# Why don't Kyokushin practitioners bulk up a little bit?



## 666 (Dec 30, 2017)

Oyama himself wasn't that small and there's footage of him lifting weights.
In one of his books he says that lifting weighs is the best way of getting strong for younger people (also that strength is the most important part between strength, speed and technique).
Also apparently his mountain training routine was heavily influenced by lifting.
But it looks like most Japanese practitioners are relatively small, so why is that?


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## Headhunter (Dec 30, 2017)

Maybe because the ones you've seen don't want to lift weights maybe?


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## hoshin1600 (Dec 30, 2017)

666 said:


> But it looks like most Japanese practitioners are relatively small, so why is that?


genetics for starters.
but to ask why a demographic doesn't lift weights is a simple answer ...they have no interest in it.   Martial arts is a hobby. weight lifting is another but separate hobby. some may like to combine the two for performance reasons but if your not a competitive athlete there is no reason to other than enjoyment.  the fact that your asking this question infers one of two meanings.  either there is a genuine curiosity about the lack of body building in Japanese culture or you feel "everyone should lift weights".  in which case you are not the arbiter of peoples hobbies, they do what they enjoy doing.
aside from that, Japanese culture has major time restrictions on people.  they dont have time to do many hobbies (if at all).  i believe the bulk of martial arts training is done at the school level for children.  perhaps it is even practiced as an extra credit course in school.  but outside of that people dont have time.


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## Headhunter (Dec 30, 2017)

hoshin1600 said:


> genetics for starters.
> but to ask why a demographic doesn't lift weights is a simple answer ...they have no interest in it.   Martial arts is a hobby. weight lifting is another but separate hobby. some may like to combine the two for performance reasons but if your not a competitive athlete there is no reason to other than enjoyment.  the fact that your asking this question infers one of two meanings.  either there is a genuine curiosity about the lack of body building in Japanese culture or you feel "everyone should lift weights".  in which case you are not the arbiter of peoples hobbies, they do what they enjoy doing.
> aside from that, Japanese culture has major time restrictions on people.  they dont have time to do many hobbies (if at all).  i believe the bulk of martial arts training is done at the school level for children.  perhaps it is even practiced as an extra credit course in school.  but outside of that people dont have time.


Yep pretty much. I like fitness training I like running and yes that helps with martial arts and my cardio but its not a necessary thing I do body weight stuff to stay strong but lifting weights frankly bores me to death any time I ever tried to do it I literally couldn't for more than a few minutes it's simply not for me and again no necessary


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## JR 137 (Dec 30, 2017)

666 said:


> Oyama himself wasn't that small and there's footage of him lifting weights.
> In one of his books he says that lifting weighs is the best way of getting strong for younger people (also that strength is the most important part between strength, speed and technique).
> Also apparently his mountain training routine was heavily influenced by lifting.
> But it looks like most Japanese practitioners are relatively small, so why is that?


I’d be very, very surprised if Oyama said strength is more important than technique and speed.

Could you be misinterpreting strength of character or the like?

As for competitive Kyokushin practitioners, strength training is very common.  Not sure where you’re getting your information from, other than making (false) assumptions based on what people look like while wearing a full gi.


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## 666 (Dec 30, 2017)

JR 137 said:


> I’d be very, very surprised if Oyama said strength is more important than technique and speed.



Check out "Mas Oyama's Essential Karate", the section about weight training.
Oh, but I should mention that it states that speed is closely related to strength thus both aspects are important.


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## JR 137 (Dec 30, 2017)

666 said:


> Check out "Mas Oyama's Essential Karate", the section about weight training.


I don’t own it.  Can you give us a quote?  I’m not saying you’re lying; I’m just saying I’m very surprised by it.

I’ve been meaning to buy a copy of it, actually.  Is that the one that’s basically a reprint and update of “This is Karate?”


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## 666 (Dec 30, 2017)

JR 137 said:


> Can you give us a quote?


"There are three important things in karate:
strength, speed, and technique. Out of these three,
strength could be said to be the most important.
However, strength is very much associated with
speed; therefore, the karateka cannot achieve one
without the other. From my experience, I can say
that the karateka should devote himself to developing strength and speed while he is young, and
not depend solely on technique. Karate techniques
are especially important for those whose physical
strength may have lessened with age."

I wasn't trying to say that everything else is useless I just wanted to point out that he thought lifting and strength is important.


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## 666 (Dec 30, 2017)

JR 137 said:


> Is that the one that’s basically a reprint and update of “This is Karate?”


