July, 2001 Mailbag

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Women's Self-defense Course!

To all in the New England area:

I am teaching a women's self-defense seminar at my dojo on July 18. It will be a 3 hour event that is designed to give women a working knowledge of how to deal with being attacked and the cost is $25.00. It is a safe program with no throwing or anything dangerous to those who participate. I really believe women will get a lot from this seminar. 

I opened it up to the parents and friends of my dojo first and it's filling up like crazy. I will now open it up to the rest of the Uechi community for those remaining slots before possibly advertising in the local paper. If you would pass this along to your female friends, spouses, etc. I would appreciated it. Please call me as soon as you can and reserve a spot.

There will be plenty of question and answer time and liquid refreshment for all the participants. 

Thanks,

Mike Murphy

Course: Women's Self-Defense/Rape Awareness Date: July 18, 2001 Time: 6-9pm Place: Uechi-ryu America Karate Studio Address: 93 N. Main St Randolph, MA 02368 Phone: 781-963-8891 Contact: Mike Murphy Cost: $25.00

Dear SENSEI , 


I must apologize for not having written sooner. I have been thinking of writing to you, but I have neglected to do so. I am terribly sorry.

I got my masters Bs degree and graduated from graduate school in March, 2001. I could not have completed my master thesis without your help. Thank you very much for your kindness and cooperation.

I had been looking for a job after I graduated. Nowadays, it is hard to find a good one even with my masters Bs degree in Japan. In order to concentrate on translating my thesis, I should get a job for subsistence. I am teaching junior high school students at a cramming school. However, I would like to be a high school teacher, so I will take an examination to become one end of July. I have been studying hard for that since I graduated. I will start working on translation of my thesis after the exam is over. So I would like you to give me a little bit more of time. 

I owe my success in master thesis entirely to you. 

Again, I appreciate your kindness very much.
Sincerely yours,

Miwa Kanazawa 

Subjects like this can't be overdone, Bill. GEM

Shushiwa question. . .

Hi there Sensei, I am looking for the Chinese characters for the name..Zhou Zie He or the Okinawan name of Shu Shi Wa. Would you know of where i could get these as i have a friend who is going travelling in China and is going to try and find some things for me...? Any help would be gratefully received Regards, Grant

P.S Keep up the good work

Hopefully Breyette sensei can help you out Grant. GEM
 ===================
Dear Mr. Grant.

Hello and best greetings from Nagahama. I hope you and yours are well.

Here is the kanji for SHUU Sensei's name. It is properly pronounced in Japanese as SHUU (shoe) Shiwa (she-wah). SHUU (also Chou, Chu, Zhou, and other similar names) is the family name, Shiwa is his given name.

The UU is doubled for slightly extended length in pronouncing, if my program would handle it, it would also be spelled with a long "u" -- the line over the vowel to make it "long", but would still have an extended sound.

I am cc'ing this to Mattson Sensei for his records. He may want to keep the kanji handy.

Best of luck to your friend on his search in China!

Sincerely,

G. Breyette 

Dear Mr. Mattson:

I'm a feature writer doing an informational story on Martial Arts for Go Go Magazine, a biweekly paper, here in Denver, Colorado. The basic idea is to describe some of the various schools and tell our readers how to go about finding a good school. 

I am getting in touch with you at the suggestion of D. Howard of the Martial Arts Abuse Center. Having pursued your website, it is evident that you are concerned about abuse within the martial arts community. 

As you may know, one school here, Tiger Kim's school of Tae Kwon Do has been under investigation for alleged fraud and abuse. So far the investigation has only resulted in charges against 'Tiger's' son, Sung Kim, who has been charged with misdemeanor 3rd degree assault. The case is going before the court this March. 

'Tiger Kim' claims in his promotional literature to be part of the Tae Kwon Do Union and the Olympic Committee on Tae Kwon Do and to have taught Bruce Lee, all of which are false. The DA's office has not filed fraud charges because they say false advertising does not fall within the definition of fraud. 

