What are martial arts?
Martial Arts are exercise habits which, when practiced regularly, help the student develop into a healthy, well-coordinated person both physically and mentally. They also teach the student how to use both of these qualities for self defense, and help the student to deal more easily with the difficulties created by our stressful times.
Where did martial arts come from?
Very briefly, Martial Arts are a direct descendent of very old fighting systems that were developed by Buddhist monks as a physical and mental discipline in China centuries ago. Martial Arts were developed by observing the natural fighting movements of various animals.
Are there different types of martial arts?
Yes. There are literally hundreds of styles. They may differ in their emphasis upon one type of technique or another such as punching or kicking or the distance at which they work the best. They also may vary according to the geographic location in which they originated.
Which Martial Art is right for me?
There are different styles and each has a different focus. Here is a description of some.
Traditional schools teach "the way" of martial arts. That means more than just fighting skills are taught. Students seek to unify mind, body and spirit. The programs have a strong philosophical base and go much deeper into developing traits of proper behavior and respect than other types of programs of martial arts. That means more than just fighting skills are taught. Students seek to unify mind, body and spirit. The programs have a strong philosophical base and go much deeper into developing traits of “proper behavior” and “respect” than other types of programs. The "way" symbolizes the path through which something is accomplished. In karate, the “way” represents the means of attaining the true meaning of life through the path of karate training. The path of training does not end in the training hall; you must live the "karate way" in order to experience its fullest rewards. The philosophical foundations of "the way" are learned in acquiring the physical skills of a martial art.
Our style of martial arts is called “Uechi-Ryu Karate-do.” It is a traditional Okinawan style of karate named after the founder of the style, Kanbun Uechi. The name means "The Way of Karate in the Style of (Kanbun) Uechi." Practitioners of Uechi-Ryu Karate believe that through the practice of this style of martial arts one can become centered, focused and achieve a balance of mind, body and spirit. It is important for practitioners of this style to behave with respect and humility.It is important for practitioners of this style to behave with respect and humility; to develop enough confidence in themselves that they do not need to show off their karate skills; to act responsibly; and to be a good role model for others. All these themes are assimilated as students acquire the physical skills of this particular martial art. Click here to learn more about the
mission of our school.
Tournament Schools, as the name suggests, teach martial arts with an emphasis on participating in a lot of tournaments. They are very often more concerned with training "fighters" rather than teaching someone to develop physical skills and a psychological focus on balance and centering.
Traditional schools do attend tournaments, but do not put the same degree of fervor into training for tournaments. This is because they view the practice of martial arts seen in tournaments as having been "jazzed up" for performance presentation. There are some very adroit people with wonderfully choreographed presentations at tournaments, but the aspects of humility, respect, centering, focus and the like are often lost in the training.
Eclectic Schools are those that usually combine a collection of moves pulled together from other styles. These are usually the favorite techniques of the instructors.
Generally speaking, these schools often lack any extensive traditions. Our school’s traditional style differs, in that we can trace our roots back to Okinawa (the home of karate).
Our program has direct links to the Uechi family and the Uechi-Ryu Karatedo Association in Okinawa. Kanmei Uechi, the current head of the style, is a descendant of Kanbun Uechi (the founder of our Martial Art).