What was New: November 2, 1998 through March 17, 1999

March 17, 1999: The snow is melting fast. The weather forecasters predict that Boston will see temperatures of 50 degrees plus today! Now if I can remember where my golf clubs are!!

I've been receiving many calls and e-mail asking "When are you going to mail out the Tournament and Summer Camp applications and brochures?" Besides having a severe dislike for any form of communication that requires a postage stamp, there is another very good reason for the delay. I usually do a single mailing, combining all the Spring and Summer events. This year I did a beautiful and expensive brochure, describing the Master's Tour, Uechi Championship and Camp '99. If was all set to go out when the **** hit the fan! The mailing was further delayed while we waiting for word from Okinawa.

So. . . the modified brochure goes to the printer this morning. Should have it by the first of next week and in the mail by month's end. If you are not on my 'snail' mailing list, please e-mail your address to me this week and I'll send you my Spring package.

March 15, 1999: New England was pounded with another foot of snow last night. I was hoping that Winter was over. Didn't the Pennsylvania Groundhog predict an early Spring?

While the gang from NE and Canada were sitting around at a local Bermuda Pub, following the tournament, the conversation turned to our dojo and some ways we tried to build enrollment. Gary baited us with wonderfully simple and secret method to add 10 - 20 students. . . and all paid for by our Government. Naturally we were all ears. None of us had heard of this program and anxiously awaited the 1. punch line or 2. the secret.

Gary explained how a Government official visited his dojo when he first opened two years ago, asking if he would be willing to take local children as students. These were kids who were targeted as having some discipline problems or learning difficulties that karate programs often helped. All Gary had to do was bill the Government at the dojo's usual tuition rates. Gary was quite excited over the prospects of getting involved with this program. He knew how much karate could help these kids and having just opened his dojo, the extra tuition sure would help.

Then the official stated: "Naturally, you teach Taekwondo here" !!!

Gary said no, he taught Karate. The official politely excused himself, saying he was sorry, but the program was only designed for TKD dojo!

Everyone sitting at the table was floored by the story. How did TKD arrange to have all of our tax dollars, pay for a program that excluded all martial arts but the Korean variety? Why didn't we know about this law? How could it get passed without other martial artist being heard on the subject? How could the program be in operation without anyone knowing about it?

What are we going to do about it now that we know about it? See you on the Legal Forum if you wish to learn more about this.

March 12, 1999: Tony and I tracked down the problem that affected the Forums this week. We are working on updating the Links software now. Should be able to accept new web links sometime next week.

Take a peek at the '99 Bermuda Baksilum/Uechi-ryu Seminars, Tournament & Demonstrations memories page. The scenic views were taken from my cottage, on top of what has to be one of the highest elevations in Bermuda. I conducted a couple of classes at Al's dojo. The picture was taken during a children's class. Five of Al's students were tested for ratings. (All were successful) Jim Maloney, Gary Khoury and I conducted seminars prior to the tournament. Also was able to play two rounds of golf at fantastic courses. (forgot my camera!!)

March 10, 1999: Many thanks to Al Wharton and his hard working students, for inviting me to their '99 Tournament, seminars and classes. I'll post photographs and memories in the next couple of days. Unfortunately, I must discuss another issue today. . .

Many students and teachers were looking forward to participating in the May 9th New England segment of the Okinawan Master's Tour. Besides having the honor of hosting some of the world's most senior Okinawan teachers, I was looking forward to once again working with a senior Shoheiryu instructor and perhaps using this opportunity to renew friendships once shared. I was deeply distressed to have received the following e-mail from the Tour organizer last month:

In the next couple of weeks rumors were flying fast and furious. People were spreading the word that Nakahodo would not be participating. . . that Yonamine would be coming instead. Dan and I decided to simply keep our mouths closed and wait until Dan visited Okinawa to finalize arrangements.  I was hoping that by selecting Yonamine instead of Nakahodo, the Okikyukai might relent and agree to participate in the New England seminar, saving face for what might have been interpreted, in retrospect, as a bad decision.  However, when I returned from Bermuda last night, I found the following message from Dan:

Well, so much for building bridges!

I apologize to all the non-Uechi students and teachers who were looking forward to participating in the May 9th seminar.  Although most seniors are familiar with the ugliness of politics, this is the first time the childish behavior of a single organization has hurt all Okinawan stylist. It is indeed a sad day for the martial arts.

Dan Smith deserves support and appreciation for all of his hard work and sensitivity in this most embarrassing situation. I hope his tour is a huge success and will be repeated yearly. I also apologize to Tomoyose Sensei for being put into this political quagmire. I hope the real power behind the Okikyukai organization gets satisfaction from their decision to withhold the tour from New England practitioners solely to discredit a single person. Seems like such a waste of energy, time and resources. Certainly a little of this effort could have been used to accomplish something positive in their quest for domination. I doubt if their actions in this encounter will make them any more popular among the 'gajin' than other recent executive decisions emanating from Okinawa.

Not to end this column on a sour note, I elected to post another of Dan Smith's public postings here:

March 3, 1999: Congratulations to Gary Khoury who is celebrating his dojo's second anniversary. I was honored to participate in the festivities by working out with his class last night. If you can, plan to attend his dojo's Open House on Sunday, March 28th from 11am to 4pm. Call 978-858-0123 for directions. Click on image to see full size.

