Episode 628 - Sensei Matthew Ubertini
Sensei Matthew Ubertini is a Martial Arts practitioner and head instructor at NYC Budo.
I tell them all, listen, you’re going to go through waves of training. You’re going to go on this proverbial rollercoaster and some days you’re going to love it, and some days you’re going to hate it.
Sensei Matthew Ubertini - Episode 628
Sensei Matthew Ubertini began his study of Japanese Jujutsu and self-defense in 1987, Iaido in 1999, and Kendo in 2002. He is one of the few licensed budoka teaching authentic traditional and Koryu Japanese martial arts on Long Island and NYC.
Sensei Matthew Ubertini studies and teaches Nihon Aikijujutsu through the lineage of Hakko Ryu and aiki elements influenced through Daito Ryu Aikijujutsu. We also explore the study of Shiatsu massage based on Koho Shiatsu Igaku. He also studies Okinawan Goju Ryu Karate-Do through the Jundokan lineage of Nakamoto Kiichi, Hanshi of the Okinawakan Goju Ryu Kyokai on Okinawa.
Show Notes
In this episode, we mentioned Matt King and Eric Johnstone. Find out more about Sensei Matthew Ubertini’s school at www.nycbudo.com.
Show Transcript
You can read the transcript below.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Hello and welcome. This is whistlekick Martial Arts Radio Episode 628 and my guest today is Sensei Matthew Uberntini. I'm Jeremy Lesniak, I'm your host here for the show where everything we do is in support of traditional martial arts. If you want to know why we do what we do, and go deeper on all the things that we do, go to whistlekick.com it's our online home. And it's also the easiest place to find our products. Now the code PODCAST15 is going to get you 15% off on the show. Has its own websites whistlekickmartialartsradio.com. And if you haven't been over there in a while, you should probably go check it out. We've got really a lot of stuff going on. For each episode, we've got every episode up there, we embed the video, the YouTube link for the video episodes, we dropped the photos and videos and social media links, we really try to make it easy for you to get everything you want related to the episode. Transcripts go up there eventually, they lag a little bit for the episodes, but we get them off as quick as we can. And you can also sign up for the newsletter. Now the show itself comes out twice a week. We bring you an interview episode on Mondays and usually a topic driven episode for Thursdays and why do we do it? Well, we're looking to connect, educate and entertain traditional martial artists throughout the world regardless of style, regardless of age, rank any of that. We're just trying to get everyone to realize that we've got more that connects us than divides us. And I think that's a pretty timely message. If you want to support that work, here are a few things you could do. You could buy some, you could grab a book on Amazon, you could tell a friend about what we're doing. You could pick up one of our programs at whistlekickprograms.com. Or you can support the Patreon. Patreon.com/whistlekick, you're going to get exclusive content on Patreon. And if you go over there, you get all the details. Because we give you a bunch of different stuff. And you've got different options, different price tiers, you get free merch that we threw in, that was a revision that we didn't have. The price is what it is. That would mean, we didn't raise the prices. There we go. It's been a long day. It's been a great day recording episode. And speaking of that, this is the last episode that I recorded today. And it was a doozy had a lot of fun, different guests bring different energy, add some of them really keep me working. I mean, they're fast. They're talking about a lot of different stuff. And they're really keeping me on my toes in today's episode. One of those, Matt was a wonderful guest. And we had some really good conversation after the show, too. We've got a lot in common. And I think you're going to hear that come through in the show is a really thoughtful martial artist. And there's a lot of humility and the combination of the two led to some really good discussion, and I hope that you enjoy it. Hey there, how are you?
Matthew Uberntini:
Hey, Jeremy, how are you?
Jeremy Lesniak:
I'm doing great. Thanks. Awesome, yourself?
Matthew Uberntini:
I'm doing well. Thank you for having me on.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Hey, thanks for being on. Thanks for doing this. Absolutely. You are episode number four that I'm recording today. So, I've been challenging myself with this first question. Because historically, I asked this first question I find, I try to find new and creative ways to say how did you start training? And I've been challenging myself today to ask a different question. And I've managed to ask a few different questions. So, here's one that I often close with, but I'm going to open with it and we'll run from this. If you could go back to your first day of training and get, let's say 30 seconds with former younger you. Day one before you actually step foot train, you're about to start training. And you can offer some words of wisdom or advice or something. What would you tell yourself?
Matthew Uberntini:
Ah, that's a great question. I mean, I started training when I was like, six or seven?
Jeremy Lesniak:
So, you talk about Legos.
