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by Kristin Amirault.

In a couple weeks it will be my 29th anniversary of wrapping a white belt around my waist and stepping onto the dojo floor for my first my Uechi-Ryu class.  I feel quite fortunate to still be practicing, exploring, and sharing what I’ve learned. But best of all, I’m still learning and growing in my ability and knowledge. Recently the focus in my personal training has been on Sanchin which, of course, affects the rest of my Uechi.  “All is in Sanchin”, is a phrase which I have come to have a much deeper appreciation for and greater understanding of, since joining the Mattson Academy and doing the OldWay course over 3 years ago. What Mattson Sensei most often corrects in my kata or my Hojo Undo videos is the basics, which all stem from Sanchin. 

For my July meeting with Sensei, I decided to film my three levels of Sanchin. He picked out a few things in each kata for me to work on – making my opening hand movements more circular, doing more of a crescent step in my level 2 kata, working on my level 3 timing, not drawing my double arm thrusts and wauke thrusts back so far.  Those and a few other things were my focus over the next few weeks until I filmed the 3 kata again.  

When we met in August to review my “new and improved” 3 levels of Sanchin, Sensei made no mention of the techniques and moves we’d discussed the month before! Hurray! I seemed to have successfully made those corrections!!!! But, of course, there were new things to work on. Things that both of us could see and were not by any means new to me…  During the time I recently spent working on Sanchin, paying attention to certain areas, my mind and body seemed to have gotten lax and forgotten about a lot of those basics I have been working on so hard for the last 3 years.  

When I joined the Mattson Academy, I can say that I believe that my Uechi was pretty good, but I have learned much that has made it better. I am now stronger without trying to use strength and tension in my techniques. I have also learned to use more natural movements, which my body is much happier with. Of course, making these changes has meant overriding about 26 years of some muscle memory….. so it’s still a work in progress.

One of the most difficult habits for me to overcome in my kata is straightening my arms too much, and sometimes hyperextending them on thrusts and in my waukes. I think my tendency to reach out so much stems from being a small person; my opponents are almost always larger and stronger than me. When doing kata I am thinking about reaching out to stop them.  But striking with hyperextended arms locks my arms to my shoulders and takes my body out of the equation. This makes it an arm movement instead of striking with my body. Not what I want to do, especially against larger opponents.  Straightening my arms too much in my wauke thrusts is something I have been guilty of fairly often, but I also often do it in my wauke circles.  Mattson Sensei calls this the “windshield wiper”.  If you’ve heard this term before you might know what I’m talking about. If you have the tendency to hit your belt when doing the lower part of  your wauke you are probably guilty of this as well.  The problem with circling with straight arms is that, besides not having your arm in the strongest possible position – Sanchin – your block is actually drawing an attack into your body instead of intercepting, controlling or deflecting it.  

Another aspect of Sanchin that I’ve been working on is targeting my thrust. As a white belt I was taught to target the center of the body or solar plexus with my thrusts and punches.  I did this by moving my hand laterally across my body to the center line.  If you have shoulders issues as I do, perhaps you do this as well. What I’ve come to learn, is that it’s much better and more natural to target my thrust using slight body and shoulder rotation.  When you do the double Sanchin arm thrusts, your arms should be almost parallel. When you do a single thrust or punch, your arm should be in the same position as a single double thrust.  If you want to strike to the center line with that technique, the easiest, most natural, least stressful way to do this, is to turn your body slightly as you throw your strike.  The beautiful thing about the OldWay training is that it teaches us to “cheat” – ie: to be efficient – by keeping muscle utilization to a minimum and not use extra effort or to strain areas of the body with improper technique.   One of the most interesting discoveries I’ve recently made – a “light bulb moment” for me – is that when doing pad work or shadow sparring, I’m not making these mistakes that keep returning in my kata.  When I shadow spar or am hitting focus mitts or the heavy bag I don’t over extend my reach or strain my shoulders by moving my hands laterally across my body.  Instead, I move naturally and let my body control the action.  I do this without thought.  In kata, I often let my mind get in the way and let it dictate to my body what it thinks it knows.  Good to know: pay more attention to what my body wants to do and less to what my mind thinks should be done.  And how do I do that? I go back to what I learned in the OldWay course.  I have revisited the OldWay lessons many times over the past 3 years.  I have also used the method of slow, flowing, accelerated, mindless repetitions of movements repeated for several days, to work on many techniques or sequences from kata or kumite. That is the best method I have found to build new muscle memory.  I have spent many hours in my yard and kitchen losing myself in the movement of different techniques and sequences this way.  But more than anything, I’ve practiced used the OldWay to practice the wauke, starting with just the circle, adding the chamber, adding the thrust, then adding movement – sliding, stepping, forwards, backwards, turning, stepping off. All time well spent.  Although my wauke is still a work in progress, I have a much greater understanding of it and I know that it has improved from what it was 3 years ago.  And as Mattson Sensei recently reminded me, “The wauke is the most important movement in our style”.

