by Charles Roberts

This idea is used to show a new student how to place their hands while doing HojoUndo.

Take a bungee cord that is about 26″ in length, 5″ hard plastic tube, about 2″ heat shrink and fasteners for the bungee cord.

Place the plastic tube over the bungee cord and create one big circle with the fasteners.

Place the fasteners within the plastic tube.

Now create two circles as shown with the fasteners and then place the heat shrink over the 6″ circle and move the 6″ circle above your elbow. Now place your hand in the 2″ circle with the hard plastic on your finger tips, palm side.

The way the idea works is as follows:
1. You place your forearm in the big hole; where the device is over your elbow.
2. Place your hand in the other hole; so your palm is facing out forwards.

This will hold your hands at 90 degrees and help in
strengthening your wrist.

by JOHN THURSTON

Some Possible Cross training benefits for Uechi-Rya Karate from Chinese Martial Arts.
I have studied Uechi Karate with moderate success since 1977. It has been said many times that its strength is in it’s simplicity, which seems correct.
Yet hidden in the stances and positions is a depth of strength that only the most natural athlete student or the most diligent and dedicated can discern.
I have also studied certain “Chinese” arts or internal arts which have similar but differently expressed principles to the kata we study every week.
These are:
The Iron Shirt Chi Kung (chi work) of Mantak Chia, The Tai Chi Kung I by Mantak Chia and the Yang Long Form Tai Chi, traditional Yang Family system.
One is generally not allowed to study the Tai Chi Chi Kung without having first been introduced to the Iron Shirt Chi Kung.
What is the basic focus of the Iron Shirt Chi Kung and how does it relate to Uechi Karate or, indeed, any martial art?
This can be summed up in one word: “rooting”. Establishing and perfecting the connection to the earth effectively increases the ability of the student to transfer power to an opponent.
The Iron Shirt Philosophy does not, at first glance, appear different from that of Sanchin.
The goals, in part, of Sanchin are : 1. to create, through position, a protective shell for the internal organs of the body from external attack.; 2. to establish a connection to the earth, from which power can be transferred to the point of the body which are blocking or attacking; 3. to cultivate the proper posture for both health and self defense; 4. to train the student to control his body and breathing in order to promote the attainment of the other goals.
The goals mentioned “overlap” each other. It is not really possible to explain where one begins and the next ends in a definitive way.
Like Sanchin, the Iron Shirt is simple in appearance, it is: “assume the position” and establish in so doing correct posture, which will also serve to protect. Like Yoga it has several positions, each of which, should one desire, can be used to enhance a meditative state of mind.
The starting stance for the “Iron Shirt Chi Kung” is called “Embracing the Tree”.
This “Chi Kung” or “power/spirit work” is not one that is studied while moving anything beyond the “Chi” within oneself and, of course, breathing. It is much like working on kata without actually changing stance or position. In this sense, it is analogous to Uechi Karate’s study of breathing, posture and focus in the various positions of “Kamae” (ready/paused) positions.
The breathing is dissimilar to that which we are familiar in Uechi Karate, in that the student/practitioner mentally breaths “TO” the part of the body one wishes. Several points of focus in the body are taught as particularly important. I won’t attempt to list them at this time.
For an instructive lesson, start in a “horse stance” only slightly wider than the parallel stance we utilize in “closed gate position”.
In the Tai Chi Kung I, identical technologies of Posture are utilized. In the Iron Shirt, breathing skills can be utilized to direct the bodies “attention” itself in a circular flow.
The basis of the initial elements of both arts is so simple as to give rise to considerable skepticism.
“Stand Up Straight”. It follows, then that your Uechi Stance strength will be enhanced examining how this is explained in these arts, however briefly.
To practice embracing the tree, one:
Places one’s feet slightly farther apart than in the “Closed Gate” stance, Straightens up the body by keeping the body in a line with the top of the head, Presses/expresses back the C-7 vertebrae and brings the chin slightly down, Distributes weight over the entire foot.
Opens the groin area slightly by gently spiraling the legs outwards to create a tension (gently) without actually allowing the feet to move, or the knees to point outwards.
Sinks the center of the chest slightly, thus crating a “roundness” to the back when viewed from above. This connects the scapula to the lattisimus muscles of the back. If the chest is “flat” or pressed forward, the connection is not made. This is similar to same way that the “round arm” in a Wa Uke block will collapse if bent to far at the elbow, simply because is no longer rounded. .
This is not to say a bent arm elbow block cannot be used in very close quarters, but it is not so used in the blocking system in which we have trained.
To open continue opening the stance:
Raise the hands and arms to form a circle which should be at about Sanchin height. The arms should be relaxed, with tension only caused by the gentle rolling of the muscles and tendons of the legs to create the connection to the ground. Even if you think your legs are tight and strong, you are not “connected” to the ground maximally without this gentle rotating effect.
Do not “close off the armpits” as this destroys the circular structure you have been striving for.
Lift the “sacrum” (the triangular piece of bone at the base of the spine) by rolling or drawing towards your center as thought you had a “tail, but do not let this “throw” your upper body rearwards, as this also destroys your connection to the ground.
Once the stance is open, without creating the incorrect type of “tension”, and can be tested as in Kamae.
Have somebody “press” gently (straight back and not downwards). As he presses do not “tighten up”.
If you feel you are too easily uprooted, don’t bend your knees too much, but feel yourself and let yourself sink and straighten by focusing on the points we have discussed.
The purpose of the exercise, or any variant which you may choose, is to enhance your own awareness of your body and it’s ability to “root” itself (“tap the chi?) to the earth.
BE WARNED, this does not immediately translate into stronger Sanchins, but the practice will do so over time, or so I believe.
An immediate structural hint makes itself apparent in the Iron Shirt “Embracing the Tree” form. Students will recall the many different ways that we were taught to perform the “Seichin” movement, taken from the Kata Sanseirui. At the end of the movement the rear side hand is engaged in what is surmised to be a “catch”. This hand position also should be virtually identical to the position from which, as beginners, was taught to us as the starting position for a “Wa-Uke” block and strike sequence. In the Embracing the Tree” Posture the arms are kept rounded, the shoulders do not rise up, and the hands gently rotate outwards until a connection can be felt in the tendon structure running to the shoulders.
If this structural point is not cross trained into your Karate (Seichin circling block and the “beginners” start for the Wa-Uke) the innermost hand cannot catch anything, not does it provide any protection to the practitioner. It (and I have seen this literally hundreds of times) either flops limply on top of the blocking forward hand, or gets “squared off” at the shoulder and elbow, and is weak for another reason; not being “round”.
Hopefully this will prove helpful to you.

