He is a rare gem. So many years of experience, knowing how to rethink all the subtle mechanics of movement, and yet still open to learning from other influences. Sometimes when you meet those rare masters who have high technical ability you have to deal with attitudes that aren't open to new ideas. Instead he presented his techniques with clear explanations, and if you didn't get it at first he didn't talk as if you were incapable. It's hard to find a sensei who is that high level but also easy to work with.
Brother, the lessons you received and shared with us are so amazing and generous and instructional. How fortunate you are to train with Higa Sensei! Such an honor to train with such a valuable link to the great masters of the past. With todays technology we are truly in the golden age of Karate. Thank you. Much love and respect, young brother!
@@joereidy5732 It's called being nice and not being rude...like you have been...seriously, is it so hard to let someone be appreciative without your negative attitude....
After about 30 years in various martial arts, I can say, the important thing about training is finding a teacher who aligns with the ideals you aspire to. I'm glad you are doing all this exploration.
I've been loving your channel, especially these episodes in Okinawa, they're very informative. Since you mentioned you are going to be doing some grappling training in Japan, i think a lot of people would love to see you training some Catch wrestling. I know i would. You have a unique advantage of being able to translate their experiences and information similar to these of the Karate masters you have been training with.
Shuri Shorin Ryu was more like the systems I have learnt. The way he explained everything and I could tell how at ease you were with him. This is a quality of a good teacher. I respect everyone you interviewed however it's this one that connects with me on a deeper level.
i'm a student of muay thai (nak muay) but i enjoy so much to see other martial arts. So, from my point of view this is the best karate style i saw. If i ever had to choose a karate style i would choose this one.
I would recommend you to interview Mr Patrick McCarthy and try his karate, Koryu Uchinadi. I believe he lives in Okinawa now, I think you would find his research most interesting.
What a gift to be able to reach out to an elders knowledge like that! I absorbed a lot about base of power. The “end” as you called it. Our Sensei is GM Rhuel Lutrell. He almost 90 and is still teaching. He is a joy, but very tough. He stresses the Kinetics. And that helps my old body be more effective. ( I am 71 ) I learn as much from what he says as the techniques. I really enjoy your channel..you do a good job of showing how the styles are different and how the movements are broken down.I picked up a lot fro his Nihanshi, just in those few moments. Thank you for sharing!
I honestly haven't had any interest in karate for a long time. There are reasons for it, but this video series has sparked my interest in it again. These are some of the first karate instructors I've seen teach relaxation as the means to power. It's changing my mind about at least some karate schools and teachers. I'll follow Higa Sensei's channel for sure. Thanks
Absolutely loving these Okinawan Karate videos with Higa Sensei. He has a wealth of knowledge! I am organizing a trip for a year to Okinawa, mainly just to train with various Masters. Aiming for 3 years from now & I am super excited to meet & train with these Legends.
I love how technology has brought the world together in a way. Thanks to social media we have a way to touch into different cultures and all. Its a great time.
Love your videos...when I hit the lotto, I would love to travel to Japan and Okinawa to study. It is so hard to find Traditional Karate in my area of the US
@@s.garabet1677 You are spot on friend. I am so tired of the "when I hit the lottery" mentality. Create your own lottery by diligently saving just a little of your income each week. People would be surprised how much that ads up t over time...with interest, or a good investment.
I must say, I’m extremely proud of you for doing all of this research, most young martial artists do not do that! I am 54 and studied American Kenpo for about 24 yrs and Kosho shorei Kie for 6, so much information out there to learn!
This was a great experience. The way of learning from Okinawan Masters was incredible and to me this was really helpful to learn true skills and myself on how i becoming on more calmer and technical at Karate should have been from my previous years. I know there is more to learn in the future so Thank you for this great experience i Okinawa.
It wouldn't really surprise me if you spent a year in Okinawa studying full-time under Higa sensei. The two of you seemed to get along so well and the viewer can see it in your face, your delight in the value of his style. As much as you learned from the other schools in Okinawa you really "leveled up" in this short series with Higa sensei.
Maybe some traditional training aspect forgotten in modern Karate is Rekentsu/Renzoku, this kind of traditional "Shadow boxing" helps to develop Master Higa's emphasis in relaxing after block or punch/strike, because you are unable chaining different techniques if you don't relax after each movement This training also include chaining different steps and stances in order to generate power to both defense and attacks in small spaces. It is sad this kind of trainings are losing in our times, but kihon is more than only endless repetition back & forward one technique at the time and always in a straight line. Renketsu use angular stepping and create a whole new dimension of angles and space utilization
He is very open minded and you can see from his responses to your questions he has spent time learning and training. I think he is very valuable as a teacher.
Have you ever heard of Masaji Taira sensei of Goju-ryu? He is one teacher that I would like to train with. He has a unique interpretation of Goju-ryu much like how Higa sensei has w Shorin-ryu. 🙇♂️🥋
higa senseis appproach to learning about his karate is exectly like mine. lok outside of my art( taewkondo) i lovel ooking at JUdo like Higa does with Bjj i lobe swinging a sword or boken around like Higa does . ! i also study other arts like karate of course one of the biggest styles that made taekwondo is Shotokan . so thats why im here. lol. i also like kungfu. the older styles . and taichi .
I feel prior to covid sensei's from okinawa used to travel pretty often. Doing seminars, maintaining relationships with other dojo's to keep their organizations strong and unified. So it was popular in my time to look at root systems to understand where karate came from. I.e. white crane kung fu. I trained In 5 ancestors fist. Judo helped to clean up my throws and now all I see are at ups to throws. Also kick boxing and muay thai to improve striking and conditioning. I didn't do any bjj until much later in my karate life. I always feel karate should not be stagnant. So add where gaps exist. Make karate always relevant.
@karate dojo waku definitely enjoyed hearing the Okinawan Sensei as you shows the same principles and concepts that we teach in Kenpo. I also like what you say about the Japanese instructors not knowing the bunkai. I have seen some extreme ridiculous bunkai in my 38yrs of study. The Okinawan's have definitely perfected karate.
