From the Newsletter archives: June, 2005

In my last newsletter I described an experiment that I hoped would validate what I had learned from Kanei Uechi and Ryuko Tomoyose involving Sanchin breathing and Uechi-ryu breathing. Although I felt comfortable with what I was doing and teaching, there was a part of me that questioned the validity and effectiveness of the training, based on what some of my colleagues and associates were saying on the forums.

On the second “thread” in Van Canna’s Self Defense Realities Forum, after eleven pages of posts, all the posters agreed that what I was teaching was OK or had merit and although new and different, warranted further evaluation and testing.

Needless to say, this consensus of opinion on such a volatile subject has been a huge breakthrough for a subject that up until now, saw few Uechi practitioners agreeing on anything. Conceding that there is something called “Sanchin Breathing” which teaches a  repeating breathing method and when used during “stressed” effort, enables the student to draw on and use in a “natural” manner (Uechi breathing) a variation of the Sanchin Breathing. (Which often is very similar to more recognized and recommended breathing methods. WHEW. . .)

Ok, one Uechi target eliminated. Now. . . If we could only find someone to defend the old and venerable “cooperative drills”!!! 🙂

And as though  “Doctor (MD) to be”, Greg Postal read my mind, in the mail today I received the today’s featured article,

Uechi-Ryu Yakusoku Kumite As A Self Defense Training Progression

I hope you enjoy the article as much as I did. If you wish to communicate with Greg and continue the discussion of the “cooperative” drills, please visit Bill Glasheen’s Forum and “get involved”!

George E. Mattson

Click “read more” to read the article on “cooperative” drills.

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