Uechi-ryu Journal Blog

Part of my Saturday morning routine is to log in, read messages, email and prepare the weeks Uechi-ryu Newsletter. I also like to scan through the world news.

I came across this video on the front page of CNN’s web site; it is a video of a teacher and a student fighting. I think it is from Georgia.

Here is the video of the fight caught on a cell phone: Click for video

There is certainly a can of worms here opened, and more than likely both the student and teacher will face disciplinary action.

There is a language movement called ESP (English for Specific Purposes); basically stating that teaching English can/should be focused on the specific area the speaker needs it (business, medical, industrial English).

I have no idea how this brawl started or who threw the first blow; these are just a few general questions for you:

1. If you are a student defending against a large/older teacher; how do you react? What is your limit of force used?
2. You are a teacher defending against a younger/faster student; where do you draw the line to stop the student?
3. As a Karate teacher, how do you or even can you prepare your class for this type of attack?

Is there such thing yet as Karate for Specific Purposes? Do we train people differently for the various lifestyles they live?

Uechi-ryu techniques are deadly by nature of design, they were put together in Kata because they worked, the difference today is the litigation that follows the use of these techniques to protect ourselves.

So my question is can we teach others to use elements of the system effectively? Do we teach proper application and perhaps more importantly can we teach students when to use the right kind of defense to fit the situation?

I think this area is much more difficult than teaching just the techniques…

Please leave a comment with your opinion!

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