Could you please tell me what prompted you to established your web page and why you are concerned about abuse within martial arts? Could you put me in touch with anybody who would be willing to speak to about criminal behavior they encountered in a martial arts school? 

• I also read about allegations posted by someone named 'David' about a Bujukan here in Denver that is being investigated. I have not had any luck on getting more information on this. Do you have any information on this?

• What would you consider to be a good solution to the problem of abuses and/or criminal behavior within martial arts schools? Do you believe legislation in the answer? 

Thank you in advance for your help. 

—Ande Wanderer 

I suggest you post your questions on our Forums. The Forums are a great source for material concerning abuse in the martial arts. Unfortunately, our art does have a few bad apples. Exposing them helps rid society of them and alerts new students to the dangers of being uninformed. GEM

where is the closest school to Wareham ma. I'm a 2 nd degree brown belt got out of it a while ago and miss it thank you, i previously went to the Plymouth ma dojo Kelly (Neville) Young

Check out Tracy Capone and Windsong Blake's dojo in the "Instructor Listing". GEM

Hi there, I am assuming that since you are associated with this site, you have a knowledge of the martial arts. I am looking to get into the martial arts but have no idea which one to look into. I tried different sites on the net with no luck. Would you be able to just give me an idea how to find the right discipline for me? Thank you for your time.

Jim

The best source of information is the Internet. Just do a search on the art you are interested in and read the material. Of course, understand that all you read may not be factual! That is where interactive forums are useful. Post your specific questions on one of the Forums and listen to the experts. GEM

Summer job!

Hello,

I just talked to Russ Bromfield at the Space Camp in Newton they are looking for instructors. For the summer program - pay is about 1100 for July through Aug. i've done this program a number of years (beginners) and t has been pretty good. 5 days a week roughly 40 hours total. Any interest? Sensei? I am available to sub occasionally. Best, 

Ethan
Note: if anyone is interested, please call GEM for details

Sensei, Do you have any hints to help with learning kata? or any hints on kumite? If so they would be greatly appreciated. 

Thanks,
Maygan

Check out the Forums for lots of tips and suggestions. Also, check out the video tapes on the Uechi store. Good luck. GEM

I have been a Martial Arts practitioner for over twenty five years. I have achieved blackbelt/instructor status in several styles from Traditional Karate to internal gung fu. As well I have been a teacher in multiple schools and competed in many tournaments. 

Now after all these years I find myself alone in my practices and beliefs, having disassociated myself from certain schools and have lost many good friends for my beliefs. I can not condone teaching something purely for financial purposes or believe in children, or friends receiving black belts that have not truly earned this, or can not realistically defend themselves when really needed, a small child, no matter how well trained, is no match for a true monster of society that unfortunately exist. 

Now as a parent I am glad I have kept these morals. Martial arts are a way of life that affects all areas in a positive manner, the love of life, whether ours or theirs, is always kept in mind. Thank you for taking the time to read this and have a great day every day. I am always open for discussion. Jay C Shrewsbury

Thanks for the note Jay. Please join us on the forums. GEM

Dear Sensei Mattson,

First of all, I would like to thank you for writing your excellent book on Uechi-ryu. I recently bought a copy, and found it to be the most complete, informative, and enjoyable martial arts book I have ever seen. It instantly became one of my most prized possessions.

I have a question, though, regarding pongai noon. I have read about a great many Chinese martial arts, and have studied one or two, but outside of Uechi-ryu I haven't been able to find a reference to this important source behind Sensei Uechi's style. Do you know much about the original pongainoon style? Is it still being practiced today?

I'm guessing that part of the reason behind my lack of information may be the translation of the original Chinese style's name into Okinawan (similar, I suspect, to the conversion of Shaolin style into shorin-ryu). There are also a great many Chinese styles and style names that I do not know. In other words, I fear I may be bothering you with a very trivial question, and I apologize in advance if that is the case. Thank you very much for your time.

