Don’t forget Sunday’s WinterFest Webinar – 8PM – 9PM

The purpose for this get-together is to discuss the class schedule for this year’s webinar. We have a great group of senior instructors participating and I want to hear what everyone has to say about how we should schedule the seminars. This may be the first year where we conduct more than one seminar every hour. . . depending on what the participants want. . . So, if you are coming to WinterFest (Friday & Saturday – Feb 24,25) please drop in to say hello and let me know your thoughts on the subject. Oh yes. . . I may find a neat video from the Uechi archives to play during our meeting. Send me an email for the webinar information if you didn’t receive my earlier Newsletter.

George

From WinterFest Presenter, Shihan Darin Yee:

Hi George,

This year, I will be teaching a seminar on Chinese Weaponry. As there will not be enough time for anyone to learn a complete form in any of the weapons, I will explain the nuances of each of the basic weapons and bring some to demonstrate.

I will spend most of my time allotted to talk mostly about the hard weapons which are the easiest to use. I will also teach some of the techniques and bring a few extra weapons for participants to use and actually perform/practice those techniques.

The weapons I will be working with will be the Chinese knife (broadsword as it is referred to by non-Chinese) and the long stick. Anyone who may have their own weapons should bring their own as one of the importances is to be familiar with your own personal weapon.

Although the Chinese stick is made of a flexible worm wood, you may also use a Japanese Bo Staff. It’ll be a little stiff but depending on the amount of people learning the movements, we may need more sticks.

I have been studying Chinese weapons almost as long as I’ve been learning martial arts.

I’ve been training and studying since 1960. There is much our community did not learn from the old traditional ways. Please know I will be willing to work with any student of the martial arts and not only those of at the winter fest for Uechi-Ryu.

Please call Sensei George Mattson if you are not a Uechi-Ryu student and would like to attend my seminar on Chinese Weaponry. I’m sure sensei will work something out with you. Thank you and see you at winter fest.

Darin Yee