Isshin-ryu u-“The Art”

Applied to

   Hand-To-Hand Combat

Traditional Martial Arts vs. Hand-To-Hand Combat Requirements.

        In the study of Traditional Okinawan Isshin-ryu, the “The Art of the One Heart Way,” I have been given the honor and pleasure of teaching Hand-To-Hand Combat (H2H, here in after) to members of the United States Marine Corps. I believe that the art of Isshin-ryu is the most perfect and applicable venue of all the martial arts, to transition these unique students from the traditional, to the applicable requirements of unarmed self-defense against multiple opponents, in a life or death situation. There are several keys to H2H, simplicity, speed, maneuverability, instinct and logic.

        H2H, Logic and Simplicity – Isshin-ryu karate was based on decades of experience and empirical knowledge, gained through trial and error. Tatsuo Shimabuku, Soke spent his entire youth and early years as a young man, to becoming recognized as a Master in Okinawan Goju-ryu and Shorin-ryu, as well as the arts inherent in Okinawa, as a child. A deeply thoughtful man, gifted with a humanistic feeling of physiology, as a result of decades of kata practice and his application of the movements within the kata, to actual fighting or ju-kumite. As he studied, there was obviously a feeling of discomfort in many of the movements within these kata styles and their application to actual combat, at which Shimabuku was purported to be an uncommonly good practitioner. The result was his creation of Isshin-ryu, “The Art of The Way of The One Heart.” Based solely on pure logic, applied to the physiology of the trained combatant. Simplicity and naturalism were the answers for his new martial art. The deep positioning of the popular styles of karate were found to be restrictive to quick response. In order to come up out of these stances a considerable amount of power and energy must be exerted, in order to either throw a kick or throwing a punch. It also takes time, albeit fractions of a second. Fractions of a second, in a life or death struggle, can make all the difference in winning or losing a fight. Also, in these stances, when fighting multiple opponents, maneuverability is restricted, making that fighter vulnerable under these circumstances.

        Logic informed the Soke that this was an unfeasible principle and so he formulated more relaxed stances, from which quick response for maneuverability becomes practical. In H2H, this is a must, with multiple aggressors. This allows a practitioner to move in any direction, in order to avoid an attacker, and/or move to quickly engage another opponent that is in a vulnerable position. Positions and circumstances develop and evolve quickly, when more than two combatants are involved and this is often the situation that you are confronted with in combat, as well as, in the streets of our cities. In 1965, I was attacked by four young men, after I delivered a Workman’s Compensation check to a client, who had been injured on the job. They were sitting on my car. I stated that, “You have to move fellas. I have to leave now. As I went to put my key in the lock, one of the young men swung at me, but I felt he couldn’t hit me from the distance at which he stood. However, he had a lead pipe up his sleeve and it slid out and hit me in the face putting a crack in the bone over my eye and fracturing my cheekbone. They were in leisure clothing. I was in a suit and overcoat. When he hit me, I remember thinking that there were four of them and it wasn’t fair to use a pipe, as well. I lost my temper, shook the cobwebs out and as he swung again at my side I caught the pipe under my arm and grasped his wrist striking him with a back fist on the side of the jaw, dislocating the jaw on both sides and fracturing the jaw bone. At the same time, still holding his wrist and using his body weight on the ground, I threw a sidekick into a second one coming at me and his knee went out. He went down screaming. I let go of the original guy, and confronted a third opponent who thought I would be busy with the second man, but he was already down, when the third guy got into range to hit me, I stepped toward him snap kicked him in his ribs, breaking two of them and when he slowed; I hit him in the mouth and nose with a back fist. He went down and out. I turned quickly to the fourth man, who ran into a hallway and jammed the door with his foot. A bar that was right at the scene must have called the cops and when I heard someone yell, “put your hands up,” I was busy trying to punch a crack in the door, with multiple punches, in order to get at the fourth guy. When I turned there were two detectives and several uniformed police, some with drawn weapons. I immediately told the detective that they had attacked me and the first assailant was still holding the pipe. He was unconscious, next to the car on the sidewalk side. The second guy was behind my car, lying in the gutter. The third man was just lying further up on the sidewalk. They saw the pipe and the eye and side of my head, which was really swollen. I couldn’t see out of that eye or open it. The police believed that it would be far fetched, for me to attack four guys of my size, while in their neighborhood, in a suit and overcoat. One cop was sent up to the check recipient to check on my story. When he returned, he spoke to the detectives, who then had the four arrested and called an ambulance. I refused treatment other than ice from the bar, got in my car and left. But not until, after telling the police that I was only defending myself, the one big Irish detective said, “And a fine job you did of it, too.” Without the several years under Sensei Nagle, I believe that I would have been dead or an invalid.

