It’s wonderful how they appreciate each other’s opinions and will change the way things are done, where in a lot of styles the head instructor says what you have to do and will not listen to any others black belts options. Enjoyed listening to the sensei’s they seem like real friends and you could see the respect for each other.

Good stuff I can relate to these Masters when they say they relax more now they have gotten older. I reached 74 years young this month and still train Shotokan and clearly have slowed down from when I started in 1970. In the early days training with Nishyama and Mikami I honestly believe there a misunderstanding due to language about "relax" I could watch some of the early Masters and wonder how do they go so fast but just like these masters said we tense when we apply technique. This was a great reminder to practice zen and the relax will appear.

I've studied Traditional Okinawan Goju-Ryu since 1974, Isshinryu and Shotokan for short times since 1965. While most Goju practitionaer do a hard version of the art, my lineage approached it with more flexibility, softness and a healthy dose of spirituality. Now that I am 68 I have come to the point of being very relaxed in my movements. I totally get what these two fine Karateka are saying. Their movements and mine are the same but different. I found your questions excellent and the relationship between the two men charming. I believe Karate is for reaching a state of fearless compassion. The fighting aspect is just a means to get there. Each kata teaches us something about character cultivation. The information is buried very deeply into the kata. Only by doing them so many times, thinking deeply of the movements meanings does anything start to make sense. I had my realization, my satori moment on a beach while practicing a movement from Kata Kururunfa. It changes how I viewed and practiced the art ever since... it gave me insights that I wanted to share so I wrote a book about it. It's about the emotional and spiritual states of Kata. Karate makes you more human. It sensitizes you. You become aware of all the suffering happening in the world. Through Karate we can and do make a difference. We help people end their suffering through practice and projecting our open and generous hearts to them. We embody compassion for we are not afraid to lose anything, including our lives. Keep up the good work.

I really like that Tamaki sensei's introduction to karate training essentially highlights how cultural and local the practice used to be. It's nice to daydream about this-versus-that style's effectiveness, but at the end of the day it's a matter of culture more than anything else.

Interesting. I've been doing Shorin Ryu for 44 years. So about 13 years ago I broke away from the rigidity of Nagamine's teaching just like those two Sensei had done and for the same reason (relax the joints) except my reason was for health reasons (as well as weight lifting injuries), however, the result is the same. I perform all my techniques as they had described it.

It's interesting to hear about Nagamine Osensei's adoption of Zen. When I started karate as a child, my first sensei would open a shrine and we would all meditate before and after class. Most teachers don't do that anymore. In the US, we'd have parents freaking out that we're trying to indoctrinate their kids.

This was a wonderful interview with 2 open minded karate masters. I am certainly looking forward to see the follow-up video to see what I can observe.

As a response to the question presented around 11:50, I'd say that a style is defined by form and whatever relates to form. this is basically how we can see the difference between a round-house kick (mawashi-geri) which is almost the same in wushu, traditional karate, sport karate, kickboxing, muay-thai, savate, whatever. However, given the specific form of a technique for a specific style, the way an individual will manage to produce power may vary from case to case, even though the principles are the same, and that's because the biomechanics of the human body is the same. However going even deeper into the subject, each individual will coordinate muscles differently, will have different joint mobility, muscle/tendons flexibility, body mass, muscle/fat percentage in their body, spine, hips and shoulder blade configuration, and so on. Because of all these different aspects from individual to individual I came to the conclusion that the approach that is successful in most cases is to explode towards the target from a relaxed state and tense/solidify as a cement block right about when you come close to touching the target, so that in the moment if actually hitting it to be unmovable. Every time the hardest part is to continue moving fast after tensing the whole body, so this is why to those I teach (very few, as I am not teaching officially) I tell so stay tensed into the target for only a fraction of a second, and this way a succession of techniques will actually be fluent (kind of like "be like water, my friend" :) ). This is one of the reasons why, in my personal opinion, I think makiwara is the best tool to train for punches. If you want to kick or to learn positioning you can use a heavy bag or some other tools, but makiwara will help you train and develop this coordination of muscles and movement for hand punching techniques. !! Initially I thought it's going to be a 2 lines post... and here it is, almost a wall of text! :)

This is such a fantastic video/discussion as always. It’s really inspiring to see both of them at their age still so capable and using all of their experience to speak their wisdom. Cool to see the openness and differences in opinion yet always bettering each other. Staying relaxed is such a key component of creating maximum impact and power and the years of practice are so evident. Thank you sir!

Practicing Taijiquan really helped me learn how to relax in my Kung Fu and boxing training. People holding pads for me often commented how powerful my punches were after I trained Taijiquan! 😁

As a green belt in Shotokan staying relaxed is a constant fight and lately have been using (and learning) meditation. I believe it has helped.

at the 12 minute mark. they start talking about relaxation brings you awareness around you. and that is true. because u free your mind of thoughts .you have ralot of extra subconcious calculation power that will be used flexibly . which seems lost in modern style teachings. like mma. taekwondo ectra. but here it is alive in okinawa karate! . love it.! fighting isnt just you and the other guy in a ring. it can be so many different things SO being relaxed and having that extra calculation power is soo vital .

Thank you! I’m really looking forward to seeing their relaxation training!

This is so awesome! thanks for posting.

Fascinating! Such a collaborative and progressive approach!

That’s was cool. Relaxing & breathing have been something I’ve work hard at so it was nice to heard they’re opinions on the matter

You are living my dream! Thanks so much for sharing!

Your videos are getting better and better, thank you. The whipping, relaxed joint work they are doing is very reminiscent of Asai sensei so there is a precedent of this mindset in Shotokan. Keep up the good work!