Respectfully submitted:
JOHN THURSTON

Recommended:
Reading: The Inner Structure of Tai Chi Iron Shirt Chi Kung I

By Sensei Jay Salhanick – 5th dan

The following paper is for all martial artists, not solely for the Uechi-Ryu practitioner. It is my intent to go beyond the realm of just Uechi-Ryu. I wish to explore a more detailed understanding and development of ones own karate. I have always had the thirst to learn more about Uechi-Ryu, other martial arts styles, and self-defense in general. I have learned over the years from, Master George Mattson (9th dan), and my Sensei: Robert J. Campbell – (7th Dan) an OPEN MIND…….. Or, as my sensei calls it……OPEN GATE!

Many years ago I discovered during my training, that it was much more important for me, to develop self-defense techniques that REALLY WORK, then…..How many turns are in the first Sanchin kata. At my dojo the Traditional Uechi-Ryu Karate Institute in Boston. I teach two versions of karate. I refer to them as, Dojo Karate and Street Karate. This is not a new concept to many of the old instructors at the “Mattson Academy Of Boston” under Sensei George Mattson. The two names dojo karate and street karate may sound confusing to many students. As time passes they learn the differences very quickly. I will explain these key differences, later on in this paper.

In retrospect, the first time I started to think about the differences between what I did in the dojo, and what I would do on the street, goes back many years. I started my training in Uechi-Ryu back in 1968, at the Mattson Academy of Karate. Located in Boston Ma. I remember back in the very early 70′s, we had a weekly sparring class, held on Thursday evenings. The instructors of that class, are names many people in and out of the Uechi-Ryu world will recognize. Names such as: Robert Campbell, Arthur Rebesa, Van Canna, Jimmy Maloney, Clearance Von Wilder, Ed Huff. The class was by today’s standards, “A TOTAL BLOOD BATH.”

