What was new: March 18, 1999 - Sept 10, 1999

Second slide show of the Germany Camp posted! Click here.

September 10, 1999: Realities in the street and in "reality"!

I've been reading the fascinating discussions taking place on the Forums and found a couple of important issues that need clarification. Before proceeding, I want all to know that what follows is simply my opinion. Those of you who work with me know that I encourage individual exploration and open mindedness while studying the martial arts. Even in my own personal practice!

In the past, when a brilliant thinker and practitioner like our Van Canna, Art Rabesa, Jim Maloney, Bob Campbell and many others, came up with their own personal revelations concerning their practice, they had no choice but to form a new style. There was no room for innovation or free thinking. You did what you were told. . . fit the template. . . or quickly found yourself outside, looking in.

Unfortunately, too many Westerners fit the template perfectly. They don't think, they don't innovate, they don't improve! They simply blindly perform ritualistic movements because their Okinawan sensei says so. I can see students blindly following ritual, without question, without reason, for awhile. But for 20 - 30 year? hmmmmmmm.

On the other hand, we shouldn't replace ritual with blind acceptance of "reality" either. Because a former barroom bouncer says dan kumite doesn't work, doesn't mean we should abandon it. Because someone who is adept at firearms says that certain movements won't work does not mean that we should modify or abandon traditional kata. To do so would be as ridiculous as anxiously awaiting the next coming of an Okinawan who will pass on this month's word from the mount.

The Uechi survivors are being criticized by their detractors as having 'sold out' our souls looking for 'realism' from any source and abandoning our ritualistic roots. Yeah. . . we have been pissing off our detrators. . . But if you've visited one of our dojo lately, I don't think you will see anything that would not have met Kanbun's approval.

Are we practicing tradition Uechi-ryu kata, kumite, bunkai, etc? Sure we are!

Are we practicing with realism and effective 'in your face' techniques? Sure we are!

Are we listening to this generation's superstars regarding realism, power, chemical cocktails, paralyzing battle fear? We'd be crazy if we didn't.

Are we abandoning the traditional in our search for reality? I hope not.

What Van doesn't stress and I believe gets misunderstood in his forum, is that traditional karate is not either good or bad. Effective or ineffective. The magic isn't in the moves. they are in the mover! Just because teacher "A" does a move/kata/kumite/etc. a certain way and teaches same to his students, doesn't reflect on the inherent value of what is being done or taught, only on the interpretation given these moves by the teacher and student.

Each teacher goes through, or should go through, a cycle of understanding, for each technique within a kata. How the person interprets that technique should affect the way the move is performed in the kata and of course, in the applications of a prearranged kumite or bankai.

One who just mechanically goes through the motions will never be able to use them when really needed. This is where blind and ritualistic performance of the martial arts paralyzes one' ability to use what is contained in our Uechi-ryu.

And being that there are a hundred teachers of robot karate for every effective teacher, those who criticize the martial arts as a group are hitting dead center! The only question you should be asking yourself and the one Van constantly asks: Which group are you in?

If you are one in a hundred though, don't blindly accept the criticism, simply because you practice a traditional martial art. I understand why I teach disciplined breathing to new students. . . I understand and believe in my methods for utilizing techniques in the kata for devastating and effective immobilizing self defense. . . The question I believe Van sensei and others are asking, is. . . DO YOU?

Congratulations to Al and Sophia Wharton. They had a baby girl on 8/23/99 at 1:34AM. Here name is Zhara Rose. 7lb, 7oz.

September 5, 1999: Report from Germany. Uechi-ryu is doing just fine!

Bill, Bruce and I had a great time. Good food, great beer and fantastic karate. Check out Bill Glasheen's forum for details. Click here to check out the first of three slideshows, documenting the Munich leg of our trip, the camp and local sightseeing.

If you live anywhere within driving distance of Newton, Mass, why not consider dropping in for a work out with me occasionally. My children's classes are held Mondays and Fridays from 6 - 7pm. (New children's classes are on Mondays from 5 t0 6pm)

Our new adult program will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 - 7 PM. Intermediate and advanced class will be on Wednesdays from 6 - 7 PM. And of course my Saturday morning advance class continues to be held from 10 - 11:30 AM. The Fall program begins on Monday, September 13th. Call me at 508-586-3969 for details.

August 24, 1999: Bill Glasheen and I are off to Germany for another Summer Camp!

From the information I've received, this is their third camp this year!

I'm constantly amazed at how Uechi-ryu has caught on around the world. I just got off the phone with a Russian who ordered all my tapes and books! He has been studying the martial art for 10 years and has come to the conclusion that Uechi-ryu is the "real thing!"
I'm always looking for new ways to reach people and help them with their Uechi-ryu instructions. Although books and videos are great, I believe the future is CDs! With this in mind, I've begun working with Bill Jackson and Bright Star Video, producing a series of instructional CDs. Bill wants to introduce the project with his magnificent 'camp' highlights CD. If interested, order it from Peabody. Only $25 (3.50 s/h). I won't have time to put this one in the shopping cart before I leave today, so please order it via regular e-mail please. I've seen it. Its really very high quality and lots of action!
Summer Camp 1999 attendees!

Do you ever return from camp mumbling to yourself "Now what did Sensei _____ say about that....?" Or: "How did that drill go; was it a,b,c,d or 1,2,3,4..." Or: Have you tried to decipher your hastily scribbled notes and found them, well...less than helpful?

OR

Couldn't make it to the camp, but wish you had??

No problem- we've taken 4 hours first class video footage, edited it down to 500 or so megabytes of MPEG snippets, ranging from 4 seconds to 2 minutes in length, and crammed a CD ROM with the highlights of one of the premiere MA events in the USA. (Or anywhere else, for that matter.)

This CD is crammed full of memory joggers, tips, hints and straight info some of the most popular presenters at the 1999 Summer camp- reserve your copy now!

Windows format only...so far.

` Bill Jackson/Bright Star Video

By the way. . . if you were at my camp this year, let me know if you lost one of the following items:

1. A Fan, 2. A Gi Top, 3. A camera case. These items were turned in following the camp.

Take care of Uechi-ryu.com while I'm away. See you in a week with a complete report and pictures. GEM

August 16, 1999: Future of RealTime Media:

I predicted that every website will soon have the capability of becoming a mini television network, broadcasting coverage of it's own particular brand of news, entertainment and education. To a certain extend, we already have the technology. I can broadcast a live telecast of a tournament or seminar without too much trouble, using existing programs. But right now, the quality of such broadcast leaves much to be desired. In order to transmit over a regular telephone line, the images would have to be greatly reduced in size and sharpness. If you compared this transmission to film, perhaps one image in five would actually get to be seen by the viewer. Although acceptable for presentations involving speakers and an occasional chart, most of us would not want to watch a tournament on the net.

My dilemma is to curtail the video clips until most people have T1 or cable connections or limit clips to low action or slow motion demonstrations. Even with a 28bps modem, I was able to view Sifu Mooney demonstrate his "empty" force using my RealPlayer. I've recently upgraded to a 56bps modem, but haven't noticed a significant improvement watching these clips.

While learning how to operate RealProducer, some of the earlier clips had problems based on my inexperience rather than the program's potential. What I need to know know, based on the optimum potential of the program, is the video clips worth the effort. I put up four new and pretty large clips of the 1999 Uechi-ryu Grand Championships. The smallest of the clips started out as 40 meg monsters. The largest, of Gary and Bobby's match, is over 50 megs! Trying to download these clips would be unrealistic for most of us. With RealMedia, you can be watching them in a few seconds. Please check them out and let me know how your equipment handles each of them.

ugust 12, 1999: New York City & back in 14 hour!

And Susan did all the driving while Fedele kept her company and I slept in the back seat, nursing my Summer Cold! I felt the cold coming on. . . you know the feeling. . . lightheaded (even more so than normal :)), headachy, feverish. I fought it off until the very end, with vitamin C, Echinacea and lots of fluids. Finally yesterday I crashed! But would have disappointed my Chinese friends by staying in bed, so off we went. AAA recommended a circuitous route, which was supposed to bypass all the construction on Rt 95. Guess everyone was trying to stay off 95 and we all met on the alternate route. Arrived on time however and had a great time. The 14 course banquet was, as usual, fantastic. The organizers kept the speeches to a minimum (mine was an all time record of 10 words!) and the demonstrations were world class.

Besides local Kungfu demonstrations, our friends who attend camp put on a couple of mind boggling exhibitions of martial art skills. The show stopper was a very quiet strongman who performed a weapon set, using a 250 pound steel and chrome lance! Weightlifters from the audience were invited onstage to try lifting the weapon over their heads. None could.

I was so enthralled by the demonstration that I forgot to take any pictures of him. He promises to bring the weapon to camp next year and demonstrate his skills Saturday evening. Many thanks to Fedele, Mike Aceto, Jane Kramer, Anthony Sabino (and students from Leyn Burrows dojo) for helping out with the karate demo that was scheduled as the highlight of the evening's entertainment, but was cancelled when the Kung fu demo ran into the overtime! Next year we will be on much earlier promises the show's promoter. And a special thanks to Itzik Harel, our hard working New York City Uechi practitioner, who attended representing his dojo.

Here are a couple of the photos which you can enlarge by clicking the reduced image.

August 11, 1999: Catching up!

Just returned from the train station where I dropped Carlos off, for his return trip to Argentina. Other than this evening's banquet in New York, where the annual New York Chinese Friendship Association gathering takes place, I can take it easy for a few days. . . maybe even play a few rounds of golf!

I've tried to keep up with the Forum activities, and although the threads were inviting and fascinating, the best I could do was bookmark the ones I will be posting to later in the week. The reason for this note was to let you all know that I'm still here and doing my best to keep up with my email while catching up on overdue projects. Just a few points I'd like to make:

I've received quite a few e-mail over the past two months from people concerned over the reason their sensei or a sensei they knew, who were not listed in our web. I'd like to publicly restate that Scott Danziger is in charge of the web links program. To my knowledge he lists any martial art or related site that he discovers. I know he takes special pains to list all Uechi sites. I continue to update the "instructor's" listing, because it currently resides on the main site. Even though I've been criticized by some for listing teachers of questionable credentials, I'll list all who request a listing and sends me a current telephone number and/or e-mail address. The process is pretty simple. . . you send me the information and I'll post it!

