Goju-ryu saved my life when I was ganged up on, 3 on 1. I didn't win the fight because I was beat up pretty badly, but I was able to hold them off long enough by doing significant damage to one of my assailants. Not just because of my tecniques but mostly because of the toughness and conditioning I experienced in Goju-Ryu. Surviving a fight is more important than winning it. Goju definitely helps you in that aspect.
Goju-Ryu saved me in many a situations. It helped me with multiple opponents, bigger opponents, and being thrown(falls/takedowns/trips/etc.). It made me tough as nails.
@@timkittle5418 I agree. All the street situations I was in were ugly affairs. I believe it's best to avoid them when possible. Keep in mind Goju has also protected me in other ways. It has made me healthy and taught me how to avoid injury(breakfalls, etc.). Honestly studying this art improved my life for the better.
On the reason why Karate uses exaggerated movements. The way my teacher explained it; if you make a baseball bat, you take a piece of wood. When you cut the wood you can make it smaller but you can never make it bigger. It's habit forming in concept. It'll naturally get smaller in contact sparring.
Makes sense. I think that it has positives and negatives. Even in BJJ when you grapple you always start with bigger movements and as you improve you get tighter and tighter and take away space.
@@inside_fightingwish that Doce Paris was more than a myth in America back in the 70 s to mid 90s in my pre "bad day at the office ".my whole life changed in the time space of 1.5 heartbeats . Some of that kata is nearly identical to Hedon shodon with some of techy katas in one . Am I even close ?
Oh yeah. I started practicing Goju and Uechi ryu in 1988. I´m 50 years old now, and I´m 5´dan in Goju and 6´dan in Uechi. I went to Okinawa 4 time. One time, an old sensei (82 years old) sent me a tsuki so fast I couldn´t defend myself. He hit my stomach. The punch was so fast and so strong (his hands looked like two deformed rocks) that I felt sick for a week. My back hurted so much that I barely could walk. Yes, my back. Okinawan traditional Karate is a deadly weapon. Period. And yes, you are right. In Okinawa I learned that ancient Karate is 50% strike and 50% projections and immobilization. Thank you very much for this video and I apologize for my bad English.
@@KaptainCanuck When I say "ancient Karate" it can be the Okinawan martial art ( Tode) from the XVIII century, or older. That, for me and for a lot of people, is ancient.
Hello from the dojo that pops up at around 17:04! Thank you so much for featuring us on this topic, and for being so respectful of our style - sometimes Goju Ryu doesn't get a fair shake on the internet, but we're trying our best to change that! Let's collab sometime? Best wishes from South Africa 🇿🇦 Zoë (the thug wife)
The two main branches are Naha-te and Shuri-te. The third smaller branch, Tomari-te, is like a mix between Naha and Shuri styles. Having said that, Naha and Shuri are like 3 miles apart, with Tomari between them, so in a way it's an arbitrary division and most styles are relatively recent developments. Shorin-ryu and Shotokan are both descended from Shuri-te and Tomari-te. Naha-te styles are anecdotally "better" for short, stocky people but that's a subjective value judgement. But regardless, ALL karate is clinch fighting in it's origin. Developed at a time when every young boy grew up wrestling in the Tegumi style, karate didn't NEED to teach it's grappling base. All the kids came to karate already WITH the grappling base necessary to ADD ON the adjunct of karate. The hand pulling back during a "punch" is called hiki-te (pulling hand). Judo also uses hiki-te. It's called that because it's pulling something. The Japanese caused the focus on striking as opposed to stand up clinch grappling with strikes added, and that influence has permeated most styles to some degree, some more than others. I did Shotokan in the 80's and 90's and it was tough, as my instructor was also shodan or nidan in both Kyokushin and Shorin-ryu, but it was still focused on unattached striking at distance instead of clinch fighting. It's very good to see the renaissance happening in karate over the last couple of decades. The UA-cam channel "Karate Breakdown" is good for seeing these connections.
As I get older, I'm coming to the conclusion that most martial arts are really grappling styles. Even something that you wouldn't normally consider. like Wushu or Chang Quan has forgotten applications that are grappling in nature. For example, what looks like a kick can really be a footsweep or a throw.
I had the fortune of meeting a HARDCORE Goju man in the early 90's in Washington state near Seattle . I learned Sanchin Kata from him and how to make proper spring makiwara post . Both made a PROFOUND effect on everything I did going forward . Every martial artist would benefit from Sanchin . What's funny is he would enter local tournaments and do either Sanchin, Sanseru , or the Oar kata . Keep in mind he had gone to Okinawa to train with the masters. He tracked down every piece of history he could . He had dug a hole 4 inches deep in his little back yard doing these kata over and over . But when he entered the tournaments nobody had a clue how to judge him . All they knew was the modern flipping , flying and screaming forms .
@@HampCoLLC I've been racking my brain trying to remember . Black guy , maybe 40's at the time . I think I'd know his name if I heard it though . He lived in the apartment complex I worked at in Redmond .
I've always been impressed with the grip training of Goju Ryu. There's video of Morio Higoanna showing how you grab and crush the throat and/or testicles. He's also demonstrated small joint manipulation that looks nasty. Grip strength is highly overlooked.
My first as well. Thank you for showcasing my style and giving a great explanation of body hardening and the toughness required. Traditional GoJu has no real head kicks, only kick below the waist. Maybe sternum. Goju style can be summed up with their 2 foundational kata. Sanchin kata and Sanseru kata. GoJu is hard/soft style, sanchin is hard and Sanseru is soft. Your attention to the hip crack was a spot on analysis. My sensei said if your gi doesn’t crack you’re doing it wrong. Learning to generate power from your waist translates to all other athletic endeavors. Keep up your dives into obscure arts. I’m sure we’d have watched Kung fu theater on Saturdays together as kids. My sensei could also pick out any move from a kata and show the actual application, you surmised right. It was grab and smash lol. Cheers.
Really glad you liked this one. I’ve noticed goju is also very good at developing short tight power which is amazing. You are right about kung fu theater 😂
In 1953, Mas Oyama opened his own karate dojo, named Oyama Dojo (form of Gōjū-ryū), in Tokyo . It was later renamed to Kyokushin . Oyama had 7th degree Black belt in Judo, black belt in Gojuriyu and Shotokan Karate.
Yes! And as originally developed Kyokushin included grappling and throws. The advent of tournament competition in the mid to late 70s drove most dojos away from the original concept, but not all. Some of us continued with it as developed. Osu!!
Your analysis of what kata trains is beautiful in my view. I’m 72 and have been training another Okinawa style (Isshin Ryu which can partially out of Goju Ryu) for almost 50 years. Kata has allowed me to maintain balance, explosiveness, power and toughness for well into my present advanced age. Just as you said, people have the wrong idea of what kata is for. They think somehow the practitioner is practicing to use the series of movements exactly as they are in the kata, exactly in the order, etc. Your insight into this and street confrontations in refreshing. Great video!
I appreciate the mindful comments on protecting yourself as you age. I’m hitting 51 in a few days. I’m healing up from a nasty foot break and it’s on my mind a lot. God bless.
Oh man, my sympathy. I know how a broken foot feels. I can't do Iaido anymore because I broke my foot about ten years ago, or at least not do it correctly. I never went to the doctor, so it didn't heal right.
Your grappling interpretations of kata are spot on. I’ve been a karateka for over 30 years. I’ve learned more about kata by training grappling than I have in “traditional” karate schools. Good video.
This was Mas Oyama primary style before he created kyokushinkai. Mas oyama did trained under gechin funokoshi son in shotokan for over a year, and incorporated elements of that in kyokushinkai, but he was primarily a goju Ryu practishoner before oyama karate, which became kyokushinkai kan
This is my first style. Started in 1985 and Ive practiced for a few years. Now I study this and other styles, and its going to take me a life time to learn all I want to know.
In regards to the slap parry, goju ryu actually has it baked into all uke waza (which are basically a slap parry plus an extra action with the arm which can be a strike or a frame or similar). I love goju ryu, I've been practicing it for 20 years and I love to sparbwith people from different styles and systems to test it.
I just came across your channel, I like it, I subscribed to it. Your totally right, in a fight, physical fitness is very important, it's why it will carry you through the fight. I took GoJu Ryu some time ago about 25 years, and I'm a purple belt, I still do kata, the style is found in the kata's. Your right, if someone never hit anyone, the closest thing is the boxing bag, with no gloves. The take down video clip, he's great, he's from South Africa and he teaches traditional GoJu Ryu, I follow he's channel.
Goju Ryu is why I'm alive today, I parried a punch Goju style and it turned out to be a knife, the guy was stabbing with so much force that it still went in below my hip, but it beats getting disembowelled, was able to hold his hand (and the knife) in me whilst beating him up, then we both ran away in different directions. The Goju I was taught by my late father was more half hard, half soft, I think after Kyokushin became mainstream Goju Ryu wanted to compete with it so it became even harder, which was detrimental to the softer elements of the style that balanced it, as I've grown older I have switched from Goju Sachin to Uechi and try to balance the Karate I do.
I do Isshin-ryu, which is about half-influenced by goju. Kata and body conditioning are the only way I can train martial arts daily anymore, I’m 41 and my body is wrecked from bjj and skiing etc. Karate has been a godsend.
Im glad you pointed out the grappling in Kata, so many instructors don't realise that grappling is inbeaded into most traditional arts, I practiced Goju Ryu at the same time I was practicing Bujinkan, Unfortunately the Goju Ryu turned into a soccer mums baby sitting convention, which is a shame because I really enjoyed it, and was forced to pick the lesser of the two arts in my eyes anyway.😊
Most of the bunkai I learned doing GoJu were not helpful unfortunately. I still do the kata at times just as exercise. But, if there were bunkai that were actually applicable, that would be great.
Love your analysis. I've trained Goju Ryu for many years. My sensei came from Kyokushin before switching to Goju Ryu so I was taught a blend of both styles. The beauty and dynamism of Goju Ryu and the intensity of Kyokushin. I never fully appreciated what a complete style Goju Ryu is until I cross-trained in other martial arts - boxing, Jiu Jitsu, and Muay Thai and found the strengths of each art could be found in what I'd been learning all along.
Thank you for this video brother. As a Karate guy of course I smile but I’m also across trainer as you know, and I think we share similarities in terms of we look for the common values and attributes that can begin from all of the martial arts. I appreciate your positive and respectful content. I look forward to seeing you, possibly in August here in Toronto.