We at the Mattson Academy in Boston, were doing full contact karate, before it became fashionable. If it was done today, the court system would be full of martial art related lawsuits. Many nights I would walk out of the dojo with, black eyes, bloody noise, banged up ribs, and once a dislocated shoulder. PLEASE, do not get me wrong, I do not advocate this type of training any longer. At the time it was the standard way of doing things. But above all, I learned how to defend myself. At first I tried using techniques direct from my katas (Dojo Karate), as well as my two person sets. It did not take long for me to find myself, flat on my ass, on the VERY HARD wooden floor. That is when I first started to analyze and develop self-defense strategies (Street Karate), that I could use, to SURVIVE THE CLASS.

This type of class was as close to a real attack on the street, as one could get. We wore no protective equipment (Not Invented Yet). Their was only one speed, FULL CONTACT. At this point in my training I started to develop my first real rudimentary understanding of real self-defense (Street Karate). The second major turning point in my self-defense process came while I was a member of the United States Marine Corp. It was at this stage of my training. While I was practicing, and teaching Hand To Hand combat in the U.S.M.C. That I really started to understand what real self-defense was all about. It was in the understanding of the following philosophy, which I might add, is the same philosophy found on the streets today. That is the understanding of, Kill or be Killed.

To survive a real attack, one must realize and understand that each attacker is different. The following paragraphs explain how I learned to adapt a self-defense philosophy that worked. I also explain how I evaluate, analyze, and most

important of all synthesize self-defense techniques that worked for me. As time passed I learned from my sensei that fighting each one of these men was a totally different experience. Sensei taught me how to “READ” and evaluate each attacker.

For example, Sensie himself, Bob Campbell is 6′ 4″ tall, with great reach. He also was a (Super Smart Fighter). For matter of fact, Bob Campbell is the finest fighter I have ever seen in all my 29 years of training. Then we had Jimmy Maloney, and Arthur Rabesa. These men are very deceiving, they may be of average height, but they are built like refrigerators, and they are that strong. And to make matters worse, all the instructors were fearless. They had no fear of being hit. Jim Maloney and Arthur Rabesa are both Very Strong and Aggressive Fighters. Van Canna, and Ed Huff were not only strong and aggressive, they were also thinking fighters. they looked for any weakness they could find.

In reading these fighters, sensei taught me how to find there strong points. It was from Bob Campbell, Van Canna, and Ed Huff that I learned how to read my opponent. It was from Jimmy Maloney and Arthur Rebesa that I learned to be aggressive and ferocious. It was From Clearance Von Wilder, that I learned how to utilize my own personal capabilities. Clearance is 6’4 and a very big and SUPER STRONG man. But he moved with such grace and fluidness, it was like watching a dancer. I saw Clearance using every thing he had going for him, That is when I also started to use what I had going natural for me. Such as my size and strength. In teaching my students to defended themselves I try to stress their strong points, and downplay their week points. I teach them how to read an opponent, and size up a potentially dangerous situation. The following are some of the guide lines I teach my students in surviving an attack on the street. Real self-defense is much more then learning a few simple kicks and yells. Self-Defense is more of a state of mind. It is the way you think while walking down the street. It is the way you act, dress, and walk. Self-Defense is awareness of your surroundings, assertiveness, verbal confrontation skills, and how to remain in control. The only way you will survive a real and serious street confrontation is to understand the following. Karate alone will not give you the tools you will need to survive the attack. Successful fighting skills require that you not only have a good fighting sense, but also the ability to be, effective in the delivery of your techniques.

