MATSUBAYASHI
SHORIN RYU TRAINING MANUAL
Whether you are a
beginner or advanced student, this manual will
help guide you in your training. Use this manual
to have a record of kata training.,
Yakushu kumite training, notes, workshops and
seminars. A
great guide to help you on your journey !!
Complete this journal and receive a
certificate of completion form - Shorin Ryu
Karatedo International and $5 off your next
year's purchase.
SIMPLICITY IN UNDERSTANDING KATA BUNKAI
By Sensei Jerry Figgiani
Sensei Figgiani is the founder and president of Shorin Ryu Karatedo International. Shorin Ryu
Karatedo International is an association of
traditional martial artists united to better
understand the history and culture of Okinawan
Karatedo through the practice of kata and
bunkai. The organization's focus is to
preserve the history and tradition of Okinawan
Karate's pioneers.
Vol-1
Analyzing applications beyond basic stances,
blocks & punches. Fukyugata I & II bunkai.
Vol-2
Bunkai of key segments from Pinan Shodan, Nidan,
Sandan, Yondan & Godan.
Vol-3
Naihanchi Shodan, Nidan & Sandan. Transitional
concepts of the Katas Bunkai from a Self
Defense mind set.
Vol-4
Analyzing sections of the Eight Ancient Katas:
Ananku, Wankan (Okan), Rohai, Wanshu, Passai,
Gojushiho, Chinto & Kusanku.
Though the main body of this DVD contains
Matsubayashi Shorin Ryu kata, it is universal in
principles that can be applied to any martial
arts system system, regardless of the style you
practice. Understanding kata bunkai will open
your mind to limitless possibilities as
demonstrated by Sensei Jerry Figgiani.
Jerry Figgiani, 8th dan, is the President
and Founder of Shorin Ryu Karatedo
International. As a student of Sensei Joseph
Carbonara and Sensei Terry Maccarrone, he comes
from a strong lineage of Matsubayashi Shorin Ryu
practitioners who have followed in the footsteps
of Grandmaster Shoshin Nagamine.
Shoshin Nagamine was the founder of
Matsubayashi Shorin Ryu which today stands as
one of the four main styles of karate taught on
Okinawa and practiced worldwide. In the United
States, strong foundations were laid for
Matsubayashi Shorin Ryu in the Midwest and in
New York thanks in part to Sensei Ansei Ueshiro
the first Okinawan sent by Grandmaster Shoshin
Nagamine in 1962 with the help of American
Sensei James Wax. In addition, with the arrival
of Sensei Chotoku Omine in 1969 followed by Soke
Takayoshi Nagamine, Matubayashi was well on its
way to becoming a major force in Okinawan Karate
throughout the world
In Nagamine’s timeless classic, The Essence
of Okinawan Karate-do first published in 1976,
the Grandmaster credits three instructors who
influenced him in his study of karate-do---those
instructors are Ankichi Arakaki, Chotoku Kyan,
and Choki Motobu. In choosing the name of his
style from Masters Sokon Matsumura and Kosaku
Matsumora, he came up with the name Matsubayashi
Shorin Ryu to distinguish it from the other
various styles of Shorin Ryu on the island of
Okinawa. Within its syllabus, Matsubayashi
Shorin Ryu contains seven Yakusoku Kumite or
prearranged fighting attacks, kobudo or weapons
forms and eighteen karate katas, some of which
are said to be dated as far back as 1683.
Sensei Figgiani is a sought-after seminar
instructor who has a demonstrated ability to
enable students to understand not only the kata,
but its form, function and application as well,
thus making his seminars universal to any
martial arts system. This DVD Simplicity to
Understanding Transitions in Kata Bunkai within
the Matsubayashi-ryű Kata touches on many of the
constructs Sensei Figgiani imparts through his
seminars.
In addition to his workshop popularity,
Sensei Figgiani has been the subject of featured
articles in the New York Times, New York
Newsday, and most recently in an interview in
Masters Magazine. An accomplished author, his
writings have been published in the book Karate
Masters, and he has an ongoing column entitled Kazoku in
Masters Magazine. His articles have included
interviews with Sensei Joseph Carbonara, Sensei
Kensei Taba, Sensei Terry Maccarrone, Sensei
Frank Grant, and Hanshi Patrick McCarthy.
Sensei Figgiani was a nationally rated forms
and fighting champion; winning numerous
tournaments across the USA from 1988 to 1996. In
1995, he was ranked the number one fighter in
the Professional Karate League (P.K.L.) and
inducted into their Hall of Fame as Competitor
of the Year in 1996. In 2003, Sensei Figgiani
spearheaded a successful after-school karate
program which he still actively operates. This
program is supported by the Suffolk County
Police Athletic League on Long Island, New York
as well as local government and state officials.
In 2010, Sensei Figgiani was recognized by the
International Ryukyu Karate Research Society as
their Instructor of the Year and inn 2012, he
was recipient of the Thomas La Puppet Memorial
Service Award for his outstanding community
service and the National Police Athletic League
Award for mentoring.
Sensei Figgiani holds the rank of Nidan in
Koryu Uchinadi Kenpo-jitsu and Kodokan Judo; he
recently achieved the rank of Shodan Jigen ryu –
Iaido. In addition to his own study, over the
years Sensei Figgiani has gone beyond being a
champion to producing champions in the sport of
karate even being awarded the 2012 New York
Traditional Karate League Coach of the Year.
While his primary focus is on the technical and
traditional aspects of the art, his coaching
skills have helped his students have win gold
medals on both the state and national levels.
Widely recognized for his technical expertise,
he is a technical advisor for the International
Union of Karatedo Organization.
During his 2013 trip to Okinawa, Sensei
Figgiani was able to establish an official
affiliation between Shorin Ryu Karatedo
International and the Okinawa Shogen Ryu
Karate-do Association which was formed by the
senior students of Kensei Taba Sensei who was a
student of Shoshin Nagamine, as well as Okinawan
Karate masters Choshin Chibana and Hohan Soken.
This unique DVD, will introduce Sensei
Figgiani's concepts using a common sense
approach to the kata of Matsubayashi Shorin Ryu
to allow the student to understand transitions
within the application in a functional manner,
that will fit any body type, limitations, or
level of experience, and will result in a higher
understanding of how it all ties together.
Sensei Figgiani’s approach to kata allows the
student to grow through both self-analysis and
understanding the kata application, known as
bunkai.
One of Sensei Figgiani’s favorite quotes is
by Okinawan Karate Master Choshin Chibana who
wrote– “There is an old Okinawan martial arts
saying that states that Karate is much like a
pond. In order for the pond to live, it must
have infusions. It must have streams that feed
the pond and replenish it. If this is not done,
then the pond becomes stagnant and dies. If the
martial arts teacher does not receive infusion
of new ideas and/or methods, then he, too, dies.
He stagnates and, through boredom, dies of
unnatural causes." This explanation from Choshin
Chibana who himself was a student of Anko Itosu
and passed away in 1969 is as timely today as it
was over a half-century ago. While others have
ignored it, Sensei Figgiani has embraced it.
Firmly rooted in tradition but not locked into a
tunnel-vision approach, his teachings are
contemporary examples of what is necessary for
the art’s survival.
The goal with this DVD is to give you, the
viewer, the opportunity to look beyond the fixed
position of the technique as well as the name
associated with it. It will help you to gain a
broader understanding of the form and function
in ways that will fit your body type,
limitations and/or strengths.