I thought that it was very interesting when you talked about the snapback as part of the punch. Coming from a western boxing background I was taught by my coach very early on that the punch isn't over until your hand is back in the guard position. In fact he told us to try and make the snapback of the arm returning to the guard be even faster than the arm extension itself. The hip rotations are also very much standard for us in combination with the snapback, despite the style of martial art being totally different there were a lot of theoretical similarities mentioned. I don't know if any of that applies to you in Karate but at least the snapback speed may be useful, since punching is all we do I like to think we're pretty good at it :D
I learn the same way, I study karate, jujitsu, Hapkido and Taekwondo. This has helped my under standing better where they all intersect each other and it is a help for better trying. MMA has its place but it is hard to understand karate or jujitsu if you do not have that style base under you.
Very well said! I especially liked your discussion of being a teacher. I hope I am that way with my students. I think I told you in the past that a pulled (rotation) punch is more powerful than a pushed punch.
So much of what Higa Sensei said also resonates with what Soke Inoue Yoshimi said. The hip-whipping, the thrown punches, doing everything rotating from the 中点, etc ... Some of it was also in what Shinzato Sensei and other Okinawan senseis said, but all in all I think Higa Sensei was the most practical and convincing of them all. He even went as far as to use the thai boxing style kicks so can use the horizontal hip rotation too, because we know they work :) Feels like his style is: Do the ergonomic things, throw the inefficient things out and replace them with something that works well. I really like how Shito Ryu preserves a lot more of the original "practicality" as opposed to Shotokan, even in the basic stances. I feel Shotokan has so much emphasized this counter-movement (behind the ear, or forearm straight) that I feel it has lost the circular whip from the shoulder, and thus needs a lot more muscle involvement. That makes many Shotokan kata combinations feel a bit slow compared to shito ryu, although they appear loaded up with "power". I wouldn't have guessed that an excursion to Shito Ryu and the Okinawan styles would make me understand the motions better even from an ergonomic point of view. I also find it funny that those two styles you showed literally call themselves "Shaolin Ryu" and "Shaolin Temple Ryu".
Hey Yusuke! Love your videos, and thank you for preserving martial arts. If you ever want to come to the US, I'd be honored to host and train with you!🙏😄 I teach Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and I'd love to understand it through your karate lens. I appreciate your open-mindedness about the martial arts. I believe that every person who is considered to be a great martial artist shares this attitude. And to address the hip movement, that idea has totally refreshed my understanding of movement. I now feel that movement should be a zero-sum endeavor, for example, the figure-8 hip motion returns the body to zero, which allows for almost no energy expenditure. It was a revelation to me. Rickson Gracie has a concept called "the Middle", which I think is related to this.
The thing with the counting, as far as I know, is because of the military style mass teaching style as opposed to a small individual style. Much easier to analyze multiple students form when everyone is in formation and doing forms step by step fashion. But like you said there should be more drill and showdowbox type things intergraded alot more. Some karate schools actually do this.
First off, your videos are very well produced and inspire me to continue watching. I’ve been karateka for over 40 years, but still learning different things. Some also from your videos. Thank you. Now…. You are interviewing many notable karateka in Okinawa. My question to you is, do you at any point feel that you are studying the wrong style and would want to switch based on wha these masters are telling you. I have a great respect for Shotokan. Bravo. Osu ! But I’m a Okinawan Kenpo to my roots and and also Kyokushin. Keep up the great work. I’m a big fan of you and Jessie. 🙏👍🥋
From my perspective: - Shorinji ryu: tradition, history, philosophy, and a lot of good techniques (I really appreciate that interpretation of "kushanku") - Shogen ryu: extreme attention on the fundamentals (it was hard even to you, it looks really hard) - Shuri shorin ryu: mix between tradition and innovation, the best of two worlds (I understand your admiration for him, he really have a good mindset)
I completely agree with you. Great sensei. And you analysed his words really good 👍 I can give also my adding to this. Sensei also confirmed one thing that is true from biomechanical point. The human body is based on rotational movement. I in my style of fighting included various punches and kicks from Karate, Taekwondo, Muay Thai even Wing Chun but the basic is kickboxing because I think it's the most natural biomechanical stance. And the head movement is the most natural and most effective in boxing. If you don't move your head you're gonna get punched in the face. And the thing that sensei did is not punching forward, yet he was punching while moving his head. So that's my adding to your analysis. Hope you'll like it. Anyway thank you for your work and awesome videos 😁 P.S. I trained Karate for 20 years so don't think I don't love it. But know that I speak as a sports professor who loves to analyse and discover most efficient techniques for fighting and self defense.
You get to.interview all these Masters, where a good question to pose to all of them would be, how would they address a real fight, where someone is extremely aggressive, very fast, accurate, with hard fists one flying after the other. Simple answers would be step out the way, evade, side step, then the emphasis of energy directed at available targets on the body. Liver, heart, kidneys, floating ribs, etc., Etc. Where each may have different methodologies. I liked this sensei, but I'd still like to see interview of Okinawan Isshinryu master. Then when Kichiro took training as he didn't train with Marines. As this Shuri Shorinryu comments regarding Isshinryu, it'd be interesting. .similarities, differences, etc.
you said you were going to practice true kobudo or something like that on the steven segal video... are you still thinking on doing that? it woud be awesome
I think 🤔 Okinawa have a distinct form of grappling "tegumi" or "tuidi" don't know really, but it's will be amazing see you make some locks and throws. Big fan of your work 😊👍
I strongly recommend Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Like Judo, you learn a lot about walking the walk when it comes to the relationship between technique and power. You have to test it, because that's what the sparring involves.
I imagine the holding the arm out, once the technique has been completed comes from the Sensei of the past wanting to strengthen their students, in a kind of passive sense. Holding a face punch out for a good two extra minutes, while sensei explains something is a lot of burn for a beginner.
Concerning Nr. 4.: IMHO you pointed out that the shotokan version is for closing distance - and that's the core of "combat sports". Getting in to make points and getting out without being hit is the name of the game! As far as I'm into Okinawan Karate I might state that this is just not the purpose of Shorin Ryu (Shogen Ryu in my case) , but generating power in close distance i.e. selfdefense. That's why hip rotation, and all these concepts were developed. Different context, different tools and different ways to use them efficiently ...