To be very aggressive, and to understand that your opponent is really trying to hurt you. This is not a dojo sparring match. THIS IS WHERE MOST MARTIAL ARTISTS MISS THE MARK…… They forget! they are no longer in the dojo. Welcome, to the real world. These martial artists get caught up in the false belief that, just because they are wearing a black belt they know how to fight. Many karate students have never learned the difference between the exaction of a technique, Vs the real application of the technique. Also, no one has taught them:

The “RULES OF THE STREET”! ……… Rule number one, (most important of all)

1. THERE ARE NO RULES IN A STREET ATTACK, DO WHAT EVER IT TAKES TO WIN. WHAT YOU WIN, IS NOT A TROPHY, BUT YOUR LIFE………….

2. NEVER PLAY FAIR, THEIR IS NO SUCH THING AS A FAIR FIGHT.

3. NEVER BELIEVE ANYTHING YOUR ATTACKER SAYS

4. . BE FEROCIOUS AND AGGRESSIVE

5. CONTROL THE FIGHT, IF YOU CAN

6. EVALUATE………… THEN DESTROY YOUR ATTACKER

7. USE ANYTHING AT YOUR DISPOSAL TO HURT YOUR ATTACKER.

8. DO WHAT EVER IT TAKES TO WIN

9. YELL FIRE…..(THE WORD FIRE, DRAWS MORE ATTENTION THEN…HELP)

10. AGAIN…………..THERE ARE NO RULES ON THE STREET

Many people, as well as other instructors disagree with what I have said. That is their right. I am not saying, I am right, and they are wrong….. What I am saying is, I have been in more then a few street fights, as well as some tough situations while I was in the USMC. I have learned from personal experience what works, and more importantly, what does not work. One major aspect I have learned in real self-defense very fast was, that once you put your attacker down, “Do not think its over”. All they are going to do is get up and come at you again.

NOTE:

THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THE ABOVE ARTICLE, ARE THE SOLE BELIEF OF THE AUTHOR, SENSEI JAY SALHANICK. I DO NOT ADVOCATE THAT ANYONE FOLLOW THE ABOVE BELIEF. I AM ONLY EXPRESSING A SELF-DEFENSE PHILOSOPHY THAT I HAVE FOUND TO WORK FOR ME.

I hope you find one that works for you…………… Its a dangerous world.

by Van Canna

In addition to martial study,I have had experience in investigating and preparing in the defense of self defense cases in my work.Further, along with Jim Maloney,I attended classes at lethal force institute under the tutelage of Massad Ayoob and John Farnam, noted deadly force combat teachers,and found the lessons learned of great impact upon martial arts applications.In addition I have survived a few serious encounters of my own as well as witnessing a number of others which bear out the many conclusions I have espoused over time re violent confrontations.

Those I will share with you as time moves on,but plase understand that I am not an ultimate expert in defensive combat;there is really no such person as there are no guarantees of winning over and over due to the variables of each encounter.

In order to logically assimilate the various concepts components of defensive mindset and trigger you must first learn to successfully visualize yourself in a real survival engagement.Most people have a distorted sense of what is really involved simply because it has not yet “happened” to them and they fantasize thru the armor of the martial arts controlled experience.

Mull this in your head as a start:
Most of us are not violent people and we go out of our way to avoid ugly situations. In the dojo you are thought that your only excuse for defensive combat is if you are about to fall prey to grave bodily harm and have no way out. Suddenly you find yourself over this threshold in astonishment and neck deep in a startled,surprised,isolated state of mind,and as you start to recoil and hyperventilate under the kick of the “chemical cocktail” triggered by the primal brain ,you first conscious impulse will be one of denial and bargain.This internal downshifting of gears immediately cedes the initial advantage to your adversary and, it is indeed within these microseconds of time that many victims are hurt or killed .

In a flash it dawns on you you are in the dreaded “trap” you may have nowhere to run or tactically you should not run,there is no help nearby, there is no way back,and you’re about to test your mettle in an ugly,hard and brutal uncontrolled hand to hand battle with an unknown unpredictable mean enemy,perhaps a habitual thug who enjoys “busting” people up.At the same time multiple opponents may appear,improvised or real weapons may materialize and physical blows will be preceded by obscene and loud verbal assault to demoralize you and achieve psychological dominance.

As in a nightmare ,all your conscious karate responses seem to vanish in thin air,your brain dulles up but retains the perception of potential crippling injury and helplessnes at the hands of your bad ass assaillant.

