Teaching “The Old Way” at WinterFest 2025 in Florida

On March 7th and 8th, I had the honor of being invited to WinterFest, a prestigious annual martial arts event held in Florida and organized by Sensei George Mattson.

Sensei Mattson is widely regarded as the father of Uechi-Ryū Karate in America and continues to be a central figure in the international Uechi-Ryū community.

Seminar: Uechi-Ryū – The Old Way

In my seminar, I focused on the classical principles of old-style Uechi-Ryū (“The Old Way”) and demonstrated how these principles can be applied across various kata.

To conclude the session, we conducted a heart rate monitoring with the participants. This experiment helped illustrate how the proper balance of hard and soft techniques (gō and jū) directly impacts the body and overall performance. It was a powerful way to show the physiological effects of traditional training principles.

Looking Ahead

It was a deeply enriching experience, and I look forward to presenting these same principles again at an event in Germany this September.

莉雄念　（リオネル）