With deepest respect and appreciation,

Daryl Metzger 

Pangainoon is not the name of the style, rather a description. Lots of teachers call what we practice Pangainoon, just as many teachers refer to what they study as Goju-ryu. (hard/soft) Lots of information on this subject on the Forums. Do a search to bring up current and past threads. GEM

CLEARING THE WAY THROUGH SPIRITUAL MARTIAL ARTS

WELCOME TO HANTA YO .... The Martial Arts, although fighting arts, are at the deepest level about the fight over ones self. We find our own internal contradictions to be our true enemy. Gaining control over energies is the purpose of discipline and focus. We may then utilize this focused energy toward healing, well-being and creative expression. 

Usually people are fixated in their attention. This is a condition when excessive interior dialogue, unconscious bodily function and perpetual emotional consideration keep us stuck in limited areas of our body/mind. The work of Martial Arts is designed to spread consciousness to the extremities of our body so that the hands and feet have as much awareness in them as our thoughts and feelings. The over all effect of conscious work through Martial Arts is to produce a human being who is vitally centered and able to be a positive agent in all aspects of life, including conflict.

Hanta Yo is a Lakota Sioux term that means, "clear the way". It indicates the intention of drawing on the Great Spirit to clear the way while you do your part with faith. All mystical, conscious work, including yoga and the Martial Arts, are about "plugging in" to an infinite source of creative potential. Techniques vary but the goals are identical: to conduct the life force more dynamically through the body/mind of the human being. Hanta Yo uses breath, conscious movement, balance, discipline and strong intention to accomplish this goal. The process involves The 9 ways of Hanta Yo: the rock way, the lightning way, the fire way, the water way, the wind way, the tree way, the earth way, the heavenly way and the love way. Each way involves a different approach to exercise. While we work out physically, the psychological component is also operative. This is understood as the transmutation of ego through three apparent phases: (solid) rigid, (mellow), and (gas) empty.

The 9 Ways integrate the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual realms of being. Hanta Yo assigns an appropriate action to each of these 4 realms using the following formula of the 4 R's, Relax the body, Release the emotions, Rest the mind and Recognize the spirit. Tension in any of the four realms impedes the flow of ki. In order to have "flowing ki" the body must be in a relaxed state, allowing both negative and positive "charges" in the emotions to be released. As this occurs the mind is given a rest from it's chatter. Simply recognizing or remembering the Spirit stimulates "ki" flow". So we find that tension can be released even eliminated with the "flame of attention".

The fundamental goal of the Martial artist is "centeredness". Ideally the very presence of such a person maintains harmony in the immediate environment. However, when the ideal is not the reality and conflict arises, the martial artist is trained to handle most situations. The self-defense techniques that are a basic part of the work enable the martial artist to be a positive force in containing a potential or actual violent situation.

Training involves strengthening the entire system through exercise, stretching, coordination, balance, stamina and conscious movement. Classes provide a "theater" of interaction where students can smooth out rough areas of their movement and psyches. The phases of ego transformation from solid through liquid to empty are encountered, as students repeatedly must confront their limitations. The opportunity to "flow or grow" appears again and again both within the classes and in the larger scope of social relations.
        Written by Sensei Sequoia 

Hi- Thank you so much for judging the kids at the junior black belt test. I heard that you recommended passing all the kids and we are grateful for that. It was a compassionate decision. My daughter, Rosa Drummond, was the only student from Stephen Perry's school. 

It was a test of character as well of skills for her to test with a group who knew each other but not her. I was impressed that you and the other judges could take each child seriously and obviously cared about their efforts. It gave us all something to strive for in our daily work. Thank you again. 

