Congratulations on your new Black Belt Shodan I'm happy for you keep it up 💯

Good question. I asked this to another teacher, and have no answer. I believe, master Miagi transformed white crane kung fu into something like sumo, because he was really big and muscular. Another japanese absolutely dont know another way, western people looks like sectants, and chinese transform they kung fu into a circus. So, there is no gold on the gray montain, exept katas. We can take katas, do them soft way. P.S. Looks like Teruo Chinen tried to do this way, RIP

Circular blocks, throws, and breathing techniques. Soft means circular, hard means linear. Sparring is mostly point fighting right? That would be linear strikes. If you have circular knife hands or ridge hands or trapping throwing these things are all soft as they absorb and redirect energy. Hard blocks are as a strike whereas soft blocks don't. Of course some people's hard waza is done soft and others soft is done hard, there is variance lol. I found Goju ryu sparring to be "heavy" as opposed to "light" but Kata to be "soft" slow controlled breathing throws (breath throws) as opposed to "hard" fast striking movements. Soft implies internal martial arts like generating power through body and breath control, things like one inch punch or inch kick. These are short movements that activate with proper breathing and tensing of the body. Hard implies external martial arts like long linear striking, bone on bone blocks that injure opponent and throws based on physical strength.

Martin Jutras Traditional clothes - (i.e. Okinawan not Japanese).... I'm guessing he doesn't wear a belt denoting rank because he doesn't have to. It's the lower ranks that wear black belts showing their rank/experience. He is, after all, the Master :)

He normally wore a traditional white gi and a old wore out black belt! He drove an old truck w a maki wari board on it and was very loved in Spokane Washington. I miss him alot!!!

Man I believe that's the old school Okinawan Te training clothes for sure , if you was to check out for a quick study karate back then it looked like everyone was wearing street clothes or casual clothes with out a shirt on because they practice the kata Sanchin most of the time

Karate has is derived from more then just White Crane. Five Ancestor fist for example is another style that influenced Karate.