Real Media future: I'd really appreciate your feedback regarding the RealMedia poll. I've received quite a few e-mail requesting that clips be processed the old way. . . downloading the clip then viewing it. Others like the highly compressed clips, claiming that with their slow modems, this is the only practical way they can watch film on the Internet. Until computer technology, especially the manner and speed in which we download data, Realmedia seems to be a viable compromise and solution to the hopefully short term problems involved with viewing lengthy video clips. I can't do it more than one way, so please let me know what is best for you.

August 2, 1999: Wow, what a fantastic camp!

You hear this every year. And once again the reviews proclaim this was the best one ever held. A record Friday and Saturday attendance and pretty good for Sunday. The Sun was extremely hot on Friday, but the strong breeze fooled many who elected to forgo their hats. Check out Mike Aceto's tan lines!!!

Saturday was overcast and a bit cooler. Sunday was absolutely perfect, weather wise. There is a lot to report, but I'm exhausted. Promised to get clips up live and we could have, but so much was happening, I didn't want to spend the time playing with the computer. Neither did Harry or the other computer people attending the camp. The Uechi-ryu.com table Saturday for lunch was packed. We had lots of fun trying to associate the faces with the 'handles' used on the forums.

Check out the clips (part one) of the camp. See you later.

July 25, 1999: Last minute rush. . . plus. . .

I'm discovering that quite a few people didn't read the original camp brochure very carefully, nor did they pay attention to the references to dates on the various camp updates here on Uechi-ryu.Com. Susan has received at least 30 calls from people who failed to realize that camp was two weeks early this year and were registering late. If you discovered yourself in the same predicament, please call to reserve a spot. Susan booked extra spots for those of you who plan to attend but forgot to register.

I wish to thank Steve, Conrad, Charlie, Joe and Gary for helping us unload a huge container of Chinese Artwork yesterday and today. I'll post pictures following the camp, documenting our unloading some of the really big sculptures. . . eight foot in diameter and weighing over seven hundred pounds! We plan to have an open house around labor day and hope that all of you will be able to attend.

Don't think I'll have time to update this site until after the camp. If you are unable to join us on the Cape this weekend, watch for RealTime clips which we will be posting every night if we are lucky.

July 17, 1999: Uechi-ryu Training at Camp!

Granted, the Camp is not exclusively Uechi-ryu. And I've heard that a few doomsday hucksters have been reveling in the opportunity to knock the event by saying "George has sold out!. . . diluted the program so much that you can't find Uechi-ryu there."

Its true that I tend to promote the other activities more than Uechi-ryu. We do Uechi-ryu every day, every week, all year long in our dojo. The Camp is an opportunity to look at what other disciplines are doing and by taking our blinders off for three days, try to learn more about what we do in our dojo. I subscribe to the theory that our students are intelligent enough to be exposed to other disciplines without corrupting their Uechi-ryu. Interestingly enough, teachers tell me that students who attend the camp, become better students the rest of the year. Instead of losing students because of the camp, attendees stay in the Uechi program longer! I know this to be true because of the high number of repeat registrations over the years.

If you read this year's schedule, you will note many Uechi-ryu related seminars. Besides my usual 6:30am "Sanchin by the Sea", I will be teaching quite a few traditional Uechi classes. Sensei Kanmei Uechi will again be busy working with students exclusively on Uechi-ryu. All of our regulars will be back who specialize in teaching everything from basics to advanced Uechi-ryu. To many to name here. . . please check the schedule.

AND PLEASE.... Register Now! We have over 50 fantastic instructors who will be giving their all. . . and we sure would like to see you there enjoying the weekend with us.

July 12, 1999: Nova Scotia Camp BIG HIT!

I'm very pleased to report that Dave Hunt's first "Atlantic Martial Arts Training Camp" was a big success. I estimated at least 200 participants on Saturday. Many Nova Scotia Uechi-ryu teachers showed up to lend support and encouragement, along with Canadian notables, Masami Tsuruoka, Ron Fagan, Sam Molenzki, Steven Radulovich and Michael Delaney. I haven't seen Tsuruoka sensei in over 20 years and enjoyed working out with him during the day and partying with him at night! Although 71 years young, Tsuruoka sensei is fit and continues to be very active in the Canadian karate scene.

Clarence Wilder attended and was a very active participant all weekend. He taught quite a few seminars that were very well received by our Canadian brothers and sisters.

I'm sure Dave and Joanne will be posting many pictures on their website soon. I brought my digital camera with me and during my Saturday children's seminar, had someone walk around the gym and take pictures. (We had rain Saturday and all classes were held indoors). I've posted these pictures to "ns_99_camp".

As soon as Dave and Joanne get there pictures up, I'll supply a link to their site.

July 7, 1999: New Sponsor!

I'm always pleased when a new company decides to work with our site as a corporate sponsor. I'm doubly pleased when that company represents a new and dynamic product for the martial arts community. Please check out the WIPSS mouthguard site and order enough product for your whole dojo. Quantity discounts are available for 12 or more units.

I was very pleased to learn that Sensei Jim Thompson and Jack Summers will again be attending and teaching at our camp. If you haven't sent in your registration forms yet, please do so ASAP.

I'm on my way to Canada to teach at Dave Hunt's Atlantic Martial Arts Training Camp, running July 9 - 11th. See you on Monday!

July 1, 1999: Camp '99!

Sorry for not having the time to update the Camp section. So far, most of last year's instructors will be returning. Unfortunately, because of the early dates of this year's camp, David Mott will not be attending due to a schedule conflict. Al Wharton called today confirming his attending all three days. He will also be try to field a team for this year's special "Team Tournament".

Let me know if any other teams wish to compete. They don't have to be Uechi-ryu. . . but they must use the WKF rules. . . rules and strategies that Sensei Ron Fagan and his team of officials will be teaching during the camp. I'd like to see representative from other styles participate. Any takers????

If you have a team that would like to compete, please post to Gary Khoury's forum or send me an e-mail.

June 22, 1999: High Ranks. . . Continued:

The latest poll is about "how you really feel about rank in the martial arts". Although only 33 people responded so far, 17 (as of 12:30PM) feel that the idea of rank is fine, but that the abuses have destroyed any credibly formally associated with the rank! I suspect that most people over the rank of sandan probably feel the same way.

The more the traditional styles divide, the less importance people will attribute to the belt and the respect that formally came with the belt. You have to have your head in the sand not to realize that 90% of all high ranked individuals (all styles) either awarded themselves their belt or got them from a certificate "Mill". I used to simply throw away those monthly mailings from the dozens of "hall of fame" clubs that have sprung up around the country. Last week I actually opened one, to see what they were offering! First, someone honored me by submitting my name as a "Style Founder", where for a couple of hundred dollars I would receive a framable certificate and a seat next to dozens of other "Founders" at a banquet. Most of the individuals were 10th dans, representing strange sounding systems. Naturally Peter Urban was listed as a "Maestro", which I guess outranks mere 10th dans and perhaps qualifies him to lead a symphony orchestra at the banquet.

My idea to do away with Uechi ranks over 5th dan didn't go over very well. I really didn't think many would look forward to lifetime without gold stripes. The comment did get some people thinking about the subject of rank and allowed me to introduce the whole subject of rank credibility and using testing fees to fund our associations. Last night I had a meeting with a senior who recently joined NAC after having a number of very bad experiences with his old teacher. This person described how his former teacher would use rank standards as a way to get seniors to teach in his dojo. . . in other words, a student had to have so many years time in grade teaching, in order to qualify for the next rank! However, after meeting the requirements, this individual found himself going up for rank with other students who didn't teach or work-out for the required time!

I guess teachers can establish any standards they want. . . but unless the student feels the work he is doing contributes to his training, anyone with half a brain will quickly drop out! Teaching can be a rewarding experience for a student, but it should be part of a program that has been designed to help the individual achieve goals. Take the belt carrot out of the equation and a let the student objectively decide if the assistant instructor's role is important or not. Dojo should not use the 'belt' as an incentive or reward for doing work!

The higher ranks (6th +) are another problem, one for the associations to discuss. In my opinion, all ranks up to and including 5th dan should be 'physical' ranks. The person being tested for Godan should be able to display a very high physical proficiency in their art. In this regard, NAC has required Godan candidates to go through the full dantest. (This wasn't always the case on Okinawa. . . not sure what the requirements are now)

So if all the traditional systems have very stringent physical standards for ranks up to and including Godan, and if the member testboards strictly adhere to total time and time in grade. . . including making sure people are actually working out for that full time and not simply pulling their GI and belt out of mothballs two months before the test and putting pressure on their teacher to have them tested. . . we should have good reason to feel good about those ranks.

However, ranks over Godan are more subjective and prone to be issued based on non karate reasons. I don't think many people object to Master Kanei Uechi being promoted to 10th dan. We can probably name a few other Uechi practitioners who all in our style would agree deserve such an honor. But are the very highest ranks something that every senior must be awarded, simply because they own a GI and occasionally work out? And should the 'average' teacher, who labors in his ten student dojo quietly, without fanfare, expect to receive these ranks once he serves his required time? And should only those students who are 'connected' to the top politicians in their association be groomed for the top spots?

These are the tough questions being asked (or should be) by the major associations. If we answer 'yes' to the tough questions, are we taking the easy way out? Should the very highest ranks in Uechi-ryu be salvaged to honor only the very best our system has to offer? Or should we take the route of the certificate mills, that believe 7 - 10th dan ranks belong to anyone who submits an application with the right fee. Before you become defensive and attempt justifying your position on this issue, think about where we will be, rank wise, in ten years. Collectively, have we simply waited a little longer to reward ourselves with the high and meaningless rank that now bloat the 'MacDojos'?

In one of the Forums I discussed what NAC is looking for in a 'S/S/S'. But in retrospect, I feel that I sold out by making the standards too generic and weak. By not specifying real qualifications I've avoided the real tough issues surrounding awarding high rank.

