Information About Dr. Dan Rinchuse and his Martial Arts School
Master Instructor
7th Degree Black Belt Shohei/Uechi Ryu
2nd Degree Black Belt Shingitai Ju Jitsu
Thank you for your inquiry into our martial arts programs. Dr. Dan Rinchuse has been involved in the martial arts since 1978. He has trained in Okinawa on numerous occasions. All our black belt certificates come from Okinawa and are granted by the Okinawa Karate Do Association. He has been fortunate to train with the top Okinawan karate masters: Masters Kanei Uechi, Takara, Inada, Takamiyagi, Nakahodo, Yonamine, Nakamatsu, Kiyohide Shinjo, and Miyagi. In addition he has studied weapons with Fumio Demura and Jiu Jitsu with Royce Gracie, the Ultimate Fighting Champion, and John Saylor, three-time national judo champion and coach of the Olympic judo team for seven years. Our Uechi/Shohei school is under the supervision of one of the highest ranking American Masters, Jack Summers, 9th Degree Black Belt. In Ju Jitsu we train with John Saylor, director of Shingitai Ju Jitsu. Besides the martial arts, Dan is a board certified orthodontist and a full professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine. In addition to his Doctorate in Dental Medicine, he earned a Ph.D. in higher education from the University of Pittsburgh in addition to two masters degrees. He is also certified as a tennis teaching professional by the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) and the Professional Tennis Registry (PTR).
Academically he has earned the following Degree's
B.S. - Biology/Education, Indiana Univ. of Pennsylvania, 1969
D.M.D. - Doctor of Dental Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, 1974
M.S. - Pharmacology/Physiology, University of Pittsburgh, 1974
M.D.S. - Orthodontics, University of Pittsburgh, 1976
Ph.D. - Higher Education, University of Pittsburgh, 1985
We have excellent martial arts programs and black belt instructors that feature Uechi/Shohei karate, Shingitai Ju Jitsu, integrative martial arts, self-defense, small-joint manipulations, functional training, and Kobudo (classic Okinawan weapons training: sai, bo, tonfa, nunchaku, oar, and kama). We are located at the Greensburg Racquet Club on Route 30 East past Westmoreland Mall.
How do I get started?
How do I get started? If you are interested in our programs, come and observe a class (Tuesday and Thursday at 6:30 PM or Saturday morning 10:30 AM) and we can discuss your training in more detail.
If you need further information, the best way to contact me is through e-mail. My e-mail address is: drinchuse@aol.comMy phone number is: 724-832-7121 (home) and 412-610-5342 (cell).
At what age can I get started?
Although many Korean karate schools enroll students as young as 4 and 5 years of age, we believe it is more desirable to start children at an older age. Therefore, we start children at our school at around 7 or 8 years of age. Furthermore, there are children at other schools who have black belts at 10, 11, or 12 years of age (this is a joke to me), but this is unheard of in Uechi/Shohei Ryu because a child has to be 16 years of age before he/she can be tested for a black belt. These are the guidelines from Okinawa. Some Uechi/Shohei schools award junior black belts for those exceptional karate students who are under 16 years of age. Currently, there is debate, pro and con, for the awarding of a junior black belt rank.
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