Matthew Uberntini:
Yeah, actually, my zoom app is like yelling at me right now. Yeah, Legos, definitely like, you know, keep building. You know, if I went back, I would say, I give myself a lot of advice actually. Don't stop, just keep going. Just keep going. Because you know, in your younger years, you know how it is, you know, you're into different sports. You do this for a couple years. You'd come back a year later and you're doing it again and then eventually, you know, some people will continue and some people stop. So, I think that would be the best advice outside of life advice in general. Going back to my time when I began training around that edge, so definitely.
Jeremy Lesniak:
It's interesting how often that advice that just keep going. It's not just a martial arts thing, right? If you look at kind of the, I don't know, if you follow a lot of social media, I do, you know, professionally and personally, there are a lot of people seeing this in different ways. Yeah, you've got time, you know, this Gary Vaynerchuk big thing right now. He's like, it doesn't matter how old you are, you still have time. Yeah, you don't have to panic. Just find a thing and keep plugging along.
Matthew Uberntini:
And just keep going. I think a lot of times, you know, we do and we start training, you know, especially when we're young, you know, because of our parents or friends got into it. And, you know, I remember, no, I mean, geez, you know, 30 years ago, get up my friends, get on our bicycles and go down to the local dojo. But at that time, you're doing the regular wherever you are. Dojo, whether it be, you know, Karate or Judo or whatever was running block, you know, whatever it was.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah, it is fascinating to me. How many people stop training? Like most people who start training, stop training? Yeah, I mean, statistically, anybody who spent more than a month in a martial art school knows that most people drop out. And that the majority of those people regret it.
Matthew Uberntini:
I think, you know, and I hear that a lot. I hear that a lot of students, and they say, “Oh, I wish I didn't stop training”. You know, this stuff sucks. So, you know, I understand what people stop and then people regret because they think they look back. I could have been here or their friend whatever goal they built up in their own mind to kind of reach for. And we do have people that come back after so many years, and continue to train, but you know, their bodies are breaking down, or they can't do what they physically thought they could do. And then you either, they're going to stick with it, or gone within a month. So, it depends. Yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah, those expectations. Yeah, kind of bite them. I started training when I was six, and I trained until I was 14. And now I'm 42. And I've been completely inactive. Since I got out of college. I'm just going to pick up where I left off. And anything less than a completely lateral slide over the last 28 years will be viewed as failure. And you got to wonder if they're setting themselves up for failure, so they have a justification for “Oh, well, you know, I guess I don't have to do this”.
Matthew Uberntini:
I don't want to get hurt. But you know, that's it. Like, you never get hurt in the dojo. You get hurt somewhere else.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Always that other stuff. It's in the dojo. It's ego.
Matthew Uberntini:
Absolutely.
Jeremy Lesniak:
We get hurt anytime. I've been hurt training. Yeah, it's been ego.
Matthew Uberntini:
Absolutely. Absolutely. Completely agree.
Jeremy Lesniak:
So, you started at six? Was it your idea or was your parents’ idea?
Matthew Uberntini:
I think they tried to get me into a bunch of different stuff. I was going to do soccer, baseball, you know, the usual stuff everybody, every kid does. And again, in preparation for you know, our call you know, I was just kind of reminiscing a little, going kind of back to the early years, which I forgot. You forget so much. And I remember my father taking me to a few different schools and I remember walking in saying oh, you know, the colored belts and everybody doing some crazy stuff. And I was like, wow, this is really cool, you know? And eventually, found the place and did that for a few years and another teacher and did that as any kid would do, you know, switch over to go with your friends. Go to their place. But going back to your first question, got to keep doing it. Got to keep moving. Have you been training perpetually since you were six? I've been doing something since I was six. So, you know, early years we did you know, the Jiu jitsu or the Goshen Jutsu more correctly. Classify it is you know, self-defense based on Japanese jiujitsu, karate and judo. All on islands, you know, specifically, it's all great stuff. And a lot of different teachers. Talk about types of stuff or variations of it. And I think what I wrestled after that came back to that, again wrestling through high school, junior high school. So, it's always doing something. I don't think I got really super serious until maybe senior year of high school, maybe beginning of college. In freshman year of college. Come on, I can't remember. And then from then, it's been perpetual.
Jeremy Lesniak:
That's not a typical path. You know, when we think about 12,13,15,16-year-olds, if they're not really into something, they don't do it unless they have to. Yeah. Was it? Was it something your parents forced you to do?
Matthew Uberntini:
No, I don't think they did. I think they gave me kind of...
Jeremy Lesniak:
Hung out?
