Apache Kid
White Belt
Hi, Folks,
I guess I must be the “Martial Geezer” here. I was into this stuff so long ago that I’m not even sure I can remember all the phrases. I studied Kara-Te and Judo while on active duty as a young Infantry Officer in Korea in ’62 – ’63 (hence the term “Geezer”). My instructor was a 6th Degree Black-Belt named “Che.” He was two things at the same time: (1) Walking-Death, and (2) A guy with the gentle soul of the Buddha himself. He was about the size of ‘Odd-Job’ in the James Bond flicks, yet quicker than a cat!
I guess I could add this phrase to the blog: “He used to beat the crap out of me several times a week!” I guess the worst part was hitting that straw mat after going over a shoulder from an altitude of 4 or 5 feet.
Which leads to a couple of questions:
1. I had to learn two forms before departing Korea – And these are from my aging memory:
The ‘Basan’ and the ‘Nai-Ichi-Wan.’
I thought these were Japanese terms, but these names have a number of meanings, and/or they could be spelled differently. I know ‘Ichi’ means Number One, but it could imply something else. ‘Nai’ seems to mean ‘Not’, but what else? I think ‘Wan’ might mean ‘Arm’ but in what context? I’ve heard that ‘Basan’ means ‘Fire-Breathing Rooster’ which isn’t much help. ‘Kata-Bassan-Dai’ appears to mean ‘Most Powerful’ or ‘Best Defensive Posture.’ ‘Nai-Wan’ can mean ‘Inner side of arm.’ Anyway, I never learned what-the-hell these two Kara-Te form names actually mean when translated. Can anybody help?
2. I would really like to learn what happened to my old instructor, Mr. Che. I think he lives in Seoul. I heard that he later served as Master Judo instructor for the Korean Martial-Arts Academy/Society. He must be in his late ‘60s or so by now. A super guy! Anybody ever heard of him, or know how I could contact him?
I later studied Tai-Chi with a bunch of Chinese associates in the early ‘90s. They would chatter and joke in Mandarin which I never understood, but just looked around and grinned like I knew what the joke was. I suspect that sometimes the joke as me. I participated every week-end for 8 or 9 months. Then, the strangest thing happened to me. One day, in mid-practice, the Chi-Force surged through the four lines of participants and hit me, Big-Time! I was sitting there on my butt wondering what had happened, when the Chinese guys all stopped and had a big laugh . . . including the instructor. Then, some of them exchanged money, as they had been betting on when the Chi-Force would hit me. I think Chinese guys would bet on just about anything. I really learned to like Chinese people during that era! The Chi-Force remains a mystery to me.
I don’t do the ‘punchy/tossy/kicky’ stuff anymore, but I do have a muzzle-loading Kentucky Long-Rifle and a compound bow I like to play around with. So, I guess I’m not a total martial loss.
I guess I must be the “Martial Geezer” here. I was into this stuff so long ago that I’m not even sure I can remember all the phrases. I studied Kara-Te and Judo while on active duty as a young Infantry Officer in Korea in ’62 – ’63 (hence the term “Geezer”). My instructor was a 6th Degree Black-Belt named “Che.” He was two things at the same time: (1) Walking-Death, and (2) A guy with the gentle soul of the Buddha himself. He was about the size of ‘Odd-Job’ in the James Bond flicks, yet quicker than a cat!
I guess I could add this phrase to the blog: “He used to beat the crap out of me several times a week!” I guess the worst part was hitting that straw mat after going over a shoulder from an altitude of 4 or 5 feet.
Which leads to a couple of questions:
1. I had to learn two forms before departing Korea – And these are from my aging memory:
The ‘Basan’ and the ‘Nai-Ichi-Wan.’
I thought these were Japanese terms, but these names have a number of meanings, and/or they could be spelled differently. I know ‘Ichi’ means Number One, but it could imply something else. ‘Nai’ seems to mean ‘Not’, but what else? I think ‘Wan’ might mean ‘Arm’ but in what context? I’ve heard that ‘Basan’ means ‘Fire-Breathing Rooster’ which isn’t much help. ‘Kata-Bassan-Dai’ appears to mean ‘Most Powerful’ or ‘Best Defensive Posture.’ ‘Nai-Wan’ can mean ‘Inner side of arm.’ Anyway, I never learned what-the-hell these two Kara-Te form names actually mean when translated. Can anybody help?
2. I would really like to learn what happened to my old instructor, Mr. Che. I think he lives in Seoul. I heard that he later served as Master Judo instructor for the Korean Martial-Arts Academy/Society. He must be in his late ‘60s or so by now. A super guy! Anybody ever heard of him, or know how I could contact him?
I later studied Tai-Chi with a bunch of Chinese associates in the early ‘90s. They would chatter and joke in Mandarin which I never understood, but just looked around and grinned like I knew what the joke was. I suspect that sometimes the joke as me. I participated every week-end for 8 or 9 months. Then, the strangest thing happened to me. One day, in mid-practice, the Chi-Force surged through the four lines of participants and hit me, Big-Time! I was sitting there on my butt wondering what had happened, when the Chinese guys all stopped and had a big laugh . . . including the instructor. Then, some of them exchanged money, as they had been betting on when the Chi-Force would hit me. I think Chinese guys would bet on just about anything. I really learned to like Chinese people during that era! The Chi-Force remains a mystery to me.
I don’t do the ‘punchy/tossy/kicky’ stuff anymore, but I do have a muzzle-loading Kentucky Long-Rifle and a compound bow I like to play around with. So, I guess I’m not a total martial loss.