I don't know, I only own that and "The Kyokushin Way: Mas Oyama's Karate Philosophy".


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## Headhunter (Dec 30, 2017)

666 said:


> "There are three important things in karate:
> strength, speed, and technique. Out of these three,
> strength could be said to be the most important.
> However, strength is very much associated with
> ...


Just because doesn't have body builders muscles doesn't mean they're not strong you know. There's plenty of guys who look small but are extremely strong and powerful


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## Anarax (Dec 30, 2017)

666 said:


> "There are three important things in karate:
> strength, speed, and technique. Out of these three,
> strength could be said to be the most important.
> However, strength is very much associated with
> ...



I think Oyama was more so referring to power rather than strength. Not all weight training is the same thus different types of weight training will accomplish different goals. For example; look at the difference between a power lifer and a body builder. Their training, look and type of "strength" varies greatly. Power lifters train for functionality and have more explosive power than a body builder. The body builder looks "stronger", but won't be able to lift that of a power lifter. The point being they both lift weights but couldn't be more dissimilar. 

There are certain types of weight training that can be a hindrance to a martial artist, they can slow you down if the inappropriate type of training is done. However; there are forms of resistance(weights, bands, pool) training that could greatly benefit a martial artist. Just use some discretion when selecting what type of resistance training to do, for it could work against you as a martial artist.

Genetics also play a factor into it as well. Everyone's body responds to workouts as well. For example; two people can have the same diet and workout but their bodies will look differently. Metabolism, genetics and bone structure/alignment are all factors into how your body will respond to resistance training.


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## 666 (Dec 30, 2017)

I know, but there are weight classes for a reason. Otherwise we'd see boxing matches between a 60kg and a 120kg guy.
I bring this stuff up because Oyama himself was pretty solid. If it was a disadvantage he just could've loose some weight.
I'm not referring to roid users with big *** muscles, beyond natural limits.


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## Headhunter (Dec 30, 2017)

666 said:


> I know, but there are weight classes for a reason. Otherwise we'd see boxing matches between a 60kg and a 120kg guy.
> I bring this stuff up because Oyama himself was pretty solid. If it was a disadvantage he just could've loose some weight.
> I'm not referring to roid users with big *** muscles, beyond natural limits.


No one has said it's a disadvantage but its also not necessary either. Again one ill always say look at the early UFC tournaments no weight classes and all won by the smallest guy


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## 666 (Dec 30, 2017)

Headhunter said:


> No one has said it's a disadvantage but its also not necessary either. Again one ill always say look at the early UFC tournaments no weight classes and all won by the smallest guy


Please send me some links, and not that one fight with the 600 pound dude or anything like that, because that's not what I meant.
I've seen some of the fights but it's not like they are small for their height, it's just that the other guy is even taller and bigger lol.
So that's what I mean, the smaller guys still have a foundation.


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## Headhunter (Dec 30, 2017)

666 said:


> Please send me some links, and not that one fight with the 600 pound dude or anything like that, because that's not what I meant.
> I've seen some of the fights but it's not like they are small for their height, it's just that the other guy is even taller and bigger lol.
> So that's what I mean, the smaller guys still have a foundation.


Just type in Royce Gracie highlights you'll find hundreds of them but here's the biggest example


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## Buka (Dec 30, 2017)

Welcome to MartialTalk, 666.

I'm not sure about Kyokushin guys lifting or not lifting. Probably some do and some don't.
Do you have any thoughts on it?


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## drop bear (Dec 30, 2017)

Sam Greco?

Andy Hug?


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## Headhunter (Dec 30, 2017)

Also another thing you have to think about, how do you know how big or strong someone is...I mean how many kyokushin guys do you see without their shirts on? A GI can make anyone look not so big. Myself I know I'm strong but I also know I look skinny as hell in normal clothes


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## drop bear (Dec 30, 2017)

Headhunter said:


> Also another thing you have to think about, how do you know how big or strong someone is...I mean how many kyokushin guys do you see without their shirts on? A GI can make anyone look not so big. Myself I know I'm strong but I also know I look skinny as hell in normal clothes


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## JR 137 (Dec 30, 2017)

Kenji Midori was 5’5 and 154 lbs when he won the 5th Kyokushin World Open Championship.  The reason this is significant is because he was by far the lightest person to ever win it.  I’m quite sure he was single-digit body fat at that time too.  So his 154 lbs isn’t an everyday person’s 154 lbs.