But I'm just an individual and cannot function without support and a consensus of opinion. Everyone feels that standards should be for the 'other' guy! When the discussion of rank comes up, everyone wants the tough standards to begin after their promotion!

We cannot make these decisions as a single organization. There must be an agreement among the major groups regarding the value we wish to attach to the very highest ranks. Then a detailed set of requirements must be established for all ranks over 5th dan. One of the first areas that should be addressed is the separation of rank from titles! A Rokkyudan is not automatically awarded a gold 'Renshi' stripe! NAC has a standard for these titles, that has been enforced for the past ten years. I believe we are the only ones who are requiring this.

Having said this, how do you think an NAC Renshi feels about his gold stripe when he learns that his buddy down the road was given his stripe without the thesis or additional qualifications?

How far away, quality wise, are we from the 'MacDojos'? We can joke about them and pretend that we are vastly superior as we skirt the issues, evade the tough questions and dole out the rank based on non-existent standards and individual priorities.

This is not an OKINAWAN problem with an OKINAWAN solution. This is one of those times where we should be heard and involved in the process.

The issues have been raised on Bill Glasheen's forum. I'd like to find out how you REALLY feel about the tough questions.

June 20, 1999: High rank dilemma

I thought it might be possible to sneak in a dantest update without fanfare, controversy or clarification! Well, it did slide by for a couple of hours! And finally yesterday the topic made Bill's "Dojo Roundtable".

Rank for "guppies" (Dr. "X"'s term for students) is a lot easier to award than rank for "senior/senior/seniors" (another Dr."X" label). After all, how do we (a term I use collectively to represent all "senior/senior/senior/seniors" (if such a designation exists in our good doctor's martial art's dictionary)) determine who should be promoted and in what order?

Every group must deal with this question and handle the problems that arise from decisions made, in it's own manner. When Okinawa was more unified, issues such as promotions for foreigners was handled much differently than they have been in the last ten years. I know for a fact that the Okinawan board (1985-87) had no intention of promoting non-Okinawans to high ranks (8+ dan) for many years.

Although many 'foreigners' would have been upset with the dual standards that allowed an Okinawan to attain rank not possible for an outsider of equal standing, I believe maintaining a higher standard for attaining rank would actually be a plus for us. Yes, there would be those who absolutely had to have that 8th, 9th, 10th dan certificate and they would have run to their local rank mill to "earn" it! But those of us who value our lineage and tradition, would have waited and would have continue to work hard in our dojo without the gold stripes.

When the promotion came, it would have felt more 'deserved' and more legitimate. It didn't really matter that our rank came slower and that there existed a different standard on Okinawa. What was important, was that within our own Uechi community, there was a consistent standard and rank, although difficult to get, was awarded in a fair and equitable manner.

Once the "big split" happened and students had to choose sides, all bets were off! Now rank became a bargaining tool. Students could now pressure teachers to "promote or lose me". High rank became something that was used to bargain with. Now that our seniors are approaching the very highest levels of rank, associations are giving the issue another look and I believe, are acting in a responsible manner in maintaining the prestige of 8th+ degrees.

NAC has not taken this responsibility lightly either. Right or wrong, we are trying to award these ranks based on a higher standard than for any other rank. I'll discuss this more tomorrow. (Late for a meeting.)

June 12, 1999: A timely break!

Every year I take off to Vermont and lose myself on the beautiful golf courses in the mountains. Four days of no computers, classes or politics. A very welcomed break.

On the drive home I began to review some of the projects coming up: Naturally the big ONE is Camp '99. Preregistrations, which has always been a barometer of interest, is at an all time high. More seminars and activities have been scheduled than ever before.

Harry Skeffington, owner of Xpres.net, is preparing to host "RealTime" video sessions of many seminars, lectures and activities, which will be played on this site as they happen. Certainly Camp '99 will be the martial arts event of the year. Hope you and your dojo (regardless of style or affiliation) will be there.

The web site is growing rapidly. When I first created Uechi-ryu.com, I did not want it to be George Mattson's personal home page. It was designed to be run and administered by a group of individuals whose credentials were intelligence, independence and focused goal to educate and inform. I recognized the Internet as an important tool for the individual student, teacher, dojo and system. To succeed in achieving this goal, the site needs many volunteers to administrate the new programs and features being planned. If you have some extra time and you would like to become part of our team, please send me an e-mail with a short description of your computer/web experiences and how much time a week you can devote to the web.

Finally, check out the new Chat/Conference site. On this one, you can e-mail your friends to join you for a meeting or scheduled appearance of a guest.  

June 6, 1999: What is Kanbun's Uechi-ryu?

I wish to welcome Major Drew Doolin and his website to the growing Uechi-ryu web network. Since he has participated in our forums, I'm hoping that he will not object to my commenting on topics raised on his site.

I'm referring specifically to his article, "There is only ONE WAY!", where he begins his thesis with

"There is intense world wide debate regarding the many variations of performing Uechi-Ryu kata and bunkai. This confusion begs the question “which is the correct way?”. The answer is quite simple; there is only one way."

Drew goes on to clarify this statement by saying every association or group should only do it "one way", which in a way opens the door to the possibility that more than "one way" of performing Kanbun's style of Gungfu exists.

This is, as Major Doolin says, a highly charged subject and one which has been debated often in the past. . . both within and outside Okinawa. I was present at the first gathering of the Uechi-ryu Karate Association where the meeting deteriorating into a shouting match over whose "style" was correct. And Uechi Kanei, sensei's opinion was just another viewpoint. Obviously, the meeting broke up with no consensus agreed upon. If anything positive came out of this meeting, it was that most of the members simply agreed to disagree, but that they would work together for the sake of Uechi-ryu.

If I remember correctly, one of the group's senior, didn't want to compromise. He believed the way he was doing Uechi-ryu was the one and only way. Although his dojo stayed with the association for a few years, this group eventually broke away and formed the "Pwangainoon" organization.

Based on my interpretation of past communications from Gordi and others who have discovered Sensei Toyoma, there appears to be a subliminal message that "this is the true way". I can appreciate a person's enthusiasm from finding a "living treasure" such as Sensei Toyoma and I would hope that every student feel this way about their teacher, whether Okinawan, Chinese or other nationality. However, I must take issue with any comparison to what any teacher is doing today with what Kanbun did in 1910.

Additionally, there are questions about whether Kanbun's original methods are superior to what is being done today. I would like to see a calm and well mannered discussion take place on this subject, either in the history forum or in Bill Glasheen's Roundtable. Can we say that Uechi-ryu has suffered because of the cross-training with Kyusho, Juijitsu, Acupuncture and other disciplines that appear to help us understand the simple and universally accepted three kata of our art?

Are we focusing on the wrong emphasis by being preoccupied with the true, one and only method of Kanbun. Especially since their is absolutely no way to determine or validate such a claim.

I remember one Ishinryu 10th dan American, claiming to be the rightful heir to his style because he could prove his form replicated an old film of Shimabuku performing kata! Haven't we moved forward from the days when we simply strove to duplicate movements? Do we pull out the old film taken of Ryuru Tomoyose's dojo for insight into the original way Kanbun taught?

There are too many masters of Uechi-ryu, each with his own personal and credible interpretations of the style for anyone to make claims of anything other than "This is the best way for me at this time"! As the style continues to evolve, teachers will learn to adapt their teaching to accommodate individual body types, personalities, occupations, environment and innumerable other variables. Although each person's Uechi-ryu may, to a novice, appear quite different, I'm sure Kanbun would be most pleased with the physical elements of his creation.

Major Doolin's comparing running our karate associations with the Marine corp was fascinating but unrealistic. Half the G.I's returning from Okinawa in the 60s - 80s learned their martial arts while in the Marines and attempted, upon their return to the states, to run their dojo like a Paris Island boot camp. (Unsuccessfully I might add) There is a huge difference between a group of paid marines listening to and obeying a genera's orders and an independent group of karate teachers taking orders/instructions from their seniors.

I envy your youthful enthusiasm Major and hope the fire in your belly will propel you and your dojo to tremendous success. I also hope you will retain your open minded exploration of our Uechi-ryu and will continue to maintain a friendly and cordial relationship with those of us who follow another path.

As Al Moulton pointed out, my 'Whats new' editorial was quite harsh. It was meant to be. As seniors, both in and out of Okinawa, we have acted badly and selfishly.

I elected to point a finger at all our organizations. . . the one I'm with as well. . . not individuals. In spite of the strong words, my overall goal was to begin a dialog at the grass roots level, where a discussion can take place. Change will not begin from the top!

The seniors walk around with huge egos and heavy back packs, carrying the real and imagined slights of the past, preventing any talks of reconciliation from taking place.

My Susan does not study martial arts. She is, however, friends with just about everyone, even those who I would prefer not to be in the same country with. It was Susan who first pointed out that all of our problems can generally be reduced to the almighty dollar/Yen.

There are a number of issues to deal with before any reconciliation can be discussed:

1. Return emphasis back to the style.
2. De-emphasize rank.
3. Do away with "Okinawan Religion" [The belief that unless you are Okinawan, you cannot really know Uechi-ryu.
4. Return to the principle that one's teacher is the person who is actually your teacher! Not someone you see once a year to party with and have your annual picture taken.
5. Ranks up to 5th dan must be earned. Time in grade must be accumulated in a teacher's dojo, actually working out.
6. Ranks over 5th dan (if they must exist)should be issued by a single organization. The rank must be approved by the student's actual teacher and not by the student's adopted Okinawan contact.
7. Ranks should not be used to raise money for teachers or organizations. A minimum fee, enough to cover the administrative cost of preparing the certificate and mailing.
8. A single organization in every country, consisting of all legitimate Uechi seniors, should be in charge of all dan promotions.
9. A single organization on Okinawa should issue the certificates.
10. If you want to have your rank respected, support a public registry system, where lineage of every black belt is carefully and thoroughly researched. You might be surprised at how many phony, very high ranking dan certificates are floating around. We should document this information now, before it is lost. We should expose the phony 'masters' now, while the information exists and the seniors are alive to document the facts. Why have the rank if it doesn't have any meaning?

