October in Review: The Student’s Mind

Tuesday, November 5, 2013 by C. Michial Jones

In October, I decided to shift the rhythm of the Yushikan. Normally, I teach three classes a week and dedicate my time to the students on my own mat. However, I decided to cancel all Saturday classes for the month. While some of that time was rightfully given to my family, I also took the opportunity to engage in a “training pilgrimage”—traveling to seek out the perspectives of other senior practitioners.

As a teacher, it is easy to become stagnant. To prevent this, one must periodically return to the “Student’s Mind,” putting on a white belt (spiritually speaking) and standing in another man’s dojo.

The Goyukan Connection

My first stop was to assist my good friend Col. Tony Willis in teaching a seminar. My son Alec and I spent a day working through the core of the Goyukan syllabus: Kihon, Sanchin, Gekisai 1 & 2, Saifa, and the Gekisai Dai Ichi Rensoku Kumite.

Willis Sensei is a senior student of Anyu Shinjo Sensei, who was himself a student of Eiichi Miyazato. Training with Tony is always a masterclass in alignment and intent. This was our third time training together this year, reinforcing the bond between our respective branches of the Miyazato lineage.

The Treasure Trove in Louisville

Next, I traveled to Louisville to spend time with Lloyd C. Johnson Hanshi. To sit with Johnson Sensei is to sit with history. He began his Goju-Ryu training in 1959—the very year the art first landed on the American mainland.

After a decade in the Toguchi (Shoreikan) lineage, he transitioned to the Miyazato (Jundokan) lineage. We spent hours in deep conversation before moving to the floor to work on Sanchin and even Uechi-Ryu Sanchin. Exploring the subtle differences in breathing and tension between these two “Sanchin-based” styles is a high-level study in Okinawan body mechanics. Johnson Sensei remains a treasure trove of the “Old Style” that is so rapidly disappearing.

Return to the Weapons Connection

Finally, Jason Thompson and I returned to Northfield, Michigan, to train under Peter Carbone Sensei. We spent the day focused on the Okinawan arsenal: Bo, Tonfa, and Tanbo.

As we drilled the Kihon Buri (basic movements), I was reminded that weapons training is not an “add-on” to Karate; it is a refinement of it. The weapon exposes flaws in your stance and your grip that empty-hand training sometimes hides.

The Takeaway

This month of travel confirmed a vital truth: The path of Budo is wide. By stepping outside my own dojo walls, I was able to verify my techniques against other senior stylists, gather new historical insights, and strengthen the brotherhood of the Okinawan arts. I returned to the Yushikan not just with a tired body, but with a renewed spirit to pass on these “Old Ways” to my own students.