Have you seen Fighting Black Kings?  That movie shows guys from all over getting ready for the 1st World championship.  The Japanese guys may have been shorter and smaller framed compared to Willie Williams and Charles Martin, but they were on par with pretty much everyone else.  Katsuaki Sato was a bit bigger than most of the Japanese, but not much.  According to google, he was almost 5’11 and 183 lbs.  Not small IMO, and he did a lot of weight training.

Look at the more recent guys - Hajime Kazuki, Francisco Filho, Ewerton Teixeira, Artur Hovanissyan.  They’re quite big.  When they’re standing next to each other and in gis, it’s not easy to tell how big these guys really are.

And who could forget the most famous Kyokushin fighter of all time - Dolph Lundgren... aka Ivan Drago.


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## 666 (Dec 30, 2017)

JR 137 said:


> Have you seen Fighting Black Kings?


No, I will watch it tho thanks.


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## JR 137 (Dec 30, 2017)

666 said:


> No, I will watch it tho thanks.


Last I knew, it was streaming on Amazon Instant Video for free to Prime members under the title The Strongest Karate.  If not, it’s about $7 or so to buy in SD.  If you’re a Kyokushin guy, it’s a must have.  As I said in s few other threads, it’s part Kyokushin propaganda film, part blaxploitation film set to 70s-style porn music, and all Kyokushin badassery.  The editing sucks, the commentary is a bit suspect, and the audio sync seems to be off, but all of that makes it even better.

I’ve got a bit of a personal link to it.  My teacher was in Kyokushin during that era under Tadashi Nakamura, he wasn’t in the movie but he was at a few of those workouts, and I’ve met Charles Martin a few times, being in Seido and all.  My teacher has so many great stories about that era and those guys in general.


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## JR 137 (Dec 30, 2017)

666 said:


> "There are three important things in karate:
> strength, speed, and technique. Out of these three,
> strength could be said to be the most important.
> However, strength is very much associated with
> ...


Thanks for that.  I’ve read What Is Karate, This is Karate, and the 3rd one in Oyama’s holy trinity of Kyokushin books (I can’t remember the title).  My former teacher let me borrow his, and my current teacher has them on a shelf in the dojo.  They’re quite good.

I read somewhere that one of the currently available Oyama books is pretty much This Is Karate, but I can’t remember which one.  I think it is Mas Oyama’s Essential Karate, but I’m not sure.  This Is Karate is the book that stood out most to me.  Problem is it’s out of print and the price is absurd.


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## 666 (Dec 30, 2017)

JR 137 said:


> Thanks for that. I’ve read What Is Karate, This is Karate, and the 3rd one in Oyama’s holy trinity of Kyokushin books


Did you get some "special" information out of the books? About Oyama's training or something like that?
Would be great if you'd share some.


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## JR 137 (Dec 30, 2017)

666 said:


> Did you get some "special" information out of the books? About Oyama's training or something like that?
> Would be great if you'd share some.


It’s been about 20 years since I’ve read them.  I can see the pictures in my mind and remember the gist of it, but nothing comes to mind except they were quite good.  My local library used to have What Is Karate back in the day.  I knew nothing about it, but I checked it out and read it.  I told my then sensei about it, and he said “oh, you mean that book over there?” pointing to his copy (along with the other 2 Oyama books).  That library doesn’t have that book anymore.  Someone probably figured out how much it’s worth and stole it.  

Most MA books I’ve seen that deal with teaching technique suck IMO. Those ones don’t.  And one doesn’t have to be a Kyokushin or related karateka nor an Oyama fan to appreciate them.


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## 666 (Dec 31, 2017)

Watched Fighting Black Kings, it was worth it man.


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## JR 137 (Dec 31, 2017)

666 said:


> Watched Fighting Black Kings, it was worth it man.


My teacher came through the ranks in that era.  Some things he’s told me about it...

Some of the training stuff was played up for the camera.  Nothing was staged, but guys went harder when the cameras were on.  Not that they took it easy during training by any means.

The black belt test was exactly how they tested.  They were pretty surprised that they allowed s camera in there during it, but there wasn’t any extra difficulty; it was business as usual.  The guy who got cut had a broken jaw too.  It was genuinely an accident. I’ve met the guy who did it to him several times.  Very nice guy.  He’s a 7th dan now, and still in great fighting shape, 40+ years later.

Charles Martin is still Tadashi Nakamura’s senior-most student.  And I hear he’s still a handful when sparring.  I’ve met him several times too, and he’s a great guy.