If interested, lets discuss each item with the focus on how we can affect positive change. And please remember. . . change will not start at the top! Rather, think of it as a revolution. A revolution affecting our Uechi-ryu!

And yes, you can smugly sit back saying "I'm too pure in heart and spirit to dirty my hands with this. . . I'll just sit back and let someone else fix it."

To this I say: "you will deserve what you get!"

For more on this subject, visit Bill Glasheen's Forum

My class at the 'Hut' was pleasantly surprised when Clarence dropped in for a visit yesterday. Although he is walking with the aid of a crutch, it appears as though his overall condition has improved a great deal since I saw him two weeks ago. After class, he addressed everyone, thanking them for their support and good wishes during the past month. Clarence also reassured everyone that he will definitely be at camp99 for all three days.

I wish to thank Al Moulton for creating a webpage for the pictures he took at this year's tournament. Click Here to go there.

Because of the activity on this site, quite a few advertisers request that I create links, exchange banners and/or push their products/services on our pages. Because the only way I can generate revenue from the site is through advertising, I've recognize the need for accepting ads. I try to work with products and services that relate to the martial arts and ones that I've actually used. Most of the advertisements are taken for granted. Anshin gi manufacturers have been with us for two years. I like their gi and would not hesitate recommending them to all. However, I've heard from people who will only wear Shureido and others who only buy East West gi. None of these people write to me however, objecting to seeing the Anshin ad.

When I decided to advertise the "Chi" Machine, I knew a few people would object simply because of the name. And I wasn't wrong. Ironically, the apparatus, which has been around for quite a few years in Asia, is actually known as the "Sun Harmony" Aerobic Exerciser. When it was introduced to the West recently, the original importer renamed it. Since most people aren't so sensitive about the term. . . nor would they recognize a 'chi' if they stepped on it. . . the name wasn't a problem for the general public. Since many in the martial arts community believe they know what chi is or isn't, (I admit to not knowing) I've decided to revert to the use of the unit's original name.

The "Sun Harmony" Aerobic Exerciser may compliment your regular workout schedule and as an added benefit, help you sleep more soundly, improve that back or muscular problem. Give it a two week test drive. If it doesn't work for you. . . send it back for a full refund.

I wish it were possible to predict how many competitors were going to enter the tournament. Had we known so many were going to enter on the morning of the event, we could have set up more divisions. Had we known that a few divisions were going to only have 6 competitors, we probably would have considered a double elimination process and do away with the 'bye' system. Naturally we wish to learn from our mistakes and welcome all comments and suggestions.

Gary and I wish to once again thank the hard working officials from Nova Scotia, who spent a very long day making sure that all adult matches were run fairly and impartially. Well done. . . Steven Boudreau, Ron Fagan and John McNeil, all provincial level referees. Thanks also to Ed Huff, who tirelessly refereed all the Junior division freefighting matches.

Also, we would like to express our sincere thanks to Rich Baptista, who once again provided the Uechi world with a site and all the administrative, legal and medical help necessary to run a tournament. And of course, thanks to Alan Azoff, Steve DiOrio and everyone else who arrived early and stayed late, helping with all the timekeeping, scorekeeping and kata judging. Finally, thanks to all the competitors, who gave us another chance.

Uechi-ryu Karate Championships: 1999

It took us five years to get it right. But the results were well worth the time, energy and effort. Many thanks to Gary Khoury for standing up and going the distance, demonstrating that leadership and willingness to work can overcome just about any problem. Thanks to Peter MacRae, for standing up and breaking through the political boundaries by entering a large team of Shoheiryu students in the event.

And thanks to all the hard working Uechi-ryu seniors who showed up early and worked late into the afternoon with the many jobs that it takes to organize and run a world class event. Yes. . . this year I can honestly say a "World Class Event!"

The purpose of this tournament is to give our students a safe venue for demonstrating their Uechi skills while testing their fighting spirit under stressful and competitive conditions. This year we brought in a team of professional officials whose job it was, to introduce our fighters to the WKF competition rules, in a fair and impartial manner. They did this with patience and elegance. They went over the rules before each division began competition. They took their time in all divisions under black belt, carefully explaining what constituted a point and what didn't. They encouraged all fighters to pay attention during the early matches so they would be totally familiar with the simple hand signals and commands used in a match.

There were obvious differences in tactics. A fighter could grab, but had to release prior to punching or kicking. There were safety reasons for this rule that evolved over the years. Non-karate moves did not count, even if they happened to effectively land. Techniques thrown without balance and/or a strong stance did not count. In other words, they wanted to see karate demonstrated at a karate tournament! Naturally not all competitors were able to make every tactical change needed to score consistent points. But I was surprised at how fast the majority of fighters adapted to the changes. A couple of nasty incidents occurred where frustration turned into anger, resulting in some one sided full contact blows. Although these fighters were disqualified, it wasn't before the damage was done. . . both to the fighter and to the reputation of our event.

Aside from a couple of isolated injuries, the tournament proceeded smoothly and without incident. A few spectators commented that it was a "full contact" event. It wasn't! Rules were very strict regarding head contact. In the under black belt divisions the body contact was far from full contact. In the black belt divisions the body contact was strong, but again. . . not full contact.

The only area where I feel the rules should be changed is in immediate disqualification for malicious contact. In the WKF rules, they make the assumption that contact is made by accident and because of this, the person hit receives a point instead winning the match. The reasoning behind this is to give an edge to the injured fighter, but not give him/her the match. This gives a ring savvy fighter the opportunity to nail his unsuspecting opponent, then be able to fight a dazed and possibly injured person the rest of the match. Great strategy on the street, but should not be part of our "game"!

On a sour note: I locked my digital camera and keys in the car! So, no pictures of the day competition. However, I was able to take some great shots of the finals. [note: I'll try to post tha names of the winners in all divisions early next week.]

May 21, 1999: See you tomorrow!

Last minute applications from Nova Scotia, Bermuda and New England are helping to make tomorrow's tournament the best of the series. I'll have lots of photos to show you Sunday! Kata and prearranged kumite events begin at 9am.

May 18, 1999: Screaming into the wind!

Some of you may wonder why I've been so quiet regarding the fascinating discussions going on in the forums. Besides the normal excuses of being busy, I was simply enjoying reading emotionally charged posts from the "now" generation of Uechi-ryu. . . people who have been quietly teaching in the background, allowing the 'ol timers to get bloodied in the ongoing political battlefields and who were now finally speaking out. Old questions asked in direct, plain spoken language: Why can't people get along. Why did the Okinawans destroy local ties, resulting in a chaotic ripple effect throughout the martial arts world? What can we do to resolve the problems and how can we resolve the issues?

I'd like to offer a solution . . . in the same clear language Gary, Mike and Van and others have expressed the problems. And I'm sure I'll be moved even higher up on the Okinawa **** list, but that's OK. Perhaps speaking out will get the "now" generation to wake up and not make all of the mistakes of their predecessors.

Let's first focus on the root cause of the problem: MONEY! If there were no dantest fees, there would be no reason to fight over foreign students. Why else are there 28 "Uechi-family of styles" organizations, some with 3 foreign students on the roles. . . faithfully sending over their fees for their diplomas.  Take away the danfees and suddenly Shoheiryu has no reason to hate Kanmei. And Kanmei would have no reason to reject offers to reunite.

Why do the foreigners play the "guess who my teacher is this week" game? Power!   Control!  Let's see. . . if I can figure out a reason to dislike my local instructor, I'll be able to deal directly with Okinawa. . . that means I can run my own test, pocket the fees that normally went to my teacher for conducting the test and I'll be King of my newly created hill.   Everyone happy. . . except the students who, with every fabricated break-away, loses another contact and other opportunities to train with practitioners outside of their own, newly created fiefdom.

MONEY! It is the primary cause of problems plaguing our martial arts.

The second major problem with the martial arts is RANK! Do away with all ranks over godan and take away the ego inflating mechanism afflicting many of our seniors both on Okinawa and outside Okinawa. Without all the phony titles and the baggage that accompany their rank, these people would have to live upon their ongoing deeds and not upon some mystical glorification bestowed upon them by some association

Sounds too simplistic? Most problems and solutions can be resolved if you can get around the hyperbole and reduce the bull**** to the core. Now. . . How could things be fixed?

Simple to explain. Everyone outside of Okinawa decides to implement the following programs within their dojo:

1. Agree to give up all rankings above 5th Dan. After that, teachers become "Coaches" or "Instructors"!

2. All dojo would revert back to the use of the Uechi-ryu name.

3. All testing will be done on a regional basis, with all dojo participating. A set fee would be charged, agreed upon by National vote.

4. A single certificate would be issued by Okinawa, signed by the secretary of the new and non-political organization and there would be room for the local instructor to sign as well. People may retain their ties to Okinawan instructors, but these instructors will not issue certificates!

5. Fees would be evenly split between the local instructor and the Okinawan organization. They could decide how the fee is split up on Okinawa.

6. If Okinawa doesn't elect to do this, then the foreigners must issue their own piece of paper.

Naturally, this would only work if the majority of Uechi practitioners outside of Okinawa elected to do it. Forget petitions or meetings. Money and rank are the cause of the problem. Elimination of them is the solution!

Interested? Jump on the forum and let us know how you feel.

May 11, 1999: Tournament Update

The May 22nd tournament applications are coming in slowly, but steadily. We should have a good turnout for all divisions. Ron Fagan and the other WKF officials will be at the Royal Plaza Hotel on Friday, May 21st from 7pm - 8:30pm for the purpose of discussing rules and any other questions relating to the event. Check in the lobby for the room number.

I spoke with Gary Khoury today regarding the Junior division sparring rules. Kids 12 and over will be able to use the head as a target, but cannot make any contact. Kids under 12 will not be able to use the head as a target!

All scorekeepers, timers and judges for kata, junior sparring, kyu and Dan kumite divisions, please make sure to be at the tournament site by 9am. We still need people to help out. Please call me if you wish to volunteer.

