|
| Volume 2, Issue 2 February 14, 2000 |
Page 3
|
| SENSEI COY HARRY INTERVIEW - PART I |
||||
| The following interview is with Shen Chuan Master Instructor, Sensei Coy Harry. Sensei Harry is a Master Instructor of Shen Chuan-Martial Science, Director of the Shen Chuan Aikibujutsu division of Shen Chuan-Martial Science, is a multiple black belt holder, and holds rank in ALL Shen Chuan divisions. He is the heir to the Shen Chuan-Martial Science system. SENSEI COY HARRY INTERVIEW - PART I: Question: When did you start martial arts training, and how did you come to study under Professor Lansdale? Answer: I began my martial arts training at the age of 7 in Temple, Texas where I studied Moo Duk Kwan under my instructor Kevin. Unfortunately I don't remember his last name. He was a very good guy and excellent instructor. I'll never forget him. As for my beginnings with Professor Lansdale, I was in a funk and pissed off all of the time not knowing where my life was headed. One day my wife came home from her tae kwon do class and told me about a guy that was doing some cool things. Being the wonderfully insightful person she is, she went over and asked him what he was doing and it turned out to be Aikido, an art she had heard me express interest in. She got the time of the classes and I went the next night. I owe my wife a debt of gratitude. I'll never be able to repay her for her part in my martial arts career. You trained with Professor Lansdale when he was co-founder of MATSUKAZE BUDO. Can you tell us about Matsukaze Budo and how it changed during your time in that system? Matsukaze Budo was still primarily Aikido under Terry Thoburn when I first began. However it quickly became Aikido and Kenpo. Both taught in sections, one half of the class studied Kenpo under Professor Lansdale and the other Aikido with Sensei Thoburn. It stayed this way for quite awhile. The thing that I remember most was that Professor Lansdale was actively studying Aikido the whole time and myself and other students began to see a transformation of his Kenpo techniques. I wasn't aware at the time but I was watching the birth of Shen Chuan if only in the Professor's head. You also studied what Professor Lansdale termed a maverick form of Kenpo or Hapkido. Was it really either of these? Do you think this was the source for Shen Chuan? If so, were there other sources? Yes I began the true study of Maverick Kenpo in Eugene Frizzell's back yard and on weekends at the dojo. Damn that was good stuff! I didn't know at the time that I was learning a true system because Professor only really taught concepts and principals, but I began to see a marked improvement in my martial arts skills. I really miss those days. I do in fact believe that this was a source for Shen Chuan, along with Aikido, as I mentioned before and Small Circle Jujitsu, Arnis and many others that I didn't know at the time like White Crane, Drunken Monkey, Praying Mantis, Hanmudo, Kickboxing and many others. How did you train under Professor Lansdale? It must have been fairly intense for you to have gained such a respected position in the system in so short a time? Like I said before, half of the class was Kenpo but my "real" training took place on the weekends, before and after class and in Sensei Eugene's back yard. As for intensity let's just say that my years of football, rugby and the Army only slightly prepared me for the pain I received during training. Now don't get me wrong. It was not brutal sadistic pain. It was the kind of pain meant to teach, which unfortunately for the martial arts, is left out of many systems. I believe the Professor saw in Eugene and I as two guys who were serious about the martial arts and he trained us as such. As for my "respected position", I couldn't have made it without the help of my partner and friend Eugene Frizzell who went through the "hell" before and with me. Eugene and I worked like men possessed when we worked out, neither was afraid to give or take pain. We worked right on the "edge" and we worked a lot. The instruction from Professor Lansdale and my buddy Eugene are the two primary reasons for my being the martial artist I am today. Can you tell us about the split between Matsukaze Budo and the development of Shen Chuan? Professor Lansdale considers January 1996 the beginning of Shen Chuan, though he says he didn't give it an official name until the summer of 1996. Has it changed much in the short time it's been around? Well the split came for many reasons, one was the character of his "partner". As for Shen Chuan changing much, you don't know the Professor do you? I can think of four over-hauls to the system out right. And no telling how many occurred in the Professor's mind, sick thing that it is (as he grins). Please don't misunderstand. These changes are what Shen Chuan is all about. It is constantly evolving into a, well I'm not sure what it is evolving into. I don't think any of us can tell you. I just know that it is "the" martial art of the 21st century. You are the designated heir to the Shen Chuan system. It's unusual for an heir to be picked this early in a system when the head of that system is still active and looks to be active for years to come. What do you believe was the basis of this choice and why was it made so early? If you accept this responsibility, what are your future plans for Shen Chuan, Martial Science? The Professor has told me and many others that I was chosen based on my ability and my age. The choice was made early, God forbid any thing happen to Professor Lansdale, so there would be no question as to who is the rightful heir. I believe this shows Professor Lansdale's love of the martial art he has created. He has seen what has happened to other arts when the Head guy dies, all of the in fighting and such. My plans for Shen Chuan are still in development as I am. I will carry on the art as long as I live and I will choose a successor and so on. Why are there a number of divisions of Shen Chuan, Martial Science? The divisions of Shen Chuan were created to give more people an opportunity to train. Some folks are not cut out for Shen Chuan. It is a tough system. We also want to offer our Shen Chuan students an opportunity to specialize in and receive training in the arts that are an integral part of Shen Chuan. Look for the second half of Sensei Coy's interview in our next newsletter. We would like to thank Sensei Coy for taking the time to give us a small glimpse into his martial arts career, and into the beginnings of Shen Chuan, Martial Science. We will look forward to the next installment. |
||||
|
|
||||
 |