I started training in Goju Ryu in 1969 at the agte of four. My Aunt and Uncle were my instructors who used to teach under Master Aaron Banks. It was always conditioning, forms, sparring. In the dead of winter, mu uncle would take me to Coney Island, not for the amusment park but for traiing in the waters. I would have to do all of my forms AND hold my Front, Side and back kick, without putting my leg down, while the waters were crashing into me. I went thru so many conditioning nd other traioning that I just don't see any more today. I am still in the arts. Looking back at the way I was trained and the way I was brought up in the arts, I can say that I was truly blessed, compared to what is around us today.
Choki Motobu is credited with saying the following: “Karate was not designed for the battlefield nor for tournaments.” So, what’s left? Once this is grasped, kata becomes extremely significant. As Richard “Tiger” Kim stated: “Sparring is the bone you give the dog to guard the meat.” I’m a Goju man so I know first hand what a vicious/animalistic style it is. It’s not by accident that the totem for some Goju schools is the tiger.
Kyokushin guy here 🙌 Alleays dreamed of Karate my whole life and im a few month, into Kyokushin right now. And maan was I at home from day one. - Kyokushin Is Pure Magic - So now I know why I allways longed for it. Kyokushin Forever 🙂🙏 OSS!!
Goju Ryu is my main style and my first martial art love, even though it’s not the first martial art I started. It has helped me build a strong body and more confident when I was a shy teenager, especially when we trained bunkai/breakdown of kata or kumite or partner drills like Kakie/Sticky Hands etc. It even helped me with BREATHING CONTROL, plus it helped me by teaching me Sanchin Kata or Tenshou in a medicinal way to relieve my chronic migraines. Even when I’m so exhausted, using the Sanchin style breathing to regain my 2nd wind and keep going forwards. Thank you for your input and I’m glad you did this, Ilan
Sanchin helped me when I was depressed, the moment you stop thinking about everything else and concentrate on the breathing and movements you can think clearer after.
Thank you for explaining the kata moves. Martial arts today is all about the NOW! They don't wsnt to put in the year's to build a good foundation and balance. People today only want to hit hurt and win a sport. Grappling is good to know but most people will not be able to do that many year's later. Tai chi is movement same as kata so when your old you can still move. Kyokushin and Kudo mixed with Wado Ryu is a great mixture. I started Martial arts back in 1984 those are the styles i have studied. Today's Martial artist doesn't seem to have the patience to do the same techniques over and over for many year's to master the techniques and they lack honor and respect. I have trained few mma guy's and after they actually listened to me let me break down the proper technique in kicking, moving ,and punching the were faster stronger with correct techniques. Just because you can kick and it looks like a good kick doesn't mean your doing it correctly and probably slower and weaker. Also body conditioning will be with you when your old. Example when your young you have 100% power. When you condition your hands shins and feet for many year's and you aren't 100% power with conditioning your 60% power will be the same as your younger 100%. With the correct hand training year's and years the hands will feel like iron. Also use linament . Train for long term not something fast and don't focus on sport Martial arts is like math its never ending always learning. And those that think IM A BLACK BELT. cool you earned it but a black belt is the beginning of the next level so basically now you a white belt again. You start off as a white belt and then black belt and when your black belt turns white again your at the next level no end till it is your end of time.
I trained in Goju-Ryu during my time in the service. I was an avid weightlifter and this style suited me perfectly. Notice the quick level changes. Gravity is put to good use. Jack Dempsey used the ¨falling step¨ based on GJR´s rapid dropping of the center of gravity.
Goju Ryu has a lot of grappling techniques because Okinawaian karate has 3 roots (for as far as we know). It' s a mix of a chinese striking styles (Snake, Crane and monks monstly), Okinawaian Sumo wich is a complete grappling style (at the time at least) and local weapon techniques (Tonfa, Bo, Sai...etc.). It was clearly made for surviving and making you stronger for a street fight for your life. The only thing you didn't / couldn't show from Goju Ryu was the weaponized part but to be frank it is usualy referred as Kobudo and only old school Goju Ryu schools teaches it because most of masters out of Okinawa never learned the weapon part. Anyway thanks for the video, it was very interesting to see an "outsider" perspective of what you can find around about Goju Ryu.
The 'blocking" techniques are not really blocks. Blocking is not something that you really find in old school karate. Those techniques are ways of manipulating limbs. The hands are more active than that. The "uke" happen much closer to the opponent, after contact has already been made. Karate was never meant to square up with one person in a duel. It's for self-defense and not for fighting. Not only that, but it also wasn't really designed to work against another person that knew martial arts. I mean duels between martial artists did happen, but when you read the accounts, they are never very long, and the techniques used are always really simple. And yeah, conditioning has always been a thing. Its like the difference between a regular person that goes about their day and someone the hits the gym regularly. Then on top of that, the person that hits the gym knows how to protect themselves and hurt people. Then you have the regular dude, that may or may not be acquainted with violence, doesn't know that the other guy is in shape and knows martial arts. Then it gets uncorked and by the time the ruffian realizes he made a mistake it is already too late. Also there wasn't as much exposure to the martial arts and there wasn't a gym on every major street. Plus the home gym wasn't much of a thing really. Those guys played their cards close to the chest. I'm preaching to the choir aren't I? 😐
Now, after understanding what a huge variety there is in Goju-Ryu, imagine what an even bigger variety there is in all of Karate! It is not just true for Goju-Ryu, but for Shorin-Ryu as well.
Nice to hear hear good stuff about Goju. There's a school near me that teaches it( along with JJJ, Aikido, AikiJujutsu) and shares space with a Judo school. I never had that big an interest in Japanese arts but I've been thinking of checking it out.
All your points are accurate. I'd like to add that kumite sparring and its variations are a kind of training drill. This is a method that should generate healthy competition - a sport with specific requirements to score a point. Not just any strike counts as a point and there are a ton of limitations. It is not just what you would do in a real fight. Just like so many other arts, where their training gets misinterpreted as fighting. Some schools really stick to sport. Some have other agendas.
I want to point out that in Goju there are many rule sets for sparring. This is one reason why you see many older Goju guys. The system is very flexible.
Which Okinawa style is closer to Chinese systems is more about the instructor and less about specific style. But generally I would agree that the Chinese elements are in the Goju curriculum.
Goju Ryu (being Okinawan) is one of the forms of karate that is closer to its kung fu ancestors from southern China (esp. White Crane). Some of those training things -- the pushing hands drill, the palm conditioning, etc. -- are staples of traditional kung fu. When you say Goju looks like Filipino martial arts, I think it is more that they have a common ancestor in southern kung fu that migrated out across the south China Sea trading/social networks. Fun fact -- Goju Ryu is the style used for Miyagi-Do in the Karate Kid/Cobra Kai series. I agree with you that the sweeps are the best thing about karate. For me, the integration of striking and standing grapples is the particularly appealing thing about Okinawan karate. Check out the "practical bunkai" work of Iain Abernathy on that. Jesse Enkamp's video on the difference between Okinawan and Japanese karate is one of the best pieces of martial arts history/anthropology on youtube. Check that out as well.
I started as a pure Goju practitioner, and around the time I was promoted to my shodan I started really feeling that there were too many movements in kata that didn’t feel like functional strikes but seemed to share more in common with holds and throws. That’s when I started studying with a trainer from the early days of UFC. One of the best decisions I’ve ever made for my martial arts.
Great Video! been training in GoJu Ryu for over 4 years after coming from boxing and wing chun. For me it is the perfect blend of technique focused traditional training methods (Kata, Kihon) meets real life grit and resilience developing hard body conditioning. When you add in the traditional striking conditioning (makiwara, wooden dummys, stone striking) and body strengthening (Hojo Undo) it really has the potential to be the most well rounded SYSTEM of martial arts out there. As you said when you look at older practitioners it really does wonders for your body and mind in the long term. The Genius of Chojun Miyagi Sensei.
You’re completely right about the grappling aspects in the katas. My original Karate style Wado Ryu was originally understood as Karate JuJutsu..one of the main four Japanese styles. The old school black belts who learned it under the Japanese teachers all understood it in this way. A great guy to listen to on this subject is Lyoto Machida’s former coach Vinicio Antony who is a Shotokan and BJJ Black Belt.
I'm a Goju Dan. Interesting point you mentioned at 9:08, it describes the reason for Sanchin Kata at 6:12. It is called the 3 battles for those reasons you mentioned. It's easy to learn the moves, but that is the most difficult Kata in Goju. Thank you for your insight. Oss from Portugal
You really said it right there brutha. There's just something that the traditional martial arts training gives you... and thats sharp, crisp, and very technical movements. I still coach and train MMA for sure... but I've literally wrapped on a white belt and am an Enshin Karate student here in Denver for a reason. Yeah I've trained hard and competed in amature fights, yeah I'm a full instructor in JKD/Kali under Guro Inosanto and Sifu Vunak... but hell yeah I love starting over and learning/training traditional methods! I still practice my favorite Hyungs/katas to this day.
Great Video! I have been studying Goju Ryu for several years now under the US chief instructor for the TOGKF, and he is always teaching about structure, body mechanics, and moving into grappling or take downs from the strikes as well. It is a very well rounded art. One thing you mentioned around minute 18 is about the loss of grappling, and a lot of that actually came when Karate moved from Okinawa to Japan, and started becoming standardized, especially to be taught in high schools, etc. as striking is much easier to teach to large groups, quickly.
Glad you raised the issue of health impacts of combat sports, there is definitely a trade off between short term fighting ability and long term health risk to brain and body. You would probably benefit from a regular full body massage Ilan. I've done Judo for a few years and its already taken a certain toll on my body. Sports or Swedish massage really helps though.