Hi Yusuke! You asked to comment the thoughts about push:hips ratio, but you compare oi-zuki in both styles and in the video you do gyaku-zuki. So oi-zuki is really a push lounge forward and the hip of the back leg rotates inwards, opposite to kizami. Its quicker than a lounge with a gyaku-zuki and this is it’s goal, to close the gap I think. It’s a matter of question why oi-zuki is so popular in the katas if karate is considered to be a close range combat system in the past. And it would be great to see, how Mr. Higa Sensei performs his oi-zuki to compare both variations properly. And thanks for your effort and great content as always!
Shogen Ryu Karate was my favorite. Like you said he was very open minded and I just found the stuff he said and demo to be more applicable to real life.
Higa-San is better actually. And, to be honest, he is..! He's a good teacher, but, as I said, he isn't going to teach you everything, only the next one or two points useful to you in your evolution. If you keep asking privately, on your own: 'what's a better way of combining the pieces..?' that's how, I think, we progress. Based on living in Japan for decades and interacting with many Sensei, most subscribe to this Confucian view of learning, although they themselves may not be conscious of its philosophical origin. Confucian thinking, as you may know, relies on introspective learning. We take what's given and work it through our minds, connecting the dots in our own experience from the dojo and from memory. When I said, 'the cat's out of the bag,' I meant the most important corner has been shown but you'll have to find the other corners. You are now relaxed, you have the twist, but you need to go deeper into the mechanics. Ah..! There's so much to a good punch, it's impossible to teach because everybody is differently muscled..! They need different instructions and, over time, you'd want to review your movements, to see whether your body has adapted or not to the instructions. Often Westerners fail because what was given as a precaution or a thing to 'look at' was misconstrued as something to 'power' up. In short, they lose the main point of...'letting go.' They often do the opposite of what's needed..!! Hint: it's more like a serial letting go...
I'm doing Iwama ryu Aikido and also Okinawan style Karate. I found that they are complementing each other. For example in bunkai, I can follow up with an Aikido technique to lock the uke. So... try that :)
Because sensei just guided and you did with it with your full heart and soul.Yusuke san when you were doing Higa sensei's way I saw power and lethality behind relaxation. Feels like Higa sensei's way has a more day to day usage than sport karate
If I'm being honest, while I very much enjoyed Higa sensei and his Shuri Shorin-Ryu, if I were to pick to train among the three showcased, I would probably go with Shogen-Ryu. I just tend to learn better with their style of instruction, emphasizing a glacial build toward their fundamental beliefs and then the gradual application of innovation over months and years of discussion. But I could read your frustration in parts so I could see why it wouldn't be your choice.
Personally I learned hip movements and even stepping in zenkutsu more because of javelin throw in athletics and pitching in baseball, compared to what any sensei told me. With karate much depends on speed as well, since you have less time for rotation if you move with max power. Pushing and rotation can both work sometimes, most important is to learn to apply and feel the kime in different scenarios
Hello Yusuke, if I can offer some recommendations from my own experience trying to understand and study Karate for the past 35+ years. I too started in Shotokan, I did this for about 15 years before earning my 3rd Dan. My Sensei recommended that I seek out other styles of not only Karate but other martial arts entirely to better understand what the Kata were trying to teach in terms of Bunkai. So my recommendations for you would be what Higa Sensei already mentioned: Kenjutsu, especially for timing and footwork. For the takedowns and flowing from one technique to the next like Higa Sensei was showing you, there are very close similarities with various styles of Indonesian Silat. For the types of kicks that he was using I saw people recommended Muay Thai however, in my opinion they were far more similar to what is done in Sanda or Longfist Kung fu. I would also suggest exploring a bit of Systema to strengthen your understanding of relaxation and breathing while striking and receiving strikes. That may seem like a lot to explore however, I guarantee that if you keep an open mind and focus on the concepts and context and don’t get so hung up on the technical details you will grow leaps and bounds in your own understanding of Karate. Also what helps to keep in mind is the original founders of Karate never intended to have it be divided into separate styles. Even Funakoshi Sensei didn’t want to name his style. Karate was always just supposed to be Karate, an ever evolving method of self protection and self growth; every practitioner was eventually intended to have their own personal style. I hope any of that helps.
Dear Mr. Yusuke, Iam geografically and also mentally far from answering your question. What I like is enthusiams and the daring of going back to the roots of the Okinawan Karate inwented against the Japanese. However, with no offence, I also like your readiness to learn from the ancestors still living in Okinawa.!! I also started with Shotokan, but my physical structure - shorter legs, longer hands were most rewarding in Goiju-Ryu, thanks to Master Takeiji Ogawa from Japan, living in Wienna, the caúoital of Austria, nearby. I am of high opinion of Master Ogawa, and his enthusiastic work in my country Slovakia, An incredibly great job he and his followers, have made!!!!. On more thing, The Okinawans have still the advantage of being the first to have acquired this beautiful martial art, whatever the style and I like your approach to make both end meet, the traditions and the current reality. May God Bless YOu and of course the Old Masters that have helped you so much. Paul, 67, retired instructor of Goju-ryu Karate.
Again, I don't know what I'm talking about but at 7:09 it looks like his punch bubbles up from his hips. Like if you could see the energy like a ball of light, it would charge when he shakes his hips, then it travels up his torso, up to his shoulder, then rolls all the way through his fist. You're doing it like choreography. That's why you want to know where your weight is. It's matter vs. energy, imo.
My favorite Parts were the Shogen Ryu parts. I tell you why... I practiced GojuRyu in the IOGKF for a long time and havr switched to WingTsun 7 years ago. WingTsun and GojuRyu share the "White Crane" as an offspring point. And the longer I practiced WingTsun the better I understand GojuRyu better. And sooooo many points that I think is WingTsun doing better then GojuRyu, I found in the Shogen Ryu parts also. Especially the point about the 3 points of the Tanden....we practice that in EWTO WingTsun too.