March 1, 1999: We are a little behind schedule regarding our desire to select and implement rules for the '99 Uechi Championships. For many Uechi practitioners, the decision to join forces with an outside organization is a major step. For this reason, the seniors involved with the '99 Uechi Championships have taken great pains to communicate with all interested students and teachers before making any final decision.

Gary Khoury was in charge of evaluating all options and has decided after much deliberation, that we should affiliate with the World Karate Federation. This involves joining the USA National Karate-do Federation. Gary suggests and I concur, that we should use the May 22nd Uechi Championships to introduce the rules of the WKF, in a slightly modified manner. Most of the modifications involve the use of English instead of Japanese terms during a match. Other modified rules are discussed and will be discussed on Gary's Forum and the Rules Homepage. Please get involved and help Gary make this first "WKF Point" event a success. Gary is planning to run a couple of seminars in New England prior to the tournament, where rules and sparring strategy will be taught. Gary and Roy Bedard will be conducting seminars and a WKF style tournament at Camp this year.

February 28, 1999: Just finished the March Mailbag. Be prepared for a lengthy visit. Lots of interesting letters as usual. If you wish to answer or comment on any letters received, please use the new "Feedback" forum on the Mailbag page. I won't publish email, addresses or telephone numbers unless requested to do so. Therefore the best way to get information to people requesting it, is through this bulletin board.

February 27, 1999: OK, this column is for all you "nitpickers' and 'perfectionist' who keep picking on me for screwing up the dates, misspelling words or failing to conjugate something or other! As Dr "X" so aptly tells his detractors. . .  "SHUT UP AND WORK OUT! [Watch for the T-Shirt at camp this year!!!]

For those of you whom I just insulted. . . I'm joking. . . please, no flaming e-mail or obscene phone calls. . . Actually, I appreciate hearing from people who discover missing links, misspelled words or a hastily constructed sentence that doesn't make sense. Normally, Susan checks everything I write. Normally two or three tries later, and her usual speech about "how did you ever graduate from high school, never mind college", I send out the letter or brochure. But with the ever increasing work load of this site and in an attempt to respond quickly to correspondence, forum contributions and an occasional column, edits are impossible. Hence the mistakes.

D.J. (Dr. "X") must be a genius to write the number of posts and private email he contributes on a daily basis. He manages to perform brain surgery in his spare time. He has read every book written, preferring those with titles I can't even pronounce and is able to quote long passages by heart. He is the only person I am aware of who knows what God meant to say in the Bible! And can explain it all in Greek, Latin, Yiddish or Rhode Island Italian. With this enormous responsibility, it is understandable when D.J. posts something with a misspelling or typo. Perhaps that is why he never gets calls, letters or email saying how he messed up. However, there is a theory being discussed on the "secret handshake" forum, that J.D. makes these mistakes on purpose. . . just so people will believe that he is "human"! Can you picture him, hunched over the computer, feverishly going over his posts, throwing in an occasional "e" instead of "I", leaving out a couple of "k"s and "s"s, then calmly hitting the "enter" button.

We will never know. . . .

Seriously. . . last week I received an anonymous email from someone who said: ". . . please correct the spelling of receive on the 'Kids Virtual Dojo', I can't stand to see this misspelled word. I can't sleep until it is corrected. Please correct it right now. Thanks". Additionally I received at least 5 e-mail and Susan one call regarding the date of "Whats New" being wrong. O.K., so I didn't change the day. At least the date was close... And can you believe that Bill Hall called long distance, all the way from Florida to tell Susan of this mistake. Thanks a lot Bill. . .

February 22, 1999: Had a chance to create a page to display some of the many photographs taken in Florida during Van Canna and my visit earlier this month. Click on the images to see full size. Some great threads taking place on the Forums this month. Hope you have had an opportunity to read them. Tony has updated the software and now you can post without registering. However, there are benefits to registering and no drawbacks. It only takes a minute.

February 19, 1999: Received quite a few calls and email regarding my last "whats new" column. All were supportive and all enjoyed learning about the 'formative' Uechi-ryu years in America. Ironically, every country goes through these growing pains.

It would be nice if the 'growing pains' were over and the new dojo coming on-line would benefit from the mistakes of their seniors, but unfortunately this is not to be. Instead of learning from past mistakes, our Uechi based family continues to fragment and walls are being fortified. Instead of looking for opportunities where bridges can be erected to bring students together, seniors are attempting to isolate their groups from the mainstream.

Where communications and physical contact remain open, there is hope.

Regardless of what we call the organization that issues our certificates, regardless of the crest we wear over our heart, we are from the same wellspring. We should all recognize our differences and respect these irreconcilable political and administrative policies. We should do everything in our power to live and workout together in harmony and in the Bushido spirit.

Politics and administrative policies exist and will get more complicated as our Uechi-ryu evolves. History of the martial arts have taught us this as fact. We must learn to live with our differences while trying to enhance and build our art, regardless of what we chose to call it or who we elect to call Sensei. It seems senseless to try and tear apart our very small segment of the martial arts while the Koreans, who have far worse political turmoil, rally together for a united "public face" while building their Taekwando throughout the world. Lets learn from history and put on our very best "public face" that will allow us to all work out together in harmony while encouraging the senior-senior-seniors (to use J.D.'s copyrighted term) to work behind the scenes on how to peacefully coexist while building for the future.

I wish to welcome David Elkins as our newest Forum Administrator. David's forum is aptly named "Seeking the Bridge" and will deal with the nature of 'cross-training' in the martial arts. David is a Uechi-ryu Nidan and a highly skilled Wing Chun Gung-fu instructor. David is also a Chief Instructor in the Close Range Combat Academy style of Wing Chun.