Although we can prepare for this moment by cultivating mindset trigger of the most devastating defensive action we are capable of,there are no guarantees we will prevail with our empty hands when we consider that even after taking multiple hits by .45 caliber pistol bullets some adrenalized,hopped up thugs were not stopped in time before they had a chance to kill or maim.

Okay, with this in mind,let’s stimulate discussion on ways to deal with the negatives of violent confrontations but please use simple modern approaches without quoting the philosophies of the various martial arts.We want students at all levels to understand and be able to participate in comfort.

Regards,
Van Canna

by Van Canna

Much has been written about fear and how immobilizing it can be in the extreme even if you are not a combatant but only an accidental witness.[picture the horror of observing someone being knifed to death as i did at age 16].why is it so? Here is something of interest i read a long time ago:the child is thought to roll over and be submissive usually bullied by his parents not because they were right but because they are in a stronger position[the implied threat is something bad will happen if the child stands up for himself]. This awe of retribution carries into adult life and is rationalized into many other forms of insidious fears of getting hurt,punishment,and deprivation if we dare stand up for ourselves. Equally interesting i read that we are preconditioned to grow up with that critical little voice inside your head that controls your independence and engenders self doubt. The upshot of all this being that a person is not truly capable of self defense until he/she adopts the mindset that right or wrong his/her spirit will not be transgressed upon and projects determination to fight to the death over values held sacred. not too many of us are capable of this range of commitment and so,lacking the ferocious mindset for combat along with total disregard for personal injury and social consequences,victorious potentially lethal struggle is pretty much an open question. The problem is compounded by dojo legal restraints in today’s world calling for “polite fighting” sparring practice making this whole business of “martial arts” not very believable at large as very useful for self defense in the eyes of many people i have talked to over the long haul. It has been written that fighting is dirty business and the niceties we observe in the dojo will get the “snot” beaten out of us in a real fight,and that is why so many “black belts” get their ass kicked the first time they cross a determined street fighter.

Any comments?

Van Canna

by Van Canna

one of the strongest motivations of a martial arts student is self preservation.In spite of their classical dojo practice,when in a violent confrontation and in the convulsive grip of the fight or flight reflex,students are bewildered by the turn of events,agonize over their response actions and unforeseen consequences and present themselves back to their senseis for answers. once i read a martial arts critique stating that the trouble with most karate schools today is that they teach students just enough to get them killed in a real fight,i.e.they teach all the “never fail” moves without providing an understanding of the psychophyisical manifestations of the fear response which kicks in from the primal brain (brain stem}. most teachers also have a poor understanding of fighitng tactics,with the results that students react wrongly and run when they should fight and fight when they should “take a flight”. It might help to keep in mind that today’s “fights” bear their unique set of hurdles and consequences (armed opponents,criminal prosecution,civil litigation, financial ruin)and these variables have a profound subliminal impact on your defensive resolve. as time permits and if you show an interest out there i will define and analyze in great detail these threshold issues.As a primer i suggest you read my “self defense for life” in the web articles section.