Shiro Shorin Ryu I enjoyed watching. Think every style should be open minded otherwise it gets limited of the things you can do. I always remember using the uraken in Muay Thai and they say what kinda punch is that 😂
Regarding #4, I am a shotokan practitioner and I think the rotation/push ratio I use is pretty close to how Sensei Higa does it. However I don't think this is something that defines the style. Also I do not think there is a right or wrong way of doing it. So it's a longer discussion probably :)
awesome. the push/rotation is very hard to add in from years of push karate to going to a very rotation style was hard. the combination of the step in slide with rotation and the more relaxed after impact stance makes it more effortless and you get a better flow between techniques. in my opinion that is. how did you find your flow between techniques using rotation?
Sensei what refer as “Kime” in your comments is not really that. It is called “Chinkuchi” in Okinawa. I know you know this. The two terms are similar but not exactly the same. This is one of the differences between okinawa and Japan karate. On your observation about the rotation vs push I agree with you. This rotation will increase the spiral energy created as you punch. Learning from other martial arts is awesome because they look at details in a different way and it opens your eyes to a whole new world of possibilities.
Your point about the push vs. rotation in the OI Zuki would be clearer if you didn't use footage of you doing a gyaku zuki, while talking about the oi zuki.
A lot of Higa Sensei’s footwork was cut off in the videos, especially during his punching demonstration. Wasn’t he doing reverse punches rather than front punches? The reach, obviously, of reverse punches are not as long as front punches. I did like the feeling he gave of (in my words) “throwing” the punch. When I get back to my California house in August, I’ll have to try it on my “Wave” heavy bag and on my “Bob” bag too. I always told my students that the had to do their techniques against resistance. EVERYTHING works if all you do is punch or kick the air. NOT everything works equally when you do the techniques against a bag.
These concepts you learned are not exclusive to the Shuri Shorin Ryu. They apply to every Ryu, whether they are Shuri/Tomari(Shorin, Matsubayashi, Kobayashi, Matsumura, etc..) based or Naha(Goju Ryu, Uechi Ryu) based.
Hi Yusuke-san, Thanks for your informative videos. Can you kindly explain his lineage in Karatedo? I generally see this kind of gamanku from Matsubayashi or Kyudokan related styles in Okinawa.. Higa sensei only linked his Karate with Shimpan Gusukuma lineage.. But, I don't see such gamanku from other Gusukuma related Shorin Ryu (Shuri-te) schools. Therefore, I'm interested of knowing Higa Sensei's exact lineage in Karatedo. Isn't he related to Matsubayashi Ryu or Kyudokan in any way? Thanks.
You should be able to see some of the relationship with Okinawan Karate an American Kenpo since you did your videos on American Kenpo. I would like to know if you see the same concepts of motion I am speaking of
Karate learning is a slow process, the delivery of knowledge is also a slow process. If you are rushing that process both student and teacher are missing aspects that will weaken the style considerably over time. Shotokan “ generally “ uses the tournament style of punching for distance coverage. The irony of what you expressed about different styles, shotokan actually initially did have most of the styles in it’s Okinawa form when Master Funakoshi taught it.
Just one criticism, please choose a better background music without that "ticking/drumming" sound for your videos. Too me it is very annoying and some other people also mentioned it to me. I hope you see it as a constructive criticism. Thank for your channel!
Besides making traffic on the channel which you deserve, i am asking: don’t you think that Shotokan lost something in the transition from Okinawa karate? I saw some video of yours, and it seems pretty evident to me. I am 50 and have 30 years of practice and transitioning from combat sports to Okinawa karate has ben an enriching experience for me, but every time I trsined snd sparred with Shotokan practitioners they were really impaired, stiff and could not move well. Also they did not have decent lock training or ground grappling. I di mot mean to be disrespectful to Shotokan. Here in Itsly we had a very serious school by Master Shirai who kept the style pretty intact, but it seems very narrow to me compared to more ancient styles of karate. This is is my take.
Higa Sensei's Channel:
ruclips.net/channel/UCosMbDkM4v5aGAxPNT8AqwQ
🥋FREE TRIAL｜Online Group Lesson🥋
karateintokyo.com/
🥋Online Private Lesson🥋
karateintokyo.com/online-training/
Previous Episode: ruclips.net/video/QjT29WaCK50/видео.html
Yusuke in Okinawa Season 2:
ruclips.net/p/PL6uceGkw5VFmFMlNwF9ra2yPvZSsuqZXT
Yusuke in Okinawa Season 1:
ruclips.net/p/PL6uceGkw5VFkSWeQVK8hnrXt5LEwiV6JD
He is a rare gem. So many years of experience, knowing how to rethink all the subtle mechanics of movement, and yet still open to learning from other influences. Sometimes when you meet those rare masters who have high technical ability you have to deal with attitudes that aren't open to new ideas. Instead he presented his techniques with clear explanations, and if you didn't get it at first he didn't talk as if you were incapable. It's hard to find a sensei who is that high level but also easy to work with.
Brother, the lessons you received and shared with us are so amazing and generous and instructional. How fortunate you are to train with Higa Sensei! Such an honor to train with such a valuable link to the great masters of the past. With todays technology we are truly in the golden age of Karate. Thank you. Much love and respect, young brother!
Wow you really sucked up to him.
@@joereidy5732 It's called being nice and not being rude...like you have been...seriously, is it so hard to let someone be appreciative without your negative attitude....
@@TheStrataminor Now you are sucking up to Michael! WOW! This is crazy, What can he do for you? Is it just you being a suck up for the sake of it?
After about 30 years in various martial arts, I can say, the important thing about training is finding a teacher who aligns with the ideals you aspire to. I'm glad you are doing all this exploration.
His approach in “what I can learn or do, to make my karate better?” Is a great mindset to have.
I've been loving your channel, especially these episodes in Okinawa, they're very informative. Since you mentioned you are going to be doing some grappling training in Japan, i think a lot of people would love to see you training some Catch wrestling. I know i would. You have a unique advantage of being able to translate their experiences and information similar to these of the Karate masters you have been training with.