February 14, 1999: Just finished reading the February issue of Martial Arts Professional. As usual, John Graden has addressed and explored new territory for those of us who consider ourselves "Traditionalist". Martial Art's legend Stephen Hayes wrote a fascinating article entitled "What is Tradition?", which should be read by every student. The points raised in Stephen's article, will probably be misread and misquoted by many of the spiritually enlightened "masters" as they park their fat asses on thrones built from ancient texts, word of mouth "truths" and mystical rituals only understood by the exhaulted "master".

Steve was there, did it all, understands and able to distinguish fact from folklore . . . all in a humorous and entertaining style that traces the history of many martial art myths we repeat in parrot like rote.

Garden has taken the martial arts to another level of maturity with his enlightened publication. He doesn't suggest replacing tradition with glitze, although many "traditionalist" view his publication's direction as the Antichrist's work.

On the way home from class yesterday afternoon, I was trying to analyze the effect Mr. Graden's work has had and will have on the martial arts in the 21st century. And more importantly, the effect it will have, (or I should say, should have) on the Uechi community.

Those of you who were around during the "golden" years of Cambridge street, when my brother John was Director of Administration, our enrollment peaked out at over 500 paying members! This was during the 60s, when the only activities that were being run like a business called themselves "Figure Salons" and "Dance Studios". John earned a brown belt in Uechi-ryu back in 1960, when the dojo was on Boylston Street in Boston. He joined the army and after three years, came home and opened a construction company. He remodeled the Cambridge Street dojo and I convinced him to stay on and help with the administrative work. He attacked the business end of karate with a passion. Within a year he had a staff of five people in the office and together we created a killer Black Belt Program, tied in with a Private Lesson Program that required 15 teachers to run. John instituted a contract (sorry.... "instruction agreement") form that John's staff processed. Our bank supported our efforts with it's paperwork, guidance and collection expertise.

John taught the staff how to answer phones, how to interview and how to discover what was important to the customer. I created an "introductory" lesson, where a trained instructor evaluated the prospective students and recommended a program. The Cambridge Street dojo was nearly 5000 square feet in size and we had a waiting list of students. Everyone was happy. . . well, almost everyone.

Instead of listening to my instincts and to John's objective assessment of karate's future, I listened to some senior students. They were appalled at the crass commercialism invading their sacred dojo. How could I limit the number of classes the advanced students could take? Some of them would work out 20 times a month or more. . . then take a five month leave of absence to recover! Others complained that the dojo emphasis was being changed from catering to the seniors to doting over the incoming students. Contracts was the final straw! How could I place a monetary value on the teaching of karate? And forcing students to pay/commit in advance, for the privilege of studying?

John and I had a meeting where all this was explained. John asked me where I wanted the dojo to be in 10 years. Where would all those "traditionalist" students be when I was 65? Would they provide for me as the Chinese students cared for their teachers?

At the time I actually felt guilty about charging money for teaching. I only had my experiences on Okinawa to guide me. And I was often told that my "exploitation" of Uechi-ryu, although welcomed when the certification fees were sent to Okinawa, were a subject of embarrassment when discussed as a template for other dojo.

John went on to become a hugely successful general contractor and I placed the administrative job of running the dojo in the hands of my good friend and black belt, who trained with me on Okinawa and exemplified the "traditionalist" philosophy.

The dojo focus took a subtle yet forceful turn back to the earliest years of the dojo, where the attitude was one of "if you can't keep up, Leave!" The seniors who were teaching, became possessive of their classes and resentful of any interference from me and in many cases from new students. The private lesson program and Black Belt Programs withered away. Teachers who were being paid for classes, now were being told they weren't needed any longer. Moral was at an all time low and I hadn't a clue how to turn things around.

Then one evening, my trusted friend who ran the office and six instructors asked me to attend a meeting with them. I walked into a session that would change my life forever. They announced that they were forming a new organization and would be opening dojo throughout the New England area. And oh yes, "nothing personal. . . its just business!"

My trusted friend took the dojo student records and in his new capacity of administrator for the new association, began a campaign to convince my students to follow the new group. Not a high point in my martial art's life!

After the initial shock subsided, I looked for revenge. I didn't seek this revenge in a positive manner, by becoming more successful than the rebels. . . I wanted to destroy them! Within a year I opened up dojo next door to every one of my breakaway students. Within two years, all of their dojo closed and soon after their association disappeared.

Having accomplished my purpose, I felt burned out and totally disillusioned with the martial arts and the hypocritical attitudes and self serving agendas on the plate of some of my "friends" who I also taught. And worse of all, the students who were loyal and only interested in training, became a target for my mistrust and paranoia. The only reason so many are still with me, is because they understood what had happened and were strong enough and loyal enough to ignore the bullshit and wait for the anticipated return to normal.

So, what does all this have to do with Mr. Graden and his publication? Well, I'm probably a bit envious and proud at the same time. Envious, because all the wonderful things that are occurring in the martial arts world today, might have evolved from the Cambridge Street experience. Proud, because some of us had the vision, proved that teaching a "traditional" martial arts did not mean that teacher must work another job to support the dojo and that there is no conflict between success and providing a service that happens to be a "traditional" martial art.

