However, this definitely does not apply to Korea and the way Tai Kwon Do is taught over there! You will get your ass handed to you by those fukers!
I know exactly what your saying, Max! I studied Tai-Kwondo for about 10 months before switching to Shorinryu. I fealt that the extent of my training Tai resulted in nothing more than learning how to kick high, and scream loud! After switching to Shorinryu, I had to undergo some very serious physical conditioning, and some very serious mental
re-conditioning..!
Korea, Japan, China, etc... are very different cultures (duh) and they take their martial arts very serious. Our dicipline was the Kinshinkan (and Kabudo) style of Shorinryu. I remember reading back in the early 80s, Master Kesai was at the airport fixing to board a flight to the U.S., a master of the Matsumura style of Shorinryu challenged Kesai to a match when he returned from America. A challenge from one Shorinryu master to another meant a death match. Master Kesai took this guy's throat out right there at the airport, and then boarded his plane. Master Kesai was also a high ranking General in the Japanese Army,... nobody questioned him! He was 45 years old at that time. Master Soken however was 103 years old, and he would have Kesai on the floor in tears slapping his hand on the ground..."UNCLE"..! Master Soken for his entire life did nothing but practice Shorinryu and grow potatoes. He never washed his gi and it stunk to the high heavens,..UGH..!
Going back in time,... When WWII broke out, Master Soken left for Argentina and eventually wound up in Northern China and spent 20 years in a Shaolin Temple where the hard style of Kung Fu was dominant. A Japanese Master in a Chinese Shaolin Temple..? I questioned that, but all the masters swore by it! Anyway, eventually came to America and saw how the martial arts had become, "Sporty!". He left the U.S. and went back to Japan and formed the
Shorinryu Kinshinkan Kabuto regime, and swore that Shorinryu would never become sporty like the Western World seemed to indulge in and were fascinated with!
For some reason (I never knew why), but the Matsumura Masters of Shorinryu were hell-bent on taking over the Kinshinkan regime. In my opinion, the Matsumura style was softer and sportier than the Kinshinkan style, which I trained and excelled in. At one time, 5 of the Matsumura Masters attacked Master Kesai,... Master Soken (103 years old) jumped in and parilized all 5 of them... temporarally of course! Eventually, Master Soken died, at 105 years old I think, and Master Kesai was powerless to stop the Matsura Clan... the other Kinshinkan Masters were weak and joined Matsumura. I have no idea what happened to Master Kesai afterwards!
Round One,... Matsumura took over, just weeks before I tested for Black Belt. The test consisted of katas with all Kabuto weapons,.. nun chuks, cicles, bo, etc... my katas were perfect. Then, I had to fight 3 first degree black belts simultaniously. Even if you lose, you can still receive your black belt, depending on how you handle yourself. Obviously I was intemidated because they were Matsumura black belts, and not the Kinshinkan clan I was familiar with. Unlike other sporty styles where you stand at one end of the ring and you opponent at the other end, in Shorinryu you are only about 36" from your opponent when the match starts,... I was in the center of a very small triangle! And I knew these guys were not here to test me, they intended to injure me,... and they did just that! When the master screamed, "HI", I didn't wait,.. I began the onslaught,... and I will admit that my style was very sloppy, but I beat the ever-loving shit out of all of them... I beat their f*cking asses all to hell..! But not without consequences,... my eyes were swolen, my right shoulder fealt like it was dislocated, and a tendon in my right thigh was totally busted. I stood upright (barely) while this Matsumura bastard walked up to me with a smile. I thought he was going to award me my black belt. He slapped me in the face, knocking me on the floor and I layed there on my back with the room spinning. He just f*cking walked away. Another Kinshinkan black belt who was kissing the ass of the Matsumura Masters was laughing his ass off!
Round Two,... this bastard who was laughing his ass off at me was my main competitor in Kinshinkan. He hated me because I was catching up with him in rank. I always knew I could take him, but when we sparred I just defended myself enough to stay equal... out of respect! But when he laughed as I got my face slapped by a Matsumura Master, I became a man on a mission..! Apparently, the tendon in my right thigh that was torn was from a stabilizer muscle... I was still able to do squats, leg presses, and leg curls,... but if I sat down wrong in a chair, there was intense pain. Anyway, after one month of training on my own, I was back in class. After the first two hours of exercises and drill, the Matsumura Master called me out to spar,... and low and behold ... my opponent was that SOB who was laughing his ass off at me and sucking Matsumura ass! It was like they granted me my revenge! Long story short,... I beat his ass all the way to bloody f*cking hell..! Afterwards, I immediately went to the dressing room, grabbed my clothes, walked to the doorway, bowed out and left..! Scott Mcknealy (spelling) who was one of the most reknowned Tai-Kwondo fighters (who I trained under prior to my Shorinryu years), invited me back to class as a black belt... I declined! Scott Davidson who was one of the most reknowned kick boxers in Goju-ryu invited me to his school as a black belt ... I declined!
Round Three,... The year is 1997 (13 years later) I go back to my old Shorinryu dojo! I love Shorinryu and I want to start over. Not as a competitor, but just for the mental dicipline and physical conditioning,... I didn't care about fighting anymore. On my first night back, I recognized one of the Matsumura Masters, the rest of the masters and pupils were obscure. After 2 hours of exercises and physical conditioning, I was to spar with a 4th degree black belt on my first night back. He beat the living shit out of me,... because he was instructed to..!
I hate the martial arts, and the politics involved..!
I still practice the
Shorinryu Kinshinkan Kabuto routines today in my own privacy. The Matsumura Clan can go to fucking hell..!
SorrY!