May 5, 1999: Eye of the Storm

As I mentioned earlier, words can be used as weapons. Because they do not inflict physical damage, like a sword or bullet, we tend to treat what we say with less care than we would a gun. But as we have learned on the forums during the past couple of years, we must chose our words carefully and unless our goal is to injure our target, think twice about what we say. Because English is a very difficult language, not only for our guests from other countries, but for those of us born in English speaking countries. Words and sentences can have different meanings that sometimes can be more easily understood spoken in person, where body language, facial expressions and tonal quality of the words help convey the message behind the words. These aids are missing in the written word, although a whole dictionary of character symbols have helped make the written word more personal and rich in expression.

Many new visitors come to our forums after spending time on adult bulletin boards and chat programs. They might post what they consider to be a rather tame message, filled with profanity, grandiose statements and machine gun like attacks on anyone in sight. Naturally such a posting will elicit an in-kind response, which to the original poster, might indicate a willingness to do "verbal kumite". The majority of our participants would prefer to avoid this kind of word fighting and unhappily log off the site. People continually write to me privately, asking me to get tough with the recalcitrant "troublemakers", kick them off the forums fast!

After considering the problems, potential legal problems and the future of our website, I decided to form a Standards Committee that will address the subject of Forum decorum. The committee will act as advisors to the moderators, helping them decide when a poster has 'gone too far' or the subject matter crossed that undefined line of good taste that we strive to maintain.

Although I would like the site to remain active and exciting, covering important and sometimes controversial subjects relevant to the martial arts, I would also like to feel that it should remain a site for the whole family. The committee will help insure that the site continues to focuses on this balanced philosophy. Anyone who feels that they would like to register a complaint or suggestion about a subject, thread or post, may e-mail me with the specifics. I'll take immediate action where appropriate and/or take the matter up with the committee for consideration. You will be notified regarding any decision reached.

May 1, 1999: Rage, Insensitivity and Misunderstanding

Its amazing how the written word can be used as a weapon. We've all heard that sticks and stones hurt whereas words can't. Don't believe it! Words can cut like a sword and can make a lasting and negative impressions on us all.

Why do some people act so repulsively when anonymously communicating with a large audience while in person can be charming and sensitive? Is it that they feel isolated from the audience they will probably never see; that they will never have a face to face encounter with those who they cut with their saber wit and sarcastic wisdom from afar? Or are words so impersonal to these individuals, that they can be thrown mindlessly like make-believe missiles kids launch in the game of Doom? Can words be indiscriminately thrown together in a loosely constructed argument, short on logic and long on emotional content. . . and delivered with biting, personal and undeserved insult.

When the forums receives this kind of correspondence, moderators must chose on their own how to deal with it. Van Canna Sensei believes such posts deserve no quarter and must be cut out like a cancer that can spread if unchecked. Bill Glasheen Sensei will eliminate the most flagrant of posts, but is far more liberal than Van in allowing borderline attacks to survive his editorial scissors. Surprisingly, the other forums haven't had any problem with this issue.

Now to specifics. Naturally I'm referring to Igor Prasnikar's recent posts, where he attempted to make a point and teach us all a lesson by engaging in a lively, but insensitive verbal battle with quite a few named individuals specifically and all the martial arts community generally through innuendo and not too subtle inference. Initially, only Bill and a few others bit the hook. Igor played with their good intentions and sincere comments like a fisherman toys with a marlin. Occasionally agreeing with someone, then figuratively kicking them in the ass with a snide remark or out of context argument.

Unlike an anonymous lurker, coming out of his lair to wreak havoc on our quiet and agreeable group, many old-timers remember Igor from the old days when he was affectionately referred to as a "dojo rat". . . someone who lives in a dojo, working out full time. . . sort of marking time until he figured out what he was going to do when he grew up. You could tell by the responses by his old friends that they didn't understand why he was doing what he was doing or if it was a different Igor that occupied the old Igor's skin and had transformed him into a 'born again' karate zealot, anxious to spread his new found knowledge that overflowed his magic cup.

What made the whole mess even more disturbing was that sprinkled throughout his rambling discourse were words of wisdom pertaining to self defense realities. Unfortunately, he acted as though we never heard any of this before and as instructors, were living in a vacuum of naiveté and misinformation.

When things like this happen, the forum moderators act quickly and decide how to handle the problem. If a complete stranger make these posts, the thread would have been immediately deleted and the poster banned from further participation. Because many of us knew Igor, we extended every opportunity to understand his manner of communicating, associating the shocking statements and the manner in which they were made to cultural and language differences. Coming from a part of the world where he can watch and listen to NATO bombs pound his neighbors was a further concern regarding our interpretation of his metaphorical threats to our participants.

Further muddying the waters was the news of our good friend and fellow martial artist being shot and seriously wounded. . . not the best time to teach us lessons in reality or our responsibilities to students.

In shock many simply ignored the threads when Igor posted. I actually received e-mail from a couple regulars saying that they were going to take a break until things calmed down. For two days visitors increased but participation dropped. Paranoia? Common sense? After all, we are simply fighting with words. On the other hand we also have experienced the aftermath of senseless violence. Killing for no purpose. assaulting for a few dollars.

People are well aware of the dangers that surround us and are constantly being made aware on this site that learning self defense is no guarantee of surviving an assault. Igor doesn't have to rub our faces in this fact or point out any other possible shortcomings of teachers or our programs.

Things have quieted down a bit on the forums and people are dropping in again and resuming the intelligent and polite discussions regarding important and sometimes not so important subjects involving the martial arts. No one is suggesting that the forums replace working out or studying with an instructor as some detractors suggest. I compare it to the discussions Tomoyose Sensei and I used to have after every class and our current Saturday group have at the coffee shop following the workout.

Please remember that we sincerely welcome all visitors to contribute their questions, comments and viewpoints to one or all of the forums. Each forum has been created to address issues from different perspectives. Each of us are practicing the martial arts for different reasons, therefore it doesn't make sense for one moderator to try and deal with all topics from a single point of view. Regardless of how strongly each of us feel about any subject and no matter how passionately we put forth our theories, there is no one master of the house who has the ultimate and final word. Each of us has the right to believe whatever we wish and no one has the right to bully or try to intimidate with words, those who chose to follow another path.

Finally. . . please remember that your words are our only link with you the person. Reread your posts a couple of times before hitting the 'enter' key. Read your words as others will read them.

April 28, 1999: A barrage of pebbles!

Having been away for a week without my computer, is a little like going cold turkey when trying to give up cigarettes! Got home last night and spent nearly 3 hours reading and answering e-mail, then another two hours catching up on the forums! Really happy that the site is functioning at full capacity once again. Many thanks to Harry Skeffington for all his hard work during the outage.

I must admit to a bit of apprehension over introducing the Steve Morris topic, then flying off to Colorado without any way to monitor what was happening in the way of response. Much to my surprise and delight, all the topics, points and counterpoints were interesting and well stated.

A few individuals privately e-mailed me, asking my real opinion on the whole subject. I replied that after everyone else responded I'd add my two cents here on "Whats New". Since the thread on the forums has pretty much run out of steam, I'd like to offer the following:

The main premise of Steve's thesis is that he has discovered a better way for people to defend themselves. Well so far, no problem. Lots of people have said this before and many more will probably do so in the future. My problem with statements referring to fighting skills begin with the population Steve is targeting. Must they all have the same natural ability and native fighting skill that Steve possessed when he began training? According to his biography, he was one tough person before he ever entered a dojo. What about the skinny wimp who gets sand kicked his face at the beach? You know the person. . . the ones who makes up most of the beginner's programs at our dojo. Will Steve's program make this person into someone who will be able to fight him and hold his own? Or will Steve's program be geared to all the young George Formans, Cassias Clays and Mike Tyson's of the world.

Although I enjoy debating about the toughest Uechi fighter ever produced, there is only one way to absolutely determine who this person might be. Ironically, the toughest person may be so self confident, that he may not wish to engage in either the debate or battle for the title. Is participating in a rules based match a fair gauge for making this determination? I remember the 1995 Uechi-ryu Championships where the rules clearly stated "No Contact" to the head! Some of the competitors were fighting "full contact" while their opponents were abiding by the rules. While competitor "A" scored a technique and was withdrawing the punch or kick, competitor "B" delivered a full powered, fully extended, full contact blow, knocking out competitor "A". Does competitor "B" deserve the honor of being able to say he is a better fighter than his rules abiding opponent? If I read Mr. Morris's biography correctly, he seemed to have entered his matches using his own rules. In a black belt test, all dojo that I'm familiar with use rules. They may condone strong contact to the body and even some head contact, but I'm not familiar with any dojo that encourages their students to brand the heads of competitors with the imprint of their knuckles! So again, is it fair for Steve to use this example or others like it, as an endorsement of his training program or his qualifications for creating this program?

As I've often stated, there are exclusive worlds out there designed to test one's ultimate fighting skills. Ironically, most of the flagrant violators of point tournaments would never dream of entering into a full contact or ultimate fighting contest where both fighters go all out. They prefer to stand out in the point sport world, where they can proudly state that if they don't win they get disqualified for excessive contact! Those of us who pioneered point tournaments in the 60s, 70s and 80s were constantly trying to come up with rules where average people might engage in a weekend fight and return to the office on Monday with all teeth intact. No one was able to cope with the massive egos of those who pretended to lack control, trying to intimidate their opponents with full contact punches and kicks while hoping their opponent would abide by the rules. I remember the joke often retold where a fighter would apologize while coldcocking his opponent with a knuckle sandwich.

This may be a little off the subject of Mr. Morris, but I mention it to highlight my view that rules based tournaments and dojo encounters are not a valid test of one's fighting skill. If they were, Mr. Morris's success in these areas must be attributed to either his own superior natural skills or to those teachers he trained with and now wants the martial art world to abandon. Either way, we are left with the empty feeling that he is offering us something that the natural fighting athlete with warrior spirit already has and the majority of struggling wanabes will try and become whatever they are already becoming with their current instructor. Either way, they will eventually learn there is no magic formula. . . no shortcuts and no substitute for hard work and research. If you belong to one of the average dojo, taking courses that specialize in skills most teachers are unequipped to provide is highly advisable. And even with all this, most will still not have what it takes to survive a real fight, with a seasoned scrapper. . . regardless of what system and teacher you chose.