My teacher’s got so many William Oliver stories.  I hear one at least every other week.

Someone asked Charles Martin about that movie a few years ago.  He just chuckled and shook his head, saying “is that movie STILL around?”

The movie played in a lot of local theaters in Harlem.  There was a huge influx of students after it, especially pre-teen boys.  A lot of parents brought their kids to the dojos and said they wanted their sons to be just like the Fighting Black Kings.  If that movie came out today, I don’t think that would be the case.


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## KabutoKouji (Jan 2, 2018)

tbh I would have always presumed that Kyokushin practitioners are often 'larger' than most other Karate disciplines, definitely the stereotypical practitioner in Japanese games is also (Mr Karate and Jin Kazama).


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## Buka (Jan 4, 2018)

JR 137 said:


> Thanks for that.  I’ve read What Is Karate, This is Karate, and the 3rd one in Oyama’s holy trinity of Kyokushin books (I can’t remember the title).  My former teacher let me borrow his, and my current teacher has them on a shelf in the dojo.  They’re quite good.
> 
> I read somewhere that one of the currently available Oyama books is pretty much This Is Karate, but I can’t remember which one.  I think it is Mas Oyama’s Essential Karate, but I’m not sure.  This Is Karate is the book that stood out most to me.  Problem is it’s out of print and the price is absurd.



Those were the first Martial Arts books I ever read. Loved them, still do.


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## JR 137 (Jan 4, 2018)

Buka said:


> Those were the first Martial Arts books I ever read. Loved them, still do.


Very few books in that genre, so to speak, are good IMO.  Those ones are gold.  One I’m currently really digging is Joko Ninomiya’s Sabaki Method: Karate in the Inner Circle.  At quick glance it’s ok.  After reading it, digesting it and trying to apply it, it’s fantastic.  There’s nothing truly groundbreaking, but once you get past the basics in the first chapter or so, the application is where the magic happens.  At least for me, anyway.


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## 666 (Jan 4, 2018)

Buka said:


> Those were the first Martial Arts books I ever read. Loved them, still do.


Is the content of it still fresh in your mind? Like did you maybe re-read them?


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## Buka (Jan 4, 2018)

666 said:


> Is the content of it still fresh in your mind? Like did you maybe re-read them?



Read them many times over the years. One of them I cut up with scissors [I had another copy] and used a lot of the pictures on a collage we made on a big wall of the dojo, along with a bootload of pics from Karate magazines and some we had taken ourselves. It was a really cool wall.

If you're familiar with the books you might remember the shots of Oyama and his students running barefoot through the snow. And training under a waterfall.
We were in our early twenties and so nuts about Martial Arts that we would do anything. So, we got the bright idea to go "All Oyama". We drove to Nantasket  Beach at 2 in the morning one January night. It was eighteen degrees and the beach was snow covered. We had on gi pants and no shirts. Figured we'd go waist deep into the water and throw a thousand reverse punches in the cold, because, hey, we were fricken' Karate men.

Lasted all of ten seconds before we ran screaming for the car, which, fortunately, we had left running with the heat on. We jumped in and still screamed for five minutes. We shivered uncontrollably and rubbed our arms and legs, all the while screaming. 

I know, we weren't very bright. My buddy and I occasionally bring it up and laugh. Each blaming the other for the idea. And the one thing we both remember most was that the snow on the beach felt like it was burning our feet as we ran back to the car.

You know what they say, "No fool like a damn fool'.


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## Headhunter (Jan 4, 2018)

Buka said:


> Read them many times over the years. One of them I cut up with scissors [I had another copy] and used a lot of the pictures on a collage we made on a big wall of the dojo, along with a bootload of pics from Karate magazines and some we had taken ourselves. It was a really cool wall.
> 
> If you're familiar with the books you might remember the shots of Oyama and his students running barefoot through the snow. And training under a waterfall.
> We were in our early twenties and so nuts about Martial Arts that we would do anything. So, we got the bright idea to go "All Oyama". We drove to Nantasket  Beach at 2 in the morning one January night. It was eighteen degrees and the beach was snow covered. We had on gi pants and no shirts. Figured we'd go waist deep into the water and throw a thousand reverse punches in the cold, because, hey, we were fricken' Karate men.
> ...


