Learning the Art of Uechi Uechi is a style of Karate developed by Kanbun Uechi.

It was originally known as Pangai-noon, which can be translated in English as 'half hard, hard soft'. Kanbun Uechi's students, grateful to him for teaching them the style, renamed the style as Uechi-ryu after the death of their teacher. is son, Kanei Uechi also refined and e!panded the style. Uechi-ryu places huge emphasis on making the body tough and e!tols "uick kicks and punches. Uechi practitioners are also known for the one-knuckle punch, toe kick and the spear hand. It also emphasi#es simplicity, a combination of circular as well as linear movements and stability. $herefore, its proponents claim that it is more practical for self defense. $he circular and linear movements are influenced from Kung %u. Uechi-ryu is heavily influenced by the movements of three animals- the tiger, the crane and the dragon. Kata in Uechi $here are eight katas in Uechi. &nly three of them are derived from 'angai-noon. $he others were added by Kanei, who designed them. $he (anchin kata is the first kata. It looks very simple, but is not. $his kata teaches the style's foundation, including breathing and stances. Kanbun Uechi is believed to have said that (anchin contained everything. (anchin movements can be learnt with moderate effort but if you want to master the form, it might take you a lifetime. $here is a specific concept in each of the eight katas. %or e!ample, (anchin translates as three conflicts. $hese are )ody, *ind and (pirit. +n alternate interpretation is timing, softness and power. Uechi training is divided into ten ranks, ending with the brown belt with three black stripes. +fter this, there are ten Dan ranks. Uechi-ryu's unique approach to Karate Uechi-ryu's approach to Karate is uni"ue. ,hile it lacks the endless variety and flash that some of the other styles have , it hits vulnerable targets with reliable and deadly strikes. It is oriented towards application. igh kicks, e!aggerated blocks, spinning techni"ues and many kinds of -ump techni"ues are avoided because the fighter is left vulnerable to throws and kicks. In Uechi, soft blocks are used to redirect the enemy's attack, unlike other forms of karate which use hard blocks to counter the opponent's strength. $he soft blocks advocated by Uechi also give opportunities for throws and counter attacks. The importance of Sanchin kata in Uechi Uechi is built on the principles mentioned in (anchin kata. Even advanced Uechi is built on these principles. $his way, it places a solid foundation for the student's progress. (anchin is fundamental to Uechi. It protects Karate students, allowing them to make the fullest use of their bodies. (anchin is a short stance no doubt, but is has the stability of the longer stance. %or instance, it protects the front leg from sweeps and kicks and allows greater mobility. Uechi also allows grappling and grabbing the arms and the legs, something which is forbidden in many styles. 'eople from any age group can learn Uechi and learn to defend themselves after proper training. .o/Karate lists a number of places where you can learn the Uechi-ryu form of Karate. $o learn more, please go over to our site.

Principal techniques +ll katas of Uechi have the front-leg snap kick, e!cept the (anchin kata, which is characteri#ed by the absence of kicks. $he front-leg kick is a useful techni"ue to employ when there is an incoming attacker. $he e!ecution of this kick can be done "uickly. ,hile other systems use the ball of the foot to e!ecute kicks, in Uechi, the kicks are delivered with the tip of the big toe. $his popular techni"ue, called sokusen, mimics the tiger0s bite. $he other techni"ue used in Uechi is nukite, which is an element of all the eight katas. $his method helps you attack pressure points and soft body parts and can inflict optimal damage. It is an open hand techni"ue, where you tighten all four fingers and position your thumb in line with the edge of the line of your palm. $he techni"ue called shoken is a one-knuckle punch. Invoking the animal spirit $he principal attribute of Uechi is that the art form is derived from three animal styles of Kung %u including the dragon, tiger and crane. $he dragon style is all about using covertness, wisdom, and spirit. $he crane style is all about elegance, constancy, accuracy and evasion, while the tiger symboli#es confidence, courage, adroitness and sheer power. $he form also uses kote kitae, which is an arm rubbing and pounding e!ercise that keeps the body in good condition. (okuto .eri is another techni"ue where the kick delivered is a forward striking one, done with the blade angle of the foot.