Matthew Uberntini:
Yeah, I think they just kind of gave me to like it, not do it. You don't like it? Don't do it. No, no, my children. I'm the other way around. I'm like, “No, you got to continue to do, you can't stop”. You know, I know when I got my kids love sports, but if I didn't, I'd be like, I got to go. Like, I remember waking up on a Saturday morning, and my dad's like, you want to go to the dojo? I'm like, “No”, he's like, okay, you know, you probably don't want to take me. That's what I really probably came down to. But yeah, I mean, for the most part, I think that I always had, like, a little bit of a fascination with the Japanese culture. When I was young. And I think being around that was very interesting. Where did that fascination come? I don't know, I really don't know, I think, you know, I picked up some blacktop magazine and I just loved reading about all the different martial artists. I think that's what really, livings just interesting to me. I don't think there's any, you know, cartoon I know, you know, you're interviewed. One of my colleagues, [00:11:51-00:11:52], and I know, he was into the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. And that's what kind of got him going. And I don't think it was anything specific. I think it was more of a culture, believe it or not that got me really interested so early in the training.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Wow. Yeah, it's interesting. You know, sometimes we don't know why something resonates with us. Yeah. The human psyche is so complex and multifaceted that absolutely, you know, we probably need a team of PhDs. What did what to becoming more serious? Your senior year of high school, early college? What did that look like? If we watch that transition? What would we see?
Matthew Uberntini:
I think I wanted to become part of something greater. I think it was, and again, going back to the culture thing. Around that time, believe it or not, I got very into like Japanese swords, like anti-Japanese sword. So, I was very infatuated with the samurai, and then culture, and now I always found that quite interesting. And even in college, I took tons of courses in Asian philosophy and anything that I can kind of get my hands on. And we're attend, believe it or not, and I think that I just kind of wanted to really just sit down and listen to you at that age, when you're 17,18,19-years-old, what do you want to, you know, its ego. You want to be the strongest, you want to get out there and compete and just all that type of stuff. And I think that's what drove me nuts. And, believe it or not, my friendships that I've developed from that period of time are still hold true to this day. I'm 40, I'll be 42 in a few days. And I think that it was that interest first, and really wanting to get serious with them and developing friendships within the dojo that kind of perpetuated that constant, you know, three times, four times a week type of training. And we're doing that until either people make the career decisions and stop or, like me, that just keeps going.
Jeremy Lesniak:
So, when did you know you wanted that to keep going?
Matthew Uberntini:
I couldn't get enough of it. I just love the physicality of it. I love the philosophy of it. I was training with the American arts or Japanese derived American arts and I think it was the interest of wanting to learn more, learn more, learn more, get back close to the source, closer to the source. And, you know, I was lucky enough to come in contact with teachers that had contacts to Japanese teachers or really just my goal there was to go to Japan and train Japan. Luckily enough to do that at one time. And I think that took me into continuing jiujitsu and diving into Japanese swordsmanship, you know, expanding my interest in Japanese sports. So, I think that it's multifaceted in regards to what keeps you going, what got you real serious. So, I think there comes a time when you get older, you just really want to explore this, you know, you have means to do it, and we do it.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah, I get it. I totally get I think that multifaceted. I think it's so important. It's something that most martial art school owners don't seem to grasp. Like, we're going to have the best instruction. Yeah. Or we're going to have the cleanest nicest facility. I've always stack as many of those reasons for people to train. Yeah, possible. Yeah, give them a social dynamic, give them different training, give them you know, fun environments. Yeah, get them have social events, more you can stack that the more people work through, because, you know, we're at this interesting time. And I wonder if you had these more, I certainly had these moments in my training, where it would have been easier to put it down. And then when I was a kid, I'm thankful for this. My mother didn't let me and as an adult, there were times where I thought about putting it down for various reasons, time or stress, or I got a fight with somebody at the dojo or whatever it was. Maybe I need to put this down. Sure. And just remembering that there's this aspect that might not be going right. But because I had all this stacked set of reason. It couldn't. Did you have times where you thought about putting it down? But other elements kept you in?
Matthew Uberntini:
I think, yeah, I think it was yesterday, I'm pretty sure really can't get timelier than that. That's a really great question. And I think this affects every martial artist. You know, martial arts school owner, it's always easier to do something else. And I think that part of training, and I tell this to my students all the time, they said when people start, they love, they love and they get, they get in thrill with it, you know. And then a month later, or three years later, they're tired of it, you know, the tide of pain, they're tired of sweating, they're tired of whatever it might be, and then they let go of it. But I tell them all, like, “Listen, you're going to go through waves of training”, you know, you're going to go on this proverbial roller coaster. And some days, you're going to love it, some days, you're going to hate it. But the training is showing up and going, but not only going for you, but going for other people are going for your colleagues that you're going for your teachers. When I was younger, I think that I showed up for the knowledge, and for my friends, and for the guys that I was training. Because they were telling me I don't have anybody to train with today, or, you know, if you don't come on, we're not going to get the train really hard, whatever. So, I think that burnout happens a lot. But I think that's part of the training, it's part of the, you know, seven times down, eight times up. And I think that everybody needs to do that. And understand that there was a lot of people try Kobudo to see what it's about, see if they enjoy it, they want to learn self-defense, they want to learn how to kick and punch the well, another grapple, whatever it might be, but showing up every class or as many classes as you physically can, is the most important and training through those rough times is just as difficult, but also just as rewarding. And I mean, let's look at COVID. I'm sure this has affected you, as well as, you know, teaching zoom class because we couldn't meet and sitting upstairs and my kids and hanging out, having dinner and then I got to get down and 20 minutes later, we got a teaching. Do I want to do that? I could do a million other things right now, but I do because it's part of the training and more importantly, students are there. They show up. They want to learn. So, that's what continues to drug me to train and be there for each other, that's the most important.