I will give 5 reasons what most people don't understand about real Okinawan karate. 1st reason is that there are no flashy moves like you see in sports karate or American "karate". Okinawan karate doesn't have high leg kicks, but that doesn't mean they are not practicing to kick high. Just traditional way was to use karate for a close range realistic combat and high leg kicks were first introduced by son of Shotokan founder. 2nd reason is that Okinawan karate has two main branches and for example Goju Ryu and Shorin Ryu will have same traditions of realistic fighting, but their approach will look different and kumite is different. Shorin Ryu is a style which gave helped to create Japanese styles like Shotokan, Wado Ryu and Shito Ryu. Goju Ryu helped to create styles like Shito Ryu, Kyokushin. 3rd reason is that there are many organizations and one style can belong to certain organization. For example, pure Goju Ryu with kumite (sparring) called Irikumi Go which means free fight where you can clinch, elbow, throw, submit, punch is the purest, realest form of kumite which reminds MMA or Kudo, but also school will practice kumite that you see in Kyokushin just for body conditioning. Some schools may be not so traditional and do sparrings like Shotokan and not JKA Shotokan which allows contact, but WKF Shotokan which you see in Olympics... Yes, some Goju, Shorin and Uechi schools joined sports just like Shotokan, Wado Ryu and Shito Ryu and compete in WKF and the reason is Olympics abd Olympics means = money, but good thing not that many Okinawan style schools/organizations are joining sports, because most Okinawan karate is traditional and doesn't compete because different values and they have enough of realistic sparrings when they train. 4th reason is Karate kid movie and again Olympics where you see this bouncing and gymnastics thing ruined it all. To remind you, Judo used to have more techniques before Judo joined Olympics. After Judo joined Olympics - most techniques were not allowed. Leg locks are not allowed. But some rare Judo schools in Japan practice it. Japanese Jujutsu always had leg locks and remains the most ancient and still follows their tradition martial art not being touched by sports. Also don't forget Hollywood movies and then waves of charlatans in US opening dojos with colorful kimonos and know nothing about martial art at all... 5th reason is people are too lazy to even understand what is kata. No katw, no bunkai and kata is full form of movements, like arsenal of blocks, steps, kick. You take first move from kata and apply it for different scenarios with your partner - this is what it is thing called bunkai. Sucks how most are uneducated and only judge karate by seeing competitions which is more sports oriented thing, but they don't even know that purest karate is Okinawan...
I have a black belt from Amato's Goju Ryu in NJ. We trained American Kickboxing, Japanese Kickboxing, and Irikumi, which is similar to Kudo or Combat Sambo. Goju Ryu self-defense essentially teaches to close the distance then take them down then beat them down with strikes then ground and pound. Okinawan Goju Ryu Kenkyukai is the association the dojo is affiliated with. The weapon system taught is Jinmukai. They used to have a Kuntaw Kali Kruzada instructor who taught Modern Arnis and Lightning Scientific Arnis on Saturdays.
Goju is great, It seems to be one of the styles that really retains a lot of the influence. It has from Chinese martial arts, especially in its conditioning practices, There's also a surprising amount of hand trapping, You should also check out uechi ryu, The founder of that style actually went directly to china to learn chinese martial arts (seems to be influenced more by hakka styles like bak mei) and create uechi ryu, And has even more of a direct link to china, A lot of people say they look more like wing Chun
I am a Shodokan Goju Ryu practitioner. I have to say you are right at almost everything you said about our style. Tha returning hand is called "hiki te", literally means "pulling hand" so it must pull of something. Kata is not for competitive sport, it's training for personal defense, that means: no interchange of blows, take the initiative and neutralize the threat ASAP, efficiently. Finally, I recommend the study of the rules for interpreting kata, the Kaisai No Genri.
Nice seeing the style I've trained being covered. Goju is very good for the body. Lets say in a scenario where a person can't really learn anything from the classes (slow learner mind) it still will make the person a better fighter for the reason they will have strenght on the grip, muscles, pain tolerance and hardened bones.
Great video! I did Shotokan for over 10 years and always really liked doing kata but was never satisfied with the applications we were taught because it was almost always from the perspective of long range point sparring and almost none of those applications actually work. In very rare cases we were told that a kata movement might represent a throw bit we were never taught the actual throws or given the opportunity to drill or pressure test them. I took a long break from karate because of “life” but in the last few years I’ve gotten back into practicing the kata and researching the real applications and/or trying to reconstruct practical applications that might actually work. Of course all of this has been solo so I can’t properly pressure test it. But now that I know to applying everything from a close range and grappling point of view I have a much better appreciation and understanding of the kata. While my base is Shotokan, I don’t subscribe to any particular style anymore. I prefer to just say I practice Karate and research as many variations of kata from all the styles to help me understand then better because all of the styles have useful things to teach
hey bro i love your videos, have u ever researched about uechi ryu? its blocks and fundamentals looks different from other styles of karate/ also what do you think of blocks in general?
Hey great video I practice the martial art that did the ten man kumite in the video. It's Meibukan Goju Ryu. Unfortunately, the master in black gi passed away pretty recently Meitetsu Yagi. I've done everything from Kyokushin to Shotokan. Meibukan has a lot of grappling. I still train in BJJ and Grappling in general. Kata is shadow wrestling; clinchwork and throwing. Glad you covered Meibukan it's a really good style to practice.
2 interesting points: you talked about the Katas, there is a video from Kevin Lee on his channel in which Jesse Enkamp (Jesse Enkamp Taught Me the Truth About Karate) explains that in Karate the kata forms are holdovers from the teaching methods they used but over time the actual applications of those katas got lost and are now just relics that people try to figure out. It was really fascinating to think that Karate documented itself in applicable techniques that were taught solo before becoming application which is odd because most martial arts have built itself on principles that are then typically applied and refined. You learn to feel for pressure in a certain way and you have a multitude of responses you may develop against that pressure, rather than just doing a specific technique to a specific stimulus. This is where I think Karate began to break down over the years, too many techniques to develop and remember versus principles and concepts. The second point was your comment about Karate's exaggerated movements. You see this in all martial arts at the beginning stages, and as you get better and better with more application and practice those exaggerated moves become more refined, more relaxed, and taking up less distance because you develop the inherent understanding of an effective movement. In Kali, you learn about fluid strikes and when you start out those are some wide-ass exaggerated strikes, but when you refine that skill those fluid attacks take up less distance, deliver more precise power, and allow versatility from different positions within the strike. Karate inside blocks are Kali's witiq strikes but become short, crisp, strikes using the blade of the forearm bone against an opponent's arm, for instance, and may be a break if timed right. I'm finding Karate to be more and more interesting the more you look into its story. Personally it's not my cup of tea, I'm not really of a fan of the art but it definitely has merit and worthy of respect.
I like your outlook. I hated it growing up and made fun of it because i did combat sports but then grew to love it in recent years. It’s a weird thing how there’s so much in it when you really deep dive
@@inside_fighting I took "Karate" when I was in middle school, I think. It was one of those places where the sign on the building just said "karate" so I have no clue what style I did, but I practiced for a year before I got fed up with being so bored in class doing air punches/kicks and katas the whole time. I was too young and I didn't have the years of experience I have now to appreciate what it offers. I still wouldn't take it if I could do it over because I really love Kali and Silat, it vibes with what I like in training and how it feels to do them. I have developed full respect for Karate now because of what I've seen and learned. It's story is fascinating.
There are many different definitions, but in my opinion, this is the difference between "internal" and "External" martial arts. In External styles, you learn many techniques and then extract the principles, where in Internal styles, you start with the principles and then extract the techniques.
I’ve been doing Enshin Karate the last couple months. You should check out their katas. When we are learning them we are told exactly what each move is intended for and why we do them
13:40 Is Shihan Paul Coleman. Sadly, deceased but still much loved and respected in the Goju community, a fantastic teacher with a respectable fight history, not to mention a great legacy as a teacher.
I did Karate for years. I had a pretty good teacher who didn't exaggerate it's capabilities however I did one year of judo another year of jujitsu and 4 years of high school wrestling and it did way more for me than karate ever did. I didn't do this style so maybe I'm way off but karate doesn't seem like a super intuitive self defense style. I've definitely seen bad asses but they genuinely spent like 10,000 hours to get that way and I think there are way better ways to spend your time.
Nice to see and hear when someone really gets it. Katas and all. Really enjoyed this video, thanks! In my view karate has this almost endless toolbox of techniques, especially Okinawan styles, and it depends of your style, your school and your own goals and needs, what tools you end up using. Potential is kinda endless. I'm a Shorinji Ryu practitioner myself
I keep coming back to this video. I am nearing 62 years of age. Forms (hyungs) are the foundation of my martial arts training. I also spar and work basics. However, I do hyungs and resistance training every day.
@@inside_fighting You should do a video on how karate spread to the USA and how people like O' Sensei Peter Urban and Ed Parker played fundamental roles in spreading the arts in the USA.
Having gotten my 2nd degree black belt in Goju Ryu. We trained predominantly in point fighting. The reasoning is rather effective when you understand it. We trained: 1) self control 2) more time sparring 3) less incurred injuries/less recovery time 4) honing that entry 5) building evasive skills We only did hard contact fighting on occasion to ensure that we do develop the correct mentality. Also, there’s a misconception on the intention of training. Grandmaster Nay didn’t train me for “street self defense.” He trained me to engage other high level martial artists. That requires a different approach and mentality than simple self defense. IMHO, the western self defense mentality really hinders people’s potential. Since it really doesn’t take much to perform to that level. You can be a grunt or a SF guy. Grunts can fight other grunts. But grunts rarely can fight SF guys successfully.
I understand the logic and like the explanation. I think both have value. I’m just built to hit and take hits lol. I enjoy it and have always been drawn to that kind of fighting instinctively so i think it’s just how I’m wired.
@inside_fighting People are definitely built differently…I couldn’t do the Kyokushin mentality. My body is already beat to hell just by the stress of training. For example, doing a horse stance exercise for over 1hr, plus calisthenics, plus kata, plus forward stance drills, and so on in one day is hard. That’s hours of training on various exercises.
@inside_fighting Yeah it’s a different kind of toughness for Goju Ryu. The biggest benefit is you don’t need a partner to train a hard day with this approach. But that hits the self motivating factor hard too. There’s a reason I was the only man to get a black belt from Grandmaster Nay in the last 20yrs because it is definitely a hard program to follow. Right now I’m focusing on the “soft” side of Goju Ryu to help my body recover by introducing less stress after 9yrs of this hard program lol.
You know, you can just say you don't train for self defense without having to put down people that do. Also, it's not a "Western" thing. People all over the world know the value of self defense. It's okay, we know you don't train that way, that's fine.
You Sir, are 100% spot on! Jesse Enkamp would be very pleased with your insights. Okinawan boys would play tegumi (Okinawan wrestling) before they learnt karate. All the grappling stuff would have been common knowledge and taken for granted, hence the omission in karate schools. Hikite can be dragging the arm or grabbing the gi. If you continued on the seipei kata demonstration video, there’s a move where you pull down on the scalp (or top knot, as was in fashion in older times), while the other hand is simultaneously performing an upper cut to the gut.
Nice. I trained Goju way back in the 1980s. One of the highlights was when I got to do a seminar with Gogen Yamaguchi when he came out to my home country. We trained on a sports field in the blazing sun and at the end everyone was pretty finished. He was in his 70s then and still incredible. I got my black belt and then switched to Kimura Shukokai in the late 1980s early 90s. Got to train with Shigeru Kimura. All of those old time Karate-ka were a force to be reckoned with.