Van Canna

by Joe Bellone

There are many teachers of martial arts that like to talk about internal power and chi as something fantastic and mysterious (especially in the west) this is usually the result of misunderstanding (on the part of the teacher) or outright deceit (because it’s good for business). The term “internal,” as in internal martial arts, is often misunderstood. The term “internal” refers to working with our inherent and inborn strengths under the direction of the mind. Any higher level martial art, regardless of style, that works with natural strengths and uses mental (internal) energy most efficiently to produce the most effective movement can be considered internal.
Human beings are physical beings and are subject to laws of physics: mass, energy, gravity. Our bodies are constructed a certain way, our minds produce energy, and we are under the influence of gravity all the time. Teachers of internal arts talk about using chi instead of muscle force, that no strength is necessary for one’s power, that power comes from amassed chi. This sounds wonderful and mystical, and the vast majority of people enjoy believing this type of thing, but without the use of muscular force we would not be able to get out of bed in the morning. The externally observable result of movement (force) is always a result of muscle movement in the body and the key to internal power is “how” the body is moved.
Many mistaken ideas about internal power came about because of the misunderstanding of the mind/body connection. Looking back in history, it can be seen that the large majority of famous martial artists came from similar backgrounds. The typical pattern was for individuals to be from a rural farming community, starting martial arts in a Shaolin based or “village” style art, then moving on to an “internal” art. Typically, practitioners in the United States today grow up in the cities where they have relatively little physically activity, get a job where they sit at a desk all day, and practice martial arts twice a week at a local school. They then wonder why they have a difficult time developing “internal power.” It must be because they haven’t amassed enough Chi.
“Internal power” comes from a refinement of trained strength which has been built upon by adhering to principles of natural body structure over a period of time. One of the problems today is that practitioners are trying to jump straight into the performance of forms which are specifically to refine martial arts skills and polish “trained strength” without having any strength or skill to begin with. This is why it is imperative for a Uechi/Shohei-ryu practitioner to practice Sanchin Kata all the time. This pattern is necessary for obtaining basic strengths and skills as the foundation for the study of forms and exercises, which work to refine those basic skills.
Martial techniques are based on conditioned patterns of movement and the trained sensitivity (both through sight and feel) which allow applying the right technique at the right time. Conditioned patterns of movement are practiced through repeated practice (Kata or Kumite). There is no way to internalize specific patterns without physical practice. The axiom, “practice doesn’t make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect” holds true for any martial skill. The question becomes how does one practice “perfectly,” or at least maximize the time spent in practice?” The answer, in part, is through the awareness of a unified mind and body, where the mind controls the physical action. This is referred to in the martial classics as “using the intent and not force.”
Using the appropriate muscles without excessive tension is the key to efficient movement, regardless of any task. Where does one start to develop efficient movement using the correct muscles and without excessive tension? It starts with adhering to the principles in correct postural alignment. By beginning with “awareness”(mind) of postural alignment we can maintain a state of balance and relaxation providing feedback to our mind and body in a kinesthetic sense. During motion, the only way to move and consistently monitor and maintain balance and relaxation is to lead the movements of the body with the intent (which is another way of describing the awareness of a unified mind and body). You “will” it done and it is done. This is the source of internal power and movement without effort.
Internal power is the result of the body’s natural, intrinsic strengths that can be brought fully into play (things as mechanical advantage, alignment, the natural elasticity of tissue, body mass, stretch reflex, etc). The whole process is under mental direction. The mind doesn’t “control” as much as “inhibit” incorrect alignment or tension. At higher levels of training, reservoirs of the subconscious may be brought under conscious control. This is the same mental and physical state that produces internal power that is also conducive to good health. It is through the release of stress and relaxing the body and mind that allows the body to function optimally.

Copyright 1997 Joe Bellone
All Rights Reserved

Strengthen your fingers and wrists: Compliments of Charles Roberts.

This device simulates the clay jar used on Okinawa.
The drawing:
#1: is a machine thread nut with inside diameter (ID) of 0.625″
#2: is the top of the jar and needs to be one piece. The dimension for this part is as follows:
3.70″ diameter and 0.25″ thick for the top and 2.70″ diameter and 0.50″ thick. There is a hole in the center that is 0.62″ diameter. This part can be cased or machined as one piece using plastic or metal.
#3: is the supporting shaft. The dimensions for this part is as follows: 0.62″ diameter with a length of two (2′) feet.
#4: is the base of the jar. The dimension for this part is as follows: 3.70″ diameter and 0.25″ thick.
Items #3 and #4 can be cased or machined as one piece using plastics or metal.
After machining the parts, you can place weights around the supporting shaft to the desired weight (which can be as high as 100 pounds).
Using this device, you can strengthen your fingers and wrists of your hands as well as your grip.
Mr. Roberts has kindly released this drawing to the martial arts world.

By John Long,
Western Australian Museum,
Perth, Western Australia 6000
email: long@museum.gov.au

These are notes I’ve put together from talking with Arthur Moulas, George Chaplin and David Hayward. If there are any errors, I’d be pleased to hear about them for future correction. Sensei Arthur Moulas is the head f the Shohei Ryu Association of Australia, he has all the details of Australia’s interesting history in this karate style. He can be contacted at 20 Ryan St, Thirlmere, New South Wales, Australia, 2572. The phone numbers fro there are (046) 831 781 or mobile (018) 673 745.

