Master Toby Cooling

Master Walter "Toby" Cooling taught a seminar last night for the Black Belt Club. He is a 10th Dan in Ishinryu Karate, founder of the Order of Isshin-Ryu, a fraternal organization (1971). He did an outstanding job of teach principle and self defense techniques that everyone in attendance could grasp (children, parents, kyus and yodansha). I was the lowest rank there, two other yellow belts with more experience were there as well. Mostly kids in the Black Belt Club and the yodansha.

Master Cooling was accompanied by his wife Mrs. Cooling. She helped with the techniques when we were working them but did not teach. I could tell by the way she was showing the escape from a rear choke hold that she had done some Judo. She said she wasn't very good at Judo and only tried it for a few months.

My notes from this clinic are not intended to teach others how to do the arts.

Opponent

The essay assignment for first stripe yellow belt is to describe a couple of situations where I acted like an opponent and how they very well could have been handled as a partner.

I honestly can not think of one situation where I have been an opponent. So how do I function as a partner?

The concept of training partner is one of the principles I teach in my Introduction to Jujitsu course. Every technique requires a partner to train with. Every technique is done on you as many times as you perform the technique on someone else. If you go hard and are abusive you either will not be able to find anyone to train with you or you will find someone who will be even more abusive to you (Cool, you want to see who hits softer. Dogs, I guess you win.)

In the dojo we have an Uki / Tori relationship. Uki receives the technique (often the attacker) while Tori executes the technique (the defender). Without Uki there can be no Tori. To communicate the concept to my students I sometimes use the terms trainer or coach for Uki. As the coach Uki must feed Tori something substantial to work with. As Tori develops skill in the technique the trainer changes the attack (while maintaining the intent of the art) to stretch Tori's ability to respond. On the other hand, if Uki were to come at Tori in an "opponent's" mind things would quickly escalate out of control and technique would become lost to instinctive survival responses.

At work there are two groups that don't get along to well and spend considerable effort with CYA and collecting data on the other's shortcomings. I guess I do see an opponent situation here :(. Should they follow through with the lip service they give to team work and seek ways to help one another the stress level might reduce and I'm sure the product would get to market a little sooner with higher perceived quality.

Yellow Belt, First Stripe

Monday I tested with Master Ron Joslin for the first of four yellow belt strips. Since I have been practicing Seisan Kata quite a bit it went well.

Master Joslin said the cross block after the opening 3 reverse punches is to protect the solar plexus and the heart.

Then when you pivot 180° the right leg is protecting the groin, foot on knee with the toes curled. After planting the foot the arms "catch" before the double shuto to the hips.

Last weekend I realized what felt funny about the gi grab and pull that concludes the first section. In jujitsu we pull uki to the obi and they are close enough for throws and shime. In karate we pull uke in close enough to be able to punch to the head without getting tangled up.