Mattson Academy “Virtual” Dojo
Although the lessons are serious business, I teach in a rather informal manner. My uniforms are reserved for special occasions, like demonstrations, seminars, promotions or when I visit other dojo. You can wear anything you wish when filming video clips for review. . . but the baggier the outfit, the harder it is for me to see the technique, form and applications.
Lessons for student and instructors (Read article written by one of my first “Virtual” dojo students)
Lessons are geared towards your specific goals. If you are working on your teaching certificate (Shihan), I’ll focus more on accuracy of technique and your understanding of what you are doing. If you are simply doing karate for self-defense purposes, our lessons will stress applications, mindset and conditioning.
Although your membership fee is primarily for the time I spend with you on-line, you will find that I spend considerable more time working with you via e-mail, newsletters and shared video instructional clips. I get a kick out of seeing my students advance and will help you in any way possible to help you achieve your goals.
In our first session we will discuss your goals and the best way for you to successfully acheive them. I will help you plan out a training program and a method for me to monitor your progress.
An important component to this program is your private training blog. Discipline yourself to update this document on a daily basis. I will monitor your training record and will make suggestions where appropriate.
Your workspace is your private dojo. There are many tools available for you to use. . . not only for your karate training, but in your daily life. Your access to the program is limited to your private workspace/dojo. You can’t cause a problem with the rest of the site by experimenting with your dojo, so don’t be afraid to experiment with its look, feel or features.
I’m looking forward to working with you. Good luck with your training and remember the secret to the mastery of Uechi-ryu karate. . . . “practice, practice and practice!”
George E. Mattson
10th dan, Hanshi
Uechi-ryu Karate
Learning / Practicing / Using Uechi-ryu – Art vs Learning how to fight
The “virtual” dojo program focuses on the “art” of Uechi-ryu. This means working on the “components” that make up the “techniques” that in turn make up the “kata”.
It is my philosophy that techniques must be mastered in Sanchin before they can be applied in advanced kata, bunkai, drills or sparring.
Too many Uechi practitioners practice their system as “ritual”; a sort of a disjointed matching of meaningless movements that often hinder important elements of the fighting system they believe they are studying. In a separate study and practice, they learn to spar – unaware and blissfully ignorant of the fact that their application of the system is supposed to be derived from the system itself and not be a result of a completely different set of components, technique, mindset and applications.
The primary purpose of the “virtual” dojo program is to re-acquaint those who are really interested, the foundation of our fighting system and to build or rebuild Uechi-ryu so it can actually be used as a fighting system.
What I have just said is not intended to disparage or negate any individual’s fighting ability. No one, regardless of what he/she is studying can pass judgement on another’s ability to survive in a fight. (street – tournament or UFC) My intent, in mentioning something that most people studying the martial arts today are unaware of, is to make sure that my “virtual” students understand the reasons I created the program.
About 15 years ago I made a video tape that is still running on our Video Website. On this tape I predicted that web technology would soon enable teaching the martial arts on-line within five years!
Well, although the technology was available even before the five years prediction, few of the individuals who requested my help, had the computer equipment needed to accomplish this.
Today, people who wish to either supplement their dojo studies or lacking a local dojo, are able to progress through the ranks, enabling them to qualify for testing by a certified test board.
What equipment do you need to participate in this program:
- A video camera.
- Internet access – Cable is best.
- The skill to transfer a video clip from your camera to a video file on your computer.
- The skill necessary to follow an internet “link” to “HighTail”, where you send video clips. (HighTail is able to transfer large video files to my “dropbox” – something most internet mail services won’t do.
- Ability to access the “Mattson Academy” On-Line Learning Center. (A URL link I will send to you)
- Ability to access your Google Apps Web site, which I will create. The site contains:
- Your private training blog
- Your private training calendar
- Training tips and introductory video clips from me.
- Information regarding your new “georgemattson.com” email address (use of this is optional)
- Easily editible site pages which you can use for any purpose
- Willing to meet on-line once a month for conferencing and video critiquing of lessons
- Willing to practice as required to progress and achieve goals of program.