I train Isshin Ryu at the dojo the late Sherman Harrill Sensei started in Iowa. He was my first Isshin Ryu Sensei 30 years ago. It took me until 2016 to make it back. Sadly, not many Isshin Ryu dojos train the way we do anymore.
I trained in an old school Goju dojo for 4 years in my teens. Full contact sparring and body conditioning were a part of every class. Knowing that you can take substantial punishment and still stay on your feet and keep on fighting is reassuring. The Goju kata are mostly about developing correct foot work and muscle memory for the strikes and blocks. 30 years later, that muscle memory is still there if called upon and I still hit like a ton of bricks :)
Have you checked out Uechi-ryu karate? It's another Naha-te style of Karate but they say it's basically unchanged from it's original Kung Fu style the founder learned in China in the late 1800s before returning to Okinawa.
My training style from the days of youth was Ishin Ryu… a direct descendent of Goju. We did not spar with the grappling elements of the style, but our sensei taught the grappling bunkai. Our sparring was kumite with light contact to the body and no contact to the head. The definition of contact hardened as the belts progressed through the dan levels. Thanks for the history lesson… it matches up with my memories.
As I watch the video for 10 man kumite i was reminded that our black belt test was 3 - 5 hours and you sparred every black belt that showed up. Yet I am I early 50s with no major injuries and decent enough conditioning that I still regularly run and can throw a decent head kick. You will get excellent conditioning for sports.
Thanks for your thoughts on this. Did Kyokushin for over 30 years. LOTS of tournaments, including euroepean and world championchips. What i became out of this was thoughness, strongness, more willpower and all this type of stuff. Okay, i never did this for the trophys, but exactly for this. The experiences of getting in danger (in fullcontact, regardless what rules, you really are everytime) and pain by strong blows and kicks, and how to deal with it. But all the time i was interested in real Karate, especially the okinawan originals. So i studied this to include in my style. Also Boxing, Kick-Boxing, some Judo/and Jiujitsu, also western weaponsystems, such as long sword (what i love). There was a problem all the time: "to include it in my kyokushinsystem" simply didnt work verry well. Reason in my opinion: there are only a few good teachers, what really know about Kata, what really can look and teach beyond and over the verry rulelimited kyokushin fighting system. On top i meet lots of teachers, what straight did put resistance, if i wanted to understand more. "Kyokushin is own style, it has to stay clean" and so on and so on .... man i'm so SICK about this. Its simply soooo stupid and (self-)limiting. After so many years i simply decided to fully change to okinawan gojuryu. A GAMECHANGER, as we call this nowadays, right. Was the best thing i could do. Differences are huge, i couldnt even imagine this before. Kyokushin practice did build a good basis for me i think. Its exact the things you mentioned in your video here. Thoughness, being strong. Punch and kick strong and take strong punches and kicks. But when it comes to real Karate beyond the (at last sport)aspects -> okinawankarate, and for me Goju, is the thing to start study and practice. There is only one thing im little unhappy about nowadays: I did make the livechanging decission to late. 15 or 20 years of Kyokushin could have been enough for me. Anyway i have to live with it and with little luck i will have enough time to practice the much more complete Karate-Arts now.
I studied Goju Ryu under Grand Master Glenn Keeney back in the early 70's.He was a wonderful teacher and I had so much respect for him. It has saved me from harm a handful of times in my life. I think it is the best form of karate for street fighting. I took a year of Tae Kwon Do to improve my kicking.
One of the components of the all day black belt pre test for the school I used to go to was a 12 min kumite and it was usually near the end of the night.
Rehabbing. I’m ok on it. They don’t seem to understand how. The acl is completely torn, meniscus tear, mcl torn, small fractures but I’m able to spar on it and even kick and I’m ok. I’m having a custom brace made next week. I think I’ll be fine without surgery. Thank you for asking btw
Tollally agree very very underated , some time I be check out different style of Goju ryu and okinwan styles stuff .also if you order the coursedo you get videos to learn the basic?
speaking on that kata/grappling thing, i swear that keeping Kyokushin as your only striking art as a heavily grappling oriented martial artist is great for longevity, and the toughness you gain allows you to be calm and push forward into grabbing range. the kata is a great supplement when you know what they're for.
I trained GoJu to black belt level as a teenager. No sparring, and I definitely didn't learn how to fight. However, when I got into fights in schools the physical attributes of the training helped a lot even if I couldn't apply any of the techniques. I was able to keep my balance, move fast and hang in there. Later on, studying other martial arts, I've been able to pick up on movements and power generation a lot better than if I hadn't of practiced GoJu. Still, I think it's sad I never received training that could have taught me how to use any of the stuff.
Kata has many layers that include hidden techniques that are designed to maim and kill your attacker as efficiently as possible. Those techniques are usually revealed to the dan grades. This phenomenon holds true even for true practitioners of Shotokan. As for the throws, the main difference between Karate and Judo throws is that in the practitioner of the former system does not go down with the opponent like the judokas, but rather stays on his feet to deliver a finishing blow. Very nice video, by the way.
I think a lot of martial art styles are underrated, traditional martial arts that is, ever since the domination of MMA and BJJ, Catch wrestling, Boxing combat sports, every traditional style is being held up to those combat sports. Of course the sports are very effective both in the ring and out and the practitioners are in shape and strong. But traditional martial arts still have there place, they teach many other things apart from fighting, and they offer a way of life, they prepare their students by teaching weapons and unarmed, they keep their practitioners fit, and healthy. And they pass on the ability to teach so the style can stay alive.
Another great vid bud. At age 59, kata is my movement training, mostly, combined with some sparring and of course exercise. Components of kata re what is used in self defense. The issue is a lot people that do not understand the use and application look at kata as a whole unit instead of the components. Even the individual technique in a kata is not what may be used at the time of defending yourself, it may just be partial. This is also training for the mind. To focus on the technique so that when you execute it you will have the focus and proper execution. Kata means some thing different to everyone. For us being a melded system dojo, our perspective and approach to kata training is slightly different to those in classical karate dojos, but the end goal is still the same. OSS! ..and yes i also love Kyokushin as it was my first system.
although i agree with the perspective of full contact sparring, it doesn't help with your defense if you are constantly taking a beating when training. Kumite, sparring for us is used to execute technique within pressure, to learn to move and react, without the feeling of possibly being hurt. Yes pain is a good teacher, but it is also a good deterrent from training. At times we will train contact sparring, but with control so that participants can go home and still go back to work and live their lives daily. When it comes to using technique full contact it is a mind set. Thai boxers "play" when sparring, still some contact but they don't usually go full contact to try to knock each other out, that way they can keep training and keep working. to generate bone density and muscle power for taking a hard strike we do some iron body training where we strike each other with hard to very hard strikes. OSS!
when i was in my early 20s itrained in WTF TaeKwonDo, we would spar full on for up to 3 hours, this was when they still punched to the head, and hard contact, with pads. I got my 3rd dan in ITF TaeKwonDo later on. In that system sparring for senior rank adults was continuous contact, sometimes full contact, yes some pads but still can take some punishment. Nowadays the WTF even though full contact and have some great kickers, not great technique especially hands [in my opinion of course] and even the ITF system schools have gone the way of more point sparring fighting even though it is continuous.
Goju-ryu saved my life when I was ganged up on, 3 on 1. I didn't win the fight because I was beat up pretty badly, but I was able to hold them off long enough by doing significant damage to one of my assailants. Not just because of my tecniques but mostly because of the toughness and conditioning I experienced in Goju-Ryu.
Surviving a fight is more important than winning it. Goju definitely helps you in that aspect.
Thank God you got out ok. Glad it worked in a tight situation.
Goju-Ryu saved me in many a situations. It helped me with multiple opponents, bigger opponents, and being thrown(falls/takedowns/trips/etc.). It made me tough as nails.
😮
20+ years as a cop. Actual fights are only survived. Contests have winners, losers, rules, referees, and judges.
@@timkittle5418 I agree. All the street situations I was in were ugly affairs. I believe it's best to avoid them when possible.
Keep in mind Goju has also protected me in other ways. It has made me healthy and taught me how to avoid injury(breakfalls, etc.). Honestly studying this art improved my life for the better.
On the reason why Karate uses exaggerated movements. The way my teacher explained it; if you make a baseball bat, you take a piece of wood. When you cut the wood you can make it smaller but you can never make it bigger. It's habit forming in concept. It'll naturally get smaller in contact sparring.
Makes sense. I think that it has positives and negatives. Even in BJJ when you grapple you always start with bigger movements and as you improve you get tighter and tighter and take away space.
What an awesome analogy! Love this
Try Vince morris karate style next level
@@inside_fightingwish that Doce Paris was more than a myth in America back in the 70 s to mid 90s in my pre "bad day at the office ".my whole life changed in the time space of 1.5 heartbeats . Some of that kata is nearly identical to Hedon shodon with some of techy katas in one . Am I even close ?
Kung fu has the same thing. I'm training Bajiquan right now and the instructor I follow mentions the same thing
Oh yeah. I started practicing Goju and Uechi ryu in 1988. I´m 50 years old now, and I´m 5´dan in Goju and 6´dan in Uechi. I went to Okinawa 4 time. One time, an old sensei (82 years old) sent me a tsuki so fast I couldn´t defend myself. He hit my stomach. The punch was so fast and so strong (his hands looked like two deformed rocks) that I felt sick for a week. My back hurted so much that I barely could walk. Yes, my back. Okinawan traditional Karate is a deadly weapon. Period. And yes, you are right. In Okinawa I learned that ancient Karate is 50% strike and 50% projections and immobilization. Thank you very much for this video and I apologize for my bad English.
Karate is not ancient (1000+ years old).
@@KaptainCanuck When I say "ancient Karate" it can be the Okinawan martial art ( Tode) from the XVIII century, or older. That, for me and for a lot of people, is ancient.
I like both goju and uechi, they seem very close. How did you study both at the same time?
@@Walrus_333_ My main sensei was an expert on both styles, and also on Wudang Kung Fu. I studied with him from 1988 until his dead in 2016.
How would you differentiate Goju-Ryu and Uechi-Ryu (aside from the open hands differences).
If you had to choose, which one would you pick?
Goju Ryu was my first kara te training as a child.
Now I practice Uechi Ryu.
Both are outstanding schools.
To me, both styles look similar.
How does it look from the inside?
Hello from the dojo that pops up at around 17:04!
Thank you so much for featuring us on this topic, and for being so respectful of our style - sometimes Goju Ryu doesn't get a fair shake on the internet, but we're trying our best to change that!
Let's collab sometime?
