
I may not be a genius, but  there must have been some reason for this. At the 23rd Street Headquarters I saw the Master hit a makiwara, drive it to the wall and hold it like there like  it was nothing. For the record, I never saw anybody else come halfway close to duplicating that feat, on the type of makiwara we were training with. As hard as I tried,I could never duplicate this feat.
Like everything else we do, there is an art to training with Makiwara. If you are simply punching a Makiwara to toughen up your knuckles/hands, you are only scratching the surface.

I know our teacher stated in his later years it wasn’t necessary, but I will keep my thoughts on that to myself.
I would ask this: How did they (Motobu, Nakamura, Taika) learn to strike so effectively when they were younger? How did our teacher have such a devastating,penetrating  punch technique?  HMMMM………..I am sensing a pattern here.

Some people say makiwara  is mindless, punishment training. I would respond to these people to please  try and take a  punch from someone that has been using a makiwara correctly for years-they will knock your dick in the dirt !   Most Okinawan systems and martial artists still use makiwara. We just have to hit you well one time.

In my home training area,  my personal torture devices include a 250 pound heavy bag I work out on, a Wing Chun dummy, 2 Makiwara and a thick canvas bag filled with 10,000 steel BB’s for iron palm, finger  and hand conditioning. I have been doing this sort of training and  conditioning since 1986.I know all of this training works for me.

The last time I struck somebody in the body with real intent, (they deserved it) it felt like I was hitting a soft bag of water, the effects were immediate and extremely effective. It all comes down to your personal choice and what is packed in your sack.(I have 3 large testicles in mine) Do what you want to, I choose to train on a makiwara.
End of sermon.

“You can only fight the way you practice”-Miyamoto Musashi