Andrew wrote:
After making it clear I was trying to better understand with what I stated I was offended to see a response that seemed to me wrapped in accusation and debasement.
Again, Andrew, beware the phantom insult. (This is an expression I coined several years back.) I understand what is going on here. I can't imagine George meant to target you when expressing his point of view.
There is a lot of history in various Forums (Fora??) on this website with regard to the use of that expression. This has clouded the discussion. You are stepping into a field where a few dogs have pooped before. The management regrets you got your shoes soiled.
The original saying came from Okinawa. The context is something like this.
If you don't eat your meat, you can't have any pudding!
-
Pink Floyd, Another Brick in the Wall
Have you heard the song? It's a lambast against teachers who aren't much fun, and tend to kill the joy of learning.
To a beginner eager to kick some bad guy butt, learning Sanchin is a bit like a child having to eat meat before dessert. Sanchin isn't a kata of specifics; it is a study of principles of human movement within the context of a style. Learning it is like first learning all the radicals in Chinese caligraphy before you learn your first character. Learning it is like having to learn phonics before reading your first word. But... You can see the importance of understanding character radicals and having mastered phonics. Once you have done so, you can visualize a character you've never seen before or a word you've never read before, and have some clue as to what it means or how to pronounce it. When you have mastered the fundamentals, you can be unleashed into the good stuff with little direction.
So what's an instructor to do when dealing with someone who doesn't "get" Sanchin? You tell them that everything they need to know about fighting is in that kata. If you spend time on it - a good ten years maybe - it will give back in spades.
But here's the thing, Andrew. Just because everything in the style starts with the lowest common denominator elements of Sanchin, it doesn't mean that you'll be a master of fighting if you spend your life on it. A good ten years (or more) on Sanchin is a necessary but not sufficient condition to make someone a proper master of the style.
So what you have then are martial wannabes going around repeating the "All is in Sanchin" saying, and not really understanding that the importance of it won't necessarily reveal itself without some guidance from an instructor. People who learn to read need a teacher. People who want to learn something about Uechi Ryu need a good instructor as well.
The learning in Sanchin is supposed to go both ways. Sanchin elements teach you how to do complex moves in other kata. New concepts absorbed while doing advanced stuff are supposed to be brought back to Sanchin, and the person is to resolve the concept within the context of the form. This process is sometimes called the "circular learning pattern" in the style.
Van has used the "All is in Sanchin" saying in jest to mock people who can't get out of their comfort zones to expand their martial understanding. Van specializes in the psychology involved in lethal force encounters. Sanchin won't reveal its secrets about this if you've never been there. No matter how many times you do the kata in your dojo and sing
Kumbaya, you will not know about what it's like literally to piss your pants when facing your maker. And that's just a start. Van uses this "device" as ice cold water over the heads of people who won't take their learning beyond literal movement in kata. He shocks people by mocking what they consider sacred. In doing so, others I believe who don't understand Van's subtle methods have jumped on the bandwagon and used it to bash the style and/or controversial new training methods within the style.
At least that's my theory.
The martial arts world is a funny thing. Allegiences come and go. Friendships are replaced by animosity, and vice versa. People alternate between seeking answers from within and reaching out to others to expand their horizons. At the end of the day, we all know a fraction of what we need to, and we all could do well to listen as often as we preach.
George operates the Webpage, and is the figurehead of a major branch of Kanbun's style. As such he gets as much crap as he does recognition. Human beings are "human" after all... George and Van go way back. Some of the abuse that comes along with the territory from various directions isn't necessarily appreciated.
Mocking "All is in Sanchin" to break people out of their comfort zones is a noble cause. Mocking the saying to dis the style or belittle sincere people on legitimate paths of learning is uncalled for. It's like a black person vs. a white person using the "n" word. There is a difference.
So...
Hope that clears up a few things, Andrew.
- Bill
Certainly not I or Jim 
.now you see I don't have a MY Wing-Chun, or a My aikido..but if I fought somebody I may well use some Aikido or some Wing-chun..and Then it is MY style and I don't have to hide behind a name.it's just stuff I do.now if folks asked me to teach it I would call it something like CQB Jorvik style 
In Sanchin. 