by George Mattson

An article and video, every Academy member should read!

Click Here to view video

In Uechi-ryu, we spend a lot of time training and practicing various ways of performing diffferent self-defense techniques. All new members of the Mattson Academy must go through the basic courses, regardless of their rank or time practicing other styles, or even different methods of Uechi-ryu. I have yet to find one of the hundreds of students who endured this basic training, relate to me that it was time wasted. All learn to take their basic, core principles and academy fundamentals, with them as they progress through the ranks and all admit the basic courses helped them succeed in this journey.

Level one of this training focuses on every basic move in Sanchin, Konshiwa and various drills and exercises. Each technique separates the various moves and teaches the value of each move as it relates to simple, yet important fighting situations. Students learn how basic moves, positions and techniques relate to a possible real-life conflict, argument or heated discussion. No blows or handling takes place during the first two actions. Only the third action involves an actual karate action technique. (submission/kick/blow)

Level two teaches the same kata, but combining an intercepting action, followed by a combined control action, timed with an attacking action.

Level three reacts to an incoming attack, with a body move and intercept, along with the take-down or karate counter-attack. Timing is essential, as all three actions are performed as one move.

This video talks about the way many people learn their karate, based on a what I call level one. However, what I call “pausing” adds still another timing interference to an action that has nothing to do with your defense or combating an incoming attack. Pausing, or creating a non-useful action, simply slows down whatever the student should be doing when being attacked.

The video covers another of the Academy’s basic “laws of uechi”. . . Regardless of which level of Uechi techniques being needed, once you have a target, your selected weapon gets there super-fast and no detours for wind-ups or posing!

Remember. . .
Train Often – Train Smart!

George E. Mattson
 

by George E. Mattson and Justin Testa

Recently one of our members wrote to us to explain that he was involved in a threatening incident with another individual that raised the question, “Will all the training work?”.  Fortunately, the situation did not escalate into a fight, but it did raise this all-important question, and more.  As the situation escalated, he was fearful that his training for the past two years would not work.  With all the repetitions of kata and techniques would he be able to defend himself?  This led him to question how best to prepare himself should the situation arise again.

In this newsletter we discuss the overriding question “Will it work?”, and address some of the other questions and concerns that came into his mind because of this experience. 

Before we address the question of “Will it work?”, let’s first address the more important question of “when to defend oneself?”  The answer is, when you have no choice, and your life or that of a loved one, is on the line. 

In his 2017 book “When Violence is the Answer”, self-protection expert Tim Larkin defines two categories of encounters that dictate whether action is called for: “anti-social aggression” and “asocial violence.”  Larkin defines anti-social aggression as “quasi-violent scenarios that stem from conflict and jockeying within the social hierarchy.  It is about communicating with lots of taunting and posturing…the intent is not to inflict grievous bodily harm; it’s only to exert social dominance.” 

These confrontations may be brought on by a verbal insult, a disagreement at a bar, road rage, offensive gesture, etc.  The risks, both legal and physical, are much too high to allow this type of encounter to become a physical altercation; such risks must be avoided by using social skills to de-escalate the situation or by walking away.  Larkin goes on to define asocial violence as “violence that has nothing to do with communication or social hierarchy…there is no talking in asocial violence; it is about destruction…if you have not been able to foresee or escape it, you must incapacitate your attacker to survive.”

Question 1: “Will It Work?”

Whether you train in a virtual or physical dojo this question and concern are not unique, rather, thoughts that everyone has experienced.  There is no simple answer to the question of “Will it work?”.  The self-defense techniques of a traditional karate system such as Uechi-ryu are embedded in the kata. Kata was created to be practiced until the techniques within become muscle memory.  Only if those “muscle memories,” your state of mind, and intent are ready to respond will you be able to protect yourself, but it is not a guarantee.  In a self-defense situation, one never knows what will happen; there are no rules. 

