February 9th, 2014

From Sensei Kevin L. Reymond
Denshi - Shihan
Ueshiro Downtown Shorin Ryu Karate Dojo

Doing the Impossible

Onegai Shimasu Hanshi, Kyoshi, Sensei and Fellow Deshi

The 52nd year of Ueshiro Shorin-Ryu Karate is off to a great start with a very special weekend of training in Florida led by Hanshi Robert Scaglione with the support of Kyoshi David Seeger, Kyoshi Michael Mackay and Kyoshi Sal Scaglione. Over the last three days deshi of all ranks were privileged to enjoy demonstrations, suggestions to improve kata and technique from high level black belts, and the energy and spirit that comes with large group workouts. Sensei Tezel will be circulating an email covering the Florida Weekend in more detail later on this week.

As a Technique Of The Week I would like to share one of those extraordinary moments and lessons given by Hanshi Scaglione. The 4:30 pm Friday afternoon class at the Suntree Dojo opened with traditional warm-ups and basics. This was followed by squat punches. After several sets of ten, Hanshi instructs us all to get one inch lower with each punch. He emphasizes that we are not to come up and then get lower, but instead just keep getting lower with each succeeding punch. As the count continues, Hanshi encourages us by saying that this may be impossible to do, but we are going to do it. And then the count continued. This was not gold, this was platinum.(1)

The theme of "doing the impossible" came up several times over the course of the weekend. On one level it is about getting lower. On a much higher level the message is about not accepting our current technique. Rather we should push ourselves to a level of performance that heretofore we would not think attainable. In so doing we may not achieve the impossible, but we may just improve our karate.

Arigato Hanshi for your inspiration

Sensei Kevin L. Reymond
Denshi - Shihan
Ueshiro Downtown Shorin Ryu Karate Dojo
Under the Direction of Hanshi Robert Scaglione

(1) Note that this is the short version description of the squat punch. Hanshi will post the long version in a separate email.