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Dojo Updates and
other nice news!
George and Susan:
Just a short note to compliment everyone on the excellent, thoughtful and
quality correspondence in the forums. The Uechi-Ryu.com site is a wonderful
resource!
Suzanne and I would appreciate your changing the phone number of the Shinwa Dojo
to 269-808-3334. We have had a regular class schedule since June 2003 following
four years of sporadic scheduling to accommodate our work and law school class
schedules.
Yes, we finished law school, and passed the Michigan Bar Exam and were admitted
to practice---me at the youthful age of 55 (!!!) and are now embarking on a new
path by setting up our own practice (www.kwklawyer.com). It is my sincerest
belief that without the discipline, inspiration, and dedication of martial arts
training I would have given up. We should never underestimate the value of our
MA training and the support/encouragement of our brothers and sisters in the
arts..
Suzanne is fond of quoting George Elliot It is never to late to become the
person you wanted to be.
We wish you and Susan the very best this Holiday Season and we hope to make it
our to Summer Camp-I have someone I would like you to meet!!!!!!
Be well,
Ron Klein
Dojo
Searches!
Dear Sensei:
My wife and I are in the middle of an exciting process of adopting a little girl
from China!
The adoption process requires that we will visit China for two weeks (app. July
2005) with ample time to sight see. I would like to visit and/or work out at a
Uechi Ryu dojo while I am there. At this point I do not know exactly where in
China we will be but I'd like to start my research on dojo locations and any
protocols/permissions I may have to request. Also, I'd love to hear any
suggestions you may have as to tourist attractions that involve martial arts,
especially Uechi Ryu.
I'd also like to thank you for such an informative web site, I find it very
useful when teaching and being taught Uechi Ryu.
Merry X-Mas,
Brian Stoodley
Shodan
East Hants Uechi Ryu Elmsdale,
NS Canada
Mr. Mattson, can you refer me to an instructor/dojo in the white
plains, ny/fairfield county, ct. area?
thanks, Lou
Louis C. Kirven III, esq.
Dear Sensei Mattson
We run a martial arts association called 'Ni Kawa Kai' and practice Karate -
Aikido - Iaido - Zazen
I was introduced to Uechi Ryu by one of the students studying at our dojo -
Martin. Apparently you stayed at his parents home whilst you visited the UK and
he a signed copy of your book, which had a yellow cover, I also have a copy with
a red cover, Martin was trying to work on some of the Kata in the book, and
asked me to help, gosh! Well we slowly worked out Daini seisan between us, with
the help of a few VDO's clips showing shorts of Master Uechi practicing, and
some short footage of Uchi Ryu students.
I love my Karate especially Kata and have been training since 1972 and am now
teaching. Working with the kata Dini Seisan has sparked an interest in Uechi Ryu
and I would very much like to organize an Uechi Ryu Kata course here at Ni Kawa
Kai. With this thought in mind I did contact the GB Uechi Ryu Karate Association
but have had little help and have received no information or answers to any
email's.
I ask your help with a contact here in the UK who will help us in our endeavor
to understand Uechi Ryu karate .
Please visit our web site:- www.nikawakai.co.uk and find out more about us.
Thank you in anticipation
Regards
Graham Moughton
Mr Mattson:
I took Uechi-ryu a number of years ago with a sensi by the name of John out of
Woburn Ma. I would like to start up again and bring my son. Are there any Dojo's
on the north / northeast of Boston?
Thanks very much
Ted
Subject: Uechi-Ryu
Dear Sensei Mattson,
I am a Karate-Do student and I have been practising this martial art for 8
years. Like many other students I started my research in the Budo Universe,
hoping to find detail stories about the Karate tradition and philosophy. Since
the beginning Uechi-Ryu Karate-Do always fascinated me by its power and
devotion, concerning the Karate essence. I really find amazing the breathing
techniques and the muscle contraction that is emphasize in Uechi-Ryu, similar to
Goju-Ryu. Nevertheless, I live in Portugal and I am not aware of any Dojo that
holds this style of Okinawan Karate-Do. Therefore I would be grateful for an
advice concerning my interest in learning and practice Uechi-Ryu. If any kind of
summer camp is available or other kind of intensive practice, please let me
know. Finally I would to show my sympathy to your work and thank you for the
accurate divulgation of Uechi-Ryu.
Looking forward to hear from,
Kind regards, Bruno Fonseca Portugal
Hi Bruno:
Thank you for your very kind letter. To my knowledge, there are no Uechi dojo in
your country.
