Hello,

This is a message to all IUKF dojos and its members. The IUKF is doing great, and membership is growing by the day. I want to reiterate that the IUKF is a supportive organization for all Uechi-Ryu dojos throughout the world. We encourage all practitioners to train and develop the art to their individual needs and benefit as we understand that all practitioners are not the same.

We are not hindered with tunnel vision and mandate that each of us need to be a carbon copy of one another. I will not dictate to anyone how they should train or make demands on changes. After 60 plus years of continuous training, I do not know everything. I welcome ingenuity and fresher, younger, smarter minds with hopes to learn more from everyone’s individualism.

All our IUKF masters have much-accumulated expertise and are willing to share within our IUKF Family. Whatever they share can be included in your training or remain stored knowledge. Your early training should always conform to the direction of your chosen sensei. However, we are not duplicates of one another with nothing to enhance our training. We do not meet at dinners to tell each other how great we are and promote everyone to ridiculous high ranks with little to show other than a mouth full of food and a pat on the back.

Personally, I believe that during our formative years in training, we should all learn “root” Uechi-Ryu. That is the movement and understanding deriving from the many diverse teachers in Okinawa. As we grow and if we mature as individuals, our training should have molded us. If we indulge in other martial arts systems, they too become an intrinsic part of who we are.

Please realize martial arts is not a hand tool to be picked up and used if we choose to. With proper, continuous training, movements become instinctive and a part of who you are. However, improper training, a lack of training, or bad muscle memory could be detrimental and completely useless to you.   

Your art will excel as your Uechi-Ryu movements conform to your individual body, adapting to size, speed, and comfort of motion. That is why continuous training is paramount as we physically and mentally change from moment to moment.

Many feel change is not good. Many would say if you do not train as I do, you are corrupting the system. If that was true, why would we invite other masters to teach in our dojos? Why are we paying money just to have another sensei come to our dojo and repeat what we are already teaching? Or are we welcoming new ideas and more concepts? Are we beyond learning anything different and new? Are we afraid of the fact there could be something more sensible and practical than what we are presently teaching?

Let’s examine the fact that Leung Tak Wing was Chan Wah Shun’s Wing Chung teacher. Chan Wah Shun added many adaptations to Wing Chung, which he learned. Chan Wah Shun was Ip Kai Man’s teacher. Ip Kai Man not only created many adaptations, but he also rearranged the complete form and sequences.  Ip Kai Man was Lei Sill Lung (Bruce Lee’s) teacher.  Bruce Lee added so much more to the Wing Chung system, including many high kicks, which was not very prevalent in Southern Kung-Fu.

One of the original Kung Fu systems was White Crane. Practiced by the Shaolin Monks and developed by a woman named Fang Qiniang. She morphed this style from a Neanderthal practice of hard robotic movements to a more universal smooth, flowing system fitting all possible practitioners. The evolution did not stop there. There are now 5 major systems of White Crane depending on the needs of the practitioner.  These 5 are Sleeping, Crying, Eating, Flying, and Shaking Crane. They each have their own nuances to fit the individual practitioner.

Please understand one method is not better than the other. They are just slightly different to fit the individual needs of the practitioner.

The IUKF supports all our dojos and each individual practitioner. I will never insist anyone train my way or use our Uechi-Ryu movements as I use them.

I have and will always encourage you to be the best you can be and train in whatever way you choose. I will never stop sharing knowledge and new discoveries in the martial art world which I encounter. I believe in training with no restrictions or mandates.

Train diligently and always strive to be the best that you can be. If I can be of assistance for your training in any way, please let me know, and I will try to be there to support you regardless of organizational lines.

Darin Yee
President – IUKF
Kyudan – Hanchi-sei

Dear IUKF Practitioners,

I want to state that everyone has a “letter of the law” to follow. However, honorable people live by the “spirit of the law.” I understand some of the writings can be ambiguous, allowing those who’ll manipulate the system to find alternative translations. 

Trying not to be too ostentatious, the IUKF will not accept anything less than “the spirit” in connection with Sensei Mattson’s writings.  