Shuri Shorin Ryu was more like the systems I have learnt. The way he explained everything and I could tell how at ease you were with him. This is a quality of a good teacher.
I respect everyone you interviewed however it's this one that connects with me on a deeper level.
i'm a student of muay thai (nak muay) but i enjoy so much to see other martial arts. So, from my point of view this is the best karate style i saw. If i ever had to choose a karate style i would choose this one.
Very well done series, this was one my favorite Sensei you have shared on the channel, excellent work!
The practice of hip rotation and relaxation before and after the whipping punch, I think, is genius for generating power through relaxed velocity!
I would recommend you to interview Mr Patrick McCarthy and try his karate, Koryu Uchinadi. I believe he lives in Okinawa now, I think you would find his research most interesting.
What a gift to be able to reach out to an elders knowledge like that! I absorbed a lot about base of power. The “end” as you called it. Our Sensei is GM Rhuel Lutrell. He almost 90 and is still teaching. He is a joy, but very tough. He stresses the Kinetics. And that helps my old body be more effective. ( I am 71 ) I learn as much from what he says as the techniques. I really enjoy your channel..you do a good job of showing how the styles are different and how the movements are broken down.I picked up a lot fro his Nihanshi, just in those few moments. Thank you for sharing!
He seems like a very good master, and the lessons seemed invaluable.
I honestly haven't had any interest in karate for a long time. There are reasons for it, but this video series has sparked my interest in it again. These are some of the first karate instructors I've seen teach relaxation as the means to power. It's changing my mind about at least some karate schools and teachers. I'll follow Higa Sensei's channel for sure. Thanks
Absolutely loving these Okinawan Karate videos with Higa Sensei. He has a wealth of knowledge! I am organizing a trip for a year to Okinawa, mainly just to train with various Masters. Aiming for 3 years from now & I am super excited to meet & train with these Legends.
I can’t wait for you to start your kenjutsu videos!
I love that you are learning so much and applying their teachings to your Shotokan
I practice Shotokan, for some reason this sensei fascinated me more then others.
Thank you for introducing him
I am also practice Shotokan and feel the same way
I love how technology has brought the world together in a way. Thanks to social media we have a way to touch into different cultures and all. Its a great time.
Love your videos...when I hit the lotto, I would love to travel to Japan and Okinawa to study. It is so hard to find Traditional Karate in my area of the US
Where are you located?
You will never "hit the lotto" So start saving your money each week friend
@@donelmore2540 Western Mass
@@joereidy5732 Bingo. Even $100/month goes a long way.
@@s.garabet1677 You are spot on friend. I am so tired of the "when I hit the lottery" mentality. Create your own lottery by diligently saving just a little of your income each week. People would be surprised how much that ads up t over time...with interest, or a good investment.
I must say, I’m extremely proud of you for doing all of this research, most young martial artists do not do that! I am 54 and studied American Kenpo for about 24 yrs and Kosho shorei Kie for 6, so much information out there to learn!
Whipping technique is really awesome! Thanks for sharing your the thoughts from the masters.
I like shogen ryu the most because it looked like a lot of power was being generated whilst remaining subtle.
This was a great experience. The way of learning from Okinawan Masters was incredible and to me this was really helpful to learn true skills and myself on how i becoming on more calmer and technical at Karate should have been from my previous years. I know there is more to learn in the future so Thank you for this great experience i Okinawa.
It wouldn't really surprise me if you spent a year in Okinawa studying full-time under Higa sensei. The two of you seemed to get along so well and the viewer can see it in your face, your delight in the value of his style. As much as you learned from the other schools in Okinawa you really "leveled up" in this short series with Higa sensei.
I enjoyed this. It reminded more of how we approached punching in my TKD class.
Maybe some traditional training aspect forgotten in modern Karate is Rekentsu/Renzoku, this kind of traditional "Shadow boxing" helps to develop Master Higa's emphasis in relaxing after block or punch/strike, because you are unable chaining different techniques if you don't relax after each movement
This training also include chaining different steps and stances in order to generate power to both defense and attacks in small spaces. It is sad this kind of trainings are losing in our times, but kihon is more than only endless repetition back & forward one technique at the time and always in a straight line. Renketsu use angular stepping and create a whole new dimension of angles and space utilization
This kind of training is more common in Kung Fu, but you can find it in old Karate book issued before 1950's
great, very clear!
He is very open minded and you can see from his responses to your questions he has spent time learning and training. I think he is very valuable as a teacher.
The Shogen Ryu and the Shuri Shorin Ryu were most interesting for me.
Nice series! Thank you for all the great (and free) information and all your passion! 👍🏻
Have you ever heard of Masaji Taira sensei of Goju-ryu? He is one teacher that I would like to train with. He has a unique interpretation of Goju-ryu much like how Higa sensei has w Shorin-ryu.
🙇♂️🥋
higa senseis appproach to learning about his karate is exectly like mine. lok outside of my art( taewkondo) i lovel ooking at JUdo like Higa does with Bjj i lobe swinging a sword or boken around like Higa does . ! i also study other arts like karate of course one of the biggest styles that made taekwondo is Shotokan . so thats why im here. lol. i also like kungfu. the older styles . and taichi .
I feel prior to covid sensei's from okinawa used to travel pretty often. Doing seminars, maintaining relationships with other dojo's to keep their organizations strong and unified.
So it was popular in my time to look at root systems to understand where karate came from. I.e. white crane kung fu. I trained In 5 ancestors fist. Judo helped to clean up my throws and now all I see are at ups to throws.
Also kick boxing and muay thai to improve striking and conditioning. I didn't do any bjj until much later in my karate life.
I always feel karate should not be stagnant. So add where gaps exist. Make karate always relevant.
@karate dojo waku definitely enjoyed hearing the Okinawan Sensei as you shows the same principles and concepts that we teach in Kenpo. I also like what you say about the Japanese instructors not knowing the bunkai. I have seen some extreme ridiculous bunkai in my 38yrs of study. The Okinawan's have definitely perfected karate.