For the past few years I have been recommending that dojo become involved with organizations that provide services that compliment, but do not detract from what goes on in the dojo. Most importantly, these organizations motivate their members, dispelling the idea that running a dojo as a business is violating some unwritten code of ethics. Back in the early days of the martial arts, I was all by myself in a martial art's world dominated by a standard extracted from ancient myths and legends. I was not strong enough in my resolve to withstand the arguments of my detractors. No excuse. . . just facts.

I've long ago made peace with my nightmares of Cambridge Street, preferring to remember all the wonderful students we turned out and the long lasting friendships forged from the bitter experiences of these times. Surely many other pioneers of that era will be able to relate similar memories, imprinted from their individual growing pains and unique attempts to rear a wayward child to maturity.

Its fun now to reminisce and talk about what might have been. Rather than living in the past and taking a comfortable role as senior statesmen in an art where old age is venerated and respected, seniors must remain active and dedicated in their resolve to move our beloved art into the next millennium. We could pout and stand fast in our resolve to live in the 18th century. The controversy and discord will hinder the flow of ideas and progress and, of course, will provide a platform on which the dinosaurs can perpetuate the myth of "the good 'ol days".

I'll do my part by continuing to teach the very best traditional martial arts possible while encouraging dojo to avail themselves of every possible business and motivational tool that can help them operate a successful dojo today and 10 years from now.

Like Stephen Hayes, I've been there, done it and am telling you "like it is"! Listen, and you won't be disappointed in your 65th year when your faithful students are more concerned with raising their families, sending their kids to college, than they will be concerned with your welfare.

Old-timers who are open minded and receptive to the evolution of our art in concert with "traditional" business practices of other industries, can play an important and valid role in making sure the scales of commerce and tradition maintain a balance.

When the fad of the moment melds into a confusing highbred art, such as the Taebo phenomenon, there is a danger to assume that one will eventually replace the other. There may appear to be an incentive to combine the fad with your traditional program. Taebo will evolve into "Chibo" and the spandex set will move on. Be proud of your traditional karate. Be proud of the fact that your program isn't for everyone. Be proud of the fact that while fads come and go, our dojo remain. Don't let the fads corrupt your regular program. Your traditional martial arts should be viewed by your visitors and students as a jewel. To be shared with those who are ready to make a commitment and are serious about training. While helping to pay the rent, your "chibo" program may result in a couple of people who wish to learn more about the "real" thing. If your programs are all lumped together in the minds of your clients, you stand to lose more than your "Xbo" students when "Ybo" is discovered.

February 10, 1999: What a wonderful time I had in Florida. Thanks to Senseis John, Lori and Uechi-ryu's newest Shodan, Tony, for extending Van and me such gracious and warm hospitality while we were in Melbourne. During our seminar and class, Van and I had an opportunity to meet many dedicated and hard working students from all over Florida. Although many were from other Uechi organizations, all felt comfortable and at ease in working together in the spirit of friendship and in their desire to expand their martial art abilities. Thanks to all!

I'm trying to catch up on all the email and orders received during the last two weeks. Susan promises to get all orders out this week, so please be patient.

Please check out the Okinawan Master's Tour section. Space will be limited on this one, due to the tremendous interest in the seminar from other styles. We hope that we will have enough interest in a party/dinner following the event to include it in our itinerary. Need to know this soon!

Don't forget the Uechi Championships, this year to be held Saturday, May 22nd. I hope to have this page up by the end of this week. We still are not sure about the rules, but hopefully Gary will have this sorted out by the end of this month. If you have any suggestions, please go to the "dojo roundtable" and post your ideas on Gary's forum.

Not too early to be planning for this year's CAMP. I've been getting lots of email, letters and calls asking when the registration forms will be completed and sent out. If you are not on my mailing list, please let me know. The camp mailing will be going out before the end of this month.

January 27, 1999: Trying to get ready for my trip while updating the site. I was able to create a February Mailbag, filled with many interesting letters. Also updated the instructor listing. If I've left you out, please contact me with your name, city and tel number. I'll be available via e-mail... sneaking the laptop into my carry on bag!

January 26, 1999: Things have quieted down a bit over at the Dojo Roundtable. Out of the rubble of controversy came a new set of rules, which should be posted this week. Sometimes people will say things over the net that they would never utter in person. A little like Road Rage we hear so much about. Sitting behind a keyboard is, I guess, somewhat like being encased within our 2 ton ego extenders!

Being the person ultimately responsible for what happens here, I must listen to my advisors when they warn me about the potential liability involved with having your name on the masthead. I can be just as liable for what happens here as I would be allowing a child to spar without adequate instruction, supervision or equipment. Being a very traditional system of martial arts is no guarantee that every student who walks through the door or every visitor to our virtual dojo is as tradition minded and honorable as we have become accustomed to over the years. All it takes is one 'bad apple' to ruin a lifetime of work and accomplishments.

When I first announced that children had to wear chest protection in tournaments, you should have heard the yelling and complaints from the 'old-timers'! The same with the head protection, gloves and foot pads. What my 'traditionally' minded friends don't understand, is that whether the equipment is useful or not is not important. . . its what the 'experts' consider 'state of the art' in our sport today. When your student's lawyers call an expert witness on behalf of his client, he won't be calling a Uechi 'traditionalist'. . . he'll be bringing in someone familiar with certification of instructors, accepted rules for tournaments and why you were negligent in allowing your students to spar without benefit of any one or all of these teaching requirements.

When we allow someone to make a verbal threat to another in the forum without taking some kind of action, we are, in the opinion of many, negligent in our responsibly as host and web administrator. It no longer is a Freedom of Speech issue. It is a matter of common sense and the law!

