Uechi Ryu Karatedo is a traditional martial art from Okinawa, an island in the south of Japan. We practice punches, kicks, elbows, knees, grabs, trips, and a lot of body conditioning. We focus on simple, direct techniques and realistic applications. 

The heart of our training is Sanchin, an exercise that is two parts isometric strength training and one part walking meditation. Through practice of Sanchin we learn how to connect our upper and lower bodies and generate striking force with our legs and hips rather than our arms. We also learn how and when to hold tension in our muscles to protect us from incoming damage. 

We progress from Sanchin to other kata, applying the same principles to a larger variety of techniques and learning how to use the techniques against an opponent. We take each technique through a progression: first practicing it solo to learn the form, then applying it with an opponent in pre-arranged sparring drills, and then finally applying it in free sparring.