Amy Feitelson

George, 

Do you know of a Karate School in Narragansett, RI (for my niece, and 3 friends between 6-13 years ) ? They all left a school that the Instructors personal issues were interfering w/ teaching, a lot of yelling. 

I met a Sensei that has a dojo on Boone St., in Narragansett . I do not remember his name. 

Karate has helped her a lot w/ her concentration ,or lack of it. 

Best wishes, J.

I've enclosed Raffi Derderian's email address. I can highly recommend him and Ed Oakley as Uechi teachers. If they can't help you, I'm sure they will be able to recommend someone closer to where your niece lives. GEM

Thanks for the suggestion, Dean.

Cable is great. . . until all your neighbors start using it. DSL has its problems and limitations, but long term I believe is a better choice. I've been following the recommendations by viewers on my site. Most love cable when it is new to an area, but after awhile they all start to complain about the very slow service during certain times.

Lots of discussions on this topic in the computer forum on my site.

Regarding the scoring during kata. the black belts all had the same officials and all were high ranked in Uechi. I would say they all caught the wrong kick and adjusted your score accordingly.

Being an official is a tough and thankless job. I know they all did the best job possible and in a fair and impartial manner. GEM

 ===================

Dear Sensei Mattson;

Speed hasn't been a problem for me with cable, but since it is AT&T the price seems to steadily rise! :-)

In regard to kata scoring, I absolutely didn't mean to sound like sour grapes, but rather I am interested in expanding my feel and knowledge for what other schools (as reflected by the judges) think should be emphasized in kata. So, really, pardon me if that didn't seem apparent :-)

Knowing that my school emphasizes the "hard" half, I am interested in other opinions as to what should be emphasized in demonstration form.

So, in some sense, I guess I was interested in your opinion as to what one should emphasize, though I appreciate you often have to find yourself defending rules and judging....my intent was just to solicit your input! - which I am still very much interested in! :-)

all the best,

Dean
 ===================

Dean:

You really should visit the Forums. . . especially Van Canna's and Bill
Glasheen's. There is a lot of discussion that focuses on the Uechi "form".
Certainly there are lots of different interpretations, but when moving, we
all seem to be looking for the same thing.

Holding one's breath and restricting movement is something we haven't been
doing for quite a few years. Much of this is from not understanding the
nature of Sanchin or the other kata. Best way to experience different ways
is to get out and visit other dojo. And to do so with an open mind.

Are you coming to Summer Camp this month? GEM

Mr. Mattson,

Mr.Frank Goody (born 1921) passed away in 1995 in Denver, Colorado. Over the last few months, have been looking for information on his main teachers:

Frank Atsuo Matsuyama (1886-1957) taught Yawara which looks a little bit like Aikido/Aikijitsu. Moved to the San Francisco area in 1903. Lived there except for the 1940s-- when he moved to Denver, Colorado.

Mr. Tin Yang (his martial arts name which was the same for his father & grandfather). His birth name is actually Wang Yongdeng (pinyin spelling). He taught karate/kung fu in the 1950s in Singapore (conversation with Mr.Goody) and Okinawa (friend translated one of Mr.Goody's certificates).

Nagai sensei. Contemporary of Mifune sensei. Taught Mr. Goody in 1950s-1960s, his family art (perhaps something like jujitsu/weapons art).

Thank you, Mike Hamel

Hello -

First, I'd like to apologize if this is not the right place to send this email but I'm not sure where to go, so if you can't answer the questions, perhaps you could point me in the right direction.

First, I used to study Uechi-Ryu at Ron LaBrie's dojo in Gloucester, MA and then again on Beacon Hill in Boston, MA. I made it to Brown Belt with three black stripes. I would love to start it up again but now I live in SouthWest London and need to find a dojo to attend. Could you help?

Second, I used to be good friends with Johnny Hatt and I am trying to track him down. I know he was in a bad car accident in 1997 but I don't think I've spoken with him since. Since he is a high ranking black belt, I thought you might have some information as to his whereabouts and possibly an email address. If you are not comfortable giving it to me, feel free to pass my information on to him.