I used to tell people at seminars and demonstrations, that karate was something everyone could study. We have programs that build confidence, balance, strength, coordination and some self-defense skills. We have taught these programs at Perkins School for the Blind, to handicapped children attending the Boston School System and average people within our dojo(s). We can and have documented the results of our programs. Perhaps little steps, but forward steps nonetheless, where we accomplished goals not achieved with other athletic or academic programs.

Obviously Mr. Morris does not propose to work with any of these special groups, or even with average people. I suggest that he is proposing something on par with professional sports. . . the cream of the crop. . . the guys and gals who have the potential to achieve what Steve envisions as the perfect martial art for the perfect martial artist. Certainly there is a place for such a dojo and philosophy, just as there is, I believe, a place in every dojo for the realistic approach to training that we have been discussing on this site for years. But the bottom line is that if Steve signs up a hundred individuals to his program, at the end of one year he will have pretty much the same makeup of individuals the rest of us have. A certain percentage of excellent students (based on his criteria) and the usual mix of other skill levels that all dojo produce. Unless, of course, Steve sets his standards so high, only the few excellent students remain. Then, like the Red Sox, Patriots and other professional sports teams, Steve will, having a large enough pool of players, be able to select the members of his dojo based on the individual's natural ability, time, money and willingness to train. Unfortunately, it has been my experience that teachers who maintain such high standards end up with a couple of students while bitching about the commercial dojo with hundreds of students. . . and ironically who also have a couple great fighters along side the hundreds of average participants.

Steve Morris is obviously a superior martial artist. In this age of specialization there certainly is room for his no nonsense methods, right along side UFC devotees, Full Contact training programs, Brazilian Grappling Systems and Joe Average's dojo. People will chose what they want, based on criteria that are as different as the people involved. I wish Steve the best of luck with his venture and hope he will be able to join us on the Forum one day. Who knows. . . maybe even at camp. In the meantime, lets take realistic steps to improve our own dojo programs, whether we cater to the Superstars or simply run a dojo catering to average people.

April 20, 1999: So who is going to throw the first rock?

The on-line martial art's world has been reading quite a few posts regarding Steve Morris's web site. To say that Mr. Morris's views are hard hitting certainly would be an understatement. His views and his way of communicating reminds me of a chainsaw cutting through ice! Personally, I really enjoyed reading about his early experiences in the martial arts. . . going from teacher to teacher searching for the secrets we read about, heard about and fantasized about. Unlike a lot of us, who latched onto a system and practiced it diligently, accepting the promises from our teachers that with enough repetitions, even the most humble of practitioners would become a master, Steve tested himself and his seniors with the fire of combat. When it turned out that he was better than those who were teaching him, he moved on.

Mr. Morris is not some 19 year old tenth dan, who came in first place in a no name tournament and is now proclaiming himself the toughest dude around. You must read his articles a couple of times. Get past your initial shock and revulsion of hearing things that you don't want to hear and listen to the message. Steve has a lot to say that is valid and relevant concerning the martial arts. Those of you who frequent this site and have listened to Sensei Van Canna, have experienced this shock before and probably won't find Mr. Morris's philosophy offensive.

But. . . I bet there are many exalted sensei out there who are seething!

I'm not qualified to comment on Steve's medical references. Perhaps Bill Glasheen, J.D. and others will be able to explain the scientific descriptions in language that the rest of us can understand.  Regarding Steve's evaluation of all Okinawan systems based on his recorded experiences on the Island, I believe he over reacted. I'm not saying that he is all wrong. . . he isn't! But I don't think he should have condemned every instructor on Okinawa based on his experiences.

I don't know Steve, but Simon Lailey who is a mutual friend, speaks very highly of him. According to Simon, Steve is a gifted martial artist and teacher who also happens to be a warm and friendly person. Now I hope Steve doesn't get upset with Simon for destroying the image of him that he seems to want projected on his site. . . Nor do I want him to think unkindly of me for repeating this comment publicly.

Why did Mr. Morris take the stance he did on his web? I think he wants to shock us all! After all, isn't that what Bruce Lee did 30 years ago? In reading his biography, I get the feeling that he tried to do everything by the book for most of his life. He took the lessons, made the journeys, paid his dues. In the end, he was faced with a number of facts that just didn't jive with what everyone had been telling him. He elected to tell his story the way he performed his kumite. . . Full Contact when everyone else is playing tag!

Van has been struggling with these same issues for the past 25 years. Until he began writing for the "Self Defense Realities" forum, his message had the effect of spitting into the ocean. Van's posts are straight forward and thought provoking. Most teachers acknowledge that he is responsible for them re-thinking the approach they take in conducting classes. New phrases and terms are sneaking into our karate vocabulary and affecting the focus of our lesson plan.

My concern with the articles on Steve's site is that although they certainly got everyone's attention, the message may be lost in the condemnation of the mainstream martial art's community that permeates the site. Although I wish Steve would have tempered his emotions while describing his experiences with specific instructors and styles, I can understand his frustration and sense of betrayal as he pursued his quest for the perfect martial art instructor and style. Now, I fear, it is just a question of time before the first 'rock' is thrown and the flame wars begin in earnest. I can feel the electricity in the mail being sent to me. . . there is a storm brewing. I am eager to participate in a dialog, hopefully one that Steve will be part of, where we can discuss the issues he has raised.

This site has tackled tough issues before in both dignified and undignified ways. I have a feeling that Bill Glasheen and Van Canna's forums will be discussing Steve Morris and what Steve has published on his site. I'd like to believe that we will be able to do it without getting too emotional over what Steve has said about the specific styles of martial arts we study. Lets keep it "dignified"! And Steve. . . if you are seeing this. . . come join us.

April 18, 1999: Whats happening to the site:

I just got off the phone with xpres.net, our service provider. Dan, the tech support person is as perplexed as we are regarding the frequent outages experienced on the servers we use. Before anyone suggests a conspiracy, remember that we are dealing with computers. . . you know, that box on your desk that many of would like to kick at least once a day. I've rented space on four servers, prior to xpres.net and the reason for the switching was extremely poor service and site performances. Xpres.net has been relatively trouble free since we moved here, but with computers, you know it's just a question of time before something bad happens.

Fortunately, this site uses three different servers, so the odds of all being out at the same time are slim. Right now, we seem to have the .com sites working but those residing on the .net server continue to be plagued with problems. Hopefully xpres.net will resolve the problems soon.

April 15, 1999: Where are we going?

Although the Net has been around for many years, to my knowledge there were only a couple of martial art sites up when I decided to build the On-Line Magazine in 1995. Since then, literally hundreds of websites have materialized and at least 50 of them are from the Uechi systems. However, if you scan these hundreds of sites, you will notice that the majority of them are boring, uninteresting and are indistinguishable from the home pages individuals create for their family and friends.

A website is a lot like a gourmet meal. Although the chef enjoy the preparation, appearance, ingredients and menu, they must not lose sight of why its all done - for the patron . . . the customer!

While I was learning web programming through experimentation and trial and error, computer/Internet technology continued to advance. Only a year ago I was experimenting with a very primitive moving picture program. . . taking multiple snapshots, then linking them together in a gif file. Today, with Tony's help, we are setting up a video clip library, using digital video with sound! I predict that the technology will continue to advance and next year I'll be talking about Uechi-ryu TV! The technology is available right now for making every website a transmitting television station, however, very few home or business computers are capable of viewing real time video at realistic speeds.   So we must leave that feature alone for the time being.

Lets talk about web sites. Should every dojo have one? I believe yes for a number of important reasons. First, the technology is so easy, just about anyone can create a site. There are many free servers available who, in exchange for watching an insipid streaming advertising banner, will give your site a home. For a few dollars a month, you can become part of this website. So besides being easy, the technology is inexpensive! Secondly, the Internet is the future! And every dojo should be part of this future. Although we will never be without yellow pages, people will continue to rely more and more on the Internet for looking up schools, checking out references, seeing what is being taught and how it is being taught. People will visit dojo through the Internet rather than through personal visits.

What should a dojo website look like? Should you try and duplicate Uechi-ryu.com? If the purpose of your site is to attract students, you would be crazy to do this. Are you interested in reaching people from all over the world? This might seem like fun, but in reality, you are wasting space and time by trying to be a "world" dojo with the capability of teaching only local students.

What should you consider before and while setting up your site:

1. Decide on your audience.

2. Build a site to service that marketing segment.

3. If you own a dojo, talk to a regional audience looking for information pertaining to martial arts in your area.

4. Use your site to keep up an ongoing dialog with your existing students.

5. Update your site on a timely basis.

Check out Gary Khoury's site to see what I consider to be the perfect 1999 dojo home page. The categories are designed to communicate with his existing students, students on leave of absences and prospective students, looking for the best dojo in Tewksbury! If you have an existing web page, check it out as you would if you were a prospective student or one of your existing students. If you are considering building a dojo webpage, take a little time and do it right. The novelty of webpages has disappeared. People get upset when drawn to an out of date or cluttered site. People today don't return to a bad site, anymore than they would shop at a store with outdated inventory, stored in an unappealing setting. In 1950 I remember people visiting my uncles home in Minnesota to view "Television"! Each neighborhood had one. On many nights, there was a full house watching a Test Pattern!

That's where the Internet was two years ago. People were amused at this new television and put up with slow access, missing links and cluttered content. If you are serious about using the Internet, think of yourself and your site as a TV station. . . one of many stations having one or maybe two opportunities to get repeat visitors. I don't care about the other 450 martial art sites, but I'd like to see all the Uechi sites be professional and up-to-date!

April 12, 1999: Realism, traditionalism and spiritualism:

There is no question but that the interactive forums have been hugely influential on a large segment of the Uechi-ryu community. Often controversial, sometimes radical, but never boring. The forums have forced teachers to re-think much of the ritual based curriculum they were spoon fed ten, twenty, forty years ago. The concept that simply performing esoteric movements over and over again would somehow magically protect you in a fight were systematically destroyed in the face of cold and hard facts of the real world. Van Canna is solely responsible for leading this emotion charged debate, strongly challenging time honored beliefs with facts and studies on the subject.

