Uechi Ryu Karate
I am going to discuss the history of Uechi Ryu but before I do, I want to give my general impression of the style.
I took Uechi Ryu Karate for between a year or two. Conservatively speaking, if I went to two or three classes each week that means at minimum I participated in no less than 100 sessions.
I am no “master” in this martial art to be sure. But I also had enough time in as a student to get a good idea for the feel of the style.
Uechi Ryu Pros
I learned pretty quickly that this was a traditional martial art. What I mean by that is there is the bowing, the Kata (forms), calling your teach “Sensei” etc… Many people value this type of gym, especially for kids. I feel that children often benefit from this type of structure, discipline and respect.
I also feel, that for a traditional style, it is practical.
The system involves conditioning, techniques and body hardening routines.
The conditioning part of class is generally in the warm up. You can expect light jogging, push ups, sit ups, jumping jacks, stretching and so on. Uechi Ryu also has its own set of conditioning motions such as heel pivots, knee bends, kicking and punching motions. All told Uechi Ryu has roughly 30 or so movements that also benefit Kata training.
After you do the warm ups you tend to work on some body hardening. One of my favorite parts of Uechi Ryu training and what sets it apart from most karate styles, is the body hardening. Most karate styles have some sort of body hardening training, such as striking into large bowls filled with rice. Uechi Ryu has all of those methods and they have Koteketai, which is a partner assisted exercise. Essentially you each take turns toughening each other up through blocking drills, forearm swings and thigh kicks. As you move up the ranks the strikes tend to get harder.
The psychological aspect of this is immeasurable for someone that has never done a combat sport. People who have never been hit, grabbed or thrown typically freeze or panic under those situations. These exercises help eliminate those fears, especially over time as your body does tend to get accustomed to Koteketai.
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Uechi Ryu Cons
I do think Uechi Ryu has some holes in it though. At least they way I was taught. First of all, I am not a huge fan of Kata. Every class devoted a large percentage of time doing Kata. A Karate Kata is a prearranged series of movements that cover certain techniques, which are done (usually) without a partner. Uechi Ryu karate instructors will try and break your balance a bit while you do your Kata, but I still did not like them much.
Another issue I had with Uechi Ryu was the minimum amount of sparring. I personally feel that to be able to really learn to fight, you have to fight. Yes, there was sparring, but it was quite rare considering the amount of days I was going to class.
I can also understand why it takes many years to become effective in this style. It is because they way I was taught was rather vague in some situations. Outside of the punches and kicks,we never really did any trips or throws and very few joint locks.
When I would ask about these maneuvers, I was told it was in the Kata. Which I just explained I already did not like.
So I had to try and visualize what the action might look like and practice against my unsuspecting brothers at home, without the trained eye of an instructor present.
There is also no groundwork involved at all. I was not expecting Jiu Jitsu type groundwork but I did not expect none.
Uechi Ryu History
Kanbun Uechi founded Uechi Ryu after studying a style of Kung Fu called Pangai-noon. Pangai-noon translates to “half hard, half soft” which reflects the philosophy of the art. A Uechi Ryu practitioner is expected to harden his body yet remain just loose enough to strike with speed and power.
Later Kanbun’s son, Kanei Uechi renamed Pangai-noon to Uechi Ryu in honor of his father snd refined the art even further.
In contrast to many Okinawan and Japanese karate style, Uechi Ryu prefers circular motions rather than the very straight line tactics employed by other systems.
The style itself is based on the movements of the Crane, Dragon and Tiger. Therefore many of the attacks will be precise, pinpoint strikes to the target often using the big toe, a knuckle, the thumb and various other parts of the body.
Obviously, this is a very general history of the style but what you have is a blend of Okinawan karate and Chinese Kung Fu. The style was popularized in the United States by a man named George Mattson who trained with a direct student of the founder Kanbun Uechi.
My Overview of Uechi Ryu
As a martial art I think Uechi Ryu is quite effective for what it seeks to teach. My thoughts on the body conditioning are very clear, it really does take the untrained and make them physically tougher and more confident. The techniques are practical and easy to learn with practice.
I believe that as a “middle of the road” style it is almost perfect if they would add a little bit of grappling in the curriculum. By “middle of the road” I mean, its a good system for your average soccer mom, professional that does not want to show up to work with a black eye or for kids to experience martial arts. A sport like Boxing for example, might not be appealing to some, especially if you have never been punched before.
I dislike the kata’s but that is my personal preference.
In my personal experience, I did notice a difference in the ability to punch and kick and I did get physically “tougher”.
Have you ever taken Uechi Ryu Karate? What are your thoughts?
