April 23rd, 2018
This weeks technique is submitted by Sempai Bonnie Langendorff, Sho-Dan, NoVA Ueshiro Karate Club,
Under the Direction of Hanshi Robert Scaglione
The Basic USRKUSA Toolkit
Onegai-shimasu Hanshi, Kyoshi, Sensei, and all Deshi--
We all have goals. Most require more than an acknowledgement
and positive thoughts for attaining these goals. If you
set out to land that perfect job, you will need information
about prospective employers and a savvy resume to capture
the attention of a hiring officer. If you have a goal to
save money for a dream vacation, you will need a budget
and plan to reach your goal in a desired timeframe. These
goals require the right tools. A tool is defined as any
physical item that can be used to achieve a goal; a set
of tools to achieve a goal is the equipment. What are the
right tools for studying Ueshiro Shorin-Ryu Karate? Do you
have the right equipment? I heard this question asked recently
and was surprised by the responses which gave me the incentive
to describe them here in this week's TOTW.
The basic USRKUSA toolkit includes these four key books:
The
Essence of Okinawan Karate-Do, authored by Master Shoshin
Nagamine, June 1976, designed to capture the history of
Master Nagamine's karate journey and to provide the first
photos and detailed footwork descriptions for all kata;
Shorin-Ryu - Okinawan Karate Question and Answer Book ("the
Red Book"), authored by Hanshi Robert Scaglione and
William Cummins, June 1991, designed for all Deshi from
beginners to advanced to learn the basic history, techniques
and language of Shorin-Ryu Karate;
Karate of Okinawa - Building Warrior Spirit - with Gan -
Soku - Tanden -Riki ("the Green Book") authored
by Hanshi Robert Scaglione and William Cummins, August 1993,
designed for advanced belts to develop the samurai attitude;
Ueshiro Shorin-Ryu Karate USA 50th Anniversary Commemorative
Journal, 2012, a celebration of 50 years of Grand Master
Ueshiro's gift of karate with multiple contributions including
a detailed history of Grand Master Ueshiro and the sequential
moves of Fukyugata San, composed by Grand Master Ueshiro
in 1960;
and two DVDs:
Ueshiro
Shorin-Ryu Karate USA - MASTER UESHIRO; and
Ueshiro Shorin-Ryu Karate USA - Kata Guide 2000 - Traditional
Okinawan Matsubayashi Shorin-ryu.
This year, the USRKUSA toolkit expanded, leveraging the world of technology at our fingertips. In addition to the above four books and DVDs, the toolkit now includes:
USRK55
App for iPhone/Android, 2017; and
KataGuide App for iPhone/Android, 2018.
Recall that karate was handed down generation after generation,
following sacred traditions, and kept secret until 1901
when Master Anko Itosu introduced karate to the public school
system in Japan. As noted above, Master Nagamine published
The Essence of Okinawan Karate-Do in June of 1976 which
was the first detailed documentation of the choreography
of all of the Matsubyashi Shorin-Ryu kata and prearranged
fighting sequences. Then, in 1991 our very own Hanshi Robert
Scaglione worked with William Cummins to publish Okinawan
Karate Question and Answer Book which became our first physical
"tool" to facilitate diffusing the Ueshiro Shorin-Ryu
art around the world - the art that Grand Master Ansei Ueshiro
was tasked by Master Nagamine to spread across America in
1962. These tools give us the ability to experience our
art with fellow Deshi around the world knowing that those
sacred traditions will remain true to the Masters.
Consider just how very fortunate we are to have "tools" to help us reach our karate goals and ask yourself if your toolkit is complete.
Domo
Arigato,
Sempai Bonnie Langendorff, Sho-Dan
Ueshiro NoVA Karate Club
langkok@hotmail.com