Jeremy Lesniak:
What we're really talking about here, we're getting to the essence of the why, you know, in our why can change, but it sounds like you've spent some time really thinking about your ‘why’. Is it something you talk about with your students? Do you help them understand what they ‘why’ are?
Matthew Uberntini:
I think everybody's there for different reasons. And I try to figure out what's best for them. And the best way to teach them, whether it's physical technique, or they're there for the camaraderie, they're there. And I think that's an important part for every instructor to be able to figure that out for their students with one of their needs. They're showing up, they're giving you their time, because you're offering this thing, you know, whatever it might be, you know, but in turn, you know, we're getting back to our teachers and continuing our traditions, and this constant support on both sides. So yeah, I think that we have to find our students’ needs, and try to help them adapt as best as possible. And this kind of brings me up, you know, I've been working... Actually, the dojo that I'm teaching right now is really wonderful. They have a lot of people with physical disabilities, I've worked with a lot of challenged individuals, and that's been probably the most rewarding is helping people that are physically unable to do some things, but to help them kind of find their why and then that might be something is just having that camaraderie. But I want to help them build stronger, I want to help them walk with their head up high, and whatever that might be. That's the most important thing. That's my watch. Especially now, especially now.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I think you almost even set it this way we did a show years ago on. I think we called him martial arts as a service, the idea that participating in group instruction, as student instructors being they're part of the mix, it's important, we all need each other, you know, an instructor without students is kind of irrelevant. Students without an instructor aren't going to learn anything, and just this recognition that we all need to collaborate for that. But you've also used some other language that makes me think your ‘WHY’ is really so much about other people and filling this role to support them in their progress, in their growth. And in my experience, when that is the case, it's because there has been someone in their past and in this case, in your past, who you really felt probably went above and beyond for your progress. Am I right? Is there somebody that sticks out?
Matthew Uberntini:
Absolutely. So, actually you mentioned my teacher, Eric Johnstone. And I think we know a number of months ago, and I came from Long Island, learning with a bunch of different teachers over the years and out of anybody that I've trained with. He really helped me find what I was really looking for. And, you know, through his way of teaching, I've learned to help and that's helped me develop quite a bit in regards to my teaching ability and helping. I guess, you know, in a way, like a selflessness to help your students. So, that influenced me tremendously. And that comes from our teachers that have run our systems and the same type of thing. I've really been very blessed to have some really amazing people that have taught me and continue to teach me and help me, and we can't be selfish with that. We have to give that back. So, that's where it really comes down to influencing the way I would teach. And what will you know, I would ask the question, “What would my teacher do”, how would he help and then extend that out to our family. Especially in our family. What would they do? What would our teachers do? And I really weigh that heavily, because reflection of me is a reflection of them. And that's very important. And doing the right thing is very important.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Like the way that a reflection of me is a reflection of them. It's something that I think it's, we think about it with the people we teach. We think about, it's something I don't have children, but I hear parents talk about it. You know, I know that my child, my student is a reflection of me. And so, people work really hard to make sure that they're handing over good things that they're teaching, etc. But it doesn't always come back the other way, we don't always hear about it. I don't hear a seven-year-old say, you know, I'm not going to act out because I don't want to make my [00:25:47-00:25:48]. Yeah, like, that doesn't happen. Sure. And I don't tend to hear martial arts students, it's not commonly said, I want to make my instructor proud. I want to succeed at this competition, or I want to put in the time, I want to do well at my rank test. So, where's that coming from?
Matthew Uberntini:
So, I think you're asking me, you know, what, were you seeing that in your students that we kind of get?
Jeremy Lesniak:
It's a general question you can, when I asked questions, you can respond to and pretty much everyone, it's a lead off. So, what I'm hearing from you is uncommon, in my experience, and there's an element there that I guess requires some introspection that maybe is not appropriate at this time, because it's out of left field for in and I apologize. But is there a point where you said, you know, I've got to step up? Because I don't want to make my instructor look bad? Where did that? What would my instructor do come from?