Question 2: Do I continue with Uechi-ryu training or study another martial art?

This incident raised the question of whether studying Uechi-ryu is the best way for our member to defend himself in the future.  After thinking about the incident and researching his options, our member decided to continue to pursue his study of Uechi-ryu and to supplement his training by joining another martial arts school where the focus is on sparring. 

But does sparring prepare you to defend yourself?  No, sparring does not adequately prepare you, nor is it a prerequisite for being able to defend yourself.  Regardless of how much you practice performing drills, bunkai, or sparring, it isn’t the same as an actual violent encounter where the attacker is trying to seriously hurt you.  While sparring does provide the stressful experience of what it feels like to have someone trying to hit you, there are rules and general courtesies in the dojo and competitive sparring events that do not translate into a violent street situation.

For example, in the early days of competitive sparring, and even today, when sparring at the dojo, one was trained to “pull your punch” so that you would not get penalized for hitting someone in the face.  This is not the right muscle memory to develop if self-defense is your goal.  In the street, you are also unlikely to be facing someone who is trained to attack and defend in the same ways that you learn in the sparring ring. 

Real world situations are completely unpredictable and violent predators are experts in delivering serious injury.  Even in Mixed Martial Arts there are many illegal techniques that are not “illegal” in the street, such as attacks to the groin, head butts, stomp kicks, eye gouging, hair pulling, biting, and the use of weapons (clubs, knives, guns, rocks, etc).

Without minimizing the benefits of sparring, one needs to understand that real violence is very different and will not look like a sparring match.

Question 3: Why is there a different emphasis on technique between Uechi-ryu and sparring?

After starting a new martial arts program emphasizing sparring, our member observed that sparring training methods emphasize techniques that are different from those in Uechi-ryu karate training.  The main difference in Uechi-ryu karate is that the system is designed for self-defense, so many of the principles and techniques don’t apply to sparring because they are not allowed. 

Our member observed that in his sparring training program there is less emphasis on performing techniques with precision, whereas in Uechi-ryu training we put a lot of emphasis on the accuracy of the techniques.  As a martial artist faced with a self-defense situation, the perfection of the technique is the least of your concerns.  However, the importance of practicing accurate techniques is to be able to deliver effectively targeted strikes under the stress of a violent encounter. 

Question 4: Isn’t hard sanchin training better for preparing your body for self-defense than the body flow and kime (focus of power) principles of the Old Way?

For many years we performed our Sanchin kata with dynamic tension emphasizing the hard of the half-hard/half-soft principle of Uechi-ryu.  Although performing Sanchin with dynamic tension can be a very good resistance training exercise and makes for good demonstrations, it makes it difficult to develop the muscle memory required to relax and tense at the right times.   Sensei Mattson’s “Old Way” approach is a path to achieve the half-hard/half-soft principles of Uechi-ryu using body flow and kime.  The shift from a no-tension body flow state to kime and then back to a no tension state happens very fast.  Professional boxers and MMA fighters train to develop a punching style with a relaxed flow for speed and a quick focus of power on impact.

Many of us began our martial arts journey driven by the desire to learn how to defend ourselves.  It is impossible to predict how one will react in a stressful self-defense situation because there are so many variables involved.  Our mind, karate skills, and physical condition are all factors that contribute to one’s ability to handle a stressful self-defense situation.  Through the study of kata we develop these skills, but it takes practice, repetition and time.  You must build these muscle memory tools of self-defense while memorizing your own, “I’m ready” message, which you must repeat thousands of times while training and be ready to say it when necessary to protect yourself and family. 

We bear the responsibility in learning Uechi-ryu karate to avoid using our fighting skills unless there is absolutely no other choice.  We are using our Uechi-ryu karate when we choose to not provoke, to de-escalate, and to walk away.

Hi George & Justin,

Thanks for the coaching yesterday. I was practicing the moves and worked on my face expressions to look scary :). I got the gold medal.

The tournament was a nice experience, but I was not 100% focused doing my first kata. I was a bit lost at one point but the kata completed itself and I didn’t make a mistake. After that I felt confident in my katas.

