Your statements are noted and I assumed that you did not mean "me" personally when you first posted this topic. I was trying to bring some ideas to the topic only.
Yes, tournaments are not for everyone. Even a lot of excellant baseball players that I have known and played with, do not attend the tournaments. We have a National Tournament in Arizona every year in on the last week of October and I have attended eight times in the last ten years. It can be very expensive and the competition is the best (for this level of Baseball) in the WORLD. We have never WON the whole thing as representatives from the Boston area, but we came close many times. We were deemed unsuccessful because there was much pressure put on us "all stars" to perform well. We were not bad, we just did not WIN IT ALL.
I was mostly refering to "tournament fighting" and not tournament kata and kumite.
Performing Kata in tournaments is more preffered by me. I think all students should experience it at least once in their training. The same argument could be made for fighting, but I have been there and I have done that, when I was in my late 20's, and I have no desire to try it at this level that I am at now.
The movements that I was referring to in Sanseiryu can not be performed in tournaments. They involve the elbow and knee strikes. ELBOWING AND KNEEING are not allowed in tournament fighting. The movement after the first mawate turn for instance. Secondly, I do not attack. I react to an attack. That is how I train. It would be a very boring fight if I never initiated the attack in a tournament, but that is how I have been injured before. Sure, in the dojo you must attack to teach the other person how to defend and counterattack. But in the dojo while I am "sparring" with a student. I use movements that are one step ahead of that students abilities. I can not bring them up to my level, but I can "get down to" and stay slightly ahead of their level. What would I be teaching my students if I only let them attack me, as I performed the movements of katas that they can't even perceive. When "sparring" at or slighly above their level, I am at a disvantage because I am not allowed to perform the movemnts that I want. This is where I get mostly injured. This why tournament fighting is not for me. (Please do not interperate these statements as a deterrent to tournament fighting, EVERY Martial Artist should AT LEAST try it ONCE in their training. It is a good way to test the "chemical cocktail", which sometimes work for you, or against you!)
One thing you wrote has me concerned!
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If the heavyweight division was not fully participated, I do not think it was "fear" of Gary and Joe or any other competetor, that was the main reason. I would certainly hope that any DAN RANK in Uechi-ryu would not be "afraid" to compete. I only stated that some may have lacked the proper training/motivation to condition themselves for this tournament. You play by a different set of rules therefore you must train under those rules. They might not have had the time or desire to get to that level.Regarding non-competitors for "respect" ? Surely there is "fear" for some to go against Gary K. and Jeo P.but do not think that Steve Perry or Bob Spoon or the others are any less to "fear". For they also will put one down abruptly.
As for supporting other Uechi Events. I am going to Summer Camp. A few of my students will be attending also. I encourage all my students to be a part of the Uechi-ryu Community and my dojo is open to all practitioners as well. You know my policy and you know I welcome anybody regardless of their affiliations.
I teach at my dojo 5 times a week and work a full time day job. I have not the luxury of travelling to other dojos like you can.
I would like to see more regional workouts, where students of other dojos can work out with my students, and visa versa. I would be willing to make a "field trip" to another dojo once in awhile if there are any other sensei's willing to accept me and my students. We could take turns hosting these "field trips". It must be on a regular class night with advance notice, as transportation must be provided by the students. I would bring all my students,(who wish to attend) children and adults. Anybody willing to participate? Please respond.