You might consider attending our SummerFest, which is a fantastic way to become
introduced with Uechi-ryu and members of our organization (IUKF). http://www.uechi-ryu.com/oldsite/fests/
Should you wish to actually get involved with our Federation and learn our
style, please check out our Federation site:
http://uechi-ryu.com/oldsite/iukf/
We have quite a few books and videos to help you become familiar with the basics
of Uechi-ryu and our members are always willing to help a fellow enthusiast
learn. . .
Good luck with your quest. Hope to meet you one day soon.
Best, George Mattson
Book Requests
and Information
Subject: Uechi Ryu Book
Sir, at one time you had offered on one of your older web sites, a complete book
describing the system, kata's, etc. including pictures. Do you still offer that
book and if so are any available for purchase.
Respectfully, Stef Theodore Uechi-Ryu Practitioner
Hi Stef:
We have quite a few books and videos for sale on our site. Click on
http://karateworld.safeshopper.com/
for our secure store. We also have rare "Kihon" for sale. Most of this massive
book is in Japanese, but the photograpsh are excellent. Recent copies have gone
for as much as $7500, depending on condition.
Best, George Mattson
Mr. Mattson,
My Sensei Tsukasa Higa let me borrow your book Uechiryu karate Do to read, it
was one of the best books on the martial arts I have ever read. I studied this
art only for a short time many years ago while stationed on Okinawa. I'm happy
to say that I'm back on the road to learning Uechiryu again. Thank you for all
your effort and dedication to bring this very special discipline to America.
Sincerely,
Mike Shelby
Hi Mike:
Thanks for your very kind letter. I'm very happy to hear that you are studying
Uechi-ryu again. Where are you working out?
Drop in to our forums and join the many different discussions. Stay in touch...
Happy New Year..
Best,
George Mattson
====================================
Hi Mr. Mattson, It is an honor to hear from you! And you are
very welcome! Myself and a few other student's workout in Brown Mills, New
Jersey. I train on Tues. and Thursday night's. Also occasionally on Saturday. It
is a modest dojo- a basement converted into a dojo.
Sensei Higa has a large Torii gate in front of his house, just
like a Shinto Shrine in Okinawa. I am very happy to be training there. It was
good karma finding Sensei Higa.
I will drop into the forums and stay in touch.
Thank you for responding to my e-mail!
Happy New Year! God Bless You and Your Family!
Mike Shelby
Hello Mr. Mattson. My name is Arthur Wasilewski and I was a student of Raffi
Derderian for about 4 years. I recently joined the armed forces and was sent
overseas. I wish to continue my martial arts training but there are no schools
that teach Uechi out here. So, I was wondering if there is anyway I can get a
hold of your book. I already asked Sensei Raffi and he told me to contact you.
Anything you can do will be much appreciated. Send any information to waztek@yahoo.com.
Thank you.
Hi Arthur:
The Uechi book is no longer in print. Used copies are going for as much as $400
on ebay. Peabody Publishing has a few copies (new) remaining which are being
sold for $100. You can order one at: http://karateworld.safeshopper.com/ .
Where are you stationed?
If you have computer access, drop in to http://vfw697.com and say hello via "FreeTalk".
This is a new feature I'm helping the post set up.
Good luck, stay well and have a wonderful New Year.
Best, George Mattson
George,
Thank you very much for your kind words and for posting the first chapter on
your forum. Also, I appreciate the comments you made on the forum. When I set
out to write this book it was intended for people such as yourself, people who
have been studying this art for most of their lives and who appreciate what
Okinawa and its legacy is all about. It is very rewarding to know that I was
successful in that attempt and that the endless hours I spent studying old texts
and interviewing people for authenticity have paid off. If there is anything I
can do in the future to help you in any way please let me know.
I will be starting some promotional trips for the book sometime this year. One
of the things we have in mind is to set up a clinic and spend some time
afterward signing copies and discussing the book with interested students. If
you are at all interested in something like that let me know. I do clinics and
seminars on Okinawan weapons, kata and bunkai, jo/boken, jujitsu basics and a
few other related topics. All proceeds after travel would go to the sponsor.
Thanks again for everything and I hope to meet you someday soon.
Respectfully,
Robert Hunt
Hello "GEM"
Hope to find you and those close in good health sensei.
Victor Swinimer and I are very much hoping to set the ball in motion in hosting
you for a visit to our Bridgewater NS dojo. (your first visit ever to our Dojo!)
