Sensei Brian Stoia

Martial Arts Bio

I began studying Uechi-ryu Karate in 1973, at the Mattson Academy of Karate in Boston. I studied under Senseis Al Wharton, Buzz Durkin, Bob Campbell, and Clarence Wilder. When I moved to western Mass, I began to study under Sensei Frank Gorman in Pittsfield. Along with Sensei Gorman himself, I studied with some of his students, including Senseis Bob Dus and Pat Litano. My other western Mass Uechi connection was Sensei Joan Neide, originally a student of Sensei David Finklestein in New York City. Neide Sensei lived a total of two years on Okinawa, where she studied with the late Grand Master Kanei Uechi and the late Master Seiyu Shinjo, one of the foremost practitioners on Okinawa and a student of Kanbun Uechi. Senseis Wilder, Litano and Neide have had the most influence on my 35 years in Uechi. Neide Sensei is my Uechi teacher. Upon the recommendation of Neide Sensei, I was tested for and promoted to Renshi/Rokudan (Master/6th Degree Black Belt) by Master George Mattson in August 2002.

I began teaching Uechi-ryu in 1981. I taught Uechi at both Umass and Amherst College, through school clubs. I also ran a program in Hadley for kids and adults for a couple of years in the early 1990’s. I moved that program to Hatfield in 1994, working exclusively with kids. After those many years as an itinerant teacher, I opened the Hatfield Shubukan in 1997, offering classes again for both kids and adults. In 2002, we added Yang Style Taijiquan (Tai Chi) to the curriculum. In '05, I began teaching a Tai Chi class for senior citizens through the Hatfield Council on Aging.

Since 1990, I have had the great fortune and pleasure to train in a number of other martial systems. These include: Modern Arnis (Filipino stick fighting), Small Circle Jujitsu, Yang Style Taijiquan (long form), Chen Style Taijiquan, Bajiquan, Pa Kua Zhang, Quigong, Kyusho Jitsu, Okinawan Kobudo and Feeding Crane Kung Fu. Some training was through short term seminars, some was long term, and some is ongoing. I have been blessed to work with many great teachers: Remy Presas, Kai Yu, Luping Zhang, Wally Jay, Kwan Saihung, George Dillman, Evan Pantazi, Richard Roy, Wolfe Lowenthal, Devorah Dometrich, Liu Chang and Huan Zhang. All of these non-Uechi practitioners have helped me to improve and enhance my training and to gain further insight into my Uechi. Masters Lu-ping Zhang, Kai Yu and Remy Presas in particular, have greatly influenced my approach to Uechi-ryu and martial arts in general.

All of the teachers and students with whom I have trained over the years have greatly enriched my life and my practice. They have kept me honest and have reminded me how much more I need to learn. I am most grateful to them all.

Personal Bio

I am originally from eastern Mass, born and raised in Boston. I graduated from Boston Latin School in 1975 and headed west for UMass. I graduated from UMass in 1979 with a B.A. in Education/Human Services. During my last couple of years at the University, I interned as a juvenile probation officer, as a drop-in counselor at the Amherst Youth Center, and as an educational programmer at Westfield Detention Center. I spent the year after graduation working as a VISTA Volunteer (one year of national service) in central Illinois. In 1981, soon after I returned to the Valley, I studied furniture making and design at Leeds Design Workshops, in Easthampton, MA, under English-born master furniture maker David Powell. Powell was a student of Edward Barnsley in England and studied design at the Royal College of Art. I operated a fine furniture and cabinet business for about 6 years, at Leverett Craftsmen and Artists. In the summer of 1987, I traveled to Honduras and Nicaragua with Witness For Peace. In the winter of 1989, I worked as a substitute teacher in the Amherst and Northampton school systems. From 1989 until 2003, I worked as a legal advocate/paralegal for Western Mass Legal Services in Springfield, where I represented low-income disabled adults and kids. Coming full circle, I have returned to the designing and building of custom furniture.