Best wishes from South Africa 🇿🇦
Zoë (the thug wife)
Awesome! You guys are doing great stuff! Love to see you bringing attention to the grappling. Sure we can!
@@inside_fightingthey are by far the best resource when it comes to koryu unchinadi (old school) karate. I visit annually if possible.
Hi, may I please ask. Does your dojo do point sparring or full contact? Thanks
@@trevelation_ they focus on Randori kumite. So not point fighting.
Goju wasn't the first martial art I trained, but it was the first grappling style I trained. It's definatley helped to keep me safe to this day.
Grappling?
The two main branches are Naha-te and Shuri-te. The third smaller branch, Tomari-te, is like a mix between Naha and Shuri styles. Having said that, Naha and Shuri are like 3 miles apart, with Tomari between them, so in a way it's an arbitrary division and most styles are relatively recent developments. Shorin-ryu and Shotokan are both descended from Shuri-te and Tomari-te. Naha-te styles are anecdotally "better" for short, stocky people but that's a subjective value judgement. But regardless, ALL karate is clinch fighting in it's origin. Developed at a time when every young boy grew up wrestling in the Tegumi style, karate didn't NEED to teach it's grappling base. All the kids came to karate already WITH the grappling base necessary to ADD ON the adjunct of karate. The hand pulling back during a "punch" is called hiki-te (pulling hand). Judo also uses hiki-te. It's called that because it's pulling something. The Japanese caused the focus on striking as opposed to stand up clinch grappling with strikes added, and that influence has permeated most styles to some degree, some more than others. I did Shotokan in the 80's and 90's and it was tough, as my instructor was also shodan or nidan in both Kyokushin and Shorin-ryu, but it was still focused on unattached striking at distance instead of clinch fighting. It's very good to see the renaissance happening in karate over the last couple of decades. The UA-cam channel "Karate Breakdown" is good for seeing these connections.
Thanks very much for the great insight!
As I get older, I'm coming to the conclusion that most martial arts are really grappling styles.
Even something that you wouldn't normally consider. like Wushu or Chang Quan has forgotten applications that are grappling in nature. For example, what looks like a kick can really be a footsweep or a throw.
I had the fortune of meeting a HARDCORE Goju man in the early 90's in Washington state near Seattle . I learned Sanchin Kata from him and how to make proper spring makiwara post . Both made a PROFOUND effect on everything I did going forward . Every martial artist would benefit from Sanchin . What's funny is he would enter local tournaments and do either Sanchin, Sanseru , or the Oar kata . Keep in mind he had gone to Okinawa to train with the masters. He tracked down every piece of history he could . He had dug a hole 4 inches deep in his little back yard doing these kata over and over . But when he entered the tournaments nobody had a clue how to judge him . All they knew was the modern flipping , flying and screaming forms .
My Tai Chi teacher still does Sanchin every day, and I'm starting to get back to doing it myself.
Eku kata is actually just bragging that man is a beast
@@cahallo5964 I just got my Shodan in Shimbukan Kobudo a few weeks ago.
Our Eku kata is for Godan testing, so I have a ways yet to go.
Initials JS?
@@HampCoLLC I've been racking my brain trying to remember . Black guy , maybe 40's at the time . I think I'd know his name if I heard it though . He lived in the apartment complex I worked at in Redmond .
Goju Ryu is dope, and I would like to give a shout out to Uechi Ryu which is the just as dope bro of Goju🥋🐉
Uechi-Ryu 👍👍
I've always been impressed with the grip training of Goju Ryu. There's video of Morio Higoanna showing how you grab and crush the throat and/or testicles. He's also demonstrated small joint manipulation that looks nasty. Grip strength is highly overlooked.
It’s a very underrated skill. I’ve had goju guys grab my arm so hard it felt like it could break lol
My first as well. Thank you for showcasing my style and giving a great explanation of body hardening and the toughness required. Traditional GoJu has no real head kicks, only kick below the waist. Maybe sternum. Goju style can be summed up with their 2 foundational kata. Sanchin kata and Sanseru kata. GoJu is hard/soft style, sanchin is hard and Sanseru is soft. Your attention to the hip crack was a spot on analysis. My sensei said if your gi doesn’t crack you’re doing it wrong. Learning to generate power from your waist translates to all other athletic endeavors. Keep up your dives into obscure arts. I’m sure we’d have watched Kung fu theater on Saturdays together as kids. My sensei could also pick out any move from a kata and show the actual application, you surmised right. It was grab and smash lol. Cheers.
Really glad you liked this one. I’ve noticed goju is also very good at developing short tight power which is amazing. You are right about kung fu theater 😂
In 1953, Mas Oyama opened his own karate dojo, named Oyama Dojo (form of Gōjū-ryū), in Tokyo . It was later renamed to Kyokushin .
Oyama had 7th degree Black belt in Judo, black belt in Gojuriyu and Shotokan Karate.
Yes! And as originally developed Kyokushin included grappling and throws. The advent of tournament competition in the mid to late 70s drove most dojos away from the original concept, but not all. Some of us continued with it as developed. Osu!!
Your analysis of what kata trains is beautiful in my view. I’m 72 and have been training another Okinawa style (Isshin Ryu which can partially out of Goju Ryu) for almost 50 years. Kata has allowed me to maintain balance, explosiveness, power and toughness for well into my present advanced age. Just as you said, people have the wrong idea of what kata is for. They think somehow the practitioner is practicing to use the series of movements exactly as they are in the kata, exactly in the order, etc. Your insight into this and street confrontations in refreshing. Great video!
How does Okinawan Karate affect your mental awareness when it comes to danger?
I appreciate the mindful comments on protecting yourself as you age. I’m hitting 51 in a few days. I’m healing up from a nasty foot break and it’s on my mind a lot. God bless.
God bless! You can do a lot as you age! Never stop training 🙏🏼
@@inside_fighting 💯%
Oh man, my sympathy. I know how a broken foot feels. I can't do Iaido anymore because I broke my foot about ten years ago, or at least not do it correctly. I never went to the doctor, so it didn't heal right.
Your grappling interpretations of kata are spot on. I’ve been a karateka for over 30 years. I’ve learned more about kata by training grappling than I have in “traditional” karate schools.
Good video.
This was Mas Oyama primary style before he created kyokushinkai. Mas oyama did trained under gechin funokoshi son in shotokan for over a year, and incorporated elements of that in kyokushinkai, but he was primarily a goju Ryu practishoner before oyama karate, which became kyokushinkai kan
This is my first style. Started in 1985 and Ive practiced for a few years. Now I study this and other styles, and its going to take me a life time to learn all I want to know.
In regards to the slap parry, goju ryu actually has it baked into all uke waza (which are basically a slap parry plus an extra action with the arm which can be a strike or a frame or similar).
I love goju ryu, I've been practicing it for 20 years and I love to sparbwith people from different styles and systems to test it.
I just came across your channel, I like it, I subscribed to it. Your totally right, in a fight, physical fitness is very important, it's why it will carry you through the fight. I took GoJu Ryu some time ago about 25 years, and I'm a purple belt, I still do kata, the style is found in the kata's. Your right, if someone never hit anyone, the closest thing is the boxing bag, with no gloves. The take down video clip, he's great, he's from South Africa and he teaches traditional GoJu Ryu, I follow he's channel.
Goju Ryu is why I'm alive today, I parried a punch Goju style and it turned out to be a knife, the guy was stabbing with so much force that it still went in below my hip, but it beats getting disembowelled, was able to hold his hand (and the knife) in me whilst beating him up, then we both ran away in different directions. The Goju I was taught by my late father was more half hard, half soft, I think after Kyokushin became mainstream Goju Ryu wanted to compete with it so it became even harder, which was detrimental to the softer elements of the style that balanced it, as I've grown older I have switched from Goju Sachin to Uechi and try to balance the Karate I do.
I do Isshin-ryu, which is about half-influenced by goju. Kata and body conditioning are the only way I can train martial arts daily anymore, I’m 41 and my body is wrecked from bjj and skiing etc. Karate has been a godsend.
what is Isshin Ryu like? and do they do body conditioning?
@@RobertGareau-z2b as always, it depends on the dojo
We do body conditioning.
Our Seiunchin is very similar to Goju Ryu.
Im glad you pointed out the grappling in Kata, so many instructors don't realise that grappling is inbeaded into most traditional arts, I practiced Goju Ryu at the same time I was practicing Bujinkan, Unfortunately the Goju Ryu turned into a soccer mums baby sitting convention, which is a shame because I really enjoyed it, and was forced to pick the lesser of the two arts in my eyes anyway.😊
Katas are extremely useful. But they need to be done with bunkai. If not they loose their essence .
Most of the bunkai I learned doing GoJu were not helpful unfortunately. I still do the kata at times just as exercise. But, if there were bunkai that were actually applicable, that would be great.
@@catocall7323 in the original version of Shito Ryu, bunkai was mandatory . But I understand what you say …
Love your analysis. I've trained Goju Ryu for many years. My sensei came from Kyokushin before switching to Goju Ryu so I was taught a blend of both styles. The beauty and dynamism of Goju Ryu and the intensity of Kyokushin.
I never fully appreciated what a complete style Goju Ryu is until I cross-trained in other martial arts - boxing, Jiu Jitsu, and Muay Thai and found the strengths of each art could be found in what I'd been learning all along.
Thank you for this video brother. As a Karate guy of course I smile but I’m also across trainer as you know, and I think we share similarities in terms of we look for the common values and attributes that can begin from all of the martial arts. I appreciate your positive and respectful content.
I look forward to seeing you, possibly in August here in Toronto.
Looking forward to coming by the school!
I started training in Goju Ryu in 1969 at the agte of four. My Aunt and Uncle were my instructors who used to teach under Master Aaron Banks. It was always conditioning, forms, sparring. In the dead of winter, mu uncle would take me to Coney Island, not for the amusment park but for traiing in the waters. I would have to do all of my forms AND hold my Front, Side and back kick, without putting my leg down, while the waters were crashing into me. I went thru so many conditioning nd other traioning that I just don't see any more today. I am still in the arts. Looking back at the way I was trained and the way I was brought up in the arts, I can say that I was truly blessed, compared to what is around us today.
Choki Motobu is credited with saying the following: “Karate was not designed for the battlefield nor for tournaments.” So, what’s left? Once this is grasped, kata becomes extremely significant. As Richard “Tiger” Kim stated: “Sparring is the bone you give the dog to guard the meat.” I’m a Goju man so I know first hand what a vicious/animalistic style it is. It’s not by accident that the totem for some Goju schools is the tiger.