You are amazing. Keep up your good work.
Great series. Congratulations
'Whipping' 🦵 out 2 Kick: Interesting 🤔☯️ 40+ yrs!
I thought that it was very interesting when you talked about the snapback as part of the punch. Coming from a western boxing background I was taught by my coach very early on that the punch isn't over until your hand is back in the guard position. In fact he told us to try and make the snapback of the arm returning to the guard be even faster than the arm extension itself. The hip rotations are also very much standard for us in combination with the snapback, despite the style of martial art being totally different there were a lot of theoretical similarities mentioned.
I don't know if any of that applies to you in Karate but at least the snapback speed may be useful, since punching is all we do I like to think we're pretty good at it :D
I learn the same way, I study karate, jujitsu, Hapkido and Taekwondo. This has helped my under standing better where they all intersect each other and it is a help for better trying. MMA has its place but it is hard to understand karate or jujitsu if you do not have that style base under you.
Very well said! I especially liked your discussion of being a teacher. I hope I am that way with my students. I think I told you in the past that a pulled (rotation) punch is more powerful than a pushed punch.
Well explained thank you sensai for sharing this video looking forward to seeing your next video 💙
So much of what Higa Sensei said also resonates with what Soke Inoue Yoshimi said. The hip-whipping, the thrown punches, doing everything rotating from the 中点, etc ... Some of it was also in what Shinzato Sensei and other Okinawan senseis said, but all in all I think Higa Sensei was the most practical and convincing of them all. He even went as far as to use the thai boxing style kicks so can use the horizontal hip rotation too, because we know they work :) Feels like his style is: Do the ergonomic things, throw the inefficient things out and replace them with something that works well. I really like how Shito Ryu preserves a lot more of the original "practicality" as opposed to Shotokan, even in the basic stances. I feel Shotokan has so much emphasized this counter-movement (behind the ear, or forearm straight) that I feel it has lost the circular whip from the shoulder, and thus needs a lot more muscle involvement. That makes many Shotokan kata combinations feel a bit slow compared to shito ryu, although they appear loaded up with "power". I wouldn't have guessed that an excursion to Shito Ryu and the Okinawan styles would make me understand the motions better even from an ergonomic point of view. I also find it funny that those two styles you showed literally call themselves "Shaolin Ryu" and "Shaolin Temple Ryu".
you should do a Q&A
9:03 reminds me of Jesse Enkamp's approach
Do you want to find a Karate approach that will surprise you to the extreme? If so, search for Sensei Masaji Taira from Okinawa Kenkyukai Goju-Ryu.
Hey Yusuke! Love your videos, and thank you for preserving martial arts. If you ever want to come to the US, I'd be honored to host and train with you!🙏😄
I teach Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and I'd love to understand it through your karate lens. I appreciate your open-mindedness about the martial arts. I believe that every person who is considered to be a great martial artist shares this attitude.
And to address the hip movement, that idea has totally refreshed my understanding of movement. I now feel that movement should be a zero-sum endeavor, for example, the figure-8 hip motion returns the body to zero, which allows for almost no energy expenditure. It was a revelation to me. Rickson Gracie has a concept called "the Middle", which I think is related to this.
Maybe you can make a Video about Wado Ryu Karate.
The thing with the counting, as far as I know, is because of the military style mass teaching style as opposed to a small individual style. Much easier to analyze multiple students form when everyone is in formation and doing forms step by step fashion. But like you said there should be more drill and showdowbox type things intergraded alot more. Some karate schools actually do this.
First off, your videos are very well produced and inspire me to continue watching. I’ve been karateka for over 40 years, but still learning different things. Some also from your videos. Thank you. Now…. You are interviewing many notable karateka in Okinawa. My question to you is, do you at any point feel that you are studying the wrong style and would want to switch based on wha these masters are telling you. I have a great respect for Shotokan. Bravo. Osu ! But I’m a Okinawan Kenpo to my roots and and also Kyokushin. Keep up the great work. I’m a big fan of you and Jessie. 🙏👍🥋
From my perspective:
- Shorinji ryu: tradition, history, philosophy, and a lot of good techniques (I really appreciate that interpretation of "kushanku")
- Shogen ryu: extreme attention on the fundamentals (it was hard even to you, it looks really hard)
- Shuri shorin ryu: mix between tradition and innovation, the best of two worlds (I understand your admiration for him, he really have a good mindset)
I completely agree with you.
Great sensei. And you analysed his words really good 👍
I can give also my adding to this.
Sensei also confirmed one thing that is true from biomechanical point. The human body is based on rotational movement.
I in my style of fighting included various punches and kicks from Karate, Taekwondo, Muay Thai even Wing Chun but the basic is kickboxing because I think it's the most natural biomechanical stance. And the head movement is the most natural and most effective in boxing. If you don't move your head you're gonna get punched in the face. And the thing that sensei did is not punching forward, yet he was punching while moving his head.
So that's my adding to your analysis. Hope you'll like it.
Anyway thank you for your work and awesome videos 😁
P.S. I trained Karate for 20 years so don't think I don't love it. But know that I speak as a sports professor who loves to analyse and discover most efficient techniques for fighting and self defense.
You get to.interview all these
Masters, where a good question to pose to all of them would be, how would they address a real fight, where someone is extremely aggressive, very fast, accurate, with hard fists one flying after the other. Simple answers would be step out the way, evade, side step, then the emphasis of energy directed at available targets on the body. Liver, heart, kidneys, floating ribs, etc., Etc.
Where each may have different methodologies.
I liked this sensei, but I'd still like to see interview of Okinawan Isshinryu master. Then when Kichiro took training as he didn't train with Marines. As this Shuri Shorinryu comments regarding Isshinryu, it'd be interesting. .similarities, differences, etc.
Please do a short series on Brandon Lee.
you said you were going to practice true kobudo or something like that on the steven segal video... are you still thinking on doing that? it woud be awesome
I think 🤔 Okinawa have a distinct form of grappling "tegumi" or "tuidi" don't know really, but it's will be amazing see you make some locks and throws.
