Yeah, but I heard he was smoking the 100s. I think he was working on endurance.
Favorite Form?
- Thread starter Kababayan
- Start date
Yeah, but I heard he was smoking the 100s. I think he was working on endurance.
hoshin1600
Senior Master
hey what ever it was he was doing, it was working for him. i remember looking around the dojo at a bunch of fat and dumpy Americans with their Gi tops off to do sanchin...then Gushi took his top off ,,,,man at 70 something years old he was ripped.. it was just embarrising
Is the form traditionally meant to have that flow, or is that something unique to this particular MAist? It was very interesting, haven't seen something quite like it.
hoshin1600
Senior Master
i thought i would post this Sanchin. i was having a discussion some time ago about it. this is Okinawan Ryuei Ryu and it is very hard to find a Sanchin video from that style
I trained with someone years ago who may have trained in that style. I recall him showing me a segment of a form that was intended for developing muscles and joints, and this looks very familiar.
hoshin1600
Senior Master
I'm sure the style you are referring to was okinawan Goju Ryu. That was what I was discussing in an old thread. How those two styles do the same form. Goju is very popular.
That's possible. I think he had some spent some time in Okinawa, so I'd guess either is possible if Ryuei ryu is still extant there.
JR 137
Grandmaster
hoshin1600
Senior Master
Sakumoto's kata performance is great. I have seen other informal seminar clips and he impress the crap out of me. Fast crisp and accurate.
Sign me up for the alternative version that uses low kicks. They do have an alternative version right? lol. I'm not even sure if I can hold my kick out at a 90 degree angle lol.
I'm almost absolutely certain I can't. I can kick fairly high in movement, but static holds...not so much.
JR 137
Grandmaster
At my last test, I had two black belts “checking” me during Sanchin. And I had my eyes closed. I’m pretty good from being pushed from the front and almost as good being pushed from the sides. I wasn’t expecting a push from behind. And at one point, one guy had his arms around my waist while the other had his arms around one of my arms. Stepping forward and throwing a punch was never more difficult
Then I thought I was done, standing in the finished posture with my eyes closed. That roundhouse to the thighs wasn’t expected at that point. I won’t make that mistake again
JR 137
Grandmaster
My favorite kata to watch (I haven’t learned it) is Kyokushin/Seido’s Kanku. Especially performed by the late, great William Oliver...
Few people look like they’re actually in a fight while performing a kata. William Oliver easily pulled that off every time, with every kata.
Few people look like they’re actually in a fight while performing a kata. William Oliver easily pulled that off every time, with every kata.
hoshin1600
Senior Master
nice kata but im going to critique it a bit.....is he really short or is he imagining that he is fighting Shaq? all of his kicks and strikes are aimed really high.
JR 137
Grandmaster
nice kata but im going to critique it a bit.....is he really short or is he imagining that he is fighting Shaq? all of his kicks and strikes are aimed really high.
If my memory serves me right, I was told he was 5’6. Why did he always kick so high? Because he could
He was probably visualizing fighting Willie Williams and Charles Martin during it (both are around 6’2 vs his 5’6). My teacher has a lot of William Oliver stories. He mentions him at least every other week. He talks about how Oliver could kick Charles Martin in the face without jumping. He’s said “that sounds impossible, until you see him actually do it. Then it looks so easy to do.”
If you’re not familiar with William Oliver and Charles Martin, check out Fighting Black Kings. Last I knew it was streaming on Amazon prime for free under the title Strongest Karate.
For reference, here’s a “mere mortal” doing Kyokushin Kanku
William Oliver was something else. Sure, he looks good doing Kata, and he looks good sparring on youtube and the like, but when you went up against him it seemed like he had three legs. And all of them were usually kicking you. One time he kicked me upside the head so sneakily, I laughed as I went back to the line.
It's been a while now, but I remember how saddened I was when I heard he passed.
It's been a while now, but I remember how saddened I was when I heard he passed.
JR 137
Grandmaster
You sound like my teacher
My teacher sparred him at the end of his 1st and 2nd dan tests (in addition to many other times). He was telling us last week that during both tests, Oliver stood up straight and started slapping him on both sides of his face repeatedly, like a windshield wiper, with his left foot without touching down. When my teacher got up, Oliver did the same thing with his right foot. Oliver didn’t break a sweat and was smiling the whole time.
My teacher really misses him. According to him, as great a karateka as Oliver was, he was an even better teacher, and an even better person. My teacher has quite a few stories of the old days in NYC when Nakamura and Shigeru Oyama ran class together with William Oliver and Charles Martin in attendance. Just when I think I heard all the stories, he throws a new one in there.
Edit: Did I get the approximately 5’6 height right?
Edit 2: How did I not see it coming that you’ve sparred with William Oliver?
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hoshin1600
Senior Master
I know...really.