Kyokushin guy here 🙌
Alleays dreamed of Karate my whole life and im a few month, into Kyokushin right now. And maan was I at home from day one.
- Kyokushin Is Pure Magic -
So now I know why I allways longed for it.
Kyokushin Forever 🙂🙏
OSS!!
I love Goju-Ryu, my "first love" ever in Karate and Martial Arts
Rs a wonderful system
Goju Ryu is my main style and my first martial art love, even though it’s not the first martial art I started. It has helped me build a strong body and more confident when I was a shy teenager, especially when we trained bunkai/breakdown of kata or kumite or partner drills like Kakie/Sticky Hands etc.
It even helped me with BREATHING CONTROL, plus it helped me by teaching me Sanchin Kata or Tenshou in a medicinal way to relieve my chronic migraines. Even when I’m so exhausted, using the Sanchin style breathing to regain my 2nd wind and keep going forwards.
Thank you for your input and I’m glad you did this, Ilan
It’s my pleasure. It sounds like it was a great part of your life! There’s a lot of wonderful things in it from what i see
Sanchin helped me when I was depressed, the moment you stop thinking about everything else and concentrate on the breathing and movements you can think clearer after.
i really love the way you advocate traditional martial arts and traditional pedagogy
These styles exist for so long for a reason and i think people forget that
@@inside_fighting i tend to agree :(
Thank you for explaining the kata moves. Martial arts today is all about the NOW! They don't wsnt to put in the year's to build a good foundation and balance. People today only want to hit hurt and win a sport. Grappling is good to know but most people will not be able to do that many year's later. Tai chi is movement same as kata so when your old you can still move. Kyokushin and Kudo mixed with Wado Ryu is a great mixture. I started Martial arts back in 1984 those are the styles i have studied. Today's Martial artist doesn't seem to have the patience to do the same techniques over and over for many year's to master the techniques and they lack honor and respect. I have trained few mma guy's and after they actually listened to me let me break down the proper technique in kicking, moving ,and punching the were faster stronger with correct techniques. Just because you can kick and it looks like a good kick doesn't mean your doing it correctly and probably slower and weaker. Also body conditioning will be with you when your old. Example when your young you have 100% power. When you condition your hands shins and feet for many year's and you aren't 100% power with conditioning your 60% power will be the same as your younger 100%. With the correct hand training year's and years the hands will feel like iron. Also use linament . Train for long term not something fast and don't focus on sport Martial arts is like math its never ending always learning. And those that think IM A BLACK BELT. cool you earned it but a black belt is the beginning of the next level so basically now you a white belt again. You start off as a white belt and then black belt and when your black belt turns white again your at the next level no end till it is your end of time.
I trained in Goju-Ryu during my time in the service. I was an avid weightlifter and this style suited me perfectly. Notice the quick level changes. Gravity is put to good use. Jack Dempsey used the ¨falling step¨ based on GJR´s rapid dropping of the center of gravity.
Goju Ryu has a lot of grappling techniques because Okinawaian karate has 3 roots (for as far as we know). It' s a mix of a chinese striking styles (Snake, Crane and monks monstly), Okinawaian Sumo wich is a complete grappling style (at the time at least) and local weapon techniques (Tonfa, Bo, Sai...etc.).
It was clearly made for surviving and making you stronger for a street fight for your life.
The only thing you didn't / couldn't show from Goju Ryu was the weaponized part but to be frank it is usualy referred as Kobudo and only old school Goju Ryu schools teaches it because most of masters out of Okinawa never learned the weapon part.
Anyway thanks for the video, it was very interesting to see an "outsider" perspective of what you can find around about Goju Ryu.
The 'blocking" techniques are not really blocks. Blocking is not something that you really find in old school karate. Those techniques are ways of manipulating limbs. The hands are more active than that. The "uke" happen much closer to the opponent, after contact has already been made. Karate was never meant to square up with one person in a duel. It's for self-defense and not for fighting. Not only that, but it also wasn't really designed to work against another person that knew martial arts. I mean duels between martial artists did happen, but when you read the accounts, they are never very long, and the techniques used are always really simple. And yeah, conditioning has always been a thing. Its like the difference between a regular person that goes about their day and someone the hits the gym regularly. Then on top of that, the person that hits the gym knows how to protect themselves and hurt people. Then you have the regular dude, that may or may not be acquainted with violence, doesn't know that the other guy is in shape and knows martial arts. Then it gets uncorked and by the time the ruffian realizes he made a mistake it is already too late. Also there wasn't as much exposure to the martial arts and there wasn't a gym on every major street. Plus the home gym wasn't much of a thing really. Those guys played their cards close to the chest. I'm preaching to the choir aren't I? 😐
Now, after understanding what a huge variety there is in Goju-Ryu, imagine what an even bigger variety there is in all of Karate! It is not just true for Goju-Ryu, but for Shorin-Ryu as well.
Nice to hear hear good stuff about Goju. There's a school near me that teaches it( along with JJJ, Aikido, AikiJujutsu) and shares space with a Judo school. I never had that big an interest in Japanese arts but I've been thinking of checking it out.
I used to avoid Japanese arts and have grown to love them. Judo and karate is a great mix
All your points are accurate. I'd like to add that kumite sparring and its variations are a kind of training drill. This is a method that should generate healthy competition - a sport with specific requirements to score a point. Not just any strike counts as a point and there are a ton of limitations. It is not just what you would do in a real fight. Just like so many other arts, where their training gets misinterpreted as fighting. Some schools really stick to sport. Some have other agendas.
I agree with this entirely. It’s something i talk about a lot. Sparring in fact just another drill to develop attributes
I want to point out that in Goju there are many rule sets for sparring. This is one reason why you see many older Goju guys. The system is very flexible.
Keep in mind most Goju-Ryu schools will focus a lot on conditioning. This will also lend to longevity.
Gojo ryu is auguably the karate style most like Chinese styles like Shoalin or Chen family style Tai ji Quan Great analysis
Thanks very much!
Uechi ryu is closer to the Chinese then goju ryu
Goju Ryu is closest to Fujian White Crane and has some aspects of Tai chi and southern Mantis, I’d say some Hung Gar
Uechi-Ryu has less katas than most Karate styles. Both Uechi-Ryu and Goju-Ryu are seen as cousins.
Which Okinawa style is closer to Chinese systems is more about the instructor and less about specific style. But generally I would agree that the Chinese elements are in the Goju curriculum.
Goju Ryu (being Okinawan) is one of the forms of karate that is closer to its kung fu ancestors from southern China (esp. White Crane). Some of those training things -- the pushing hands drill, the palm conditioning, etc. -- are staples of traditional kung fu.
When you say Goju looks like Filipino martial arts, I think it is more that they have a common ancestor in southern kung fu that migrated out across the south China Sea trading/social networks.
Fun fact -- Goju Ryu is the style used for Miyagi-Do in the Karate Kid/Cobra Kai series.
I agree with you that the sweeps are the best thing about karate. For me, the integration of striking and standing grapples is the particularly appealing thing about Okinawan karate. Check out the "practical bunkai" work of Iain Abernathy on that.
Jesse Enkamp's video on the difference between Okinawan and Japanese karate is one of the best pieces of martial arts history/anthropology on youtube. Check that out as well.
I started as a pure Goju practitioner, and around the time I was promoted to my shodan I started really feeling that there were too many movements in kata that didn’t feel like functional strikes but seemed to share more in common with holds and throws. That’s when I started studying with a trainer from the early days of UFC. One of the best decisions I’ve ever made for my martial arts.
Great Video! been training in GoJu Ryu for over 4 years after coming from boxing and wing chun. For me it is the perfect blend of technique focused traditional training methods (Kata, Kihon) meets real life grit and resilience developing hard body conditioning. When you add in the traditional striking conditioning (makiwara, wooden dummys, stone striking) and body strengthening (Hojo Undo) it really has the potential to be the most well rounded SYSTEM of martial arts out there. As you said when you look at older practitioners it really does wonders for your body and mind in the long term. The Genius of Chojun Miyagi Sensei.
Those are some of the benefits nobody stresses. Long term benefits
There is a very good Goju Ryu school in Central London run by Gavin Mulholland. It's called DKK Karate.
Everything you said in this is similar to what baji does as well. It's so fascinating to go back to traditional martial arts and see how it works
You’re completely right about the grappling aspects in the katas. My original Karate style Wado Ryu was originally understood as Karate JuJutsu..one of the main four Japanese styles. The old school black belts who learned it under the Japanese teachers all understood it in this way. A great guy to listen to on this subject is Lyoto Machida’s former coach Vinicio Antony who is a Shotokan and BJJ Black Belt.
Definitely will listen to some of his talks! Thank you
@@inside_fighting Lots of vídeos of a Vitor Belfort being trained by him too. Well done on your channel!
I'm a Goju Dan. Interesting point you mentioned at 9:08, it describes the reason for Sanchin Kata at 6:12. It is called the 3 battles for those reasons you mentioned. It's easy to learn the moves, but that is the most difficult Kata in Goju.
Thank you for your insight.
Oss from Portugal
You really said it right there brutha. There's just something that the traditional martial arts training gives you... and thats sharp, crisp, and very technical movements. I still coach and train MMA for sure... but I've literally wrapped on a white belt and am an Enshin Karate student here in Denver for a reason. Yeah I've trained hard and competed in amature fights, yeah I'm a full instructor in JKD/Kali under Guro Inosanto and Sifu Vunak... but hell yeah I love starting over and learning/training traditional methods! I still practice my favorite Hyungs/katas to this day.
Goju is awesome. Kakie teaches much.
🙏🏼🙏🏼
Related to Sticky hands like in Wing Chun or White Crane.
Great Video! I have been studying Goju Ryu for several years now under the US chief instructor for the TOGKF, and he is always teaching about structure, body mechanics, and moving into grappling or take downs from the strikes as well. It is a very well rounded art. One thing you mentioned around minute 18 is about the loss of grappling, and a lot of that actually came when Karate moved from Okinawa to Japan, and started becoming standardized, especially to be taught in high schools, etc. as striking is much easier to teach to large groups, quickly.
Glad you raised the issue of health impacts of combat sports, there is definitely a trade off between short term fighting ability and long term health risk to brain and body. You would probably benefit from a regular full body massage Ilan. I've done Judo for a few years and its already taken a certain toll on my body. Sports or Swedish massage really helps though.