Big fan of your work 😊👍
Tell us more about which Jūjutsu styles he has studied please! Great video!
Hai- Rotation 👍
I strongly recommend Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Like Judo, you learn a lot about walking the walk when it comes to the relationship between technique and power. You have to test it, because that's what the sparring involves.
I imagine the holding the arm out, once the technique has been completed comes from the Sensei of the past wanting to strengthen their students, in a kind of passive sense. Holding a face punch out for a good two extra minutes, while sensei explains something is a lot of burn for a beginner.
Concerning Nr. 4.: IMHO you pointed out that the shotokan version is for closing distance - and that's the core of "combat sports". Getting in to make points and getting out without being hit is the name of the game! As far as I'm into Okinawan Karate I might state that this is just not the purpose of Shorin Ryu (Shogen Ryu in my case) , but generating power in close distance i.e. selfdefense. That's why hip rotation, and all these concepts were developed. Different context, different tools and different ways to use them efficiently ...
Hi Yusuke! You asked to comment the thoughts about push:hips ratio, but you compare oi-zuki in both styles and in the video you do gyaku-zuki. So oi-zuki is really a push lounge forward and the hip of the back leg rotates inwards, opposite to kizami. Its quicker than a lounge with a gyaku-zuki and this is it’s goal, to close the gap I think. It’s a matter of question why oi-zuki is so popular in the katas if karate is considered to be a close range combat system in the past. And it would be great to see, how Mr. Higa Sensei performs his oi-zuki to compare both variations properly. And thanks for your effort and great content as always!
Out of these three Shorin-ryu variations, I like the Goju-ryu most. :o)
Shogen Ryu Karate was my favorite. Like you said he was very open minded and I just found the stuff he said and demo to be more applicable to real life.
Amazing experience! You should review Shorinji kenpo someday, very unique and underrated martial art. I believe there is a headquarters in Souhonzan.
Higa-San is better actually. And, to be honest, he is..! He's a good teacher, but, as I said, he isn't going to teach you everything, only the next one or two points useful to you in your evolution. If you keep asking privately, on your own: 'what's a better way of combining the pieces..?' that's how, I think, we progress. Based on living in Japan for decades and interacting with many Sensei, most subscribe to this Confucian view of learning, although they themselves may not be conscious of its philosophical origin. Confucian thinking, as you may know, relies on introspective learning. We take what's given and work it through our minds, connecting the dots in our own experience from the dojo and from memory. When I said, 'the cat's out of the bag,' I meant the most important corner has been shown but you'll have to find the other corners. You are now relaxed, you have the twist, but you need to go deeper into the mechanics. Ah..! There's so much to a good punch, it's impossible to teach because everybody is differently muscled..! They need different instructions and, over time, you'd want to review your movements, to see whether your body has adapted or not to the instructions. Often Westerners fail because what was given as a precaution or a thing to 'look at' was misconstrued as something to 'power' up. In short, they lose the main point of...'letting go.' They often do the opposite of what's needed..!! Hint: it's more like a serial letting go...
I'm doing Iwama ryu Aikido and also Okinawan style Karate. I found that they are complementing each other. For example in bunkai, I can follow up with an Aikido technique to lock the uke. So... try that :)
Because sensei just guided and you did with it with your full heart and soul.Yusuke san when you were doing Higa sensei's way I saw power and lethality behind relaxation. Feels like Higa sensei's way has a more day to day usage than sport karate
I think the title is supposed to say shuri shorin ryu? Very interesting series btw
If I'm being honest, while I very much enjoyed Higa sensei and his Shuri Shorin-Ryu, if I were to pick to train among the three showcased, I would probably go with Shogen-Ryu. I just tend to learn better with their style of instruction, emphasizing a glacial build toward their fundamental beliefs and then the gradual application of innovation over months and years of discussion. But I could read your frustration in parts so I could see why it wouldn't be your choice.
damn, I have to learn Japan to be able to watch Higa Sensei's channel 😂
Personally I learned hip movements and even stepping in zenkutsu more because of javelin throw in athletics and pitching in baseball, compared to what any sensei told me.
With karate much depends on speed as well, since you have less time for rotation if you move with max power. Pushing and rotation can both work sometimes, most important is to learn to apply and feel the kime in different scenarios
Hello Yusuke, if I can offer some recommendations from my own experience trying to understand and study Karate for the past 35+ years. I too started in Shotokan, I did this for about 15 years before earning my 3rd Dan. My Sensei recommended that I seek out other styles of not only Karate but other martial arts entirely to better understand what the Kata were trying to teach in terms of Bunkai.
So my recommendations for you would be what Higa Sensei already mentioned: Kenjutsu, especially for timing and footwork. For the takedowns and flowing from one technique to the next like Higa Sensei was showing you, there are very close similarities with various styles of Indonesian Silat. For the types of kicks that he was using I saw people recommended Muay Thai however, in my opinion they were far more similar to what is done in Sanda or Longfist Kung fu. I would also suggest exploring a bit of Systema to strengthen your understanding of relaxation and breathing while striking and receiving strikes.
That may seem like a lot to explore however, I guarantee that if you keep an open mind and focus on the concepts and context and don’t get so hung up on the technical details you will grow leaps and bounds in your own understanding of Karate. Also what helps to keep in mind is the original founders of Karate never intended to have it be divided into separate styles. Even Funakoshi Sensei didn’t want to name his style. Karate was always just supposed to be Karate, an ever evolving method of self protection and self growth; every practitioner was eventually intended to have their own personal style.
I hope any of that helps.
Dear Mr. Yusuke, Iam geografically and also mentally far from answering your question. What I like is enthusiams and the daring of going back to the roots of the Okinawan Karate inwented against the Japanese.
However, with no offence, I also like your readiness to learn from the ancestors still living in Okinawa.!!
I also started with Shotokan, but my physical structure - shorter legs, longer hands were most rewarding in Goiju-Ryu, thanks to Master Takeiji Ogawa from Japan, living in Wienna, the caúoital of Austria, nearby.
