The second person I would like to thank is Sensei Van Canna. His great forum topics got me interested and I have been “hooked” since.
Also thanks to JD. It was a pleasure to meet him in person at the BUKA during Van's TC Class. He told me I should try it, and after a couple of days to think about, I have decided to take his advice. Please enlighten this forum with your witty posts anytime you want!
I cannot forget to mention Sensei Bill Glasheen, your excellent forums have also been instrumental in helping me decide to moderate this forum. Thank you for your responses to my posts and please join in here and give us your intelligent views on this forum topic.
For those who have not read my previous posts in the other forum sections, I will try to give you a little background on myself. For those who have...please skip the next few paragraphs.
I have been studying Uechi-ryu Karate Do for 20 Years, under the direction of my favorite Sensei, Robert Bethoney. During that time I have had the opportunity to study with Sensei Van Canna, Sensei Arthur Rabesa, Sensei Clarence Wilder, Sensei Jack Summers, Sensei Jim Maloney, Sensei Bob Campell, and the many other great Super Seniors who have glided in an out of the Brockton Dojo for the past 20 years.
I have taught elementary school children at the Brockton Community School program for 17 years, and also taught a children’s class and 2 stripe and above class for Sensei Bethoney at his Brockton Dojo. When Bob decided to move out of Brockton, and concentrate on his Pembroke dojo full time, I decided to open The Brockton Uechi-ryu Karate Academy. Sensei Van Canna offered to teach his TC Class here on Monday nights and I jumped {Leaps and Bounds
} at the opportunity to work out with him EVERY WEEK!!! The school is growing faster than I had expected and I have high expectations for my students and thank them for their support. I will try hard to maintain the excellent tradition of teaching I have learned from my seniors.
My qualifications for this forum have much to do with the fact that I have on four occasions during my 20 years of Uechi-ryu study, had a few confrontations that have not ever led to blows. I suppose instead of confrontations, you could call them altercations. This is what this forum will address…The ability of the Martial Artist to turn potential confrontations into harmless altercations.
Let the discussions begin…
------------------
Len Testa
Brockton Uechi-Ryu Karate Academy
