Home Newsflash “All is in Uechi-ryu”!

“All is in Uechi-ryu”!

by George Mattson

SummerFest 2007 Theme!

I received a surprising number of e-mail from past SummerFest participants, suggesting a more focused Uechi-ryu schedule for this year. I always counter with the fact that there are always  classes in Uechi-ryu going on every hour, for beginners, intermediates and advanced students.
However, I also try to hear what people are saying “between the lines” and after bouncing some ideas off a cross section of students and teachers, feel that this year’s theme is what people are looking for.
This year’s SummerFest will be turning the emphasis of subjects around a bit. Nearly all the seminars will be dealing with the theme of:
“All is in Uechi-ryu”!
Most of the seminars will be conducted by groups of senior Uechi teachers and their job will be to cover a segment of Uechi-ryu and show how teachers and students can expand their interpretation and understanding of their training. . . beyond the obvious basic techniques and mindset learned as new/er students.

Having two or three teachers working in these seminars will give the participants a broader understanding of the purpose of movements, deeply hidden or just beneath the surface of what they may be doing day after day in the dojo.

Although the primary reason for offering the SummerFest variety of martial methods was to expose our teachers and students to old-style and modern methods of self-defense, the destinction involving how these methods relate to our dojo practices were unclear to many and unfortunately, some felt I was recommending an option to Uechi rather than insights into our style, by bringing so many non-Uechi practitioners to SummerFest.

Whether this was a reason for so many dojo staying away is unclear, but this year’s format should be exciting to those that might have felt SummerFest was not a 100% Uechi-related event.

I’ll be very busy this year, working with all the presenters and making sure they understand the intent and purpose of all seminars being presented.

Susan and I hope you will get your application in early and will be able to spend all three days with us. If you have a suggestion for a seminar that fits into this year’s theme, please e-mail me or call: 321-273-0409.

Remember…. “All is in Uechi-ryu”!
G.E.M.

 

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