John Mahaney

Hachidan candidate at the Annual Uechiryu Butokukai(tm) Convention

I began my training on 8/23/93. My brother, at the time, had taken six months of Taekwondo and was very enthusiastic about it, and martial arts was always something that I was interested in. Finally, I had the time to pursue it. After leaving five messages at various martial arts schools that I found in the yellow pages in this thing called a phone book, only one called me back. That one was Nancy Gavenda’s Uechi Karate Academy.

I remember my introductory lessons like they happened yesterday as well as many of the fun/ challenging classes that she taught. Nancy inspired and expanded my interest in Uechi Karate, and I owe any good form and technique that I possess to her skillful kata and kumite lessons. Two interesting/ funny stories. Nancy was a stickler for form and technique, and I quote her, “NO VACATIONS”, was heard a lot as we struggled in class!!

Especially when we would do an extra-long final Sanchin kata at the end of class or hold a position while she checked each and every student in the class to ensure that they were in the right position even if it meant looking at 20 students. I remember the pain in my hands & thumbs as I held Sanchin and my legs during an extended hold of a cat, crane or horse stance, for what felt like an eternity!! But we constantly improved and grew stronger because of it!

My other funny story: when I was a young and naive white belt, after doing our first Sanchin kata of the class, Nancy said, “Ok, second Sanchin.” So, I said in the cutest way I could, “I only know first Sanchin, I don’t know the second Sanchin” as if there was some other Sanchin kata I had yet to learn!!

I love to learn and improve because of my lessons, so much so, that teaching Uechi Ryu Karate became my life‘s passion. It was a way for me to give back to others something that has given so much to me and that I believed in. After assistant teaching in Nancy’s classes, Deb LaFrance and I began an after-school program in Gloucester, Ma and eventually opened a dojo in Gloucester where we taught for 23 years.

Between that and consistently studying myself to efficiently execute a move/ kata/ kumite/ Bunkai, and confidently express that movement from my very being, keeps me going. That feeling that you get when the expression of the movements in the kata or kumite becomes your own innate understanding of them through the efficient execution of the movement, is a constant high for me that extends into my daily life.

In addition, the brotherhood and sisterhood found in a Uechi dojo are palpable and contagious as we all work to bring out the best in each other. Thank you to my Uechi Ryu Sensei’s Nancy Gavenda, Allan Azoff, Paul Tricket and of course, everyone’s Sensei, Mr. Buzz Durkin, for being my life guides and teachers of Uechi Ryu Karate.