Uechi Ryu karate was first brought to Australia by Ahti Kaend, an Estonian who lived in Sydney in the late 1960s and began teaching classes. Ahti Kaend is now kyoshi, 7th dan, and lives in California, USA. Amongst his students were Robert Donnelly, one of the original students who studied under Kanei Uechi in the 1970s and began teaching in Australia in the early 1970s. During this time he taught a number of students including Graham Morris, Peter Foherty and Peter Gooding. Robert Donelly now teaches Uechi Ryu in Sydney. Arthur Moulas, one of Morris’s students is currently Head of the Australian Shohei Ryu Association, and holds Renshi, 6th dan grade.

Arthur Moulas is also an accomplished referee for karate tournaments and has served in that capacity at many Australian and overseas tournaments, including the annual Antioch Uechi-Ryu tournaments run by Sensei Allan Dollar. The Thirlmere Dojo has an interesting history. Arthur Moulas built the dojo himself and lived in it for 2 years before building his house. Today it stands as a tribute to traditional Okinawan karate and values, complete with okinawan weights, punching bags, makiwaras, trophies from international events, and student name tags adorning the walls. In 1995 the Australian Uechi Ryu Association became the Australian Shohei ryu Association, as part of the Okikukai group. There are now some 400 karateka practising Shohei Ryu in some 10 clubs throughout Australia, and there are about 50 black belts actively training. Sensei Moulas hosts a major Australian Shohei Ryu tournament each year in mid October. In 1996 visitors included Shinpo Mataysoshi, 10th dan kobudo master and Sensei Gaja, 7th dan. In 1997 Sensei Yonamine 8th dan visited the clubs in Thirlmere, Whyalla and Perth for training and to officiate at gradings. Tsutomo Nakahodo, 9th Dan head of Shohei Ryu, has also visited this dojo in 1995 whilst passing through Australia.

Australia is due South of Japan, and Perth, in Western Australia operates within the same time zone as Tokyo. Because of this, and close proximity to Hong Kong, several of the Australian Uechi Ryu teachers have had multiple opportunities to train or compete in Okinawa. Dennis Brett, 5th dan, who teaches at Coolum, Queensland, trained in master Kanei Uechi’s dojo back in the early 1980s, and went on to become an Australian kickboxing champion for 10years. He holds a record at being able to smash through 5 baseball bats with one shin kick.

Karl Ayeliffe, 4th dan, from the Thirlmere Uechi Ryu dojo, is one of the world’s champion kumite fighters. In 1992 he won the All Okinawan karate tournament open fighting division title, and then proceeded to win again in 1993. In 1994 he came runner-up to Ric Martin, from the Largo Florida dojo.

In South Australia, Uechi Ryu was founded by Sensei Peter Gooding, whose first black belt student, David Hayward, took over control of the club in 1978 when Peter joined the Australian Army. Today Peter Gooding runs a club in the Toowoomba district. One of Peter’s students was Steve Daws who moved to Hong Kong and started a club there. He also taught George Chaplin who founded Uechi Ryu in W.A. David Hayward trained in Okinawa in Kanei Uechi’s dojo back in the early 1980s. Today he is a 5th dan and runs a club at Whyalla, and some of his students also run clubs at Cleve, S.A. (Carol Hutchinson, 3rd Dan), Port Augusta (Gary Finch, 3rd Dan); Lightning Ridge, N.S.W. (Geoff Peady, 2nd dan) and Broken Hill, N.S.W. (Peter Henderson-Wilson, 2nd dan).

