An Exciting Seminar Hosted by Quest Karate of Long Valley, N.J.

PHOTO'S FROM SEMINAR

        On Saturday, Feb. 12, 2005, Grand Master Ed McGrath, the chosen successor to Grand Master Don Nagle appeared at a local Church activity Hall, that Sensei Kately had rented for the occasion. With assistance from one of his longest students, Master John Pinghero, Ninth-Dan, Hanshi McGrath enjoyed an enthusiastic and warm reception, as he performed his seminar on his “Principles in Fighting.” The seminar was in two segments, first for the younger students and the second part for teens and adults.

        Starting the seminar, with a capacity audience of parents in attendance, Hanshi McGrath, addressed the Esprit that students should feel, when they draw on their gi top, with an Isshin-Ryu patch on the left side of their uniform, the Mizu-Gami. He then discussed the difference between students signing up for karate lessons in this day and age, as compared to enrolling as a student in the first Isshin-Ryu dojo in America, taught by Sensei Don Nagle. In 1957, no one in America knew what karate was or where it came from. He told them about the ethereal feeling of performing the movements of the Basics, let alone the katas and mentioned that he felt that kicking was dirty fighting, until he saw Sensei Nagle, termed the “Living Legend,” by the magazines, throw some of his favorite kicks. The Grand Master said that, “he couldn’t wait to emulate the kicks that his teacher was demonstrating. In fact, he said that since he and his Sensei were built along the same lines, tall and thin, he deliberately tried to emulate, as exactly as he could, every fighting move that Master Nagle used, when fighting. He told anecdotes about many of the students of that first dojo, such as Don Bohan, Rick Niemira, Jim Chapman and Ralph Bove. He made it plain that fighting at that time on Sensei Nagle’s deck was a tough and injurious manner of learning the art of Isshin-Ryu. He explained that he considered Tatsuo Shimabuku, Soke, though a farmer, was a genius, since he took his deep knowledge of Goju-ryu and Shorin-ryu karate, mixed with his proficiency in various forms of Okinawa-Te, taught to him as a youngster, into a new paradigm in the martial arts. He told them about the feelings of the other Sensei's on the Island, when they realized that he had changed the very foundation of karate, by formulating an art based solely on logic and the basis of physiology of the human body. He innately knew that this revolutionary and relaxed style of fighting was perfect for close combat, which Grand Master McGrath has been teaching to Marines since the mid-sixties and how he utilizes Isshin-Ryu as Hand-To-Hand Combat. He then demonstrated the proficiency of relaxed Ippon-Kumite and then had the students try the moves. Sensei McGrath moved back and forth among the students, correcting their mistakes and showing them that the principles of Isshin-Ryu, as taught by Sensei Nagle, of whom he spoke in detail and with the warmth he had for this man who became his best friend, Speed, Balance and Focus would replace size and sheer power.

       With the second group he went right into Ippon-Kumite, but stressed the fact that he fought, as his Master had, with his hands open, arms and shoulders relaxed, in order to block quickly and retaliate immediately. These Ippons were fast and furious, blocking quickly utilizing his Directional Blocking System, which simply diverts the direction of the aggressor’s blow, allows the defender to grasp and control the opponent’s arm or leg, with immediate retaliation to killing or disabling targets, then using leverage gained by oblique movement, to grasp the aggressor’s head tearing at the eyes and face quickly and then throwing the foe to the ground head first. In each case, the energetic Grand Master allowed the paired off students to become accustomed to the moves, moving among them, spotting incorrect movement or lack of aggressiveness and making sure that they never came straight at the opponent, face to face. He told them that movement was their best weapon, since his motto was, “Don’t get hit.” This has been his rallying cry for five decades. He forced the students to be aggressive, in order to fight for their life. He also discussed sharpening their awareness, in the dojo and on the street.

        He finished the second segment with the adults, by showing how to attack nerve centers all over the aggressor’s body, so that no matter how you are grasped, by using the tip of their thumb into a nerve center and simultaneously get control of the foe’s body, to finish him off.

        At the end of each segment, he autographed pictures that Sensei Kately had prepared and took pictures with many of the students. In all probability, he signed about 100 pictures and posed with just about every participant in the seminar. The former “Voice of Karate,” also addressed and catered to the parents in the crowd, joking with them and making sure that their youngsters knew that they would ruin or shorten their life if they used alcohol or drugs, as well as starting to smoke. All in all, everyone seemed to enjoy the day, including Grand Master McGrath, who several times told the students that he was enjoying this experience and their fellowship, as much as they had enjoyed the five hours, which seemed to be over, too soon. 

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