TexasMike

After Choki Motobu defeated the boxer, the story appeared four years later in a magazine called King. The story credited Motobu, but the picture that accompanied the article was that of Funakoshi.

I believe that Uehara at 96 could defeat a 30 something boxer, whether it really happened or not. Just as I believe my instructer, Taika Oyata, could do likewise. I personally heard Taika say that Uehara had very good footwork. Taika does not give compliments very often. And, of course, part of me wants the story to be true because it makes for a fascinating tale. Well, here are the quotes and websites that mentioned this alleged event. That fact that one of them is a USA Today article does, in my mind, lend credence to the tale. For what it's worth: When Seikichi Uehara was around ninety-six he was asked to put on a demonstration in which he battled a young boxer. The boxer tried to hit Uehara for twenty minutes and was unable to strike the much older man. When the boxer lowered his hands from fatigue, Uehara hit him once and the bout was over. http://kiyojuteryu.org:8084/soke/articles/uehara.shtml Martial artist Seikichi Uehara was 96 when he defeated a thirtysomething ex-boxing champion in a nationally televised match two years ago, later explaining that his opponent "had not yet matured enough to beat me." http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2002-01-03-usat-okinawa.htm tenshinka, I have Tashi Logue's book, the little book he wrote back in the 80's. Is that the one you are referring to?

Congratulations on your decision to take karate. Karate is all about self-mastery. Don't worry if you don't progress as fast as someone else. It's not a competiton. It's all about gaining control over your own body, at your own pace. I teach karate and everybody is different in their ability to learn. Some people have more natural ability; they pick up the moves quite easily. However, that does not mean they will make the best martial artist. Commitment and the willingness to train hard are far more important than natural ability. I only encourage you not to give up. The rewards of training in karate are immense. In the end, you won't regret it.

This is a long shot... Seikichi Uehara of Motobu ryu udun ti (martial art of the Okinawan royal family) was 96 when he fought a 30 something boxer. It was supposedly broadcast live on Okinawan tv and, I think, was part of some Millenium celebration. It took place in 2000. The boxer tried for 20 minutes but could not hit Mr. Uehara. After that, the boxer's guards were down and Uehara hit him one time and the fight was over. Maybe someone out there knows where I can get a copy of that fight? Surely a video of it exists somewhere.

The term Ryukyu Kempo was used by Funkakoshi and Choki Motobu. Shigeru Nakamura called his karate Okinawan Kenpo. Nakamura was one of Taika Oyata's instructors. When Oyata came to the U.S., he called his karate Ryukyu Kempo. Without getting into the whole Dillman/Oyata controversy, Dillman had some contact with Oyata in 1983-4. When Dillman began popularizing his karate as Ryukyu Kempo, Oyata changed the name of his organization to Ryu Te. This was in 1993. This was done to draw a clear distinction between his organization and Dillman's. Ryu Te is also a registered trademark, so no other organization can use it. Dillman's Ryukyu Kempo does not have it's roots in Oyata's Ryukyu Kempo. There are other groups out there using the term Ryukyu Kempo, and as far as I know, they are all former students of Oyata.

Some martial arts systems are little more than sport and, imho, worthless in a real self-defense situation. At our school we train only for real life situations. None of this stuff where the guy punches and then leaves his arm out there so you can do your fancy technique. You may have your own idea about what you're going to do in a situation, but your attacker has his own ideas too. He may not cooperate with you as you try to apply your technique. Real fights rarely go down the way you thought they might. You train for years developig muscle memory so you don't tighten up in a real self-defense situation. You don't have time to think when someone is throwing a haymaker at you. You will react, and if you haven't trained enough or trained correctly, your reaction will be bad. And yes, a boxer has a distinct advantage over someone without training. But a skilled martial artist has an even greater advantage. The late Seikichi Uehara (Motobu Ryu Udun Di) was 96 when he defeated a 30 something ex-champion boxer in a televised bout in Okinawa!

Hello everybody. I've been studying RyuTe (Taika Seiyu Oyata's art) for 26 years and Western fencing for 5 years. It was the tv show Kung Fu that got me started on the path to martia arts. Thanks David Carradine.

oops, forgot one. cane

bo (rokushaku, tapered) bo (goshaku, straight) eku jo tanbo tonfa sai manji sai nunti bo chizikunbo nunchaku

I've been doing RyuTe (Okinawan Karate) for 26 years and fencing for 5 years. I fence foil and epee, and some saber. If you want to learn fencing, foil is the place to start. I can't imagine trying to learn it on your own, but there are some good beginning tutorials on youtube. Western fencing is a vast subject, but a lot of the concepts are similar if not identical to concepts in Eastern martial arts. After all, the aim is to get your opponent without him or her getting you. Also, check out any books by Nick Evangelista. He is pretty much old school fencing (hates modern grips), but his books have a lot of useful information.

And, to answer the original poster's question. RyuTe, in my opinion, is one of the the most comprehensive self-defense, or as we call it, life protection systems out there. I absolutely love it and will do it until I am no longer able. There are many different theories of self-defense out there. Not all of them are necessarily wrong. Motobu Ryu Udun Di has a very different approach to self-defense than BJJ. What I like about RyuTe is that it addresses evey conceivable situation using the same concepts.

BlueDevil, I don't have enough posts to PM or email. So, apologies to all if I post a little Amarillo specific information. School meets at Landance Studio on Civic Circle, next to Basil Docs Pizza, not far from Circle N Appliance. Classes are Saturday 2:30 - 3:30, Wednesday 5:15 - 6:15. Everyone is invited.

Naihanchi Shodan Naihanchi Nidan Passai Kusanku Niseishi

Absolutely!!!

BLueDevil, I live in Amarillo, TX and have been training under Taika Seiyu Oyata for 26 years. There are only two RyuTe schools here. One is only open to dan rank RyuTe members. The other is my school. It's not listed in the phone book and only takes students word-of-mouth.