Matthew Uberntini:
I think it's a good question. I think it's a personal responsibility, I think we, as a students need to be able to just portray what we do in the best light. So, you talked about that reflection, that mirror, you know, the martial arts [00:27:36-00:27:42] it goes down 22 generations, 22, subsequent generations. 22 generations of knowledge, passed down from person to person. And with that, there's a lot of history, there's, you know, 1000s of men and women, hundreds and hundreds of years of commitment to what they're doing. So, it's not so much me or my teachers teach it and at the same time, but it's the history of that we all carry. I'm not head of anything, you know, whatsoever, but it's, each one of us has that holds that candle, that flickering candle, you know, down that dark alleyway, keeping that light on, and it's highly important that continues for the next 500 years, in my mind, and because I've chosen that my reflection has to reflect what my teacher has been taught, and so forth and so on. And my actions dictate how my students will then pass that on to the next generation. And out of the hundreds of people that I've taught, you know, throughout the decades, there are a handful of really great students, great people will become teachers themselves that are now passing that along but you have to be willing to learn, and that's it. You have to open yourself to that. And part of that is to put yourself down in regards to your ego, and accept what's being shown to you and listen and learn, you know, so yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
You use the phrase, great instructors or good instructors. What makes someone a great instructor?
Matthew Uberntini:
Good question. I think that somebody needs to be number one technically sound somebody that is representing their chosen art to be, you know, a representative of that art. I think that you need to have an outgoing personality, somebody that's going to attract students. I'm not saying that you need to have that. But I think it helps, especially in the beginning. And I think you need to have compassion for others, and to try to seek to understand and try to understand what they're about. And again, the ones we talked about before finding their ‘why’, what's their ‘why’. So, I think those three things are highly important in the future. Absolutely.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Let's switch gears. Sure. A little bit here. You know, you're in New York City. I live in New York City. Okay. Still a rather populated area. Sure. Still a lot of options in terms of martial arts. Sure. You could probably in a comfortable drive. Sure. get access to anything? Yeah, you can. Why do you train? What you train?
Matthew Uberntini:
Good question. You know, I think everybody has a certain aptitude, know, they kind of gravitate towards certain things, whether they're grapplers, or whether they're kickers or so they might choose something like Taekwondo, or somebody who's into grappling, BJJ, or Judo school. And I know, for me, I've always had that fascination with, you know, the samurai. And it's always been something that I've studied, you know, throughout the years, and I've always been interested in the ancient the old. That's where I came into studying Japanese. And I think, for me, the arts around that. have always interested me. But I like a lot of stuff. I like it all, you know, to report. And I appreciate it all. I don't have time to do it all, but I appreciate it all. So, you kind of have to start, you know, whittling things down and you choose something else? To get really good if you really want to really delve into things. That’s something that's so old and older than you and generations of people before you and that's what I love. And that's what I love for some, you know, I'm a Grappler by nature and then in sorting, so, yeah, that about the two probably don't come into play at the same time very often. They do tremendously. They do. Oh, of course, sounds dangerous. That's sometimes the danger zone makes it fun. Yeah. Interestingly, so, you know, if you look at like prewar candle, you know, and I've been doing candle for almost 20 years and you look at prewar Kendo. Compile a lot of grappling, a lot of throwing, always involved in it, you can see stuff, you go on to YouTube, check things out from you know, from that time period, let's say sweeps and throws and, you know, people getting their men ripped off and it's pretty aggressive. The core, you know, especially in our style. There's ton of grappling involved, or, you know, basically things that lead to where the grappling could be. But you have to think as a summary art they studied a bunch of different arts. So, you know, grappling was a Jiu jitsu specifically was almost an auxiliary study for them. Primary weapons, you know, where spear obviously evolve. And, you know, the swordman ship, you know, especially if somebody lost their weapon, or they would have to defend against swordsman or they use short swords and daggers might have weapons as well. There was always this armor of grappling. That was always inherent in everything that's studied. So yeah, it was always intertwined. You know, without a doubt, of course.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I learned something. Yeah. I was just imagining and maybe it's just the way I'm imagining grappling and I'm imagining two people one pulling guard and young ones. Yeah. You know, and that's not going to work. But what you're saying makes all kinds. I was too limited in my definition.
Matthew Uberntini:
I understand now the grappling arts in general you know Judo, BJJ, apparently the Japanese side or Brazilian side, they're fantastic, you know, they're the beautiful arts there. We could work them for decades. You know, but my grappling is more focused on weapons-based arts. The Jiu jitsu and Japanese Jiu jitsu, you know, sometimes different, but they're awesome.
Jeremy Lesniak:
The way you talk, there's a reverence that comes through in your voice. Are you aware of that?
