# Isshin-Ryu seminar in Kent, OH, Sep 9/10 2011



## Bill Mattocks (Aug 16, 2011)

Just passing along the information:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=273164679366061

This is Sensei John Kerker's seminar, he teaches what he learned as a student of Master Sherman Harrill, one of the first-generation American students of Shimabuku Soke on Okinawa.  I've attended his seminar in Champaign Illinois; it's full of bunkai and great lessons from Isshin-Ryu.  Worth going to if you can.  I'm not sure I can make this one, but I thought I'd pass it along.


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## Brandon Fisher (Aug 16, 2011)

Just a extra note.  Kerker Sensei does use Isshinryu as a guideline but has a Shorinryu guy I picked up some stuff from him last year and a pretty good knocking .


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## Victor Smith (Aug 17, 2011)

Having trained with Harrill Sensei and Kerker Sensei they're application studies and application principles work for all of our arts.  Harrill Sensei once spent a month in South Africa with a youth Goju camp teaching and I know he also worked with many Ueichi students.  I guarantee whatever material Kerker Sensei presents will be worthwhile, and if you can attend be sure to tell him Victor Smith says hi and that you would like to be his special uke for the day <GRIN>!


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## Bill Mattocks (Aug 17, 2011)

Victor Smith said:


> Having trained with Harrill Sensei and Kerker Sensei they're application studies and application principles work for all of our arts.  Harrill Sensei once spent a month in South Africa with a youth Goju camp teaching and I know he also worked with many Ueichi students.  I guarantee whatever material Kerker Sensei presents will be worthwhile, and if you can attend be sure to tell him Victor Smith says hi and that you would like to be his special uke for the day <GRIN>!



I was his uke for one demonstration only; just a sword-hand technique to my inner (punching) forearm and my inner (kicking) thigh.  I hurt for a very long time and he was in fact going easy on me.  Serious mojo there.


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## Victor Smith (Aug 18, 2011)

I wasn't kidding about the privilege of being his special uke. Sure there's pain but pain goes away. When my group started hosting seminars with Harrill Sensei we made as many discoveries from those who were his uke and the results as well as the techniques. For one thing the remaining marks the next day can be a great reference where to strike <GRIN>.  The most traditional instructors I've trained with always struck their senior student's hardest and in return when working with those students they could accurately tell you what you were doing wrong because you didn't elicit the same response.

Only a small part is knowing how a technique fits into an attack, there are many other force multipliers that are involved which are not apparent at first.  If one can be uke to Kerker Sensei you gain a long term advantage that makes the pain trivial.  But if you're not up for it (I was too old, decrepit, etc.) you do what you can do and that's appropriate.

just a thought,


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## Brandon Fisher (Aug 18, 2011)

Kerker Sensei discovered how much I could take last year and gave me the great privledge of being his uke for a good part of the day. I hurt for several days after but went away having learned something. His technique is very simple and straight forward but his timing on making the technique work is masterful in my opinion. Nothing flashy but very effective.


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## scottie (Aug 19, 2011)

My Sensei was one of Harrill Sensei's uke many times and would travel with him. He tells many stories of the pain for weeks after. I have never met Mr Kerker but, if he does a seminar half as good as my Sensei (and his history tells me he does) I want to be there.


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## Brandon Fisher (Aug 19, 2011)

Scottie,
I hope you can make it.


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## tayl0124 (Aug 23, 2011)

I also agree that Sensei Kerker had tremendous knowledge of technique.  You don't have to be a isshin-ryu practitioner to come away learning something from him.  I have been to 3 of his seminars now, two at our dojo in White Bear Lake, and the last in Carson Iowa a couple of weeks ago.  The first while I was a white belt, second a brown belt (which I was uke for nearly all day), and for Carson week in August.  The one thing that I have heard over and over from non isshin-ryu guys is that sensei Kerker's seminar was one of the best seminars that they have ever attended.   Sensei Kerker does a good job of keeping things simple.  Each time I have been at one of his seminars there were many people from other styles,  in that situation he doesn't so much as go through a specific isshin-ryu kata but rather goes through the basic moves in any given kata, or a basic for that matter.  I wish I could make this one, however after my trip to Carson, and the bruises that followed, I don't think the misses would allow it.


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## Bill Mattocks (Aug 24, 2011)

Here's an interesting blog entry about Sensei Kerker's seminar from a TKD practitioner: 

http://www.prairiemartialarts.com/2011/08/agony-and-ecstasy.html?spref=fb


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## tayl0124 (Sep 6, 2011)

I was at that seminar,  I am actually the one to the left of Sensei Kerker in that photo.


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## Brandon Fisher (Sep 10, 2011)

Sorry everyone missed Sensei Kerker's seminar if was very enjoyable as usual.


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