In the picture – left to right: Didier Lorho, 6th Dan uechi-ryu, French federal expert (my Sensei in France); Daiki Shimabukoro, Okinawa, 4th Dan uechi-ryu; Haruyoshi Shimabukoro, 8th Dan Uechi-ryu, Vice President All Okinawan Karate Do Asssociation ; and Yokinobu Shimabukoro, 9th Dan Uechi-Ryu, French federal expert.

Kind regards,
Milos

Congratulations Milos. We are very proud of you!

Regards,
George E. Mattson & Justin Testa

by Kristin Amirault 

I joined the Mattson Academy Virtual Dojo in June of 2020, but my Uechi-Ryu journey began in 1994. The majority of my Uechi-Ryu training prior to 2020 found me, a woman of 5’4″, always trying to become stronger and faster in my kata, bunkai, and prearranged kumites.     

As a white belt, I was taught to do the hissing breath, engage my stomach muscles, use  tension and be strong in my stance while Sensei would test my Sanchin – punching, striking and kicking various parts of my body. Then, when it was time to move, I would try to be as strong as I could in my movements. This also meant that I stayed tense.

Much later in my karate journey, I worked a lot with an instructor who was small like me.  I greatly admired him. He was always fluid and graceful, yet also strong and powerful in his movement. The most frequent advice he gave me was to relax and be more fluid. The last time I trained with him before he passed away he told me, “You need to be smarter, not stronger.” All good advice, but I wasn’t sure how to do it – until I began training with Mattson Sensei and learning what he calls the Old Way.

Since training and performing my kata with the Old Way flow, I no longer think much about breathing or tension, nor do I do the hissing breath.  Now, at the end of my kata, I’m no longer out of breath or tired.  The relaxed flow and lack of tension while I’m performing is not putting a high demand for oxygen or strain on my body. My movements are more natural and efficient.  My training prior to learning the Old Way, being tense and trying to figure out how to become stronger and faster, was not kind to my body. I spent over 15 years dealing with pain, discomfort and injury after injury – shoulders, elbow, hip, knee – all of which I attribute to that kind of training.  In almost 3 years of training in the Old Way, focusing on flow, technique, acceleration, Kime and timing, I have had no new injuries. Training now, the only pain or discomfort I experience is from a couple of those old injuries, when I am not properly aligned in my technique or movement.  Although my body is aging, it has not felt this good in many years.  

Mattson Sensei and I were recently discussing the difference between how I train now compared to where I started.  We talked about what I should be striving for in my training and how to attain it.  Watching a black belt perform a strong kata or Sanchin testing, one might assume that they became that strong by practicing kata. But kata isn’t designed to build strength or muscles. It takes a long, long time to build muscle and have a strong body by only doing kata. The purpose of kata is to learn technique and build muscle memory by repeating and practicing movements until they can be performed efficiently and accurately, with little or no conscious thought.  

So how do we build a strong body that can withstand attacks and keep going? With supplemental exercises. All karate styles have many kinds of exercises to supplement kata,  to increase flexibility, to condition the body, build muscle and make the body strong. Your body doesn’t get strong by holding your breath and tightening up when the teacher is testing your Sanchin. Using dynamic tension in that manor builds the muscle memory to tighten everything when struck.  But tense is not what you want to be when it’s time to move – especially when it’s time to fight or defend yourself. You cannot move quickly under tension. Using dynamic tension is having opposing muscles working against each other at the same time.  This means that one muscle group has to overpower another to create movement, or one muscle group must relax before moving.  Either way, just being relaxed and ready to move, as in the Old Way training, is going to be faster. 

One of the supplemental exercises we do in Uechi-Ryu is Kote Kitai, or body conditioning.  Kote Kitai, conditioning exercises involving the rubbing and striking of body parts, can be done with a partner or an object. Conditioning exercises help the body adapt to constant strikes and blows that we experience in our training and help us to overcome fear we might have of being struck. Conditioning exercises focus on strengthening areas of the body that are used for blocking and striking like the outer arm, areas which often get hit or kicked in training like the thighs, and areas which are struck less frequently such as the stomach. Rubbing body parts that are often struck in training helps to spread out minor bruises and increase blood supply. This aids in healing minor injuries like small bruises. Over time, as our conditioning and confidence to withstand strikes improves, the intensity can be gradually increased. Also, our potential to initiate time on target strikes should be evident. Serious injuries can occur from excessive conditioning. Care must be taken to avoid and protect the tendons, nerves, major blood vessels and the joints when doing conditioning exercises. Bruises in the bone and deep muscle can lead to serious complications. Surface bruises are to be expected from time to time when training, with gradual and consistent conditioning they should become less frequent.

