FFMA Review of John Johnson's Master Class
Wednesday 14th October 2009

By Alan Macdonald

When Tony Terranova mentioned that he had been in touch with his first Karate sensei after a period of some twenty years and that he had agreed do a masterclass at FFMA. It was with considerable excitement the forthcoming visit was anticipated. Not only was this the mentor who had launched Tony on his lifelong 'Budo' way and contributed massively to Tony's open-minded attitude to Martial Arts, he was also the Sensei who had nurtured Geoff Thompson - multiple author with films of Bafta renown and one of the top Martial artists in this country - on his path to eventual fame. Such a man was going to be of a very special character and a private class given by him was going to be a treat indeed.

As a 6th Dan in Shotokan Karate and having spent some thirty odd years of his life devoted to its perfection and promotion, John Johnston had a deserved reputation as one of the foremost proponents of this deadly form of fighting in this country. Brought to the fore in 1922 by Funakoshi Gichin, it is an art of ferocious power delivered through devastating kicks and punches, and was a chosen skill for many Japanese bodyguards for its efficacy and finality in disabling opponents. As ever at FFMA we are keen to expose all our students to every style of art from the pure arts right through to street-fighting melee skills so that we present a complete picture in order that you can make up your own minds as to what works for you. A lesson therefore from someone of the eminence of John Johnston was another important part of the Fighting Fit jigsaw and we looked forward to his visit on Wednesday 14th October.

With the hall matted up and over thirty students waiting in their gis, John and Tony arrived. After a brief introduction John, an imposing figure in a white gi with a quiet but compelling voice, started the training. He began by demonstrating traditional open hand advanced Shotokan Karate techniques. John explained the importance of being grounded when striking and the use of the Hara to increase impact at the point of contact. Each demonstration was executed with an element of realism which served to illustrate the importance of conditioning for impact training.

After a period of drilling (during which John, Tony or John's able wife, Elaine, came round and corrected technique or offered advice), John moved on to the possible destructive use of a defensive technique, the block and parry. With confidence, targeting of energy and accurate delivery, these techniques were used by John on Tony, to be as effective as offensive moves, and everyone could see that an assailant could be seriously disabled by reversing the energy of his blows. The use of open hand strikes was revisited at this point with some great options of areas to target from the larynx to the nose or eyes. It was awsome to see John in action, as everyone realised just how effective he could be in a real confrontation.

Roundhouse kicks became the next subject,in traditional Shotokan style using the ball of the foot. I could see the effectiveness of doing it this way, as there would be both less chance of injury to the top of the foot, whilst delivering power to a small target area. John, (with phenomenal speed for a big man), kicked his 'uke' for the night, Tony, going from leg to head in the blink of an eye. Each demonstration was accompanied by colourful but solid explanations of the applications by John interjected with the odd humorous aside, usually directed at his former student from many years before, Tony.

The fun really began when John started on leg sweeps. Tony, with his already extensive knowledge of this opponents effective moves, knew what was coming and adjusted his stance, making it more difficult to be sent to the floor. John immediately noticed what Mr T was doing and joked about it before performing the sweep anyway after minutely altering his technique to allow for the defensive stance. We students gamely tried to emulate them but strange and new moves remain alien for a time until drilling to instinctivity provides the familiarity that enables us to relax and make the minute adjustments that go into forming an adaptable fighter. I have to say that, in the odd sweep I got right, there was a succinct satisfaction in effortlessly toppling a large opponent and I could see what an effective weapon this could be.

Time was flying by now and elbows were next. A flailing combination of slicing pointed limbs ended up with a catastrophic spinning elbow that would surely seriously damage its target. As a close-in technique, the power is wound up as each limb is thrown and the beauty of these is enhanced by the fact that good defence stays in place to an extent as they are being used. As a final technique for the night's class it was a fitting one to end on and the hour-and-a-half had disappeared in a rapid and interesting rush.

John then took the time to answer any question thrown at him from FFMA students. There were some fascinating facts and stories from the times in the early eighties when Tony Terranova and Geoff Thompson were raw Shotokan recruits, and the tough and sometimes brutal sessions that were the norm in those days before the advent of health and safety and the ligititive society we have today. There were some funny stories from those times and a good deal of banter passed between Tony and his erstwhile Sensei. There was also good discussion and advice from an obviously sagacious stalwart of Shotokan Karate and it was with some awe and well-deserved respect that with a round of applause, John Johnson, 6th Dan, wound up proceedings for the evening and left us all with another piece of the jigsaw, another titbit of experience and another aspect of the arts to mull over before our next fix.

Tony, myself and the instructors of FFMA would like to extend our thanks on behalf of the whole club to John and his wife for their kindness and willingness to give of their knowledge. A night we will not forget!

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