1/Nom, First name, Age, Profession ?
Burgel Grégory, 48 years, Director of security for a Parisian establishment
2/How did you get into Uechi-Ryu karate? ?
I was already a shotokan karate practitioner, when 1993 I went to see the Bercy Martial Arts Festival, Where I saw there for the 1st time a demonstration of Uchi-ryu performed by Seiko Toyama, Is it true that I've never seen a girl.
I was decided at the end of devoting myself to this school.
In 1994 in Tours, Via my teacher from the Taikiken era, I heard about Jean Smith whom I met soon after during a grade passage from the Federation.
I started practice the following season with Jean, It was at this time that I met my comrades Hervé Lesueur and Lazarus Pouchard and especially Shima who allowed me to realize my dream of going to study the Uechi-ryu at the Soke in Okinawa.
3/Do you have a favorite kata and especially why? ?
Sanchin because it is the essence of the Uechi-ryu ...
But I have a weakness for Kanshiwa because although being a "base" kata, There is a real martial dimension behind its conception ...
-4/A word of advice in the practice of UCHI-RYU ?
Even several 😉:
- Confront other practitioners and above all, to the great of their disciplines, This will allow you, very often painfully, to make a state of your practice.
- Do nothing mechanically, I will paraphrase our Soke: "Put awareness and intention in everything you do ...".
- Work your posture, Because it is the best way to gain efficiency during techniques.
-5/What does practicing karate bring? ?
A lot of stability, An ability to bounce back in life and for the Uechi-ryu in particular, A sacred family!
-6/Where and how do you see yourself in 10 years ?
In Japan to make permaculture and to see my practicing brothers and friends very regularly.
-7/Why do you teach ?
Currently I rarely teach (Private lessons or internships).
I wish to continue doing my research, and, I will resume teaching when I am a little more satisfied with how my practice will be built.
-8/What did you like? ? What made you love martial arts? ? What pushed you and continues to push you to continue ?
At the start of my practice, the wish to become strong, the framework that "classic" martial arts offer, the rigor, The ceremonial, etc…
Currently what motivates me, It is to purify my practice as much as possible, A bit like the « less is more » from Anglo -Saxons, keep only the essentials and integrate it into each gesture for maximum efficiency.
-9/A strength and a weakness ? How do you work on them ?
A force: the ability to impose offspring (See very boring at first), I practice Kata Sanchin with themes (anchoring, verticality, mass transfer, The generator axis, slowness, etc…) but also up to 1 hour (3×20 minutes) per day of postures from my practice of Taikiken/YIQUAN, or the "Suburi" exercise with a bokuto (heavy wooden saber) To strengthen my structure (Integrated exercise following an exchange with Seisuke Adaniya).
A weakness: Gluttony ... and there, There is nothing to do ...
-10/What do you want to continue to progress? ?
Meetings!
I need to confront myself, and to be inspired by people who have been carried out through the practice of martial arts, both martly and in their lifestyles.
I am lucky to have trained or to have exchanged with some very great experts in their schools.
There is a common point that makes a clear difference in their levels of efficiency, It is, so much in a dynamic way, slow or static, the extreme rigor with which they work their postures.
I wish to integrate this same rigor into my practice of Uechi-ré.