- Outside of the USA, you must have a Skype phone connection. (its free)
How program works:
- Sign-up for an evaluation session with me. (Cost is $19.95, payable through Paypal or G&S secure store)
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- This evaluation session includes a meeting with you on the Learning Center.
- Review of the features of the Learning Center
- Telephone quality features of the site.
- Ability to share documents and review the documents together.
- Ability to view film clips together and review techniques, corrections and suggestions.
- Capability to have students of same rank meet together for on-line classes.
- Review all the features of your private workspace and how you will be able to use these programs to help you achieve your goals.
- During the first month you will receive:
- Your Academy personal e-mail (******@georgemattson.com)
- Your private Academy workspace.
- Access privledges to the first level training video clips and other instruction areas.
- Special yousendit large video clip e-mail privledges.
- Your first homework assignment
- Monthly schedule for future on-line meetings.
Beginning with the 2nd month, your subscription will be upgraded to full membership. (Tuition is only $39.95 a month) Of course, your tuition subscription may be cancelled at any time.
Your full membership includes:
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- instruction and training material that will qualify you to test for ranks up to Brown Belt (Ikkyu)
- Testing and Certificates are included for earned rank.
- Receive Black Belt Test Guide 3 rd edition.
- Receive monthly lessons on-line and in e-Book format.
- Personal review session where goals are established and technical material is covered that is needed to achieve these goals.
- Special discounts for G&S products and Eastern Arts’ activities.
- Sign-up today for your special evaluation session.
- Send me an e-mail and I will schedule our on-line meeting with you at a convenient time for us both.
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Private Workspace
This is your private training area –
Where you document and organize your goals, progress and successes!
The “heart” of your personal training with me, is your private workout site. This is where your training blog is located, where you access video clips for training from my private library and where you can access numberous articles and newsletters from my document library.
I will take you on a tour of the test site that I’ve created and will show you how the many features of your workspace can be created and edited. You will be issued a new google e-mail account that you can use exclusively for your training purposes or for communicating with friends and relatives.
You will be sent an invitation to register, in order to receive instruction and password (which you can change) needed to open your workspace, calendar, blog and other features.
You will be able to communicate in many ways with me – e-mail, documents, Yugma, Skype or telephone.
You will also have a private media room, where you can easily upload video clips (under 300 meg) containing “components” and “techniques” of your Uechi program that I will be requesting as part of our monthly private lesson.
As a followup to our lessons, you will be required to upload new video clips with any suggested corrections. When received, I will respond by “comments” to your blog entry. (I’ll explain how this works in your introductory tour)
Scheduling Lessons and Training Sessions
Our goal is to establish a regular training and meeting schedule –
based on the same parameters.
I’ve been teaching Uechi-ryu for over 50 years. During that time I’ve motivated and retained thousands of students to begin my program and to stick with it until they became black belts. Many of these students continue to train with me and now have dojo or programs of their own. Many are acknowledged experts, not only in the art of Uechi-ryu, but in countless other pursuits. I am indeed very proud of them!
Within the martial art world, most students are children and most of their training borders on “babysitting” and play. Adults seldom make up the primary membership in today’s dojo, even though the workouts are excellent and an exciting (or they should be) way to exercise. In a good dojo, people are enjoying the learning and perfecting “experience” so much, they forget that they are exercising. What a fascinating substitute to the “mindless” and endless time spent on a treadmill or lifting weights that many people elect to do!
But even with the best instruction and the most attentive teacher, the student’s potential for success or just sustaining his/her participation in any physical program, is slim. If you really want to succeed in your goals, you should astablish realistic goals for yourself, then set up a regular and strictly adhered to schedule of workouts where you will see them and reminded of your goals and schedule.
I’ve also found that an important part of goal setting and regular and strictly followed workouts is to maintain a detailed diary (private blog) of any program that you wish to maintain. (See section on Private Training Blogs)
Every training workspace included a private calendar that you can use for your personal use. The most important element of this calendar is the repeated logging on recurring events. (Working out every day for 20 minutes at 6am – meeting with GEM at 8pm every month on the 2nd Tuesday)