I will give 5 reasons what most people don't understand about real Okinawan karate. 1st reason is that there are no flashy moves like you see in sports karate or American "karate". Okinawan karate doesn't have high leg kicks, but that doesn't mean they are not practicing to kick high. Just traditional way was to use karate for a close range realistic combat and high leg kicks were first introduced by son of Shotokan founder. 2nd reason is that Okinawan karate has two main branches and for example Goju Ryu and Shorin Ryu will have same traditions of realistic fighting, but their approach will look different and kumite is different. Shorin Ryu is a style which gave helped to create Japanese styles like Shotokan, Wado Ryu and Shito Ryu. Goju Ryu helped to create styles like Shito Ryu, Kyokushin. 3rd reason is that there are many organizations and one style can belong to certain organization. For example, pure Goju Ryu with kumite (sparring) called Irikumi Go which means free fight where you can clinch, elbow, throw, submit, punch is the purest, realest form of kumite which reminds MMA or Kudo, but also school will practice kumite that you see in Kyokushin just for body conditioning. Some schools may be not so traditional and do sparrings like Shotokan and not JKA Shotokan which allows contact, but WKF Shotokan which you see in Olympics... Yes, some Goju, Shorin and Uechi schools joined sports just like Shotokan, Wado Ryu and Shito Ryu and compete in WKF and the reason is Olympics abd Olympics means = money, but good thing not that many Okinawan style schools/organizations are joining sports, because most Okinawan karate is traditional and doesn't compete because different values and they have enough of realistic sparrings when they train. 4th reason is Karate kid movie and again Olympics where you see this bouncing and gymnastics thing ruined it all. To remind you, Judo used to have more techniques before Judo joined Olympics. After Judo joined Olympics - most techniques were not allowed. Leg locks are not allowed. But some rare Judo schools in Japan practice it. Japanese Jujutsu always had leg locks and remains the most ancient and still follows their tradition martial art not being touched by sports. Also don't forget Hollywood movies and then waves of charlatans in US opening dojos with colorful kimonos and know nothing about martial art at all... 5th reason is people are too lazy to even understand what is kata. No katw, no bunkai and kata is full form of movements, like arsenal of blocks, steps, kick. You take first move from kata and apply it for different scenarios with your partner - this is what it is thing called bunkai. Sucks how most are uneducated and only judge karate by seeing competitions which is more sports oriented thing, but they don't even know that purest karate is Okinawan...
I have a black belt from Amato's Goju Ryu in NJ. We trained American Kickboxing, Japanese Kickboxing, and Irikumi, which is similar to Kudo or Combat Sambo. Goju Ryu self-defense essentially teaches to close the distance then take them down then beat them down with strikes then ground and pound. Okinawan Goju Ryu Kenkyukai is the association the dojo is affiliated with. The weapon system taught is Jinmukai. They used to have a Kuntaw Kali Kruzada instructor who taught Modern Arnis and Lightning Scientific Arnis on Saturdays.
Happy you finally did a Goju video.
Bro can you make a reaction video about Uechi Ryu?
For sure i will!
Yes, please!
Goju is great, It seems to be one of the styles that really retains a lot of the influence. It has from Chinese martial arts, especially in its conditioning practices, There's also a surprising amount of hand trapping, You should also check out uechi ryu, The founder of that style actually went directly to china to learn chinese martial arts (seems to be influenced more by hakka styles like bak mei) and create uechi ryu, And has even more of a direct link to china, A lot of people say they look more like wing Chun
I like ueichi ryu a lot! I’ll be sure to cover it
I am a Shodokan Goju Ryu practitioner. I have to say you are right at almost everything you said about our style. Tha returning hand is called "hiki te", literally means "pulling hand" so it must pull of something. Kata is not for competitive sport, it's training for personal defense, that means: no interchange of blows, take the initiative and neutralize the threat ASAP, efficiently. Finally, I recommend the study of the rules for interpreting kata, the Kaisai No Genri.
Totally agree about kata. When you really understand it, you realize how important it is. Thank you for this insight.
Nice seeing the style I've trained being covered.
Goju is very good for the body.
Lets say in a scenario where a person can't really learn anything from the classes (slow learner mind) it still will make the person a better fighter for the reason they will have strenght on the grip, muscles, pain tolerance and hardened bones.
Absolutely!!! I agree.
Great video! I did Shotokan for over 10 years and always really liked doing kata but was never satisfied with the applications we were taught because it was almost always from the perspective of long range point sparring and almost none of those applications actually work. In very rare cases we were told that a kata movement might represent a throw bit we were never taught the actual throws or given the opportunity to drill or pressure test them.
I took a long break from karate because of “life” but in the last few years I’ve gotten back into practicing the kata and researching the real applications and/or trying to reconstruct practical applications that might actually work.
Of course all of this has been solo so I can’t properly pressure test it. But now that I know to applying everything from a close range and grappling point of view I have a much better appreciation and understanding of the kata.
While my base is Shotokan, I don’t subscribe to any particular style anymore. I prefer to just say I practice Karate and research as many variations of kata from all the styles to help me understand then better because all of the styles have useful things to teach
hey bro i love your videos, have u ever researched about uechi ryu? its blocks and fundamentals looks different from other styles of karate/ also what do you think of blocks in general?
Yes I’ll be making a video on it!
Hey great video I practice the martial art that did the ten man kumite in the video. It's Meibukan Goju Ryu. Unfortunately, the master in black gi passed away pretty recently Meitetsu Yagi. I've done everything from Kyokushin to Shotokan. Meibukan has a lot of grappling. I still train in BJJ and Grappling in general. Kata is shadow wrestling; clinchwork and throwing. Glad you covered Meibukan it's a really good style to practice.
Sensei Levan Rogava looks like a video game character. Holy shit that guy looks tough as hell.
Yea he would not be fun to fight
The 8th goju ryu dan doing osoto gari is the reason why I like Japanese Jiu-Jitsu. It has striking, grappling ect. But I honestly adore all styles.
What are the plans for the RAID series of instructionals? When should we expect new volumes?
2 interesting points: you talked about the Katas, there is a video from Kevin Lee on his channel in which Jesse Enkamp (Jesse Enkamp Taught Me the Truth About Karate) explains that in Karate the kata forms are holdovers from the teaching methods they used but over time the actual applications of those katas got lost and are now just relics that people try to figure out. It was really fascinating to think that Karate documented itself in applicable techniques that were taught solo before becoming application which is odd because most martial arts have built itself on principles that are then typically applied and refined. You learn to feel for pressure in a certain way and you have a multitude of responses you may develop against that pressure, rather than just doing a specific technique to a specific stimulus. This is where I think Karate began to break down over the years, too many techniques to develop and remember versus principles and concepts.
The second point was your comment about Karate's exaggerated movements. You see this in all martial arts at the beginning stages, and as you get better and better with more application and practice those exaggerated moves become more refined, more relaxed, and taking up less distance because you develop the inherent understanding of an effective movement. In Kali, you learn about fluid strikes and when you start out those are some wide-ass exaggerated strikes, but when you refine that skill those fluid attacks take up less distance, deliver more precise power, and allow versatility from different positions within the strike. Karate inside blocks are Kali's witiq strikes but become short, crisp, strikes using the blade of the forearm bone against an opponent's arm, for instance, and may be a break if timed right.
I'm finding Karate to be more and more interesting the more you look into its story. Personally it's not my cup of tea, I'm not really of a fan of the art but it definitely has merit and worthy of respect.
I like your outlook. I hated it growing up and made fun of it because i did combat sports but then grew to love it in recent years. It’s a weird thing how there’s so much in it when you really deep dive
@@inside_fighting I took "Karate" when I was in middle school, I think. It was one of those places where the sign on the building just said "karate" so I have no clue what style I did, but I practiced for a year before I got fed up with being so bored in class doing air punches/kicks and katas the whole time. I was too young and I didn't have the years of experience I have now to appreciate what it offers.
I still wouldn't take it if I could do it over because I really love Kali and Silat, it vibes with what I like in training and how it feels to do them.
I have developed full respect for Karate now because of what I've seen and learned. It's story is fascinating.
There are many different definitions, but in my opinion, this is the difference between "internal" and "External" martial arts.
In External styles, you learn many techniques and then extract the principles, where in Internal styles, you start with the principles and then extract the techniques.
I’ve been doing Enshin Karate the last couple months. You should check out their katas. When we are learning them we are told exactly what each move is intended for and why we do them
I’m a huge enshin fan
13:40 Is Shihan Paul Coleman. Sadly, deceased but still much loved and respected in the Goju community, a fantastic teacher with a respectable fight history, not to mention a great legacy as a teacher.
Much respect to him
Please do a video on your thoughts of Moo Duk Kwan Tang Soo Do/ Soo Bahk Do. I enjoy the videos, & keep up the good work.
Thanks so much! Will do!
I did Karate for years. I had a pretty good teacher who didn't exaggerate it's capabilities however I did one year of judo another year of jujitsu and 4 years of high school wrestling and it did way more for me than karate ever did. I didn't do this style so maybe I'm way off but karate doesn't seem like a super intuitive self defense style. I've definitely seen bad asses but they genuinely spent like 10,000 hours to get that way and I think there are way better ways to spend your time.
Nice to see and hear when someone really gets it. Katas and all. Really enjoyed this video, thanks!
In my view karate has this almost endless toolbox of techniques, especially Okinawan styles, and it depends of your style, your school and your own goals and needs, what tools you end up using. Potential is kinda endless.
I'm a Shorinji Ryu practitioner myself
I keep coming back to this video. I am nearing 62 years of age. Forms (hyungs) are the foundation of my martial arts training. I also spar and work basics. However, I do hyungs and resistance training every day.
Goju is amazing I've been practicing USA Goju since 2017 pretty effective.
It is great especially in the right school
Peter Urban style?
@@inside_fighting You should do a video on how karate spread to the USA and how people like O' Sensei Peter Urban and Ed Parker played fundamental roles in spreading the arts in the USA.
Just the other day, I was thinking if you're ever going to talk about Goju-Ryu 😁😁
Hahahah psychic prediction
@@inside_fighting I CAN SEE THE FUTURE!!!!!!!
Sorry, TeamFourStar made it too hilarious for me to forget haha
Having gotten my 2nd degree black belt in Goju Ryu. We trained predominantly in point fighting. The reasoning is rather effective when you understand it. We trained:
1) self control
2) more time sparring
3) less incurred injuries/less recovery time
4) honing that entry
5) building evasive skills
We only did hard contact fighting on occasion to ensure that we do develop the correct mentality. Also, there’s a misconception on the intention of training. Grandmaster Nay didn’t train me for “street self defense.” He trained me to engage other high level martial artists. That requires a different approach and mentality than simple self defense. IMHO, the western self defense mentality really hinders people’s potential. Since it really doesn’t take much to perform to that level. You can be a grunt or a SF guy. Grunts can fight other grunts. But grunts rarely can fight SF guys successfully.