Gary Khoury has dramatically joined the forums with his own special interpretation of being street savvy and what it takes to transform a good martial artist into a superb fighting machine, capable of effectively defending himself using the experiences in the ring as a model for realism.

Even the "chisters" have joined the revolution, reinterpreting their arts, reinventing the rituals and showing the world a whole new "hard" side to what they do.

Now my question for the martial art world: Where do we stand regarding the other benefits of our training and discipline? The purpose of having multiple forums was so that we might address more than one perspective for the issues raised. Sensei Canna and Khoury are doing a superb job of informing us of the real world issues surrounding the marital arts and have been successful in challenging us all to rethink the way we teach karate and our realistic expectations for actually using our techniques in an actual battle. But do we all study karate or other martial arts for the same reasons? How many of us find ourselves in situations of life and death encounters. We all have stories of potential danger. Some of us have actually had to use our martial arts in real fights of varying degrees of intensity. Many of you may have never been threatened or have ever found yourselves in danger.

There are so many variables involved in this subject that cannot be covered within the context of being "prepared". There are bone crushing street fighters who have never taken a lesson in anything who will destroy most martial artist, regardless of mindset, training, skill and warrior heart. They learn by doing and surviving. How can an average person, not possessing the mentality of this individual, ever be prepared to deal with him. . . if he/she ever meets him? Should we get an ulcer over that one in a million chance that we will meet him. . .  training and attempting to prepare for a life and death scenario that will probably end in defeat regardless of the steps taken.

I'm not advocating "giving-up" in our training approach, only that for most students, they would probably be better off working on their sprinting skills than deceiving themselves into believing they will ever become a worthy opponent to Mr. Bonecrusher. Has the dojo(s) and instructors deceived their students by not properly preparing them for Mr. Killer? Possibly!  If the teacher does not cover the areas presented by Sensei Canna in their courses and continue to pass off what they do as self defense, they are at best, being dishonest.

The key to this issue is honesty. People are as different in personalities, fighting skill and warrior heart as they are different in looks. We can absolutely build fighting spirit as we develop fighting techniques in individuals, but there are too many variables in the real world to predict how any of us will react when our fighting instincts are tested. This is why all teachers should read then re-read Sensei Canna's forums. Then read them again! Most importantly, get rid of any elitist attitude we might have regarding our abilities as teachers, to transform Ms and Mr. Milquetoast into a mean, lean fighting machine!

There are many, many benefits that go beyond self defense that we give to our students. Even if self defense was NOT one of the benefits, we are providing many wonderful services to the communities we live in. But if you advertise SELF DEFENSE, make sure you carefully define what you mean by this term and what you are capable of providing to your students in this area.

April 8, 1999: The surveys are still coming in. 172 at last count! Dr. White suggests that we end the request for information this week. So if you still haven't sent you survey in, please do it soon.

Gary reported that his first sparring seminar was a success. Although I was unable to attend, many seniors, including sensei Van Canna did show up to lend their moral support for Gary's effort. If you wish to learn more about the May 22nd tournament or Gary's seminar series, please feel free to give him a call at 978-858-0123.

Last week David Elkins asked me to comment on a subject that has become quite important to a growing number of Uechi-ryu students and instructors: "How do I explain the seemingly incompatible training philosophies among today's seniors versus what we have embraced in the past?" Dave gave an example of viewing Master Kanei Uechi's performance of the kata with what Jim Maloney demonstrates in his "New Wave" Uechi-ryu thesis, what Van presents on his "Realities" Forum and what I teach in advanced seminars.

Given the repressive nature of early Japanese/Okinawan martial art instruction, senior students were discouraged from thinking for themselves or from exploring the system either by cross training or simply modifying the traditional movements taught by their instructors. Creative teachers were forced to leave their dojo and form their own systems instead of being allowed to expand the understanding and accommodating nature of their root styles. Early pioneers of the martial arts outside of Asia, perpetuated this religious-like preoccupation with retaining the "true" nature of the art while closing their minds to the realistic nature of the movements and the changing and evolving nature of the martial art environment.

Instead of appreciating and trying to understand the ever changing needs and priorities of their charges, instructors rallied around vaporous terms like "internal" and "external", "hard" and "soft". Instead of expanding their understanding for the benefit of the art, they tore away vast segments of understanding and became comfortable within the confines of limited and rigidly defined movements. Uechi-ryu went through a period where proponents argued over finger positions, kata emphasis and other technical minutia. According to my sources, the first breakaway was the Naha contingency, over the belief that they were performing the kata more accurately than the rest of their colleagues from other dojo. They renamed their splinter group Pwangainoon, in a misguided belief that this name was more traditional than Uechi-ryu. Ironically, the rest of the Uechi practitioners on Okinawa all have different, albeit minor stylistic interpretations of Uechi-ryu. Learning from their first abortive attempt to standardize Uechi-ryu, they peacefully coexisted by accepting the fact that every teacher practiced Uechi-ryu in a unique manner. Within their dojo though, each runs a tight ship and narrowly interpret every element of the style in their own unique way. In a sense, On Okinawa, each dojo is a separate and distinct link to Uechi-ryu, based on that teacher's interpretation of the style.

I accepted and understood this fact many years ago after vainly trying to discover "the" Uechi-ryu by studying with all of the 2nd generation masters on Okinawa. Once the revelation struck home that martial art moves must work for the individual and that all students are unique, I stopped trying to stuff multidimensional students into cookie pattern templates of standard techniques, emphasis and training. Released from this new and open environment sprung vibrant, powerful and creative individuals who test the system, the methods and the participants.

Do we set up two VCR and simultaneously play videos of Master Kanei Uechi and aspiring seniors to determine who is ready to be placed in that coveted group considered to be "traditional"? Should we cast aside those that don't compare favorably with the ancient templates? As teachers, should each of us hook up with a single Okinawan whom we faithfully emulate in all matters of karate faith and martial art techniques? Or does it make more sense to build a strong foundation based on your teacher's specific 'style' of Uechi-ryu, then open up your mind by visiting other Uechi dojo, filling in the gaps and shoring up the weaknesses in your individual system. Does this mean that the moment you discover something that helps you at any given moment that you create a new style to promote this understanding? Isn't it better to accept a new understanding as individual progress and try to assimilate this revelation into a timely step in your dojo's curriculum?

Bruce Lee spent ten years practicing under a very traditional instructor, learning the same type of fundamentals we practice in Uechi-ryu. Following this training, studying on his own, both within his traditional system and in other fighting arts, he came to the same realization that many of our 'free' thinking seniors have discovered. Bruce began to preach to the rest of us that we had to rid ourselves of the "classical mess' we were bogged down with. A punch was simply a punch! We didn't need to chamber the punch in order to hit something hard. Practicing endless robot-like kata would not produce the 'freedom' needed to act fearlessly in a real fight.

Bruce had discovered that through years of diligent and difficult training, he had to release himself from the bonds of the kata in order to be 'free'!

Jim Maloney's oft repeated statement that one must "act" not "react" in a fight is a confusing statement to a new student just learning how to block. Since one 'reacts' by blocking, why should the new student endure years of training, doing something Jimmy says is unnecessary! But like Bruce, Jim's understanding has evolved from his 30 years of traditional training. What Jim does, if you watch him closely, is to use his years of 'blocking' experience as subtle and effective paring or deflecting actions, used in conjunction with his devastatingly effective attacking techniques. Does Jim's new found understanding enable him to short circuit the training cycle of Uechi-ryu? My personal feeling is that it doesn't. It just gives the advanced student new options and platforms for creating his/her individual branch system.

My teaching that Black Belts must not simply be strong White Belts is more conservative, but acknowledges the belief that although what you learn as a white belt is important for developing the discipline necessary for advancement, white belt thinking must be set aside for a black belt freedom. A Nidan should perform in a more creative, unique and individual manner than a shodan. Should every 7th dan look like Jim Maloney or every 8th dan like Van Canna? Or should each be as creative and unique as Jim and Van are in their personal understanding and interpretation of the style? I would hope so!

Like branches on a tree requiring strong and nourishing roots, martial artist need continuing sustenance from credible sources. But as seniors, each of us will discover our own paths and our own individual styles. By creating an environment that encourages and nurtures these unique styles, our Uechi-ryu will evolve and grow ever stronger with the years. Will we ever discard the past and proclaim Sanchin irrelevant? I think not. Not as long as we accept the kata as tools and not rigid templates. Not as long as we appreciate the flexible and encompassing nature of the system. Not as long as we recognize the need and value of a root system.

Steve emailed me early this afternoon. He was very happy to report that over 50 completed forms were received. My thanks to all who responded early along with my hope that everyone will participate within the next couple of days.

March 30, 1999: I received quite a few complaints that the Tournament Rules page was confusing and hard to navigate. I apologize for this. The information was pulled together rather quickly from the WKF site and a combination of missed links and basic poor design, resulted in a messy site. I fixed things by putting up a new and simplified rules summary, with a link to the WKF site. Check it out.

I hope all of you dojo owners will put aside any personal and political differences and support this tournament. Gary has worked very hard to make this event fair for all Uechi family of styles practitioners. Gary will be calling as many of you as possible to discuss fielding a team of your best students for this event. Naturally we welcome as many competitors as possible, but would really like to see every dojo get into the spirit of this event by encouraging your best students to enter as a team. Its up to all of us to make this tournament into a real World Class Event!

March 28, 1999: Great class yesterday. It was Harry Skeffington's last session as a guest instructor. Beginning next Saturday, Gary Santaniello will start his three month rotation. Because this class attracts so many seniors, Paul Geilla suggested a few years back, that we allow seniors to take turns heading up the class. This serves three purposes. First and foremost, it allows seniors an opportunity to present their view of the style to a group of their colleagues. Secondly it gives the seniors an opportunity to critique the teacher's methods and presentation, offering helpful suggestions and modifications that will help the instructor. Finally, it allows me the opportunity to work out with the class as a student. . . probably for me the best reason for the program.