Thank you so much for whatever help you can give me!

Rebecca Rulli 

Enclosed is Jim Hulse's email address. Hopefully he will be able to help you locate a London dojo. Regarding Johnny Hatt, please post your request on our "Looking for dojo/teacher" Forum. GEM

Hopefully Seth is still "Gainfully" employed! Sorry for the lateness in publishing this:

For those of you that have had the misfortune of spending 30 seconds with me in the past 6 mos., you know that my resposibilities as an editor have taken a backseat to the relaunch of the news website I work for, Townonline.com. I am extremely happy to announce that the relaunch was an absolute success, and I am still gainfully employed.

Please go to http://www.townonline.com and check out the new site.

And try to break it. If you find something broken, let me know. Thanks!

Seth Rosenblatt
Town Online Regional Editor
Popular Music Editor
Community Newspaper Company
254 Second Avenue, Needham, MA 02494
phone: 781.433.7841   fax: 781.433.7888   mailto:srosenblatt@cnc.com
North of Boston http://www.townonline.com/north
News for your ears http://www.townonline.com/tol/entertainment/music/index.html

Old Friend now on-line.

Hi Sensei George! 
This is my very first attempt at e-mail. I guess it was time to move out of the dark ages. We have moved to Firestone/Longmont and will be in our new house on Weds 1/31. I've gone into cultural shock, my next door neighbor now has less than four feet. Everyone is fine and settleling in to a new routine. Our new address is: Scott and Rose Dyer . . . Longmont, Co. 

 Tell Susan hi for me please. I am on Scott's computer at his office.  I'm going to go back  reading all the fantastic articles. On a personal note, I agree 100% with your definition of friendship. I'll be back in touch soon. Until then stay well and God bless you, 

Your Friend and Student, Rose Dyer

Now we just have to get you on our Forums! See you at camp. GEM

Hi Sensei! This is the third e-mail I have sent from our brand new Dell computer! Thank you for the great computer advise. I know you are very busy, I just wanted to give you our home e-mail address.

 . . . I hope everything was ok with the outline for the kids safety seminar at the summer camp. We are really looking forward to seeing you. Tell Susan I said hi and Scott is also looking forward to running the store for you-all. If you have any questions about the kids class let me know. I will be providing the certificates. Well ,back to exploring the world of internet. I even e-mailed Damian in Saudi! Talk to you soon, 
Rose 

More old friends!
Sensei Mattson,

I have not seen you since I have been living here in L.A. (2 years). I miss your work outs a lot and my uechi companions as well. Feel free to give them my best regards and well-wishes....

I am interested in attending one of your upcoming camps (probably next year, but maybe winter or this summer-but unlikely). I would love to have my wife come and soak in some of the martial arts atmosphere, but I don't want to sign her up for classes. 

Is there a way we could pay for her to be my roomate, pay for her meals, without her actually attending the majority of camp. Most of the time she would be doing sightseeing type stuff. 

The issue here is that...

1) she is not a practicing martial artist, but I would love it if she tried.

2) I do not want to force her to do it, I would like her to do it for her own enjoyment, physical health, and protection.

3) I feel like if she were to just spend some time around other women (and the junior women), she might see herself as capable and possibly get interested from talking to the women.....

I did not exactly see a program that would suit her needs. 

Many thanks for all your work to spread Uechi-Ryu around the globe...

Sincerely,

Akil "Todd" Harvey

No problem Harvey. Contact Susan, who will take care of the details. Lots of activities for non-martial arts at camp, besides the usual sightseeing, etc. Good to hear from you. GEM

O.K, I know some of you have said no already . . . but we have four awesome kittens here that are ready to go now. One black, one tabby, one that is the color of coffee ice cream, and a gray tiger . . . free!

Let us know if anyone is interested.

Mark

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