On a more pleasant note, I've just completed VidMag #20 and am offering it for sale on the Books and Products page. In honor of having survived for 62 years in relatively good health, I have documented all 8 Uechi kata, in slow speed and full speed, along with many technique tips and suggestions. The filming was done with professional video equipment and the quality of the tape is excellent. The kata performance is another story. . . in my estimation, better now than at any other time. . . but of course, still room for improvement. Its a snapshot of my skill today. Hopefully the one I do at 100 will be much stronger and accurate!!

January 22, 1999: Check out the ViewPoint "Drills" section. I was reviewing the '94 Summer Camp films and extracted a couple of video clips, showing Clarence Wilder performing one of his patented leg sweeps and another showing a Uechi block and submission hold. Jim Maloney's very effective defense against a blade is not one I would recommend for beginners, but Jim makes it look easy. In order to reduce the clips to the maximum, I compressed the clips to 1/4 the original size, making for a pretty small image. Let me know how these clips look on your screen. If acceptable, I'll use this formula for others being considered for publication.

On a more sensitive level. . . I received an e-mail from one of Kiyohide Shinjo's students, who was told by someone, that " I/we (the Kenyukai) have been called arrogant.  And all have been informed about how your senior students TOOK CARE OF Kiyohide Shinjo in the 70's when he was in Boston."

I forwarded the e-mail to Van Canna, since I assumed the reference may have been pointed at various comments made on his forum:

People will always read what they want in any written words , but I am not sure what the Shinjo problem is ! Bill did make some comments about Shinjo having a narrow view of Uechi Ryu in spite of his obvious talents , something which could be misread as to intent ! And Bill should be asked to comment on that personally! As to what I wrote , It is clear to me that what I meant to convey was that in spite of the smear of Sigman that Shinjo and his group may have been laughing at your film [your form and power] sent for promotional purposes [ ?] ---when he visited Boston , both he [and other Okinawans as well] found a surprising level of skill and power when encountering your seniors ! It should be obvious that nothing was said or implied about him being taken care of , but people will read whatever they want into it and distort words to their advantage ! If anybody , we and you should feel offended by the insolent smear of Sigman [which you ignored] , and [the author of the e-mail] should be asked if the Shinjo family would be interested in setting things straight for you and your students ! Some times things [ offenses] are best not ignored as they will send the wrong message ! In this situation it seems that we now are on the defensive , whereas the shoe should be on the other foot ! In other words , if [the author] and or Shinjo-san , had been following the forums , they should have picked on the smear by Sigman and set things straight for the world ! Did you ever send films to Okinawa , to Shinjo , for ' grading purposes' as Alleged by Sigman? Whether you did or did not I think you should say so and you should also ask for a clarification from [the author] and or Mr. Shinjo about the implied offense to your name ! This is a good example , in my view , how being passive could result in having public opinion turned against us ! Feel free to send a copy of this letter to [the author] and ask him if he would care to communicate with me directly !

Regards ,

Van

Lots to discuss and clarify here:

1. Before the Internet, people would start rumors, which bounced off various individuals, eventually getting back to the principals. Imagine hearing from someone, that you were accused of something so stupid, all you could do was laugh! If you tried to trace the rumor and do damage control, you ran into a wall of "I was told this in secret!" Since the Internet and this site came into existence, I made it a policy to go public with all gossip and rumors relating to our style. This had the immediate result of shutting up the gossip mongers, for without the sanctity of obscurity, they became vulnerable to the truth. More importantly, anyone with a computer could now ask the individuals questions themselves. They didn't have to count on getting the "truth" from the rumor peddlers. Bottom line. . . these lowly creatures fled back to their holes, no longer having listeners who could not easily validate their statements.

2. In order to understand the basis for Van's remark about what happened in the 70s at that famous "encounter" in Boston, one must understand the history and background.

For personal reasons, I had resigned from NAUKA, the Uechi administrative group I was part of for about four years. Although I was still receiving certificates for students from Okinawa, there was much speculation surrounding my actions and my status within the Okinawan Uechi group. A delegation from Okinawa, hosted by the remaining members of NAUKA, came to New England. The group consisted of Senseis Nakahodo, Yanamini, Takimiyagi and Kiyohide Shinjo. During their visit, I was called and told they wished to visit my dojo. The gossip was that they were "going to put me in my place" and "ask for an accountability for my actions". I welcomed the group by leading a class of over 50 senior students. Following the class, Mr. Takimiyagi asked me to go into my office for a meeting, where we discussed the politics and my future plans regarding Uechi-ryu. The Okinawans were told that I had formed my own style and was being very disrespectful of Master Uechi. I set him straight and he accepted my explanation.

Meanwhile, out in the dojo, Nakahodo sensei had taken over the class. When the group first walked into my dojo, they appeared uncomfortable and aloof, as though they were there more as adversaries than friends. (This was the first time this ever happened in all the years I have been hosting groups.) It appeared to me and my senior students as though they were there to defend their honor against what they felt was a renegade group. They soon started the sparring matches. . . I believe between our students first, then ending up using Shinjo Sensei (The All-Okinawan Champion) against Bob Campbell. Although I was in my office with Takimiyagi, I could see some of the action through the door. Bottom line. . . Bob did very well!  The Okinawan were very impressed with everything they saw at the dojo. . . the spirit, the enthusiasm and power of the Uechi they witnessed, including the sparring. Takimiyagi met with the others and we departed for the banquet as friends once again!