Uechi Ryu was first taught in Western Australia by George Chaplin, (now yondan),who had come from being an instructor at Bob Campbell’s Hong Kong dojo. He arrived in W.A. in 1989 when his wife, Dr Nina Jablonski took up a position as a lecturer at the University of W.A. This link was to have many repercussions as the first karate students were also students of Nina, plus Guy Oxnard, son of the Professor of Anatomy, Charles Oxnard, and Guy’s wife, Birgitta. In late 1994 Nina took up a position at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, so George Chaplin departed Australia, leaving the club to keep training under their own steam. At this stage Guy Oxnard was at 1st kyu and John Long at 3rd kyu. John Long works at the Western Australian Museum, as is fortunate to have travel opportunities. In 1995 he spent 3 months in Paris, and had an opportunity to train with Sensei Takemi Takayasu (7th Dan, from the Kadena Dojo). In April 1997 Sensei Yonamine and Sensei Arthur Moulas visited the Perth dojo for training and graded Guy Oxnard and John Long to Nidan. Guy Oxnard heads the Perth club.

We would welcome any overseas visitors to train with us at our dojos, so please drop us an email or contact the Head dojo at Thirlmere (address above) if you are planning a holiday to Australia sometime in the future.

Australian Shohei/Uechi email contacts:
Sensei Arthur Moulas (NSW), Shohei Ryu: moulasa@ideal.net.au
Sensei David Hayward (S.A.), Shohei Ryu: jamakada@merlin.net.au
Sensei Peter Gooding (Qld) Uechi Ryu: peterg@tmba.design.net.au
Sensei Guy Oxnard (Perth), Shohei Ryu: go@parkers.com.au
Sempai John Long (Perth) Shohei Ryu: long@museum.gov.au

Leaders do not abuse their followers
. . .for without followers there can be no leaders.
Leaders teach those who serve them.
. . .They are the caretakers of their federation and of their people.
Without people who care there can be no federation.
. . .Leaders are prepared to lead, lead with fairness and love,
while teaching others to lead.

Leaders never cease to be students.
. . .They never cease to look for new insights
and new methods while preserving tradition.
. . .They master the skills necessary to be effective powerful leaders.

Loyalty – not to be mistaken for disagreement, for it is not disloyal to disagree for the good of the federation or those they lead. If one who follows brings disharmony, they must be removed for their negative actions divide and breakdown the group. A true leader sees inside the heart and knows the nature of each follower’s action.

Courage – It takes courage to carry out assignments, overcome obstacles, surpass confusion in adversity. Leaders are not overcome by small challenges but carry on in the face of many obstacles, learning from each one. They excel in times of uncertainty and danger as well as success

Loneliness – is often a part of a leaders life. He or she has suffered despair, ridicule, and has developed the virtue of long-suffering. Leaders act with confidence. Trusting themselves and the higher power of their belief in God as they understand Him.

Self Confidence – develops from proper training and experience and develops the assurance to meet all life’s challenges. A show a lack of self confidence is evident to their followers and they soon lose respect and fall by the wayside.

Accountability – is strong in leaders because they accept freely the responsibility for their actions and do not make excuses. They never place blame. They take pride in their achievements. They are responsible in seeing that things are done and directions are followed.

Reputation – is believed by friends and adversaries. Their credibility is solid for they believe in honesty of word and deed.

Timing – is learned by failure as well as success. The lessons learned from mistakes of when to act and move develop their timing. They know who they are dealing with and their character as well as their opponents ambitions. Leaders master their sense of timing..

Competitiveness – resides in the heart of a leader for each one has a strong desire to win in battle, negotiations and internal strife.

Desire – brings commitment in the heart of a warrior. Every leader is a warrior and must have a desire to lead.

Stamina – in body and mind and emotional strength constantly grow. Demands increase with each level. Leaders bounce back from defeat and discouragement and persist in the face of difficulty. They are sound in body and mind.

Empathy – enables them to appreciate the value of others. They learn the cultures and beliefs of their followers and are sensitive to them. They know when not to ask personal questions. They take into account all the facts of a situation.

Dependable – and reliable, others can count on them. They never give up. They even persist when others abandon them. Leaders are tenacious and unyielding in pursuit of their goals. Leaders emphasize to their followers that they depend on them and are proud of them.

Stewardship – to caretake the goals of the federation with confidence, trust, loyalty, and love. Leaders never abuse those who follow themand, only as a last resort, when all other attempts have failed do they remove those who do not share the same sense of fairness and unity. They realize that to be good leaders they had to first learn to be a good follower.

Study the honorable leader and teach these attributes to those who follow you.

Sifu Anne Radke