Okinawa-Te.

[takezo]

...Dr. Khoury informed that "Handgrape" was actually about 30 something, overweight and lving in Southern Cal. and was not associated with either group of Okinawa Te, and was sort of a shodan but not from either group. (Evidently there has been a split in the Okinawa Te Assoc.) Dr. Khoury said the Okinawa Te split was caused by a lack of supporting evidence to the claims of the founder of Okinawa Te a Mr. Gordon Doversola in regards to an Okinawan connection. (interesting) He added that they could not find any connection to Okinawa, nor could they find any of the teachers mentioned by Mr. Gordon Doversola. Dr. Khoury also added that "Handgrape" actually started his "own style" (groan)

Echoed

and would only occasionaly show up for Okinawa Te events.He also mentioned that Joe Lewis was kicked out of the Okinawa Te Assoc.....he didn't say what for.

Don't care what 'Handgrape' does or doesn't do. Not much of a concern of mine.

But, just to keep the ducks lined up in a row, Dr Khoury is associated with a group whose 'leader' was kicked out of the Okinawa Te Association. The historical claims have always been 'suspect'. Gordon's advanced students never cared much because the information imparted was always effective. Historical claims aside, Dr. Khoury's group continues to teach the core of Okinawa Te Association techniques. Kinda like being pissed when you find out there's no Santa Claus... but you still keep all the presents! This new groups leader is now referred to as 'Master'...I think you get the message. In Dr Khoury's defense, I have had limited interaction with him, but he seems to be an honorable individual.

As to Joe Lewis, he was not kicked out of the Okinawa Te Association. He left to open a school with Bob Wall on Ventura Blvd (Sherman Oaks, CA). Later turned the school over (sold) to Chuck Norris complete with Bob Wall. I was there ('Handgrape' (CK) wasn't) when he took his last lesson from Gordon Doversola. Joe was hungry for footwork and was impatient to learn it. Had Gordon Doversola shown Joe the footwork he taught Jim Kelly history would have been different. For a short while at least.

After talking to Dr. Khoury for about 20+ minutes at my own expense from Tokyo I got the feeling that he was a sincere martial artist and enjoys what he teaches. We exchanged some personal info and I may visit him in the future if I get to the Bay area of SF.

Probably a worthwhile endeavor. Like I said I think he is an honorable man.

My response is only to keep some of the facts (best as I can remember them) straight and not intended to fuel or further the sniping... there's enough of that without adding more.

Mark Galvin

 

[JPH]

Gordon Doversola, the system founder is one. Mike Pecina is another. A ways back, a guy named Hanrahan broke off and formed a system called Wa-te Ryu, which is just Okinawa-te with a different name, really. The curriculum is just a wee bit different, and he's given Japanese names to the kata. Also, he's instituted dan rankings, which Okinawa-te does not have. Still, the essentials are basically Okinawa-te. I don't know of anyone else trying to get power in the organization, nor do I particularly care. When things get too political, I tend to shy away. Not my bag.

Cthulhu

Hi Cthulhu. I was referred to this site by a friend, and imagine my surprise to see my name in print regarding political power struggles and B.S. in Okinawa-Te. To set the record straight, I left Master Doversola's organization in 1981 in order to preserve the integrity of my dojo, protect my students from being taken advantage of financially, and to get away from what was beginning to happen to Okinawa-Te. I did not ever attempt to abuse my relationship with Master Doversola or make any claim or attempt to gain power in his association. Also, I did not start my own system, I created my own association, approximately 6 years after leaving Okinawa-Te, and did not change any of what I had been taught. It's interesting to me that, over the years, so much has been flaunted about regarding the reasons why I left Okinawa-Te. But, now that I've seen it in print, I thought it time to speak out about it. My association, Wa-Te Ryu, is not just based on the principles of Okinawa-Te, it IS the principles of Okinawa-Te, as taught to me by Master Doversola while I was his personal student for 12 years, and also as taught to me during that same period by my Seniors, Larry DeLano, Mark Galvin, Geoff Ewertz and Mike Lee, all wonderful teachers in their own right. I did not involve any of them in my departure from Okinawa-Te. What happened was between me and Master Doversola, and shall remain so. When I left his organization (and I was not the first to leave) I felt it would be improper for me to use his name or the name of his system. Certain people have come to me over the years and have asked me to return and help fix the problems that remain. My response has always been that the system of Okinawa-Te (named by Master Doversola) is his system and only he has the right to change or alter things as they are. A question arose as to the development of degrees after leaving his organization. The truth is that Master Doversola referred to himself as a 9th degree black belt as early as 1969 (and perhaps earlier), and that he promoted students to black belt level with degree designations. He was and is the Master of his system (yes, his, he created it). and if you have any further questions you should talk to him about it. We began the process of giving the Katas Japanese names prior to my leaving, and I continued the practice afterward. You should know that the names were not changed, they were just interpreted in Japanese. It would be the same as saying eat in English, essen in German, or manga in Italian. To eat is to eat in any language. When I left there were no "contenders" for the throne, just some unhappy members. If there are any "contenders" now, please know that I am not, nor have I ever been one. My name is John Hanrahan. If you have any questions, please let me know.

 

[takezo]

From Joe Lewis:... My next karate instructor, Gordon Doversola, taught me style. I love the Chinese style of his system, Okiwana-Te. He taught me smoothness, circular movement, camaraderie, Chinese weaponry, and how to appreciate Asian foods.

Yeah Joe seemed to make a lot of "lame" comments about his teachers in Okinawa....

:roflmao:and your teacher taught him how to order from a menu :rofl:

If you are going to quote something quote all of it so we can make up our own minds without the 'spin' induced by what is left unsaid.

Joe Lewis's full statement as it pertains to Gordon Doversola:

"My next Karate instructor, Gordon Doversola, taught me style. I love the Chinese style of his system, Okiwana-te. He taught me smoothness, circular movement, camaraderie and how to appreciate Asian foods and Chinese weaponry. He taught me cultural appreciation, and a great deal about healing the body, and introduced me to mental energies, a psychical level of combat. He showed me balance, not only in combat, but also in my teaching skills. He taught me to appreciate the art, aside from the combat aspects, and katas."

Just a tad more than ordering Chinese food...

 

[tongsau]

Gordon Doversola died in 2011. He influenced many people as well as myself.

 

[ninjanoir78]

I

Envoyé de mon SGH-I747M en utilisant Tapatalk