When Van referred to this "encounter", you must remember the context of his recollection.

3. Mr. Sigman: I apologized to Mr. Sigman for posting an e-mail message he sent to someone, who sent it to me for comment, on Bill Glasheen's Forum. My name was mentioned and I posted it as another example of people believing Uechi-ryu was an "external" or "hard" system and that Uechi practitioners would have a difficult time understanding the "soft" and "internal" nature of the Martial Arts. I really should have contacted Mr. Sigman first, before posting the letter's content. I didn't know who Mr. Sigman was and jumped to the conclusion that he was simply a misdirected wanabe, trying to put-down Uechi-ryu. In fact, he turns out to be a respected Martial Artist and gentleman, who I hope will visit our site often and continue to share his wisdom with the rest of us.

The letter started a fascinating series of topics which continues today. In one of his early letters to the Forum, Mr. Sigman mentioned that he had studied Uechi-ryu with Shinjo, Seiyo, Sensei (Kiyohide's father) in the 70s and that he remembers "the group laughing as they watched a film of me, that I had sent to him for grading" (I'm paraphrasing the comment)[Note: I just received a note from Bill Glasheen who remembers the comment as "had fun". A number of posts were lost when the server was destroyed and that letter was in that batch. Also, Bill clarified his remark in his Forum 1/22/99]

I didn't know what he was talking about and ignored the comment. Van didn't however, and replied.

To set the record straight: I never sent films or video to Okinawa for grading purposes. The only film the Okinawans had of me in the 70s was the historic films taken in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan in 1964-5, on which, I performed a kata during the Taiwan demonstration. During the time Shinjo Seiyo, Sensei was alive, I would visit his dojo and workout every time I was on Okinawa. He never laughed at anyone's Uechi performance. Neither would his son Kiyohide.

To those of you who, for whatever reason, wish to drive stakes into the demons you believe are keeping you from inheriting your rightful place in the Uechi/Shoheiryu world, please remember that eventually your half truths, lies and innuendoes will come full circle. Your intent will become obvious when the facts are discovered. To those of you who are on the receiving end of the gossip, please go to the source. If we are wrong, we will admit it and apologize. It would be nice if the bottom feeders could surface once in awhile and admit their mistakes.

January 17, 1999: While reviewing the two '84 China tapes, I decided to try saving a few minutes of audio and post to ViewPoint!. Unlike the video clips, Netscape's audio module works quite well. Unfortunately, each of the seven, one minute segments take a long time to download. (about 1 meg each) I'm looking into a new technology that will allow the viewers/readers to click onto a audio/video clip and it will play without loading. Apparently it runs off the server.  The audio is from one of our many evening meetings, where we discussed what was learned during that day.

January 15, 1999: Talk about hitting below the belt! Tony emailed me from Florida, saying that he was on his way to the beach. . . temperature was in the 80s! Tia and I had just finished removing 8 inches of snow from the walks and driveway. . . temperature was about 2 degrees F.  I wonder if there is a snow-pie-in-the-face service in his home town?

During the week of Cyber-Hell, while the forums were down, I was able to catch up on some of those projects that keep getting moved from one pile to another. . . a lot like my childhood strategy of moving those beets around on my plate, hoping to fool my parents into believing that some were being devoured. My office is filled with photographs, memorabilia and hundreds of hours of film and video. Greg Postal volunteered to help sort the photographs last month. After a full day of work the piles seemed to have grown, although instead of occupying a corner, are now spread out throughout half of one room. Greg promises to return. . .

I decided to tackle the Summer Camp videos. Al Moulton filmed entire seminars for a couple of years. I decided to create tapes organized by teachers and ended up with eight videos, each between one hour and two hours long.

The 1984 China tour was filmed by Buzz Durkin, who did a great job documenting the entire trip on film. Besides the usual travelogue shots, there were fascinating shots of martial artist performing in the parks, including individual performances by teachers who were eager to show-off for the foreigners. (There were very few of us in the country at that time) We documented on film, the first time the photo of Shushiwa was seen by the outside world and what Marty Dow had learned from the historians who did the research into the link to Uechi-ryu.

We arrived in Fuzhou early and was part of the welcoming committee that greeted the Uechi family at the airport. There were lots of banquets, demonstrations and speeches.  In my estimation, one of the highlights of the film was our visit at Tomoyose Sensei's home following the trip, where we discussed what we had accomplished on our trip, including his views of the martial arts we saw in Fuzhou.

Right now I'm offering both tapes (Books & Products), in their unedited format. Although some may find certain segments long, others might wish to view everything. I figure that the tapes are so important, best to leave the editing to the individual's fast-forward option.

I wish to congratulate Chris and Karina DeLorey on the birth of their daughter, Betina Nicole, who is three months old. Beautiful baby!

January 14, 1999: The Uechi-ryu.com staff is pleased to announce that our site is up and functioning, with all services working. I even received a secure server on-line book order this morning! We lost a couple days of Forum entries. If you made copies of any posts, please send me a email copy, so we can rebuild the missing segments. Especially Van's, Bill's and Lori's Forums!

I've created a page that will cover the May 9th Boston Okinawan Master's seminar. Click on "http://uechi-ryu.com/iukf/okinawan_master_tour.htm"   for updates.

Jan 11, 1999: Well, the forums are back. . . missing a couple days of entries, and still unable to post anything. . . but we are making progress. I was very disappointed to see that Bill Glasheen's fascinating posts critiquing the recent Taichi discussions were missing. Lori's last few posts were also lost, containing a couple of priceless topics.  Hope someone made copies and will send them to me.

