Uechi Kid

When someone finds out that I train, I always get the "HOW HIGH CAN YOU KICK"? My response is "If I have you on your knees in front of my I don't have to kick very high".

Don't give up on kata. The moves in kata are the blue print to defending your self on the street. Sparring is the "SPORT" aspect of karate.

Uechi Ryu has eight Katas. When Kanbun Uechi brought this style to Okinawa from China there were four but he would only teach three of them. After he died the senior masters created five more katas. I think that fewer are better. There must be a reason that Pangainoon had only four katas. Like other activities we participate in, keep it simple and get real good at the basics.

Way to go. Keep up the good work.

It took me a year and a half to get to brown. We have three levels of of brown. Brown is just befor black. Mcdojo?? sounds like it.

Kanbun Uechi

Worse case scenario would be, using what I know to successfully defend myself, have to go to court over it and I get into trouble because the court holds us to a higher standard.

I started just before my fortieth birthday, I just turned forty nine. I also know that as we get older we lose speed, flexibility and agility. What the group that I workout with has done is look deeper into our katas to find applications that us old guys can use to defend against those faster, younger and stronger guys. What we found is that Uechi Ryu is mostly grappling and joint manipulation. This search has also kept the training fresh. Uechi Kid

I started training at 40. Almost nine years ago. I'm a sandan in Uechi Ryu. So I'd have to say that you are not to old. Keep up the hard work.

Kata Sanchin

Currently I don't pay for training. We have a small group that meet in our homes. It's truly all about the knowledge.

Wash your gi in hot water and dry it on high. It will shrink.

Every time we meet.

The truth of the matter is that the punch that twists starting palm up and twists palm down or even three quarters is a watered down punch. The most effective punch is one that starts palm down and turns only a half a turn. Don't get me wrong I don't punch this was because that isn't the way we punch in Uechi Ryu, but it is the best way to punch.

Pride

I work in a retail store. One day I walked through the front door to go to work and there are three coworkers trying to subdue a shoplifter. The shoplifter was on the floor squirming like he was about to die. They just couldn’t get control of him. So I walk over and knelt on his head. He stopped squirming and started yelling ok, ok, you got me. So yes, if you can control you opponents head you control him. The scary thing is, when the police got there they recognized him and immediately put latex gloves on. Goes to show, you never know who you’re dealing with.

I’ve also heard Jackie Chan say that he is not a martial artist. He considers him self to be a stunt man. I really like watching him do his thing.

It's been said that if there was only one kata in Uechi Ryu it would be Sanchin kata. It's also been said that every thing you need to defend yourself is in that kata.

AndrewGreen No they are not. But they are all very good in there own way. Look for a good instuctor

No offence to your jujitsu friend, but my current Uechi Ryu training is all about grappling. We assume that most fights start from a grab, a push or a sucker punch. If a person were to grab me, Like say maybe someone that practices jujitsu. They are going to the ground. I guarantee it. Don’t get me wrong, I think jujitsu is a great self-defense art. But karate isn’t Swiss cheese.

In the three Katas (Uechi Ryu) brought from China to Okinawa, There are only two kicks total. So about 99% hand techniques to kicking techniques. Uechi is mostly grappling. When a kick is applied it is used to bring your opponents head down so you don't have to reach up out of Sanchin.

We have ten colored belt ranks. Small steps until brown belt then things get more intense. I think most people need some recognition along the way.

I say go to school. Get good grades and show him you can be a good student. Make a deal with your step dad. If you get the grades, he lets you train. Remember though, you need to honor your part of the deal to. If you get to train you still need to get good grades. Good luck.

Start thinking of blocks as attacks. If you start thinking of a block as an attack and actually attack the arm or the leg your defense becomes an offence. By the way, this will help your street defense also. I teach that there are no blocks only attacks.

.I know this sounds like a bit of a copout. But for me it really is all about the knowledge. I don’t care if I ever get to a higher rank than shodan. I know I will test again, but I don’t really care. That’s not to say that when that happens I won’t do my very best, I will. Who really cares about what level of black belt you are? What’s important is can you defend yourself and teach what you know. Don’t get me wrong. If you want to test and test and test that’s find, I just need a little prodding.