        Nothing that I did during that attack was fancy or complicated, but even though their were multiple opponents and I was over-dressed for the occasion, I moved quickly and maneuvered to ensure that only one opponent could reach me, at a time. I thank my Sensei and Shimabuku Soke for making it simple and using the logic of relaxed stances and movement.

        The Soke also made what was to become a tumultuous change in the manner of punching and delivering blows to the opponent. The Sensei's on Okinawa, in the many styles of karate that were taught on the Island, utilized a stylized cork-screw punch, which was historically loaded up or positioned with the hand palm up, held under the arm-pit and when it was thrust forward it would be rolled over, so that, at contact the palm was down. The punch was to be thrown into the body, full force, thrusting deep into the body. It was much the way an American boxer would throw a knock out punch, in so far as, the follow through with shoulders back and pectorals were concerned. The Isshin-ryu punch was far more logical, if the Okinawans truly believed in the Chinese principles of Chi, since it was a vertically situated punch with the bottom of the fist facing the deck, or ground, throughout the entire punch. It need not start from any particular position, even with the hands held limp, at your sides. With the arms totally relaxed. The punch is then thrown, without torqueing or twisting of the arm muscles, which would tend to slow the punch, as it does in the corkscrew punch. Additionally, the punch is delivered to the target with an almost imperceptible penetration of the body. However, the arm is totally relaxed throughout the punch until it reaches the target, when from the soles of your feet, up through your entire body every fiber in the body tenses for just a second, delivering the bodies Chi. After penetrating, at most an inch, the punch is withdrawn faster than it was thrown. That leaves the force transferred into the opponent’s body, to create internal damage. That principle was brought to me clearly, when I was breaking eight one inch boards set on two concrete blocks, without spacers, which were never used in the 50’s or 60’s, as far as Isshin-ryu was concerned, at least. I struck the pile of boards, with focus and barely felt the boards against the side of my hand. When I looked, the pile of boards was still sitting there. However, the top board and bottom board were still intact, but the internal six boards had snapped in two. When I explained this to the audience and they saw the inside boards, they roared, understanding that I had accomplished extreme Chi. Yet I had not used any strength, nor driven my hand into the pile of boards. This principle, allows the Isshin-ryu advocate to remain totally relaxed during the fight, with just split seconds of tension. Balance that against the deep stances and locked arm positions of the older styles and determine who could fight for a longer period of time. In promotion Shias, we were often asked to fight the entire school in attendance, often 20 to 25 people, who did their best to stop you. Secondly, the Isshin-ryu fighters of that era of the 50’s and 60’s would consistently catch the opponent’s wrist or ankle on their punches and kicks, while they were unable to grab our snapped withdrawal. The Isshin-ryu punch or kick is only vulnerable for a split second and it is gone, with another technique on the way.

          Within a short period of time after the introduction of Isshin-ryu's principles of fighting, the other Sensei's ostracized Shimabuku Soke, including his brother who was a Shorin-ryu Master. The other instances of change were possibly subtler, in that, with a relaxed stance, the body was able to move in any direction, at any moment. This is one of the Grand Masters tenants and it allows the Isshin-ryu fighter to shift to the side of an oncoming fighter, avoiding the opponent’s attack and being able to strike from the side. It allowed one of my favorite techniques. As the opponent came straight at me throwing a head punch, I would bound off my back foot landing deep to the side of the aggressor, while grabbing the wrist of the punching hand and while controlling the opponent, I would throw a round house kick to the solar plexus and if I wished to, I could then swing my kicking foot behind him and sweep his legs out from under him, all while still controlling the man’s wrist. That is Isshin-ryu.