Got to love how you say 18 degrees like that's cold...18 degrees is considered very hot where we are. The last few weeks the weather has been no higher than 8 degrees


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## 666 (Jan 5, 2018)

Mh, yeah true actually 18 degrees ain't cold lol, but wait, 18 degrees and a snow covered beach? xD


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## Buka (Jan 5, 2018)

Might not be cold to you guys, so give it a try and let me know. Unless you guys are talking Celsius, in which case 18 degrees would be -7.
But if you do go ahead and jump into the water, be prepared, the waves feel like they're made of broken glass.

Good teeth chattering though, that, at least, can be amusing. Afterwards, anyway.


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## JR 137 (Jan 5, 2018)

Buka said:


> Might not be cold to you guys, so give it a try and let me know. Unless you guys are talking Celsius, in which case 18 degrees would be -7.
> But if you do go ahead and jump into the water, be prepared, the waves feel like they're made of broken glass.
> 
> Good teeth chattering though, that, at least, can be amusing. Afterwards, anyway.


I’m all set with cold water.  During first 2 weeks of grad school, I didn’t have any hot water.  Showering was an absolute nightmare.  And we couldn’t shower at school because idiots at the sports building wouldn’t let us in without paying one of the hidden fees colleges get undergrads for.

2 of the most painful weeks of my life.  There was no getting used to it.  I think it took a solid 3 weeks after we had hot water for my boys to fully descend.


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## 666 (Jan 5, 2018)

Buka said:


> Unless you guys are talking Celsius, in which case 18 degrees would be -7.


I'm so confused right now, what are we talking about xD
Are we talking about 18 °C or 18 °F.


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## JR 137 (Jan 5, 2018)

666 said:


> I'm so confused right now, what are we talking about xD
> Are we talking about 18 °C or 18 °F.


Both are way too cold for me, so it makes no difference as far as I’m concerned.


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## 666 (Jan 5, 2018)

JR 137 said:


> There was no getting used to it.


Next Fall, don't use a heater and still try to sleep without a shirt.
Start taking cold showers every time you get in the shower (also in Winter) make sure you hit all parts of your body.
And don't use big *** jackets when you go out.
When you start in Fall you will slowly get used to it.
And if you do have to use a heater, still try to keep a low temperature.
That's what I did and it worked, first 2 weeks may suck, but it works, you can go out with a shirt while others start freezing with jackets, and I didn't get a cold too.


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## Buka (Jan 5, 2018)

666 said:


> I'm so confused right now, what are we talking about xD
> Are we talking about 18 °C or 18 °F.



18 °F.  

Sorry for any confusion. Alas, tis' the world I live in.


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## 666 (Jan 5, 2018)

Buka said:


> 18 °F.
> 
> Sorry for any confusion. Alas, tis' the world I live in.


Ah, now it makes sense, the water must have been damn cold, even if you're conditioned.


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## _Simon_ (Jan 7, 2018)

Buka said:


> Read them many times over the years. One of them I cut up with scissors [I had another copy] and used a lot of the pictures on a collage we made on a big wall of the dojo, along with a bootload of pics from Karate magazines and some we had taken ourselves. It was a really cool wall.
> 
> If you're familiar with the books you might remember the shots of Oyama and his students running barefoot through the snow. And training under a waterfall.
> We were in our early twenties and so nuts about Martial Arts that we would do anything. So, we got the bright idea to go "All Oyama". We drove to Nantasket  Beach at 2 in the morning one January night. It was eighteen degrees and the beach was snow covered. We had on gi pants and no shirts. Figured we'd go waist deep into the water and throw a thousand reverse punches in the cold, because, hey, we were fricken' Karate men.
> ...


Ah that is hardcore, I think it's good every now and then to really go to extremes like that. Just not all the time haha..

As to whether Oyama recommended weight training I'm not 100% sure, haven't read the books (which I'd love to though..). It was only spoken about rarely during training, but moreso functional strength and core development stuff. When I trained Kyokushin I weight trained, still do and love it, but yeah there are plenty of smaller fighters who pack an incredible punch. Hit someone in the right spot, with great technique and with the right timing and it won't matter how strong he is hehe, he will feel it! In some respects power comes from technique (but yeah, now we're getting into many differing topics, power vs strength vs mass etc), but weights can definitely assist in that.

I guess it's a matter of not leaning too much to either extreme (ie. [1] one should devote an incredible amount of time to weights to the exclusion of other aspects vs. [2] weight training is useless). I keep coming back to the idea of balance. And sometimes there are times when you need to devote more time to develop certain skills/strengths, but it's all in the name of bringing about a greater balance.