Matthew Uberntini:
No.
Jeremy Lesniak:
You feel that wait?
Matthew Uberntini:
No, I don't know. I just what I do. And I think that's what kind of keeps you going is the love for, you know, just wanting to keep learning, you can't stop learning, there's always something else to learn, you know, having that insatiable thirst is really important. And I hope when people train, they won’t stop because too many stops learning.
Jeremy Lesniak:
So, let's say something happened, let's say the things that you do, and not just the super specific things that you do, but the broader things, let's say, sword-based arts, and grappling, you know, traditional Japanese stand up to or sort of based arts are however you want to think about it, they're made illegal or, you know, weirdly erased from the collective consciousness, or you're transported to an alternate universe where they don't exist. Right? And sure, you get to keep your memories on, but you don't get to train them, then. What are you going to do?
Matthew Uberntini:
So, what am I going to give up? You are kind of just, how are you going to proceed? Am I going to get forget about? Um, do I get to pick one?
Jeremy Lesniak:
No, because you get to have the memories. Yeah. You don't get to train them in that codified way. Yeah, so I guess really, the question is, whhat would you switch into?
Matthew Uberntini:
Where should I switch into? Good question. Ah, I find something. You know, I probably completely out of martial arts completely, you know, go into mountain biking, you know, focusing on like, some of my childhood interests. I think that it comes a point where you do this for such a long time, it comes in integral part of you and there's no separation between you and what you do in a way. But I don't think that it's necessarily always, the art or this. I think that it's the passion, the energy put into something can be transferred to something that might just, you know, at that moment, grab you and I think that's something that you need some introspection. But the energy then that passion would transfer to, I'm sure something.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah. Alright, let's switch gears. So, the show is pretty story based, pretty much everything you've talked about is based on segments of story. And one of the questions I used to ask, like, in the early days of every episode, he typically comes out organically, but I'm going to leverage it in here. I'm going to wedge it their stories. I love stories, the root of what we do here. Sure. If you were invited to speak to some group of martial artists, and you were brought up on stage, and you're in front of a podium, and the people organizing the event said, “Hey, I want you to open with your favorite martial arts story, from your time training”. And then you can go on and you can lecture and tell them whatever else. What would that story be? And will you tell us now?
Matthew Uberntini:
A favorite martial arts story? I mean, there's so many. And I think they're more social.
Jeremy Lesniak:
And honestly, those are the best ones.
Matthew Uberntini:
Yeah, without a doubt.
Jeremy Lesniak:
We've heard some utterly ridiculous things over the years. We've heard everything from the ones that you might expect, like fights, to surprises, who disappointment to life changing. If we transitional things.
Matthew Uberntini:
I think, well, there's so many really, there's so many. I think that a lot of it some of that can be life changing in regards to some of the talks we get from our seniors and our teachers that can make you rethink life in a way. But thinking back and you know, kind of thinking of what I really enjoyed. That was kind of behind it, you know, if I go back to some early candidates, I remember, you know, after every practice, we'd always go to this to this restaurant on a Saturday and be with my teacher and the other students. And I remember this particular one that I've ever seen, your teacher came and made me read, and then everybody would get a portrait card is at the end. And I remember, his teacher is very quiet, you wouldn't really expect much coming from everybody [00:41:33-00:41:43]. He doesn't know what he's talking. So, I remember this teacher opened it up, and looked at it. And it goes, my head handwritten, and we're all looking for like, wow. It says, “Please help. I'm stuck in a Chinese fortune cookie company”, and I can pick it up some crazy story. And it was one of these funny stories that just, you know, from a very unassuming person that I always remember that he was just a small stupid joke but it was something that was we all read. I mean, we all got to laugh about it.
Jeremy Lesniak:
The contrast of someone who I suspect, you hadn't seen be humorous before?
Matthew Uberntini:
We know, I probably just met him a couple times. But it was said they were made so funny. I mean I can't tell the joke. I don't destroy the joke. But he, you know, it came from such an unassuming person. That was fantastic. It really was fantastic. I mean, comedy is timing. Yeah. And I always remember that, you know, just thinking of a story that just kind of you never forget. Yeah, something like that.
