Uechi-Ryu.com

Looking for an Uechi-Ryu instructor or dojo in downtown San Francisco. New to city, just moved from Boston, and Sensei Huff's Beacon Hill Karate Academy.

Russ:

First the bad news, I am not aware of any Uechi dojos in "The City." Nev Kibral (sp?) ran a school for a number of years in the Financial District, but the overhead costs were astronomical. Oh, and BTW, congratulations on being able to afford to live in S.F.

Now the good news. Excellent Uechi instruction is only a county line or two away from you. And, by California super commuter standards, very close.

May I suggest, based on seniority and proximity, Mehran Shahkar. While many of us struggle to survive his Chi Quong stretching routine, and fewer of us can survive his Shotokan enhanced reverse punch, I value the time I get to train with him. He will also be an excellent source of additonal information on the other schools in the Bay Area. Most of the other instructors in the Bay Area have either trained with Mr. Shahkar, or are affiliated with the Uechi West organization he and Mr. Goss steward.

You should also visit Dave Sergeant in San Jose. His dojo is one of the oldest Uechi schools in California, and after you visit, let me know if you can guess his age.

Lastly, treat yourself to a visit to Antioch. Doug Achternberg has taken over for a reitred Alan Dollar, and the dojo is as strong as ever. Doug will be hosting Master Gushi later this month, and a visit while Master Gushi is there would allow you meet many of the Uechi people from Northern California.

You can find almost all of the California dojos through George's links and directory page. Oh, and happy to say, last time a looked, nobody cares what association you belonged to before you hit the west coast. If you can do san chin, you are pretty much welcome at all the Uechi dojos.

Oh, and to my California Uechi brethen, sorry if I misspelled any names.

Peace
Robb in Sacramento