In addition to body conditioning and strength building exercises, we also work to develop Kime – the quick flexing of muscles at the correct moment, and learn how to absorb impacts. All of this helps us deal with blows and stresses on the body.  Essentially, what we are trying to achieve is what boxers have already figured out: how to move with unrestricted breathing, fluidly, without tension, and flexing – not tightening – of strong and well developed muscles when receiving a landed blow.

As karate instructors, when testing a student’s Sanchin stance, we should be testing their form and foundation and looking for their natural strength. All that is needed to do this is touching with the fingers. Striking and kicking the student is not necessary. If we pound and beat on students, this only causes them to tense up and freeze. We should also be looking for the momentary flinch reaction of Kime. This is all that is needed to deal with the pressure we exert on the student if the student has developed a strong body through exercise and strength training. As Mattson Sensei’s sensei, Ryuko Tomoyose, told him – when checking stances and doing our karate we need to teach our students and ourselves to, “Just relax. Just be there.”.

This year’s WinterFest (2023) was a great success. Mostly adults this year, which was disappointing, as we had set-up a number of seminars that were designed for our junior members. On the other hand, the seminars for adults were well received and focused on subjects of importance to both students and instructors, highlighting the “Fest’s” themes of “Uechi-ryu – Science, Art and Athletic pursuit”! I was impressed with the time and energy devoted by the Presenters to their choice of theme topics and next year will continue with this type of focus.

George E. Mattson

Oftentimes we get focused on the details of kata techniques and lose sight of the overall strategy that defines what it is we are trying to accomplish and how.  The strategy of Uechi-ryu karate is implied by the movements of the kata and guidance by our teachers.  However, it is useful to understand the strategy that the techniques we practice support.

Before defining the strategy, a perspective on the origins of traditional martial arts is helpful.  Whether for military reasons or protection of one’s life, traditional martial arts evolved during very violent times.  War, robberies, challenges, and duels to the death were common.  Today we are learning a fighting system that is rooted in dealing with deadly violence, not in the handling of a social misunderstanding or in competing in sport karate.  So, with that perspective, here is the strategy of Uechi-ryu karate.

Uechi-ryu karate is a traditional fighting system of Okinawa designed to end a violent encounter as quickly as possible using the weapons of the body to strike vital areas that disable an assailant.  The system uses the principles of intercept and control where one intercepts by moving into the personal space of the aggressor to simultaneously disrupt and strike.

We bear the responsibility in learning Uechi-ryu karate to avoid using the skills that are developed unless there is absolutely no other choice.  We are using our Uechi-ryu karate when we choose to not provoke, to deescalate, and to walk away. 

We are proud to share with you this article written by our student Dr. Ken Phillips, for Bugeisha Magazine.

Video of Dr. Ken Phillips’ Dan Test
https://vimeo.com/799827808/14e14732ce

Notes

1. https://rb.gy/6kruq9
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimesis
3. https://aeon.co/users/peter-cheyne

From George Mattson:

I would like to get Ken’s story out to the world, validating the successful experience of Ken Phillips, who began training with no background in Uechi-ryu, resulting in his successful Shodan black belt testing this March. Ken trained exclusively with the Mattson Academy Virtual Dojo for two years. His in-person, physical test took place at the 2022 Winterfest held in Florida.  Ken’s only training, until Winterfest, was his individual, on-line Platinum member sessions, following the Mattson Academy’s coaching system.

Dan Kumite: George Mattson’s coaching method, which teaches the attacking and defensive moves of this drill as kata-like segments, utilizing Mattson’s “visualization-Uke” as a partner. This video shows Ken’s first performance of the drill with a physical partner.

Seisan Bunkai: This IUKF dantest requirement, has candidate demonstrating defensive-counter attacking segments of the kata. Again, this video shows Ken performing this drill for the first time with a physical partner.

Free-style Sparring:  Ken trained using Mattson’s coaching tips that utilized OldWay movement/Kimi, along with actual rounds of sparring with visualized opponents. Again, the video shows Ken in a first-time match with a physical partner.