Revisiting my roots

[_Simon_]

After a long journey discovering new styles, trialling many out, finding supplementary training that changed my perspective on training entirely and gave me a new way of moving, finding my new home dojo in Goju ryu and grading my way up, learning much needed softness and nuance... I found myself missing and wanting to reconnect with my old Kyokushin family. They were a huge part of my life for almost a decade, and I wanted to still keep in touch, and have wanted to attend just their major event training sessions for awhile.

So there was a memorial training session my old dojo holds every year, and after much deliberation I contacted my old instructor/Shihan, and he was over the moon and more than happy for me to come along. I strapped on my old Kyokushin gi, green belt/4th kyu, and head there not knowing what to expect. It feels like so much has changed since then, I've changed, I approach life, training and myself differently...

I rocked up and saw so many old training buddies, and coincidentally many old timers returned as a one-off too just like me. There were people who remembered me fondly and greeted me joyously, even when I didn't think that they would remember me!

Training was just as I remember it haha, boatloads of repetitions, constant and nonstop, lots of sweat and spirit. I very happily found that during doing our standing basics in lines, I got no where near as tired as I used to doing them, and I absolutely can attribute this to how much more relaxed I am in delivering techniques. Was very pleased to feel that, and glancing at the others train alongside me I found myself wanting to pull many aside and say "you're waaaaay too tense! Relax and drop your shoulders more" etc hahaha. But still very hard, challenging and intense training.

Afterwards food and drink and really awesome to catch up with everyone, my instructors saying I'm more than welcome to pop in and train at any time. Got quite emotional, and it was so nice to reconnect with the guys.

I am really glad that I mustered up the courage and went, and it was so eye-opening to very tangibly feel how differently I move and how much smoother and less rigid my movement was. To revisit my roots felt like acknowledging my past (a big theme for this year for me I feel...), appreciate the foundation it gave me, and see how far I've come.

I remember when I left the dojo all those years ago, my instructor told me "Kyokushin will always run in your blood", and I totally, totally get that. For those who have experienced its training methods you'll get it. I know I don't plan on returning to train in my old style, but the link there to those intangible qualities I admire is something I will still nurture in future.

I plan to also attend a fight night (25 or 30 rounds of full contact kumite) soon at an open Kyokushin dojo, and also will at my old club when they have them through the year.

Has anyone else ever revisited their roots and seen them from a new perspective or appreciation?

 

[Hellabyss]

Has anyone else ever revisited their roots and seen them from a new perspective or appreciation?

I am thinking of doing it, the perspective that I had before and have now changed indeed, we always look back to our roots I guess, you can choose between stay again or wear what you got there always with you, in my case I want to stay again, martial arts always will welcome you, and you will welcome martial arts too.

 

[_Simon_]

I am thinking of doing it, the perspective that I had before and have now changed indeed, we always look back to our roots I guess, you can choose between stay again or wear what you got there always with you, in my case I want to stay again, martial arts always will welcome you, and you will welcome martial arts too.

Yeah true huh, it definitely is nice to revisit where we came from, sometimes even for some resolution of sorts

 

[_Simon_]

Just got back from a Kyokushin fight night!!!

Contacted them a few days ago and they were incredibly welcoming, said the more the merrier. I was sooo nervous if I can be honest. You never know what you'll get, especially being a new place, new faces and personalities, but they were awesome and very welcoming, and they really appreciated someone from a different style coming and I feel like we all learnt and benefited from that exposure. They didn't even charge me anything for the night, even though I insisted!

Warmed up, then actually started off with 30 minutes of kumite drills and conditioning. Then did a bunch of rounds, not as many as I envisaged we would, but maybe about 15 or so. Then helped prepare one of the instructors there who was competing soon, with a gauntlet style 30s fresh person nonstop rounds haha.

Really proud of myself, and again, I noticed that even though it was gruelling and exhausting, I was no way near as fatigued as I would usually have been. And I don't attribute it to cardio so much as I was so much more relaxed and fluid. Still went hard but there was little unnecessary tension. Great to revisit the past with a now different approach and way of being!

Maaan that was intense, but sooo much fun, survived and very sore but feelin awesome. Looking forward to the next one

 

[Gyakuto]

_Simon_!!! What’s the first bas*ard rule of Fight Club?

 

[Hot Lunch]

I suppose my "roots" would be Kobayashi Shorin-ryu, but I have no intent of ever revisiting those roots. I didn't realize just how toxic the environment at my last dojo was until I left and moved on to another. By the way, I'm not making a generalized statement based on my experience at that particular dojo. Most of what was asked of the students at that dojo is not uncommon in Shorinkan or its offshoots (BTW, I know of no other Kobayashi-ryu organizations outside of Nakazato's lineage. Maybe they're different. I dunno).

 

[Buka]

Just got back from a Kyokushin fight night!!!

Contacted them a few days ago and they were incredibly welcoming, said the more the merrier. I was sooo nervous if I can be honest. You never know what you'll get, especially being a new place, new faces and personalities, but they were awesome and very welcoming, and they really appreciated someone from a different style coming and I feel like we all learnt and benefited from that exposure. They didn't even charge me anything for the night, even though I insisted!

Warmed up, then actually started off with 30 minutes of kumite drills and conditioning. Then did a bunch of rounds, not as many as I envisaged we would, but maybe about 15 or so. Then helped prepare one of the instructors there who was competing soon, with a gauntlet style 30s fresh person nonstop rounds haha.