Each instructor has about forty minutes with the class and spends this time working on techniques, drills or exercises that may or may not come from Uechi-ryu. Paul Geilla stressed kata as aerobically rich exercises. Mike Hurney focused on practical self defense drills. Greg Postal worked on Jujitsu applications he believes are very compatible with Uechi-ryu. Harry spent lots of time and energy showing the relationship of "pushing" hands to what we do. In each class I spend about an hour working on the traditional elements of the style. Whenever possible I try to relate what the guest instructor is doing to what I am teaching. So far the program has been very popular and successful.

Occasionally we are working on an area (like pushing hands) where a visiting student will have more experience and expertise than the rest of us. Such was the case yesterday, when Will Zachman showed up for one of his welcomed visits. Will has been studying Taichi for many years and is of course, very good at pushing hands. After changing partners for the fifth time, I ended up with Will! For the next five minutes I found myself being thrown all over the dojo. . . all with very little effort on Will's part. Following class, I asked Will if he would drop in one Saturday when we could devote the whole class to pushing hands. He agreed! Watch the "Events" forum for a date in April.

After class, Will, Van Canna and one other famous California Shoheiryu Jr. Rokyudan (and his Editor) joined me for a couple of hours over pints of Guinness at a local pub. We discussed world Uechi-ryu and the "good 'ol days" when fighters were tough, the dojo unheated in the Winter and the "Alligator" club flourished! I was amazed at Will's Columbus Avenue recollections. Stories about the psychedelic antics of Harvard's best and worse while working out in the dojo and across the street at Bob Fulton's all night bull sessions. Harry Brawley's 6am marathon workouts, John Kotelly's imaginative Sanchin theories!

Although the Cambridge street dojo was the most popular in sheer size and numbers, the Columbus Avenue dojo achieved notoriety based on the times (wild and crazy 60's) and of the people who were active in the dojo at that time. Although I had forgotten much of this era, Will reveled in his ability to name names and recount in detail, just about everything that was funny or nutty regarding Columbus Avenue. We should recruit Will to administrate our "History" Forum. I bet many of you would enjoy hearing about this nearly forgotten link to our Uechi past.

March 24, 1999: I expected a few irate readers to respond to my last editorial. I can discuss religion, martial arts, politics, sex and rock and roll, but GOLF is a subject that is sure to inflame tempers and ignite controversy! But I wasn't prepared for the avalanche of e-mail from people criticizing me for unfairly comparing Golf to Karate!

Most of the complaints focused on the internal Vs external nature of golf and how I obviously was practicing a strictly "external" form, which accounts for my mediocre performance. One person threatened to show up at my country club and severely thrash me with his favorite one iron. . . which coincidentally enough, he also uses in a secret meditative ritual, designed to 'pack' chi and regulate the dark forces present in "hard" golf swings.

I asked the first person with the "softer" attitude, if he or any of his students were on the tour. He replied that to his knowledge, only he and his teacher possessed the highest level of swinging "chi" and his teacher had retired. Further, he believed that golf tournaments or actually playing the game was not what the "swing" was all about. 

He was very busy conducting seminars, showing golfers the errors of their way by demonstrating his magnificent swing set. . . a slow motion (takes an hour to complete) reproduction of a golf swing. . . without the benefit of either a ball or club! According to this individual, everyone who witnesses this demonstration is immediately smitten with enlightenment. They throw away their clubs and balls and take up this ancient and exclusive "internal" golf style. His final communiqué with me, late last night, was a message of despair and hope. Yes, I had been wasting my time for the past 40 years, playing golf without benefit of "chi", but if I sent him $25, he would rush me his brand new video containing most of the secrets to the "soft' game. In a postscript he added "... and you will never have to by golf clubs or balls again!"

March 22, 1999: Martial Artist are a strange and wonderful group! We spend years developing our skills in religious-like fervor. At some point in time a few decide to "spread the word" by opening up some type of facility where Uechi-ryu (or whatever) may be taught. They take one of two courses of action: Build a professional business, where they try to reconcile their devotion to the art with a need to pay bills and provide a roof for themselves and family or retain their day job and offer their instruction on what they hope will be a "break-even" basis.

This second group will look into various schemes that provide free space in return for their instruction, or inexpensive rental of multi functioned halls, gyms etc. where they can use space at specific times in return for a fee.

If you have been following our Business/Marketing forum, it is quite clear that the majority of "traditional" dojo fall into the second category. When we first started this marketing forum, I assumed it would be focusing on how to attract and keep students. Instead, we discovered that the small and non-commercial dojo are struggling with business issues that have nothing to do with their curriculum or marketing.

Interesting??

Actually, I find that our society penalizes anyone who offers a service, with no strings attached. Our beliefs are developed and nurtured to mistrust altruistic motivation. When was the last time you received something of value for nothing? If you were a prospective student looking into various karate schools, would you be impressed with someone trying to give you lessons in his basement? Would you be put off paying $100 a month for lessons in a well lit, clean facility staffed with pleasant and knowledgeable instructors?

What is our collective hang-ups that makes the seniors in traditional martial arts believe that we must not earn a living teaching the martial arts? Do we believe that teachers must take a vow of poverty in order to accurately teach a student Sanchin? Does the teacher who works eight hours, rush home for dinner, rush to the garage where three impatient students await enlightenment have a 'lock' on true traditionalism?

I remember fondly the day I decided to become a professional karate teacher. When I returned to the states in 1958 and logged on as a Freshman at Northeastern, I joined the local YMCA and quietly practiced my kata in one of the racket ball courts. The Y director heard about my strange ritual and asked if I would teach a course for other members. In a few weeks after announcing the course, my program was packed. I taught every night for 2 hours. During the day I went to school. To earn money I washed dishes at Hayes Bickford. (There was a recession going on and no jobs!) Anyway, one day after nearly a year of teaching for free, I was ten minutes late for one of my classes. When I showed up, the class was irate. They let me know how important their time was and didn't appreciate my tardiness! hmmmm I finished the class and announced it was my last one at the Y.

At that moment I decided that if people didn't appreciate my situation, then I shouldn't feel any guilt over charging them for my services. I wish there was a dojo model I could have followed and fashioned my new professional dojo after, but mine would have to be one others would copy. I rented space in a gym where professional 'rasslers' trained. Lasted two weeks. The owner of the gym was afraid his fighters would learn what I was teaching and hurt another 'rassler'!! Then to a dance studio where I shared space with ballet and modern dancers. A great arrangement, but I couldn't get enough slots to satisfy the number of students who were applying. Finally the BIG move. . . to my own space. A fifth floor walkup on a main street in Boston. No heat, no elevator, but it was mine!

I'm convinced if I had swallowed my pride, stayed at the Y and continued to teach for free I would have eventually given up and found some excuse to stop teaching. At best, perhaps I would have ended up with a couple of students who would be considered training partners and an incentive to keep active myself.

Unlike 1959, when I decided to turn professional, today a new instructor has many dojo models to chose from. There is nothing wrong with a person who has a good daytime job wishing to develop a little study group for the purpose of continuing his/her own training where another dojo does not exist. People are relocating often and one of the biggest problems faced is where to train!

On the other hand, there are many dojo that exist where the instructor works outside job/s just to finance their school! Or programs where teachers would like to earn extra money teaching, but feel guilty charging for their services. You guys and gals are the ones I'd like to address. . .

We are, in many ways, similar to golf teachers? Like karate instructors, a golf instructor spends years developing his/her abilities. Then one day the golfer decides to go pro and attends a special school for those talented amateurs who wish to teach. Graduates face similar challenges and decisions facing karate teachers. They can hire out as an instructor at a driving range, making a few dollars a lesson, become a pro at a Country Club and make big dollars, or go on tour and take a chance of making really serious money. (Hey. . . Chuck Norris & Billy Blanks got their start on the tournament circuit)

The golf industry excels where the karate industry stumbles. Both are driven by people who participate, not just watch. Both depend on teachers to learn and improve skills. Ironically, karate teachers produces percentage wise, more proficient 'players' than golf instructors. Less than 10% of all golfers break 100! This is like saying that 90% of all Uechi students are only able to perform Sanchin! Golf is frustrating while completing a karate class is fulfilling and invigorating. Golf destroys confidence for the majority of participants, karate builds confidence for all who complete a class. Golf tears down the body with moves that are unbalanced and unnatural. Karate builds natural strength, balance and coordination.

The average karate teacher charges $25 an hour for a class. The average golf teacher charges $200 an hour!

Golf teachers have waiting lists for students. Karate teachers spend hours with their few devotees.

The bottom line is Are we doing anyone a service with our traditional attitude? If we believe that what we do is good for people, are we reaching as many people with this message as we could, doing the maximum good with our lives that we potentially are capable of doing?

You notice that I've posed a number of questions that are left unanswered. I don't have all the answers. However, I'm not about to open another professional dojo. This isn't about me. But I know there are a lot of you out there who are on the fence concerning this question. Whatever decision you make, don't make it feeling any guilt or hang-up over the traditional issue with all its accompanying baggage. Bottom line: There are Great teachers. There are Mediocre teachers. There are many Average teachers. It would be nice if all the Great teachers had successful and profitable dojo. Conversely it would be nice if all the mediocre teachers limited their time to one or two private students. Unfortunately this is not always the case. Hopefully we will, in the future, see more of the Great teachers emerging from their self imposed exiles and make their professional debuts.

For those of you who are Mediocre teachers. . . get back to your parent dojo and train. If you live away from any dojo, take heart and have fun teaching your classes. . . and by the way, using the Golf industry standards, you should be charging at least $200 an hour!!

To all you teachers. . . visit the Marketing Forum and let us know how you feel about this subject.

March 21, 1999: Couple of items. . . The New England Dantest will be held at Ed Huff's dojo on Sunday, May 16th starting at 10am. If you have any questions, please email or call me.

March 20, 1999: The "Hut" was overflowing today. Great class. Harry Skeffington is the instructor "At Large" this quarter. Harry introduced a new version of "pushing" hands, which when done correctly, makes full contact sparring seem tame. Everyone enjoys this controlled give and take competition. After ten minutes of it, you learn to conserve energy and experience first hand what "hard/soft" really means.