Seminar by Chris Mazzali next Saturday!

An introduction to Koryu Uchinadi HAPV 2 person drills

by Renshi Chris Mazzali, 6th Dan, Accredited Koryu Uchinadi instructor



About Chris Mazzali

Chris Mazzali is a direct student of noted martial arts teacher, researcher and historian Hanshi Patrick McCarthy, founder of the International Ryukyu Karate Research Society. Chris is a 6th Dan and completed an undergraduate 2 year full-time course with Hanshi McCarthy before staying on to complete a degree in TCM. He was described by Hanshi McCarthy as "an excellent fellow and a darn fine martial artist".

When and where

Saturday 31 May 2008 from 11.30am to 1.30pm at the Bayswater Martial Arts and Yoga Centre, 71 Whately Crescent, Bayswater.


Cost

$10.00 for members of the Academy of Traditional Fighting Arts
$20.00 for others

What the course will cover

The course will cover some of Patrick McCarthy's famous 2 person drills designed on his HAPV philosophy. Hanshi McCarthy writes:¹

"During the years I studied swordsmanship [Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu], at the Sugino honbu dojo in Kawasaki [Japan], I gained a huge respect for how the style accomplished its combative outcomes through using highly functional two-person training drills. While delving into its origins I became deeply impressed with the way classical attack scenarios had been first identified and studied before being ultimately catalogued into individual and collective learning modules each with prescribed responses and variations on common themes. Never having been terribly satisfied with the incongruous ippon-kumite practices of karate and unable to understand the defensive "effectiveness" of kata [as traditionally taught against modern reverse punch scenarios] or how its abstract mnemonic mechanisms were methodically linked back to actual real-life fight circumstances, I always felt that something was missing in traditional karate and from this blinding flash of the obvious [BFO] I finally realized what it was."

Hanshi McCarthy’s research gradually resulted in the establishment of the Habitual Acts of Physical Violence-theory [HAPV-theory] and two-person drill concepts, which ultimately lead to the development of Koryu Uchinadi Kenpo-jutsu.

Some examples of HAPV drills







Footnotes

1. See: www.koryu-uchinadi.org/KU_HAPV.pdf

Shihan Dan's blog

Students are invited to read Shihan Dan's blog "The Way of Least Resistance". The blog covers technical and historical material of interest to students of the Academy.

News from Lao tse Bob

Nenad and Dan's first and principal instructor Lao tze Bob Davies has just sent some pictures of a camping trip he did with some of his students in the Drakensberg range on the border of Kwazulu Natal in South Africa.

I have posted a gallery here.

Gashuku 2008 report

The 2008 gashuku was again held at the awe-inspiring Stirling ranges from 13 to 19 April.

Apart from the usual 8 hours of training per day, the participants climbed Toolbrunup Peak (the third highest peak at 1052m) via a torturous ‘climbers’ route.

The total hike involved 26 hours of hiking and climbing and included an overnight bivouac at 950m and a total ascent from the car park to the summit of around 700m.

Although it drizzled during the climb, fortunately it didn’t rain overnight (although the clouds made everything damp), the wind remained calm and the temperature never dropped below a balmy 8 degrees. Apparently in the camp it dropped to close to zero that night!

A gallery of the pictures can be viewed here:

Well done to all who came along and let's do it again next year!

Open day - 9 March 2008

On 9 March 2008 the Academy held it's first open day at the newly refurbished Honbu dojo.

The open day was held as part of the Festival of Bayswater and students from both the adult and children's classes held street and dojo demonstrations.

Many thanks to all those who participated and well done!









For those who want to see all the pictures, go to: http://www.wuweidao.com/news_files/2008/openday.htm.

Last lesson at Nedlands!

21 November 2007 marked the end of an era with the last ever lesson held at the Nedlands branch of the Academy of Traditional Fighting Arts.

The final lesson saw a capacity attendance and a vibrant, celebratory atmosphere. It was gratifying to see many of the students who have trained at the Academy throughout its history turning up to honour the floor that has hosted so many spirited and vigorous training sessions. (Click here for more photos.)

As Shihan Dan said on the night, every ending heralds a new beginning and so the Academy looks forward to consolidating its teaching at its new centre in Bayswater. Kancho and Shihan wish to thank everyone who helped make the Nedlands branch a success for so many years and hope to see everyone at the grand opening of the Bayswater centre (date to be announced soon).

End of an era and new beginnings

Sensei Tim, our Nedlands instructor is off to Melbourne to live and study for a year. Many of you will be aware that this has necessitated the closure of the Nedlands dojo after more than 22 continuous years of operation.

The final lesson at Nedlands is scheduled at the JC Smith Pavilion at 6.30 pm on Wednesday 21 November 2007. All students of the Academy, past and present, are invited to attend the lesson to honour, and say a special farewell to, a floor that has soaked up generations of sweat and spirit.

The Nedlands dojo will be sadly missed, however we will now be able to focus on our full-time facility in Bayswater. In other words, the end of one era marks the beginning of another. We will shortly be announcing the long-overdue official opening ceremony of the recently completed Honbu dojo.

This is a very important event and we dearly hope to see you ALL at the final Nedlands lesson: I'm sure it will mean as much to many of you as it does to me. Your attendance will be greatly appreciated

Shihan Dan