I understand the logic and like the explanation. I think both have value. I’m just built to hit and take hits lol. I enjoy it and have always been drawn to that kind of fighting instinctively so i think it’s just how I’m wired.
@inside_fighting
People are definitely built differently…I couldn’t do the Kyokushin mentality. My body is already beat to hell just by the stress of training. For example, doing a horse stance exercise for over 1hr, plus calisthenics, plus kata, plus forward stance drills, and so on in one day is hard. That’s hours of training on various exercises.
@@ArizonaTengu that’s definitely a tough day of training. Wall sits and low stances are mentally very hard i find also
@inside_fighting
Yeah it’s a different kind of toughness for Goju Ryu. The biggest benefit is you don’t need a partner to train a hard day with this approach. But that hits the self motivating factor hard too. There’s a reason I was the only man to get a black belt from Grandmaster Nay in the last 20yrs because it is definitely a hard program to follow. Right now I’m focusing on the “soft” side of Goju Ryu to help my body recover by introducing less stress after 9yrs of this hard program lol.
You know, you can just say you don't train for self defense without having to put down people that do.
Also, it's not a "Western" thing. People all over the world know the value of self defense.
It's okay, we know you don't train that way, that's fine.
Self dfence is not about winning physical alercations; it about knowing how to avoid them.
Really good breakdown. I just joined up Goju ryu school pretty good instructor
You Sir, are 100% spot on! Jesse Enkamp would be very pleased with your insights. Okinawan boys would play tegumi (Okinawan wrestling) before they learnt karate. All the grappling stuff would have been common knowledge and taken for granted, hence the omission in karate schools. Hikite can be dragging the arm or grabbing the gi.
If you continued on the seipei kata demonstration video, there’s a move where you pull down on the scalp (or top knot, as was in fashion in older times), while the other hand is simultaneously performing an upper cut to the gut.
Yo this is sick i do okinawan karate and muay thai and boxing and judo and japnese jiujitsu
Good combination my friend 🙏🏼
Nice. I trained Goju way back in the 1980s. One of the highlights was when I got to do a seminar with Gogen Yamaguchi when he came out to my home country. We trained on a sports field in the blazing sun and at the end everyone was pretty finished. He was in his 70s then and still incredible. I got my black belt and then switched to Kimura Shukokai in the late 1980s early 90s. Got to train with Shigeru Kimura. All of those old time Karate-ka were a force to be reckoned with.
I train Isshin Ryu at the dojo the late Sherman Harrill Sensei started in Iowa. He was my first Isshin Ryu Sensei 30 years ago. It took me until 2016 to make it back.
Sadly, not many Isshin Ryu dojos train the way we do anymore.
I trained in an old school Goju dojo for 4 years in my teens. Full contact sparring and body conditioning were a part of every class. Knowing that you can take substantial punishment and still stay on your feet and keep on fighting is reassuring. The Goju kata are mostly about developing correct foot work and muscle memory for the strikes and blocks. 30 years later, that muscle memory is still there if called upon and I still hit like a ton of bricks :)
Have you checked out Uechi-ryu karate? It's another Naha-te style of Karate but they say it's basically unchanged from it's original Kung Fu style the founder learned in China in the late 1800s before returning to Okinawa.
I’ll definitely be doing a video on it!
@@inside_fighting, , , Uechi Ryu master Shinjo Kiyohide sensei aka the Superman of Okinawa .
All Martial arts are worth exploring especially traditional martial arts - it's what you take out of them and the effort you put in ❤💪
My training style from the days of youth was Ishin Ryu… a direct descendent of Goju. We did not spar with the grappling elements of the style, but our sensei taught the grappling bunkai. Our sparring was kumite with light contact to the body and no contact to the head. The definition of contact hardened as the belts progressed through the dan levels. Thanks for the history lesson… it matches up with my memories.
Glad you enjoyed it. I like ishin ryu a lot as well!
As I watch the video for 10 man kumite i was reminded that our black belt test was 3 - 5 hours and you sparred every black belt that showed up.
Yet I am I early 50s with no major injuries and decent enough conditioning that I still regularly run and can throw a decent head kick. You will get excellent conditioning for sports.
Thanks for your thoughts on this. Did Kyokushin for over 30 years. LOTS of tournaments, including euroepean and world championchips. What i became out of this was thoughness, strongness, more willpower and all this type of stuff. Okay, i never did this for the trophys, but exactly for this. The experiences of getting in danger (in fullcontact, regardless what rules, you really are everytime) and pain by strong blows and kicks, and how to deal with it. But all the time i was interested in real Karate, especially the okinawan originals. So i studied this to include in my style. Also Boxing, Kick-Boxing, some Judo/and Jiujitsu, also western weaponsystems, such as long sword (what i love).
There was a problem all the time: "to include it in my kyokushinsystem" simply didnt work verry well. Reason in my opinion: there are only a few good teachers, what really know about Kata, what really can look and teach beyond and over the verry rulelimited kyokushin fighting system. On top i meet lots of teachers, what straight did put resistance, if i wanted to understand more. "Kyokushin is own style, it has to stay clean" and so on and so on .... man i'm so SICK about this. Its simply soooo stupid and (self-)limiting.
After so many years i simply decided to fully change to okinawan gojuryu. A GAMECHANGER, as we call this nowadays, right. Was the best thing i could do. Differences are huge, i couldnt even imagine this before. Kyokushin practice did build a good basis for me i think. Its exact the things you mentioned in your video here. Thoughness, being strong. Punch and kick strong and take strong punches and kicks. But when it comes to real Karate beyond the (at last sport)aspects -> okinawankarate, and for me Goju, is the thing to start study and practice. There is only one thing im little unhappy about nowadays: I did make the livechanging decission to late. 15 or 20 years of Kyokushin could have been enough for me. Anyway i have to live with it and with little luck i will have enough time to practice the much more complete Karate-Arts now.
I studied Goju Ryu under Grand Master Glenn Keeney back in the early 70's.He was a wonderful teacher and I had so much respect for him. It has saved me from harm a handful of times in my life. I think it is the best form of karate for street fighting. I took a year of Tae Kwon Do to improve my kicking.
Really like your analysis
Appreciate that!
One of the components of the all day black belt pre test for the school I used to go to was a 12 min kumite and it was usually near the end of the night.
The part at 7:46 with the head stomp was like whoa!
DKK is a good small Goju organisation
How is the leg mate? getting surgery? or just rehab for it?
Rehabbing. I’m ok on it. They don’t seem to understand how. The acl is completely torn, meniscus tear, mcl torn, small fractures but I’m able to spar on it and even kick and I’m ok. I’m having a custom brace made next week.
I think I’ll be fine without surgery.
Thank you for asking btw
@@inside_fighting Glad you are on the mend mate! Need you in top shape to keep pumping out good content!
@@grayanderson1222 thanks brother! Looking forward to getting the brace so i can get back to sparring.
Tollally agree very very underated , some time I be check out different style of Goju ryu and okinwan styles stuff .also if you order the coursedo you get videos to learn the basic?
Uechi-Ryu eventually ?
Of course!
the late gary spiers maori karate legend trained goju ryu with yamaguchi in the 60s
speaking on that kata/grappling thing, i swear that keeping Kyokushin as your only striking art as a heavily grappling oriented martial artist is great for longevity, and the toughness you gain allows you to be calm and push forward into grabbing range. the kata is a great supplement when you know what they're for.
I trained GoJu to black belt level as a teenager. No sparring, and I definitely didn't learn how to fight. However, when I got into fights in schools the physical attributes of the training helped a lot even if I couldn't apply any of the techniques. I was able to keep my balance, move fast and hang in there. Later on, studying other martial arts, I've been able to pick up on movements and power generation a lot better than if I hadn't of practiced GoJu. Still, I think it's sad I never received training that could have taught me how to use any of the stuff.
Yes that’s the problem with some schools.
Kata has many layers that include hidden techniques that are designed to maim and kill your attacker as efficiently as possible. Those techniques are usually revealed to the dan grades. This phenomenon holds true even for true practitioners of Shotokan.
As for the throws, the main difference between Karate and Judo throws is that in the practitioner of the former system does not go down with the opponent like the judokas, but rather stays on his feet to deliver a finishing blow.
Very nice video, by the way.
I think a lot of martial art styles are underrated, traditional martial arts that is, ever since the domination of MMA and BJJ, Catch wrestling, Boxing combat sports, every traditional style is being held up to those combat sports. Of course the sports are very effective both in the ring and out and the practitioners are in shape and strong. But traditional martial arts still have there place, they teach many other things apart from fighting, and they offer a way of life, they prepare their students by teaching weapons and unarmed, they keep their practitioners fit, and healthy. And they pass on the ability to teach so the style can stay alive.
Agree, it’s kind of sad
Another great vid bud. At age 59, kata is my movement training, mostly, combined with some sparring and of course exercise. Components of kata re what is used in self defense. The issue is a lot people that do not understand the use and application look at kata as a whole unit instead of the components. Even the individual technique in a kata is not what may be used at the time of defending yourself, it may just be partial. This is also training for the mind. To focus on the technique so that when you execute it you will have the focus and proper execution. Kata means some thing different to everyone. For us being a melded system dojo, our perspective and approach to kata training is slightly different to those in classical karate dojos, but the end goal is still the same. OSS! ..and yes i also love Kyokushin as it was my first system.
although i agree with the perspective of full contact sparring, it doesn't help with your defense if you are constantly taking a beating when training. Kumite, sparring for us is used to execute technique within pressure, to learn to move and react, without the feeling of possibly being hurt. Yes pain is a good teacher, but it is also a good deterrent from training. At times we will train contact sparring, but with control so that participants can go home and still go back to work and live their lives daily. When it comes to using technique full contact it is a mind set. Thai boxers "play" when sparring, still some contact but they don't usually go full contact to try to knock each other out, that way they can keep training and keep working. to generate bone density and muscle power for taking a hard strike we do some iron body training where we strike each other with hard to very hard strikes. OSS!
when i was in my early 20s itrained in WTF TaeKwonDo, we would spar full on for up to 3 hours, this was when they still punched to the head, and hard contact, with pads. I got my 3rd dan in ITF TaeKwonDo later on. In that system sparring for senior rank adults was continuous contact, sometimes full contact, yes some pads but still can take some punishment. Nowadays the WTF even though full contact and have some great kickers, not great technique especially hands [in my opinion of course] and even the ITF system schools have gone the way of more point sparring fighting even though it is continuous.