Are Kanei Uechi's 5 Kata Really Uechi? What's Uechi?

[Dana Sheets]

Rick,

I think your aspect of building tiger/crane is extremely important. I think Uechi went through a period of over-emphasis on the hard tiger aspects. The tiger is the natural energetic state for fighting - it's an easy match. But a tiger in the wild never becomes so strong he can't be flexible. This is the nice part of the crane training - it asks you to be efficient while you're being powerful. Something that can be done in the tiger but isn't as immediately obvious.

Mostly our kyu students start Seichin and get very frustrated because the lines of power aren't as obvious are they are in Kanshu.

In fact I've seen alot of black belts that are still all tiger until they get to Sanseiryu. In a way Sanseiryu is more broken down than the other forms because of the multiple directions - and it gives folks more time to reflect on their lines of power. Seisan is so direct, so NSEW that it's easy to miss out on other ideas.

However in the same vein I don't think Seiryu and Kanchin do a very good job of really building the incredible dynamic range you need in Sanseiryu. It's almost like we need a form or series of exercises that are all the dragon - all the whipping and turning and twisting with very little sanchin - so folks can move outside the box of the "ALL POWERFUL SANCHIN" and really explore how their body is moving.

[f.Channell]

Dana,

Sensei Jack Summers teaches the kata I believe. I was shown it once.

Personally all I think a Uechi student needs is a good Seisan.

F.

[Mills75]

My teachers Sensei is Jack Summers and I believe although I'm not sure that my teacher has been taught Ryuko I believe he knows it and I never asked him but he once told me to practice my kata's each one a number of times each day and he told me he said I practice nine kata all the time x number of times I forget how many exactly but I was left thinking as a beginner hey doesn't uechi have eight kata what does he mean by nine? But now since I've read this thread I could not say for sure but it seems likely now that I know what his ninth kata is..Ryuko..Thanks Dana..I hope if this is the ninth kata that he knows that one day when i'm ready he will show me..

Thanks..
Jeff

[Mills75]

My sensei has done Rokyu at Takamiyagi Sensei's school but there is another Okikukai kata that is longer even beyond Rokyu that he does and he didn't mention the name of the kata but as it turns out there are two kata beyond the eight kata we usually know in the Okikukai.So there is even one which is his ninth kata beyond Rokyu.

Thanks
Jeff

[Dana Sheets]

Interesting...thanks Jeff.
Dana

[Rick Wilson]

In the books the OKIKUKIA put out a number of years ago they also included a few basic Shotokan-like Kata as being part of their curriculum. I don’t know how many schools in this organization actually adopted the Kata.