I am of high opinion of Master Ogawa, and his enthusiastic work in my country Slovakia, An incredibly great job he and his followers, have made!!!!. On more thing, The Okinawans have still the advantage of being the first to have acquired this beautiful martial art, whatever the style and I like your approach to make both end meet, the traditions and the current reality. May God Bless YOu and of course the Old Masters that have helped you so much. Paul, 67, retired instructor of Goju-ryu Karate.
Again, I don't know what I'm talking about but at 7:09 it looks like his punch bubbles up from his hips. Like if you could see the energy like a ball of light, it would charge when he shakes his hips, then it travels up his torso, up to his shoulder, then rolls all the way through his fist. You're doing it like choreography. That's why you want to know where your weight is. It's matter vs. energy, imo.
Your openess of mind will help you in the future. Look for similarities.
My favorite Parts were the Shogen Ryu parts.
I tell you why...
I practiced GojuRyu in the IOGKF for a long time and havr switched to WingTsun 7 years ago.
WingTsun and GojuRyu share the "White Crane" as an offspring point.
And the longer I practiced WingTsun the better I understand GojuRyu better. And sooooo many points that I think is WingTsun doing better then GojuRyu, I found in the Shogen Ryu parts also. Especially the point about the 3 points of the Tanden....we practice that in EWTO WingTsun too.
did Same; 1st Shaolin!
Shiro Shorin Ryu I enjoyed watching. Think every style should be open minded otherwise it gets limited of the things you can do. I always remember using the uraken in Muay Thai and they say what kinda punch is that 😂
Regarding #4, I am a shotokan practitioner and I think the rotation/push ratio I use is pretty close to how Sensei Higa does it. However I don't think this is something that defines the style. Also I do not think there is a right or wrong way of doing it. So it's a longer discussion probably :)
I wonder if these different methods can be carried over into free fighting. What would you say???
awesome. the push/rotation is very hard to add in from years of push karate to going to a very rotation style was hard. the combination of the step in slide with rotation and the more relaxed after impact stance makes it more effortless and you get a better flow between techniques. in my opinion that is. how did you find your flow between techniques using rotation?
Sensei what refer as “Kime” in your comments is not really that. It is called “Chinkuchi” in Okinawa. I know you know this. The two terms are similar but not exactly the same. This is one of the differences between okinawa and Japan karate. On your observation about the rotation vs push I agree with you. This rotation will increase the spiral energy created as you punch.
Learning from other martial arts is awesome because they look at details in a different way and it opens your eyes to a whole new world of possibilities.
I think Japanese karatekas, the good ones, are doing Chikuchi but they just don't call it that way. But thank you so much for your input!
Your point about the push vs. rotation in the OI Zuki would be clearer if you didn't use footage of you doing a gyaku zuki, while talking about the oi zuki.
Get yourself to a Judo class, and I highly recommend Eshin Ryu Iaijutsu/Kenjutsu 👍
have you heard of gary spiers mairo karate legend
A lot of Higa Sensei’s footwork was cut off in the videos, especially during his punching demonstration. Wasn’t he doing reverse punches rather than front punches? The reach, obviously, of reverse punches are not as long as front punches. I did like the feeling he gave of (in my words) “throwing” the punch. When I get back to my California house in August, I’ll have to try it on my “Wave” heavy bag and on my “Bob” bag too. I always told my students that the had to do their techniques against resistance. EVERYTHING works if all you do is punch or kick the air. NOT everything works equally when you do the techniques against a bag.
Yusuke said that he was asked to keep some things hidden.
These concepts you learned are not exclusive to the Shuri Shorin Ryu. They apply to every Ryu, whether they are Shuri/Tomari(Shorin, Matsubayashi, Kobayashi, Matsumura, etc..) based or Naha(Goju Ryu, Uechi Ryu) based.
For the Real Deal in Shorin Ryu you should visit Maeshiro Morinobu Sensei from Shidokan.
Hi Yusuke-san, Thanks for your informative videos. Can you kindly explain his lineage in Karatedo? I generally see this kind of gamanku from Matsubayashi or Kyudokan related styles in Okinawa.. Higa sensei only linked his Karate with Shimpan Gusukuma lineage.. But, I don't see such gamanku from other Gusukuma related Shorin Ryu (Shuri-te) schools. Therefore, I'm interested of knowing Higa Sensei's exact lineage in Karatedo. Isn't he related to Matsubayashi Ryu or Kyudokan in any way? Thanks.
Sensei your video was incredible
You should be able to see some of the relationship with Okinawan Karate an American Kenpo since you did your videos on American Kenpo. I would like to know if you see the same concepts of motion I am speaking of
Karate learning is a slow process, the delivery of knowledge is also a slow process. If you are rushing that process both student and teacher are missing aspects that will weaken the style considerably over time. Shotokan “ generally “ uses the tournament style of punching for distance coverage. The irony of what you expressed about different styles, shotokan actually initially did have most of the styles in it’s Okinawa form when Master Funakoshi taught it.
Shorin Ryu was my favorite because it is similar to Shuri Ryu. Shuri Ryu is my base style of karate. Oss
What branch of shorin ryu?
@@Samperor Matsumura Shorin Ryu.
If 1 keeps Elbow 👇, Recoil happens Naturally! ☯️
Just one criticism, please choose a better background music without that "ticking/drumming" sound for your videos. Too me it is very annoying and some other people also mentioned it to me.
I hope you see it as a constructive criticism. Thank for your channel!
Besides making traffic on the channel which you deserve, i am asking: don’t you think that Shotokan lost something in the transition from Okinawa karate? I saw some video of yours, and it seems pretty evident to me. I am 50 and have 30 years of practice and transitioning from combat sports to Okinawa karate has ben an enriching experience for me, but every time I trsined snd sparred with Shotokan practitioners they were really impaired, stiff and could not move well. Also they did not have decent lock training or ground grappling. I di mot mean to be disrespectful to Shotokan. Here in Itsly we had a very serious school by Master Shirai who kept the style pretty intact, but it seems very narrow to me compared to more ancient styles of karate. This is is my take.
😍😍😍😍😍
👍
Osu