Jeremy Lesniak:
That's great. Yeah, I love those. I used to say, your best story, and I don't think I asked you in that way. I think I said your favorite story. Because when I learned early on, when I asked people for their best story, they started being really judgmental. Because that story right there. What makes it enjoyable to us listening is that it was meaningful to you. Yeah. And we can relate not even if not necessarily to the story, but the meaning of that story, that context, etc. But when I say your best story, like, everybody's going to find this, you know. And so, that really becomes an important part of what we do here on the show. And I think it's a critical part of martial arts and how we relate to each other as martial arts, especially when we're crossing stylistic boundaries is the spirit. Yes, of these things, the spirit with which we train the spirit with which we teach, we learn. You could throw me in a whooshing class of which I have exactly 45 minutes of experience, and I know, absolutely no, Mandarin, Cantonese. I have a very mild amount of Japanese and slightly less Korean to work from. So, you throw me in Wushu class. Taught traditionally, I'm not going to know anything that's going on, but I'm going to be able to follow along. I'm going to be able to move my body. And I think that is such an important concept that we often forget about. Yeah, we're so busy splitting hairs sometimes that we forget that. What we do is based on the spirit with which we're all doing something really pretty darn simple.
Matthew Uberntini:
Yes, it is. And I think there's an old Japanese book on Japanese but it's no book on Japanese martial artists. And everyone did something different. It was interview, one was aikido sensei and other one was a Kendo Sensei, karate-do, Shorinji Kempo, all these different arts and the basic thing I took away from was, they're all reaching for their pinnacle, they're all reaching for their, you know, that perfection that will never be reached to your point. All the energy involved, you know, being able to kind of coexist all these different stylistic interpretations. But the real truth of the matter is it's just that, you know, it's just being able to express yourself as in the sincerest way as possible, you know. And that's true for all those with all those teachers that I read about, you know, their ideas, the things that he was all the same. And to each of those teachers, you know, like, for instance, [00:46:12-00:46:18]. And I remember, the teacher said, now that I've reached the top of the mountain. But now, when I look in the distance, I can see another mountain peak much higher. So, I have to strive to reach that, you know, and that's part of the drive. For everybody, whatever the style is, it's always a matter. Does this make you a good person or not? Actually, I don't know if it makes you. I don't know, Buddha can make you a good person. I think that you're depressed or not, but I think it helps. I think it helps. And I think that, yeah, and I think that people will, when they put everything into whatever chosen art that they do, it can make an already good person better, and help them contribute to society and help their students as we talked about before. And that's the most important thing. I think.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I agree. I do completely agree. I want to talk about rank. And I want to talk about it in a way that kind of it borrows from what you just illustrated this idea of reaching the top of the mountain, but then realizing that there are other mountains, and some of them are taller, and now you get to go climb. I think we are potentially in this really interesting time in martial arts with respect to rank, because I think we can all agree that some people are let me say differently, we can all agree that we don't agree in how rank should be awarded. Yeah. And so, my question is, do you think that will change? Does it reach some ridiculous point? Does it reach some place where we kind of collectively say, “Oh, we need to make a change?” And if so, what does that change? And if not, one of the consequences?
Matthew Uberntini:
Rank’s interesting. It's either a blessing or a curse. You know, sometimes I think that, you know, every organization has its own ranking structure, right? And you can't compare one rank to another, you know, go down and collect data is different from a goat on somewhere else, even within the same style, sometimes. I don't think it will ever stop. In regards to some of the silliness that I've seen out there. You know, it's been going on forever, you know, I know people. I see people on Facebook debated constantly, fancy titles, and, get it that are given, self-given or given from some other organization that shouldn't be giving anyway. Whenever I think it's up to the individual to really, you know, look for what in their mind is the most authentic or that has some very high grading standard. And stick with that, I know that it's a hard thing to really discuss because everybody's got their own thought process. And I'm not saying you know, any of them are incorrect or wrong. But truthfully, great outside of your own organization, in my mind is really irrelevant. It's what can you do and more importantly, what have you done for or yesterday were your students? How do they act? So, trying to change it or fix it or?
Jeremy Lesniak:
What I'm hearing is don't worry about it so much.
Matthew Uberntini:
Yeah, I think so. I think that's something that, you know, I listen, when we're all starting to train. Everybody wants to rally; I want to show it on. Oh, I want to go down, I want this, I want that. You know, the BJJ is very belt, orange, white, blue, purple. But they're competitive greats. If you're going to be a purple belt, you've got to be able to compete at a purple belt level. Kendo is probably an example in order for you to compete, you know, your grade is generally in the world. Anywhere you go in the world, you generally go out on your own bodies. So, there's a very strong grading quality of people. So, there are benefits, I think, to larger organizations that really focus on that. But some organizations focus more on the knowledge and the transmission of technique and couldn't, you know, the hidden teachings that you're issued. A license or [00:51:30-00:51:31]. So, it's all different. So yeah, to your point, I think that let's just forget about train. Just enjoy.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Just forget about the train. That should be a T shirt. Yeah, totally. Yeah. So, what's coming next? As you look out, you know,you've got a birthday coming. It sounds like I just turned 42 last week.
Matthew Uberntini:
Oh, happy birthday.
Jeremy Lesniak:
We're Gemini. Are you also a Gemini?