I am defining the meaning of several phrases found in Sensei Mattson’s Black Belt Test Guild. Please be informed the IUKF will consider all factors in regards to our master rank promotions.

Found in the RANK REQUIREMENT SUMMARY CHART

Years in Grade:

This phrase does not mean simple chronological passing years. The spirit of this term means years of honest, continuous, consistent, dedicated workouts.

We advance in grade due to the maturity and continuous improvement of our art through training on the dojo floor.    

The IUKF is now informing everyone, the phrase “years in grade” will be defined as “years in grade training.” All training must be verified by the “home dojo” and applications for advancements must be received from the Shihan of your dojo. If you do not have a home dojo, please contact me, and I will help offer you suggestions.

Minimum Years and Average Years:

Sensei Mattson’s suggested time in training is for Senseis to follow. This does not mean you can quit training and show up with the recommended time looking for a promotion. That is the primary reason the IUKF no longer accepts applications from ronans. All applications must come from an IUKF dojo in good standing.

The IUKF also suggests dojos and Shihans understand and consider why Sensei George Mattson published the “minimum time and average time.”  

Students who come to class 3 to 5 times a week exhibit an exceptional desire to learn and excel in the art. For example, this student will accumulate over 150 workouts in 1 year or 750 workouts in the 5-year minimum time frame. 

Students attending classes 2 times a week would be considered “average.” Calculating 50 weeks in a lunar year, 2 workouts a week would equate to 100 workouts credited to each year. If we multiply these 100 workouts a year, times 5 years, we would only total 500 workouts. Hardly seem fair or acceptable in comparison to 750 from exceptional students, does it?

The IUKF’s position on these minimum and average years will include suggested workouts. All relevant years must consist of 100 adequate workouts each year. For example, an average student at 2 times a week will accumulate 100 workout hours in 1 workout year. Therefore, the sensei should recommend this student for advancement with not only the suggested years but verify the workout hours.    

Please note the IUKF will maintain respect for our honored ranking system and request all dojos to follow these guidelines as published in Sensei Mattson’s Black Belt Test Guild. Ranking should not be a self-serving right but an honor bestowed to you by your peers to recognize your effort and accomplishments.    

Also, note there are financial advantages in honoring the IUKF guild lines along with presenting a more mature student. 

Thank you for your understanding and respect for your art.

Darin Yee

President-IUKF 

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I sincerely hope you are well and practicing good sanitation habits suggested by our educated, seasoned health professionals. At times like this, we need temporarily set aside all the things we want to do and follow the protocol of what we should do.

As an extrovert, I find it very difficult to sit patiently at home and watch all the bad news on television. I’ve already informed my friends who come to work out with me to hold off and stay safely at home until this virus is eradicated.

I’ve continued to stay active by performing all 8 Uechi-Ryu katas followed by tiger/crane, Choy-Li-Fut, and every kung-fu form I remember. I’ve even brought home from my dojo some of the Chinese Weaponry and found enough room to go half-speed carefully.

In consideration, I’ve emailed my students and suggested we can meet online to train together. We have done it 2 times already and are learning what we can do and how we can do it. The IUKF has a GoTo Meeting program where we can entertain a total of 151 participants.

I understand some of us have very diverse processes of training, but the bottom line is, we are all family, and I encourage all to advance and grow in our path. Without sounding political, my philosophy has always been the fact that we all need to be supportive and not regulatory. Since my appointment as president of the IUKF, I’ve been a bit more liberal than some would like, but I believe no one knows what we want better than each individual, and I, for one, respect our individual beliefs.

If anyone would like to join our online workouts, please let me know, and I will include you in my notifications of time and what we will be working on in that particular workout. Please email me at darinyee@hotmail.com.

I understand these workouts would not be as vigorous as when I am standing next to you, pushing you to go 110%. The bottom line is you will get out of these workouts that you put in.

Anyways, please stay healthy and well. When this is over, I look forward to seeing everyone again. I may set up another regional workout so we can be gathered together as good families should do periodically.

Please stay vigilant, practice good sanitation habits, and I look forward to seeing you again soon.

Darin Yee