TESTIMONIALS

Testimonials

GrandMaster

Ed McGrath’s

Fighting Principles

And

Hand-to-Hand Combat

Fight to Win

Don’t allow the opponent to gain a chance to hit you. That is simple logic!

In Dojos during the Fifties, there were real clashes and striking with hands, feet, elbows and knees.

At tournaments in the sixties we struck at the body with full focus, but light hits to the head.

All clashes should be avoided, by using your constant movement.

Circling and change of direction, as well as the movement in and out will set up an opening to strike.

If your strike hits well, finish off the opponent, by pressing your attack. A flurry of kicks and strikes will eventually end the match. Speed is essential and quick movement to close with the opponent must take place, when you have an opening or the foe becomes unbalanced.

While attacking, remember that the foe is also able to strike you and will, if you allow an opening, because you are only thinking of offense.

Tournaments do not realize the feel of actual fighting for your life, so Ippon Kumite must be a large part of your practice. It will add to your speed and movement that keeps the opponent off balance.

Avoid tapping which allows the opponent to brush your defense out of his way, with no risk to your opponent. Focus your strikes.

Avoid clashes, by maneuvering smoothly and that should be done, when you are alone. It will find your balance and abilities.

If you are attacked in the street, fight as though it is for your life, because it may be. But remember, the law says that when you have overcome your foe, you cannot continue hitting a helpless opponent.

Slipping & Directional Blocking

Use Seiunchin (Standing side-way to foe).
Seiunchin gives the foe a smaller number of targets.
Seiunchin allows for excellent feints, such as sliding toward the opponent and throw a fake back fist. When the opponent raises the hand to block the blow to his face, you fire a sidekick to the ribs of just under the ribs. Both are lethal.
Side step for a new position often.
Blocks when in Seiunchin are mainly bringing the leg closest the foe up fully bent to absorb the opponent’s kick and as his foot goes to the ground, you hit him with a sidekick.
When you are facing the opponent and he begins a kick, either slide back with hands forward to catch his ankle, pick the leg up and kick his groin.
When an opponent begins a front snap kick, either bring your leg with knee fully bent or slide back and catch the ankle with both hands, pull up the leg and kick the groin or the femoral artery inside the thigh.
Learn defense and movement in circular arcs, changing direction often.
Blocks are meant to cause pain for the attacker, disabling an arm or leg with a strike with shuto or knuckle strike if you have been using a makiwara to strengthen your fist.
I prefer directional blocks. As the opponent punches place the palm of your hand to the side of the attack and push his punch or kick to the side. This will unbalance the opponent and open him up for your attack. Usually, when I use my palm to divert a punch I divert it and grip the foe’s wrist to pull him off balance, for a strike to his ribs or face.
I don’t care to fight straight toward the opponent, since that invites clashes. I move in arcs and change direction constantly. I refer to this as Non-Involvement!
Chinto’s oblique position allows attacks from a fresh position and is explosive, if done well.

Ed McGrath, Isshin Ryu “THE ART”

Ed McGrath is one of the best instructors in Isshinryu, when Don Nagle Sensei passed away in 1999, he chose Ed McGrath as his successor.

Today’s use of the art of Isshinryu has gone astray. I see fighters bow to the Sensei and then to each other. The diplomatic portion of the introduction of Ju-Kumites prefaced with a bow to the Sinban (Official/referee) and then the opponents face each other and bow. That is the strict beginning of an official match, between two combatants. There are also judges, either two or four sitting around the square ring, to spot a good blow with either hands or feet, to a vital and valid target, with Focus (or Kime), in order to get a point. It often varies around the country, but it is more basic, than varied. Unfortunately, the respect for proper fighting in Isshinryu has lost its way and when the opponents move into their fighting stance, rather than the beautiful and classic movement of hands and foot movement, they now go into a boxers stance, often forgetting to vary their stance from Seisan and Seiunchin, or Chinto; variations of these stances into an oblique method of the stances, in order to give the foe the smallest target possible, depending on the movement of your opponent.

When I finally understood what to watch for in my opponent, it turned out that I was born with “Quick Twitch” muscles, often with people who are wiry, such as Grand Master Don Nagle and, as it turned out, myself. Once either of us got inside we were able to rain blows upon our foe with such speed that we would overcome the other fighter. No one could stop that many blows in moments. The difference for Nagle and myself was that we not only fired our kicks and strikes fast, but every strike was focused, referred to as Chi or Kime and snapping the strike away faster than it was thrown. The blow is driven into the target leaving all the power and velocity of the blow to cause internal organs or the head to become incapacitated. I held my hands at the side of my thighs with my hands open. If I got close enough (but still far enough away to have the foe believe that you could not reach the foe) to flick my hand at the face, chin or temple and at impact I simultaneously snap my hand into a fist. This was at a time that we used a makiwara board to get your index and middle knuckle calcified and enlarged, as though they were a ball-peen hammer. Such a shot to the head would drop your opponent immediately. Moving by encircling our opponent you would suddenly move in, by sliding quickly and strike the opponent.

We would never face an opponent in a boxer’s stance, for several reasons. A boxer stance is open to attacks with kicks to the legs, as well as sweeps which takes their feet out from under them and bringing the opponent to the deck. I usually will not attack while they are on their back, because they can attack your legs from the deck. It is best to allow them to start getting up, because at some point in getting up they are in an unbalanced and awkward position. That is the moment to attack. Master Bohan, one of my buddies, would often go to the deck, since he had techniques with speed from the deck that could injure your legs and stomach. When he went to the deck, I would back away from him and allow him to get up fully. I saw him often, with people who didn’t know him at large tournaments, blast them from the deck and put them out of the match, often seriously injured. Your knees are too vulnerable.

I changed my stance constantly during a match and simultaneously spinning in arcs back and forth, to unbalance the opponent and that is when I slipped in for an attack. In the 50’s that attack would be vicious, often injuring the foe, breaking their nose or side of the head and also attacking the body and legs with kicks. I normally used a Seiunchin stance, giving the opponent the least targets possible upon me. Often I would hold the arm closest to my opponent at shoulder height, with the arm bent, opening a easy target for my opponent. As soon as he closed to throw a punch or kick to my rib cage, I brought my arm down and brushed their attack away by diversion and immediately attack with a back fist or side-kick of my own, as well as a round house kick to the back or stomach. Either strike would injure the opponent. You cannot go into a match with a battle plan, because you don’t know what his forms are and what he is looking for. I usually used movement to get the opponent unbalanced or at least in an awkward position and I would take advantage of his imbalance, as Shimabukuro Soke advised. Having a pre-planned format is foolish since we don’t know what his reaction will be, so we must clear our mind of any thoughts and allow your reflexes to make the correct movement. In order to do that you must keep movement in and out back and forward in arcs putting the opponent off his balance, that is when you strike. Usually I would slide in with a back fist to the head or side thrust kick to the stomach or ribs. If either of those get in, I would finish it then and there. Remember; Balance, Speed and Focus!

Ed McGrath, Ju-Dan

Grand Master, Isshinryu