Matthew Uberntini:
I am.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Nice. Nice. What's your date?
Matthew Uberntini:
18.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Right. Okay. So, 10 days, I got 10 days on you. Awesome. Nice. So, as you look out, you know, tends to be a time of reflection as we near our birthdays. And you look out as you know, at 45 and 50, and 75. And however far you choose to look into the future. Sure. Do you have goals? Are there things you're hoping to work towards accomplish? Be known for or even as simple as be able to say, yeah, it could be, you know, one of the more common answers is, I just want to keep training. So, I'm kind of going to take that one away from you.
Matthew Uberntini:
I think I hope I survive. That's a great goal. That's number one. That's the number one goal, um, you know, I have a lot of, you know, professional goals. I definitely, I'm always goal oriented. And I think you need to be, I think you need to have something to reach for, whether you reach it or not is up to you. Leave it up to fate. But the journey I think is the most important thing. So, for me, you know, I want to see my students grow. I want to see them get better than I am, or really just try to strive and try to give what I've learned to them, and then to take it on to the next level. I think that is the ultimate goal for me. And like I said, you know, you could ask the question before, like, did you ever want to stop? Definitely, of course, but what keeps you going? What keeps that drive moving forward? And it's just your students. I'm hoping one day, I can teach my son to train and continue that on. So yeah, I think it's very based on you know, my goals are to continue to train of course, but with the goal in mind of being able to pass on what I've learned and continuing to learn while doing that, that's really what I find to be really important.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I'm right there with you. I completely agree. If people want to find you, website, social media, email, anything like that, you can share.
Matthew Uberntini:
Sure. website is www.nycbudo.com and you know that was originally sight. When I started up, I had a dojo in Queens, New York, and I found that Kendo dojo in Queens as well, along with my longtime friend [00:55:05-00:55:06]. And then I was teaching on Long Island and another dojo. So that was kind of the hub for all those schools together. And I was kind of using that as a draw to two people interested in training in Queens, that kind of school, they can go there, what they were interested in while they could go there. But you know, when we end up moving kids getting to the works, you know, careers, have more responsibility. I find myself teaching at one place and practicing one place now, which has been wonderful. But a lot of those things have been taken over by other teachers now. They're continuing, which is fantastic. So, yeah, so that said, that still remains the hub for that. So, while I'm not actively teaching at some of those schools anymore, and they can still go,
Jeremy Lesniak:
Well, this is where we, in a moment, we're going to roll out to the outro that I'm going to record after we're done here. So, this is your kind of final block to speak to the audience. You know, do you have some words of conclusion or advice, spirited challenge that you want to leave them with? As we fade here?
Matthew Uberntini:
Good question. I think like we said in the beginning, if you start martial arts, and it might take a few different places to find the right teacher. But when you do, don't stop. Keep fighting through the pain, physical and mental. And, you know, it's something. If you find some joy, whatever joy in it. Keep working on that, and keep trying to find that and try to let that see grow. Because the more you do it, the more love you might find for it. And on top of that, you might be helping somebody else in their quest as well. So, I think that's an important thing to kind of think about when you're training. It's not always about you. It's about other stuff.
Jeremy Lesniak:
There we go. You're still here. So, you heard it. You know what I'm talking about? This was an awesome episode. Matt, it didn't matter where I tried to go. Matt followed me. He went there with me and took what I gave him. And it was an awesome experience. I hope he enjoyed it half as much as I did. And I hope you enjoyed it. Even a quarter as much as I did. Guest comes first, right? Seriously, though, Sensei Matt, thanks for coming on the show. I really appreciate it. And I hope we get to connect you. Listener go to whistlekickmartialartsradio.com, sign up for the newsletter, check out the stuff we got there, go to whistlekick.com, check out the stuff we've got there. Find a way to support us. Because if you value the show, we've got to do stuff. We've got to do stuff, you got to help us out. Please, you want the best free option. Send this or another episode to somebody that trains and say “hey, I want you to listen to this episode. And here's why”. If you want to go a little a little bit deeper, help us you know, pay some bills. patreon.com/whistlekick, or whistlekick.com, PODCAST15 or whistlekickprograms.com and grab our speed development program. Get faster. In a few weeks, you'll go in training and people go, what is going on? Why are you so fast? And it's like, well, you know, it's a secret, but I'll tell you, whistlekickprograms.com. If you don't like it seriously, I'll give you running back. I will personally hand you the money now. Alright, I'm getting silly. So, let's wind up here. Thank you all. Thanks for your support. If you have feedback or topic suggestions or anything like that, email me jeremy@whistlekick.com. Our social media is @whistlekick. And that closes up another episode. We got another one coming for you soon. So, until then, train hard, smile and have a great day.