          Logic and Maneuverability – Defense was the main theme of my Sensei, Don Nagle. His defense was virtually impregnable, which allowed a quick and deadly counter attack, usually based on a split second response to the opponents attack. It seemed that you had a target, but as he stopped your blow, he was already shifting position, putting you completely out of position. Often he showed up behind you after your attack. That was embarrassing, until I did it for the first time, on another opponent. I refer to that, with my students, as being in the zone. This is a feeling of being able to do whatever you want with the other fighter, because you can discern what your opponent is about to do, or seemingly, what they are thinking. You never want to fight on a straight line back and forth, with your opponent. If an opponent attacks and you go straight back trying to defend, you will eventually be hit. Many fighters, even some who have been around a bit, when being driven back, in that manner, will eventually bend over, turning their back to the opponent and ducking their head. It is akin to the Pre-natal position people take in bed, when they are depressed or frightened. In a fight, this will be fatal. In Isshin-ryu, we are in a relaxed position and can step aside, spin away or roll out to the side, by turning or spinning your body until the opponent has passed. You can then slide in behind them. This same maneuverability allows you to move amongst multiple opponents, picking them off, while using their oncoming bodies to shield you from the other assailants. If you learn to do this well enough, you can avoid their attacks, while injuring them, by picking out your targets, with some intelligent thought. Thinking is a part of fighting. I want to be a few steps ahead of my opponent. Bruce Lee, would often glide around his opponents in a circle, to destabilize them, waiting for their mistake and then wheeling in to attack. I have often frustrated opponents by waiting for the slightest perception of an impending attack, such as the muscles in their feet tightening, legs tensing inside the gi trousers or pants and just as they have thought out their attack and are ready to initiate, you break contact and walk off, nonchalantly. If you are relaxed, that type of fighting comes easily. Isshin-ryu makes it work.

        Logic and Instinct – None of what you are taught if you have to think

about what you need to do in certain situations. This usually occurs when you have taken a six week or business man’s course in karate or self defense. It is somewhat like the self defense we were taught in the Corps in the 50’s, where during boot camp you got an hour and a half or two hours of Judo throws each week. You could barely remember what you were previously taught, let alone absorb the new lesson. The only way to fight successfully is to do everything from pure instinct. There is only one way that I know of to attain that inherent fighting ability and that is practice, practice, practice. Normally, it takes years of at least two lessons a week, for an hour and a half to two hours, requiring practice at home religiously. Without your intent to succeed driving you to practice assiduously, you will fail and be vulnerable to some street tough. Isshin-ryu is easily the most adaptable martial art, for people of all heights, weight and shape. When I say shape, I don’t mean that you can be out of condition. A fight gets your adrenaline pumping, setting your heart to pound faster. You find your breath coming in short pants. Your legs begin to shake. That means you are wearing down too quickly. You are about to get the beating of your life, possibly the last beating, ever. It is that serious in combat and in the street. Practice does not only get you to act instinctively, but will get your heart and body in shape, as well as your intellect. Intellectually, no one wants to get involved in a fight, unless you are insane. Practicing in a dojo will bring you the ability to look upon a match with confidence, assimilating the moves you need, to be relaxed and not expend energy needlessly. That is Isshin-ryu. Instinctive reaction is Isshin-ryu.

Isshin-ryu is Hand-To-Hand Combat – As you meet the attack of several attackers, you must be able to fall back on the tenets of Isshin-ryu, as an inherent spirit within you. You must see in all directions, you must hear everything around you, you must be well balanced and keep your feet under your center of balance at all times, you must not commit to an attack until it is a sure move, which will take one of them totally out of the fight and leave you a path, to move in any direction without undue influence or danger of entrapment. You must keep your defensive space sacrosanct and deny them entry, unless it is an opportunity to cut one more out of the herd. Use them as blocks, maneuvering quickly and

decisively, lining up one individual that you can pick off while using him as a stumbling block for the others. When you have an opportunity to strike, don’t punch someone on the jaw, there are people who seem to have concrete jaws, hit them in the throat. Don’t throw them to the ground if you grab the back of their collar, use your other hand to rake their eyes out, while using him as a shield from the others. Before you throw him away blind, make sure that you throw him at the feet of one of the attackers. They may stumble and someone who stumbles brings their head into easy kicking range. When you kick his head make sure that the toe of your shoe contacts the temple, with focus. If you know someone is behind you, while you are facing another assailant, throw a snap kick forward to freeze the one in front and turn the return of that snap kick into a back kick and shoot for the pelvis or stomach. If you kick leg high you can miss someone’s legs, if they are moving. If you miss of know you hit and hurt him but he is still there, swing back with the upper part of the back of your arm into their head. That should put him down. If this is in combat, during a war, make sure, when they are all down, that they are all dead. If not, you may have someone, with a grudge, trailing you. That is Isshin-ryu as H2H.

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