Winter internship 2026 Belgium

After three invitations from URKDB, I finally had the chance, this weekend of 14 and 15 March, to go to Mechelen, near Brussels, alongside Didier Lorho (7e dan and president of URKDE), to intervene during the annual internship.

Over 50 practitioners participated in this event over the entire weekend. The pace was steady : we have animated more than 9 class hours, covering karate, self-defense and kobudo.

The sessions followed one another with diversity and intensity : adult classes, children, mixed groups, introductions to self-defense and kobudo, especially with tinaka.

Saturday evening, all the participants gathered around a giant barbecue, in a friendly and warm atmosphere, faithful to the spirit of the course.

The trainees were able to discover different approaches to Uechi-ryu, thus enriching their practice and their passion. Emphasis was placed both on the pragmatic aspect and on the flexible and subtle dimension of this discipline..

The Mechelen club is particularly distinguished by its dynamism. On approximately 80 members, next to 53 were present during the course — a remarkable participation rate, revealing the commitment and cohesion of the group. With his five teachers, this club constitutes a real engine for the development of Uechi-ryu.

Through the exercises offered, Didier Lorho and I sought to sow seeds. The objective : encourage each practitioner to develop their creativity, in order to continue to evolve and progress your practice.

We will have the pleasure of meeting the Belgian team during the Uechi-ryu French Cup in May, as well as during the internship which will follow, hosted by Sanadao Uechi (7e and, soke and great-grandson of the founder, based in Okinawa Futenma) et Hirotasu Uechi (5e and, also great-grandson of the founder, based in Okinawa Nago).

Uechi-ryu is above all a big family. The URKDE plays an essential role in bringing together practitioners and regularly organizing advanced training courses., allowing everyone to progress.