Training Notes
Sensei Iha said, “Okinawan Kata is like an onion”
The more layers of kata you peel back, the more you find.
Sensei’s comment that Shorin Ryu Shidokan kata is like an onion has taken decades to understand. As you peel back layers, you find something new.
Roberto trained in Judo before meeting Sensei Iha. Sensei would show multiple throws from the same middle punch, modifying the response when something did not work as well as expected. Most onlookers saw a throw, not the many possible applications.
When Roberto was teaching karate to U.S. Marines and others who needed karate for self-defense and life preservation, Sensei Iha told him that everyone learns punch, kick, and block basics, but that those basics were not the only applications in kata.
He said, “Practice as if there are no blocks in kata.” He then demonstrated how the blocking arm could be the attacking arm for self-defense. Later, he said to do kata with no punches, kicks, or blocks, showing how turns, foot placement, hips, and hands become grappling and throwing movements.
The lesson was Fo-Hi-Ha: set the base foot, move the hip, then use the hands. In self-defense grappling, sport-karate spinning moves can leave you off balance. Practicing these movements with partners helps make the response effective.
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