Tentative late September 2004 depending of course on your accepting our offer
and your schedule. Our dojo is located an hour and a half from Halifax on the
South Shore of the Provience. We have a small but dedicated membership some of
which will have familiar faces to you and... some not. We are also only 15
minutes from the town of Lunenburg (World historic site) which we can arrange a
tour of by horse drawn carriage and with luck... the Bluenose will be in port.
Great shops / food/ beer and historic sites as well.
Accomadations could be provided in Bridgewater at the Fairview Inn. This the
oldest operating Inn in NS and is very unique in many ways, such as once having
a "triple decker outhouse!" Visit the link for details. ( our first choice but
booking needs to be done asap to capture a room in this popular building)
http://www.nsinns.com/FairviewInnBridgewater.htm Other very suitable
hotels/motels in area as well but not quite the distinct charactor of this Inn
IMHO.
Of course air fare and meals for your stay would also be provided along with
Canadian beer to wash it down. In return you would have spirited Uechi students
(we hope to bring in 40 - 60 Uechika) lined up for some "Traditional" Uechi,
possibly two seminars?? Visit our club site for pictures (slide show) of our
dojo which was built in 1915 by the Masons, we take great pride in our room and
of course the membership. http://www.nskarate.tk/ Looking forward to your reply
Still working on the schedule Vicky. Hope to see you all
sometime this Fall. GEM.
Moving to Florida
Rumors and Facts!
Hi George:
I understand that you are moving to Florida. Is it going to be full time
or will you be a Snow Bird? Let me know when you are coming and if there
is anything I can do I will gladly help as long as I am not working. I
apologize for not being able to attend the last promotional and workout, but I
had to cover at work. When you get settled in and start to workout, please
let me know and if it is alright with you I will come for a workout
periodically. I would really enjoy that let me know what the cost of
a class would be and I will try to take a couple of students once in a while.
Welcome to Florida I look forward to seeing you.
Jon Cierri
Thanks Jon. Susan and I are looking forward to the move.
Although we are not sure of exact dates, we expect to spend this coming Winter
in Sunny Florida! I plan to teach at the Orlando "Shubukan South" and will be
contacting everyone about my schedule. Looking forward to seeing you as well.
GEM
Hello Sensei Mattson,
My name is Rich Johns I am a former student of yours. I studied
at the Hancock St. Dojo back in the 70s.I received my Shodan At Mr Bethanys Dojo
under the instruction of Sensei Jerry Serino in 1985. I was wondering if there
are open courses that you still run ? I would attend a course with you near
Gillette in Boston. years ago. I left Uechi after my shodan and Studied Tai Kwon
Do under Sab Billy Blanks for many years. I am interested in studying Uechi Ryu
once again.
Thank You
Check out all the New England Dojo listed in the Dojo listing
Rich. Good luck and good to hear from you after all these years. GEM
Interesting and
Relevant Responses to Editorials and Newsletters
In iukf@yahoogroups I agree Jay, there should be a written
test all the way up to godan. I think our students are expecting information and
answers from us. It would be a good idea for the seniors to get together some
time and share history. I have found sensei Campbell for one to be a great
source of information.
Bruce W.
Though no longer in New England, I thought I'd weigh in (plus
it's a good excuse for a study break).
I agree that a written test is appropriate for shodan as previously decided. I
disagree that this is necessary or appropriate above shodan for a number of
reasons, the first of which is the fact that there are *many* versions of Uechi
history. If you test someone (for example) about how Kanbun died, will you be
looking for a test candidate to tell the story of how he got into a sanchin
stance to confront death? As I understand it, it is only birth and death dates
that are objectively clear - if even that.
From dojo to dojo, terminology is often different (even in Japanese), as are
different perspectives on appropriate technique. For example, I don't teach that
the elbow strike in the middle of seisan is targeted at the attacker's chin -
yet many instructors do. So, who is right?
Instead of this kind of test, I would like to see that as a student gains rank,
he or she exhibits a 'deeper' understanding of the art as well as the physical
proficiency expected for the rank. If I ask a sandan candidate the question
regarding targeting referenced above, I don't want to hear them parrot what *I*
teach because they think that I will grade this "correct," I want them to be
able to give me an answer consistent with their training that shows they have
thought about and/or experimented with this movement. In other words, I believe
taking a more 'whole picture' approach is a superior method of evaluation, e.g.
have they cross-trained? do they look like they could use their uechi if they
had to? have they made contributions to others' understanding of the art, etc.
There is no right or wrong answer to these questions but rather it should be up
to the board to attempt to define the qualities of a __dan.
I realize this leaves things vague, but I prefer it to grading higher dan ranks
based on their ability to recite dates and stories...
Greg Postal
See you next month
GEM
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May,
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