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## 666 (Jan 24, 2018)

Yoooo, got myself "This is Karate" and there he basically says the same thing, younger people should focus more on strength and speed and not so much on technique. "and devote yourself to achieving precision in the basic techniques only". Well you don't really need more so yeah,... at the end you'll still need all three things.


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## Gerry Seymour (Jan 24, 2018)

Buka said:


> Read them many times over the years. One of them I cut up with scissors [I had another copy] and used a lot of the pictures on a collage we made on a big wall of the dojo, along with a bootload of pics from Karate magazines and some we had taken ourselves. It was a really cool wall.
> 
> If you're familiar with the books you might remember the shots of Oyama and his students running barefoot through the snow. And training under a waterfall.
> We were in our early twenties and so nuts about Martial Arts that we would do anything. So, we got the bright idea to go "All Oyama". We drove to Nantasket  Beach at 2 in the morning one January night. It was eighteen degrees and the beach was snow covered. We had on gi pants and no shirts. Figured we'd go waist deep into the water and throw a thousand reverse punches in the cold, because, hey, we were fricken' Karate men.
> ...


I’m not sure Ibelieve this. I mean, it sounds plausible and all, but Joe Lewis wasn’t keeping the car warm for you guys, and you didn’t go out and eat a stack of pancakes afterward. Doesn’t sound like one of your stories.


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## _Simon_ (Jan 24, 2018)

666 said:


> Yoooo, got myself "This is Karate" and there he basically says the same thing, younger people should focus more on strength and speed and not so much on technique. "and devote yourself to achieving precision in the basic techniques only". Well you don't really need more so yeah,... at the end you'll still need all three things.



Ah that's interesting, thanks for sharing, am keen to get that book if i can find it cheaper...

Glad the basic techniques bit was added! I guess technique becomes far more important in older years, but while you're young other aspects can be given attention. But yeah that doesn't preclude technique for sure


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## 666 (Jan 25, 2018)

_Simon_ said:


> I guess technique becomes far more important in older years


Yes, that's exactly what he says, I quote: "as you grow older your body's strength and speed will decline, and that will be the time when techniques will be important."
Next sentence should also be worth mentioning:
"If, when you are young, you concentrate only on techniques to the neglect of strength and speed, you will be running up a blind alley."


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## Gerry Seymour (Jan 25, 2018)

666 said:


> Yes, that's exactly what he says, I quote: "as you grow older your body's strength and speed will decline, and that will be the time when techniques will be important."
> Next sentence should also be worth mentioning:
> "If, when you are young, you concentrate only on techniques to the neglect of strength and speed, you will be running up a blind alley."


Some real wisdom in that - we now know that muscles, once developed, are easier to maintain and to rebuild after atrophy. Developing strength in youth means it’s easier to maintain strength as we age.


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## hoshin1600 (Jan 25, 2018)

gpseymour said:


> I’m not sure Ibelieve this. I mean, it sounds plausible and all, but Joe Lewis wasn’t keeping the car warm for you guys, and you didn’t go out and eat a stack of pancakes afterward. Doesn’t sound like one of your stories.



so as it turns out Joe was a very smart man..he was at home sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace while the screaming banshee's  were in the car waiting for their limbs to work again so they could drive home.


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## GreatUniter (Jan 30, 2018)

All great japanese masters trained with weights (some of them that are alive still train). Kiyohide Shinjo, Morio Higaonna, Masahiko Kimura, Mas Oyama etc.


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## Psilent Knight (Feb 23, 2018)

@666 There are literally thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands of Kyokushin practitioners world wide. The ones you have seen (in person or on screen) are only but a small sample of Kyokushin students there is. Most of the Kyokushin enthusiasts that I know are really into weight lifting and quite a few of them are intimidating with their size and physiques. Also have you ever seen Judd Reid or Nicholas Pettis in their competition days? How about Arne Soldwedel or Ketustis Arbocious? There's Kenji Yamaki and hundreds more.



JR 137 said:


> Is that the one that’s basically a reprint and update of “This is Karate?”



No, "This Is Karate" was never updated and reprinted. I believe you are thinking about Sosai's first book "What Is Karate?". The updated version of that book is titled "Mastering Karate".



JR 137 said:


> Thanks for that.  I’ve read What Is Karate, This is Karate, and the 3rd one in Oyama’s holy trinity of Kyokushin books (I can’t remember the title).



The third one is "Advanced Karate".


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