Got three new DVD's and love them all...here's my opinion...
Kodokan Judo: with Master Technician Kyuzo Mifune
This film features footage of Kyuzo Mifune, the last 10th dan of Judo. During the video he is is 73 years old, barely over five feet tall and about 110 lbs. He still manages to dismantle members of the 1964 Olympic Judo team, some that are 6'4'' and 290 lbs. Besides the randori, both with the olympians and with seval 6th-8th dans, it shows him demonstrating everything from sacrifice throws to groundwork...it often shows it in slow motion too. Many people consider Mifune the greatest martial artist that ever lived...it's hard to dispute those claims.
Functional Karate: by Takayuki Kubota
Kubota, who invented the weapon aptly named the Kubotan. The video features beautiful surroundings and although he does not touch on his namesake weapon, he does demonstrate many good techniques and really highlights some of his blinding hand speed. Kubota is a small man, but when you're pure dynamite, you don't need to come in a big package.
Budo Masters: The Japanese/Okinawan Masters of the Martial Arts
Wow. This two hours of some of the most famous names in martial arts history. Gichin Funakoshi, Jigoro Kano, Fumio Demura, Kyuzo Mifune, Takayuki Kubota, Gogen Yamaguchi, Mas Oyama, Morihei Ueshiba, Gozo Shioda, it just never ends. It features masters of numerous styles of karate Shotokan, Uechi Ryu, Goju Ryu, Wado Ryu, etc, as well as many other arts such as Judo, Aikido, Jujutsu, Kobudo, and on and on. I could watch this all day. It also features lots of great kata practitioners. Other things that catch my eye, any of the Goju Ryu practitioners working the makiwara, chopping a concrete block in half with a katana, Mas Oyama fighting a bull. There is another scene where an elderly Gojo ryu master is sitting on the floor in seiza practicing the hand movements of a kata, a look of complete intensity and focus on his face. I highly recommend this book for any practitioner of a Japanese or Okinawan martial art or even those interested in the history of martial arts. Here you get to see the people that made the history in action.
Kodokan Judo: with Master Technician Kyuzo Mifune
This film features footage of Kyuzo Mifune, the last 10th dan of Judo. During the video he is is 73 years old, barely over five feet tall and about 110 lbs. He still manages to dismantle members of the 1964 Olympic Judo team, some that are 6'4'' and 290 lbs. Besides the randori, both with the olympians and with seval 6th-8th dans, it shows him demonstrating everything from sacrifice throws to groundwork...it often shows it in slow motion too. Many people consider Mifune the greatest martial artist that ever lived...it's hard to dispute those claims.
Functional Karate: by Takayuki Kubota
Kubota, who invented the weapon aptly named the Kubotan. The video features beautiful surroundings and although he does not touch on his namesake weapon, he does demonstrate many good techniques and really highlights some of his blinding hand speed. Kubota is a small man, but when you're pure dynamite, you don't need to come in a big package.
Budo Masters: The Japanese/Okinawan Masters of the Martial Arts
Wow. This two hours of some of the most famous names in martial arts history. Gichin Funakoshi, Jigoro Kano, Fumio Demura, Kyuzo Mifune, Takayuki Kubota, Gogen Yamaguchi, Mas Oyama, Morihei Ueshiba, Gozo Shioda, it just never ends. It features masters of numerous styles of karate Shotokan, Uechi Ryu, Goju Ryu, Wado Ryu, etc, as well as many other arts such as Judo, Aikido, Jujutsu, Kobudo, and on and on. I could watch this all day. It also features lots of great kata practitioners. Other things that catch my eye, any of the Goju Ryu practitioners working the makiwara, chopping a concrete block in half with a katana, Mas Oyama fighting a bull. There is another scene where an elderly Gojo ryu master is sitting on the floor in seiza practicing the hand movements of a kata, a look of complete intensity and focus on his face. I highly recommend this book for any practitioner of a Japanese or Okinawan martial art or even those interested in the history of martial arts. Here you get to see the people that made the history in action.
