I enthusiastically agreed and began participating in all of Sensei Darin’s online sessions, as well as meeting with him and Sensei Duane via Zoom on weekends. He encouraged me to attend Darin Yee’s online workouts, and offered to be my sensei again.
#UECHI RYU KARATE DO IN KANJI HOW TO#
As the years went by, I often thought about getting back into Uechi-Ryu Karate, but I had no idea how to do this without the support of a community in Anchorage, Alaska where I lived.Ī year ago, my sensei from Sitka, Duane Swanson, contacted me out of the blue. But I was unable to sustain this over time and eventually stopped. I then headed to college and, over the next few years, continued to practice on my own and dabble in other forms of martial arts. I first earned my Shodan in Sitka, Alaska when I was 17 years old.
What I value most about this promotion is that it has served to more deeply validate and honor my commitment to Uechi-Ryu Karate.
This was not something I had set my sights on when I returned to karate after a long absence. Plan to “Train Often – Train Smart” at 2022 WinterFest in Florida! WinterFest – A time to recharge our interest, motivations and goals, while meeting new friends and “catching up” with old friends. Enjoy the weather and comradery, while maintaining an open mind while learning new understandings and methods relating to the core exercises, kata, bunkai, kumite and applications of Uechi-ryu. At WinterFest we are all teachers and all students – Egos are left at home during our pursuit of understanding and exploring new applications of our beloved art. Our Winterfest philosophy remains that we provide a place where a diverse group of Uechi-ryu practitioners are able to meet and share their training experiences and understanding of the art, with likeminded students of all levels. friends take advantage of an opportunity to get out of the cold and enjoy a visit to sunny, warm Florida. What a fantastic opportunity and location for a Winter vacation. Last WinterFest Patty Dando and Susan looked up the best lodging opportunities and will be posting them in my newsletters.ĭon’t forget to make your travel arrangements early and remember.
Please let us know on you reservation application if you will be attending and if you will have any guests with you. Also, be sure to let us know if you plan on participating.įriday and Saturday evening we plan on continuing the evening gathering at local restaurants. Also, Susan has established a sizable discount for those who register before March 1st.Īs usual, there will be a golf tournament on Thursday, at a new course to be determined. I will be creating a special WinterFest Newsletter this week, for all who have signed up for the event. I’ve also promised all my Mattson Academy Uechi-ryu Virtual Dojo members a special Sunday morning class as well. Susan and I talked it over and decided to conduct a 2022 event, which has been scheduled for March 25 and26 and a special weapons class for Sunday, (27th). with a record number of inquiries relating to the fate of WinterFest. Here in Florida, we have been fortunate, during this last quarter, with very low infection rates and with reasonable government interference and. Of course the Covid pandemic had other plans and we ended up cancelling the event. WinterFest kept growing and in 2021 we committed to a huge hall in a neighboring town which we believed would become a permanent home for WinterFest. Fantastic warm weather, great restaurants, galleries, many lakes and a beautiful building that hosted our small but growing group.ĭuring the next few events, we experimented with different size halls and a number of great restaurants for our Friday and Saturday dinners. After moving to Florida, we started having WinterFest in Mount Dora. After a few years, we tried one in West Palm Beach, which provided great fishing opportunities, but little else. When Susan and I moved to Florida, we missed many of our former students and thought it would be a great idea to offer a “mini” WinterFest here in Florida.īefore moving to Florida, I held a WinterFest at a Judo dojo in Orlando where 15 people showed up. The on-line registration now available HERE ALL RANKS, ALL MARTIAL ARTIST ARE WELCOME