Really proud of myself, and again, I noticed that even though it was gruelling and exhausting, I was no way near as fatigued as I would usually have been. And I don't attribute it to cardio so much as I was so much more relaxed and fluid. Still went hard but there was little unnecessary tension. Great to revisit the past with a now different approach and way of being!

Maaan that was intense, but sooo much fun, survived and very sore but feelin awesome. Looking forward to the next one

That’s great, Simon. Sounds like you had a blast.

 

[_Simon_]

_Simon_!!! What’s the first bas*ard rule of Fight Club?

Is it let's not, but say we did?!?

 

[_Simon_]

I suppose my "roots" would be Kobayashi Shorin-ryu, but I have no intent of ever revisiting those roots. I didn't realize just how toxic the environment at my last dojo was until I left and moved on to another. By the way, I'm not making a generalized statement based on my experience at that particular dojo. Most of what was asked of the students at that dojo is not uncommon in Shorinkan or its offshoots (BTW, I know of no other Kobayashi-ryu organizations outside of Nakazato's lineage. Maybe they're different. I dunno).

Ah that's fair enough, yeah I wouldn't go back to those sort of environments. I have known some Shorin ryu guys who were amazing human beings, but unsure of much about the lineages etc. There would be others who don't operate in those toxic ways surely

 

[isshinryuronin]

I suppose my "roots" would be Kobayashi Shorin-ryu, but I have no intent of ever revisiting those roots. I didn't realize just how toxic the environment at my last dojo was until I left and moved on to another. By the way, I'm not making a generalized statement based on my experience at that particular dojo. Most of what was asked of the students at that dojo is not uncommon in Shorinkan or its offshoots (BTW, I know of no other Kobayashi-ryu organizations outside of Nakazato's lineage. Maybe they're different. I dunno).

Shorinryu is probably the most widespread of the Okinawan styles and quite common in the USA. There were two main early branches: Kyan's Shobayashi, descended from Matsumura and Chibana's Kobayashi, descended from Itosu. All of these people are karate legendary masters. (Later on, Nagamine, known for his moralistic Zen philosophy, started Mastubayshi). These shorinryu founders all had a different mix of Shuri-te influences, giving each one's style its own "flavor," yet are much alike.

Nakazato was a student of Chibana and is held in very high esteem in Okinawa. He branded his branch of Kobayashi, shorinkan. His best-known student was Yamashita Tadashi, who after gaining fame in Okinawa, became known as one of the USA's most famous and respected karate masters. I saw him in action a couple of times giving weapon demos. Even his son, at nine or ten I'd guess, was a beast with the katana. Perhaps you could track down a dojo from his lineage.

Point is, your "root" lineage has a solid and distinguished history. Any "toxicity" likely stems from certain instructors far removed from those I mentioned. Since shorin styles are pretty similar, consider going to Kyan's or Nagamine's system if you can't find one of Yamashita's students.

 

[gyoja]

Shorinryu is probably the most widespread of the Okinawan styles and quite common in the USA. There were two main early branches: Kyan's Shobayashi, descended from Matsumura and Chibana's Kobayashi, descended from Itosu. All of these people are karate legendary masters. (Later on, Nagamine, known for his moralistic Zen philosophy, started Mastubayshi). These shorinryu founders all had a different mix of Shuri-te influences, giving each one's style its own "flavor," yet are much alike.

Nakazato was a student of Chibana and is held in very high esteem in Okinawa. He branded his branch of Kobayashi, shorinkan. His best-known student was Yamashita Tadashi, who after gaining fame in Okinawa, became known as one of the USA's most famous and respected karate masters. I saw him in action a couple of times giving weapon demos. Even his son, at nine or ten I'd guess, was a beast with the katana. Perhaps you could track down a dojo from his lineage.

Point is, your "root" lineage has a solid and distinguished history. Any "toxicity" likely stems from certain instructors far removed from those I mentioned. Since shorin styles are pretty similar, consider going to Kyan's or Nagamine's system if you can't find one of Yamashita's students.

Very informative. Thank you.

 

[Hot Lunch]

Point is, your "root" lineage has a solid and distinguished history. Any "toxicity" likely stems from certain instructors far removed from those I mentioned. Since shorin styles are pretty similar, consider going to Kyan's or Nagamine's system if you can't find one of Yamashita's students.

Yes, I know that it wasn't Nakazato himself. Frank Hargrove had considerable influence in Shorinkan, and I'm told that he's the source of this - despite it being against Nakazato's wishes. But it appears that Nakazato didn't have a tight enough grip on Shorinkan to stop it. And now, in many schools, if you want that next belt, the test is gonna be an 8-hour hazefest.

 

[isshinryuronin]

But it appears that Nakazato didn't have a tight enough grip on Shorinkan to stop it.

The big mistake of the Okinawan masters made, IMO, is that they did not set up any organizational quality controls in the West, appointing someone to head up the style here and keep everyone on the same page. Whether they didn't anticipate the growth potential here, or just didn't care about it, I don't know. Perhaps they assumed with their traditional sensibilities that their lineage here would remain loyal to them and their ideals. Now things are so far gone and splintered there is no way to reverse it, and we are stuck searching for a good school run by competent, humble, loyal instructors. Good, even great traditional schools and instructors are out there; they're just hard to find sometimes. There's a lot of chaff to sift through.