We learned quite a few lessons during this web nightmare! Harry learned that Murphy's Law extends to his impenetrable computer based fortress. I learned that no matter how hard one tries to create a perfect system, perfection is impossible. The more we rely on computers to run our lives, the more helpless we become when those computers fail. Until now, I really haven't given much thought to the year 2000 problem many techies are talking about. After last week's mess, I decided to read a couple of those 'doomsday' articles. This time, I'm not passing off their warnings so quickly. The problem with the 2000 mess is much the same as with the Uechi-ryu.com disaster. There is absolutely nothing I can personally do about it!

While the forums are being fixed, you might enjoy checking out the "Gallery" section. I created the Al Ford Virtual Gallery, where many of my collection has been posted.

Jan 10, 1999: Sorry, but the Forums are still down! Harry and Tony are working very hard to restore the server that hosts this feature and hope to have it back later today. Tony has updated the program with the latest version, so be sure to use the table of content "Dojo Roundtable" to log on. . . otherwise you will be logging onto the old version. The same server problems affecting the forums also run the Chat program and the Books and Products. Scott reports he cannot add new links to his feature either.

I placed three new video clips in the Viewpoint section. They work well with MS Explorer. (I use Version 4)

If you get a chance, check out Al Moulton's site. He reworked his entire web , keeping it fast and easy to navigate, but attractive and fun to view.

Jan 8, 1999: I know. . . the site has been down a lot this week. The broken pipe that caused the water damage to the server's computer room was much more serious than originally thought. While the server is being rebuilt, section by section, we will be experiencing outages and missing links on various web sections. My email won't be working as well either, so if you've received an error message on mail sent to me, please keep resending. Hopefully everything will be back to normal by the end of this week. Thanks.

Jan 3, 1999: Lots of new mail in January's Mailbag. Saturday's class at the Hut reminded me of the old days. . . at my first commercial dojo on Boylston Street. (Across from Prudential Tower). 5th floor walkup, huge loft with Northern exposure skylights. One small radiator in the whole place. In order to work out in the Winter, we had to run 40-50 laps, during which time the whole place turned into a steam room. When we began the exercises, you could only see a few feet in front of you. John Kotelly and a few others will remember those days! Not quite that bad, but we had to run a few laps before starting class. I wanted to wear gloves, but thought everyone would laugh. . . and report it on one of the forums. :)

Thanks to all who responded to my editorial here about the value of a "cyber dojo". The letter I liked the best was from a real 'ol' timer:

Dear George,

Happy holidays to you and Susan. Also, continued good health, happiness, and success for the coming years.

I am providing you the input you asked for in your latest article dated December 17.

I couldn't agree with you more. My only question is why did it take this long for you to make that statement? - no disrespect intended -Specifically about everyone thinking the Asian Masters have and hold all the secrets. Don't get me wrong, in my 12 years on Okinawa I've met and trained with the greatest. Others probably share my thoughts - or maybe not. But I've had so many students ask me the same question both when I was on Okinawa and here in the states. "Are the Okinawan teachers better?" To that I reply with a resounding "NO" or "Better than who?". I tell them that I've met some of the greatest teachers and students everywhere I go.

Again, don't get me wrong because I have great respect for the Asian Masters. After all that's where it all began. However, due to recent developments and this thing called "Cyber Space or Cyber Dojo" we are able to think, share, and ask questions. Also, with people like you who have obviously paid their dues and continue to practice and provide input to seniors and juniors alike I can only wonder what the future will be like.

There will always be conflict, both on a global and individual scale. What the martial arts provides the individual is something to practice on their own or in a group for physical and mental fitness and quite simply - for self defense.

George, good for you. Keep charging.

Jerry McDonald

P.S. Feel free to publish this if you want.

Happy New Year! From all the gang at Uechi-ryu.com to all of you: Have a Happy, Healthy and very Prosperous 1999!

Last night, Susan and I joined friends on our annual quest for the "perfect New Year's Eve outing". Every year we try to outdo the last. . . each couple taking their turn at surprising the rest of us. Well, this year Susan and I got to chose the activity. After considering all kinds of party ideas, First Night possibilities in Boston and even a party at home, we decided on attending Dick Doherty's Comedy celebration in Randolph.

For those of you not from the Boston area, Dick Doherty is considered to be the "Father" of New England comedy. Known for years as "Dirty" Dick Doherty, his brand of humor today is quite tame. . . however, 30 years ago he was considered to be on par with Lenny Bruce.

Dick and I go way back. . . he performed at my nightclub back in the 70's. We became good friends although after I got out of the business, we saw each other rarely. Like many performers of his generation, Dick abused everything. . . he tried everything, like it all and did everything to excess. I remember that he would consume a quart of whatever he got his hands on, during his show. Most people thought it was part of his act. It wasn't! There were drugs too. Then 17 years ago he hit bottom and fortunately for his fans, he became and remains "sober".

A little overweight, less hair in front (but a long ponytail!), but the same twinkle in his eyes that feed off his audience delight while they listen to the Doherty patented jokes, insults and good nature banter. Susan made the reservations and somehow Dick got word that we were attending. Guess where we were seated? Right in front of the stage! Anyone who has ever been to one of Dick's shows know that you do not want to be "up front"! For the record, in case anyone else I know was there. . . I'm definitely not "Gay", never dated a sheep but unsure about his recollection regarding the other accusations.

