When I was preparing to move from Parsippany to LA, Sensei Murphy recommended, that because I tended to be a little heavy and stodgy in my movements, I should probably avoid Shotokan Karate and look more towards Isshin Ryu. Then he added; but I think what you really should look for is Aikido.
I had studied Aikido 1964-65, my senior year of High School but had been unable to find a school after that. You may not know this but Bob Murphy was the best Aikidoka I have ever run into. I wanted him to teach me Aikido. He said he that he didn’t know how to teach it, but boy, could he do it! Isshin Shurinji Ryu Okinawa has a lot of Aikido in it; the “deflecting blocks” moving off the line rather than redirecting the attack…
One of the things Sensei Murphy would do in class was to have the entire class surround him. He would tell us when it feels right, everyone tackle him. We would go for it 100%! No one ever touched him. Every one of us would fall on the ground in a pile and he would be standing outside the circle. Then we all had our turn in the center. None of us ever made it out! Nor have I ever met another Aikido practitioner who could do it, and I’ve seen and experienced some pretty amazing things in my life. Did you read my section “REVELATIONS DURING 50 YEARS OF STUDYING AIKIDO” at the end of my emails?
The two people I remember from the Parsippany school back then are Mike Strauss and Gerry Racioppi (from E. Hanover NJ). Gerry was the one who introduced me to Karate. He started just a few months earlier and invited me to join. I’m pretty sure Mike was a Black Belt when I knew him. Watching him spar was an amazing experience. He and his sparring partner’s hands would move so fast it was just a blur. I asked him one time how he moved and responded correctly so quickly. He told me that he didn’t really know. He would just watch his hands do it like they belonged to someone else.
Next email, I’ll tell you about the one time Sensei Murphy and I did Kumite together. That was an experience I will never forget!
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