After the show, we talked about what we were doing. Of course I told him about this site and to my amazement, he related about how he discovered the Internet and hosts his own web page.  If you get a chance, drop in to his site and say hello. Even better, take an evening off and catch one of his shows. You won't regret it. . . unless you get seated up front!

I'll be a little late in getting the January Mailbag posted. For the record, if you send me email that you don't wish posted, simply begin the letter with "private" or "not for posting". I only select those letters of general interest and unless specifically requested to post, will not include letters of a controversial nature. I don't include addresses or telephone numbers unless requested to do so. From the number of 'hits' every month, it seems that most of you enjoy reading this feature.

December 27, 1998:Controversy and lively discussion continue on the Dojo Roundtable surrounding Rich Mooney's appearance at Summer Camp '99. We may not change opinions, but if we do our homework, we might learn something about the little understood art of lin kong jing.

Ironically, in today's paper there were two articles relating to a similar subject. The headline reads: "Power of faith might be good for what ails you, science says". In an interesting editorial twist, the paper takes the conservative stance of pronouncing the "science says" findings with a "might be" hedge! Well, I guess scientific studies don't hold the same weight with Newspapers as they once did!

The article goes on to say: "Faith heals. And science can prove it". "A growing number of medical studies show people with strong religious beliefs are likely to be healthier and live longer than their less religious counterparts." These studies further report that "doctors could help patients better if they recognized the healing power of faith, specialists say."

Apparently connections between faith and good health had been speculated about for decades, but were never dissected by scientists. And surprisingly. . . "The first studies were kind of snickered at. Then another was done and another was done," said Dr. David Larson. Not surprising, studies do not show that any one religion is healthier than another, rather " depth of faith seems to be the most important factor." "Only about 7 percent of 300 studies offered evidence that religious practices harmed health, mainly in cases where people chose prayer over medical care."

However, ". . Although much of this research has met the scientific gold standard of being repeated by other labs, it has yet to be published in the country's major medical journals".

There are lots of other fascinating statistics in the article, but my interest was sparked by the similarity of what was being discussed with what we have been involved in concerning the "healing" arts, lin kong jing and other non traditional healing methods. Face it. . . if intensity of belief is a factor in the healing process, why wouldn't Steve Benson's touch work as well as religion? Providing the person receiving the "energy" believed strongly in his ability.

In another article, the headline read: Firm believers apt to lack firm bodies, surveys show". "Religious people are fatter than those who are not".

Kenneth F. Ferraro conducted his analysis to control for other factors that might be linked to religion and body weight: ethniciity, marital status, socioeconomic status, and living in the South. The trend held for all 50 states and all denominations."

Isn't science wonderful!!!

December 24, 1998: Please indulge me this evening while I talk about family, Christmas and that warm, fuzzy feeling one gets when family gathers around a brightly lit tree, surrounded by three generations of children, parents and grandparents. Susan and I just returned from brother John's home, where we celebrated yet another Christmas eve reunion. Some of you old timers will remember John. . . he used to run the famous Cambridge Street dojo. . . He is now a grandfather and very successful General Contractor, who mastered his trade building Mattson Academies around New England in the 60s and 70s. I hope you all are enjoying your holiday as much as we enjoyed this evening.

December 22, 1998: Bob Campbell is home for the holidays and dropped in to my class on Saturday. Hopefully he will be able to make it again this week. On Monday evening, he and I visited Michael Aceto's class in Newton and took a bunch of pictures which I've posted on the "Kid's Virtual Dojo" web. Mike's kids are unbelievably talented. . . powerful and with excellent technique. They won the "Best Dojo" award last year at the Uechi-ryu Championships and are looking to repeat their performance in '99.

Talking about Tournaments. . . please visit Gary Khory's forum and join the discussion regarding rules. Always a hot topic and bound to create lots of controversy. I've written lots about tournaments over the years. Seems that no matter what rules we come up with, there is no such think as a perfect event. Tournaments are the best way we have for testing ourselves under difficult conditions. Just having to get up before a crowd and perform is debilitating to most. Keeping your head and wits together while battling an opponent is one of the best ways we have to expand the dojo experience for our students, giving them a taste of what Sensei Van is talking about on his forum. Whatever Gary and you all come up with, I hope every teacher will support Gary and make the '99 Championships best of the best.

Suzanne Nathan held this year's Christmas party for the New England Uechi/shoheiryu gang at her beautiful home in Brookline last week. I took a few pictures that you might enjoy. .  It was also Mike's birthday. (That's him and Jayne about to cut the cake. Guess who the guy with the shiny top is? (Our own David Moy) That's Suzanne, 2nd row left. . . the one with the very happy face. Next to her (the small picture) is our own Gary Khory. Next to Gary is Xpres.net Service owner and very nice guy Harry Skeffington. Harry is owed a very special thanks this year for helping Tony and me set up the Uechi.Com website on his server and who keeps a sense of humor, even on those long telephone "panic" calls from me, wondering why the Chat program just crashed!!! And who quickly goes on-line, even if it is in the middle of his dinner, to get things right again. We have things running pretty smoothly finally and hopefully '99 will be a bit easier on both him and Tony. Hmmmm, I wonder if they can get that live video feed running from camp next year. . .  (just kidding guys!) Right below Harry's picture is my youngest son, Erick. At the lower left is a picture of Susan and Gary's wife Yuko. And of course, that's Fedele and Gary Santaniello checking out the cake!