Thank you for taking the time to make this video👍❤

I read a lot about Japanese and Okinawan martial arts, but honestly following you sensei Yusuke is a blessing. It is really amazing to see someone explain and show the differences between various Japanese and Okinawan styles in an objective way. By your videos, you show me and us in general many things we weren't aware about and we can't find books about them. Thank you again. Osu!

fantastic! Shogen- Ryu is the creation of Taba Kensei, he was a student of Shoshin Nagamine. Sensei Takeshi Tamaki was also a direct student of Nagamine.

Thank you so much for the wonderful video Sensei. Ossu..

This series is great.

?=I relax and tense according to the rhythm of an altercation. If it's kata, I will stay loose until the point of impact. If it's a partner drill, I will flex when I'm instructing where the force is applied. A good rule to follow is, stay loose until a point of impact or when receiving an impact.

This relaxation is true my back fist hurt for a long time, but the pain went away eventually. Very fast. I trained in karate on Okinawa many years…so thankful to Sensei’s like them😌🇲🇽⛵️

Awesome video!

I taught and did myself, relaxed through the movement part of the techniques and tense at the point of contact and use the mental imagery to release the power at the point of impact especially when I am needing power and it also starts from the feet to the ground and extending from the weapon I am using so as to allow my kiai to help deliver the chi (qi) to the target and thus the mind, body and spirit is all delivered at once when it is needed. The mindset I believe is very crucial for karate to be practiced properly. Even for self defense.

They're so cool, honestly

Great video! Staying relaxed begins within...

My Goju-ryu Jundokan teacher always repeats: relax, relax, relax! So it's more Ju than Go.

Great work!

Big thanks to you for sharing your impressions and experiences! Your Okinawa series are really great. Looking forward to the day I can resume practising (currently recovering from a shoulder surgery).

Awesome! Many thanks :)

Super interesting!!!

Hey,can you make a video about kyokushin karate style? I'm from kyokushin karate and I'd really like to see you discuss or even visit a kyokushin karate sensei like you did in shorinji ryu karate video

I practice makiwara and naihanchi daily to relax my muscles. What the senseis said is true, when muscle are tensed all force and momentum are wasted in tension the arm not propelling the punch on impact.

I do feel that regarding the relaxed 'soft' punch, it is in esence striking with the full weight of the body, in boxing this was called punching your weight but this aproach can take many years to become effective . The type of energy received feels very different to a 'hard' blow , and as a consequence it is easier to maintain with advancing age !

Hung Gar Chinese MA training along with my Kenpo and JKD helped in being relaxed and striking whiplike, and transferring power into a body more than through it. 50+ years training helps. You have to move that way. Thanks for sharing!

I like that approach. My sensei (Shotokan) was relatively traditional. But our club grew and he couldn't do all the training sessions. So I got to train with black belts from very different backgrounds who were helping him out and that was very valuable. One fought in inernational tournaments and added a "sporty" perspective. He taught me (through a big language barrier) that I put way too much strenght in every movement and that I had to relax more in between. The other one was a sport physician who knew a lot of theory. With him we made an extra course that went beyond traditional training, trying out to the practical application of the techniques. Everyone added their unique perspective to the basics and that was just great.

The loose strikes and open joints are quite reminiscent of White Crane Kung Fu. It was really cool hearing these teachers talk about how their arts have developed.

I like and admire those two so much, not just because they're so intelligent and practical but because their relaxed style as they explained it is superb. Although I took many years of various martial arts in my youth, my primary discipline which influenced everything was modern fencing, especially epee. One of the things I learned from that is that if you tighten your shoulder, you not only lose range but you telegraph your attacks. In unarmed combat, then, I used primarily the modern fencing style of keeping my shoulder still vertically but extending it to get range without telegraphing. Everything those two said about their style essentially means they have a very similar philosophy to modern fencing which makes me so happy because they're right. If you tense your body when you attack, a fast opponent can see it and block or dodge. If you keep your shoulder relaxed, it's actually possible to have an unblockable attack. On a side note to Yusuke Nagano, I admire and respect you tremendously and thank you for sharing your thoughts and your path through your philosophical and martial arts journeys :)

Many thanks to you Sir for presenttion and best regardS to the two old masters. Well, it´s about relaxation, balanc, mental focus and consistency. ALl the best, Paul,66, retired instruictor of Goju ryu Karate.

すばらしい！ This is a common story and the very same philosophy of Sento-kai ha Chito-ryu Kenkyukai. ありがとうございました for introducing this to your subscribers.

Sound like my version of move. Also got my hip move from double movement, about 10% faster then one side hip movement. Hip can be locate other place on the body to, if you did'nt know. The free movement 0.30+ are similar Tai chi and my water way to. Nice to see i am not the only knowing that.

Years ago in 1986, I was in the U.S. Navy and started studying Shotokan Karate at a Dojo in Pennsylvania, in the U.S.A., I read everything I could find about Shotokan Karate. Including Gichin Funakoshi's book ' Karate Do Kyohan '. I would read that book everyday, I also started with the Kata Heian Shodan. I was litteraly a beginner in Karate because my Mother was way Overprotective and didn't want me involved in any kind of Contact Sports at all no Football, no Boxing, and no Martial Arts of any kind even though She knew Martial Arts wasn't actually a Sport. And while I read Karate Do Kyohan and learned Bio-Mechanics etc, what also helped was from walking on Ice and from Roller Skating on occasion where I was able to practice being relaxed. Too much tension in your body and you will loose your balance and fall on the Ice or on the Ground. I also learned from a back injury that I sustained in the U.S. Navy. If I was too tense my back hurt a lot If I was too limp I couldn't even stand, so basicly I learned to relax from studying Gichin Funakoshi's book Karate Do Kyohan, Practicing in and out of the Dojo, standing and Skating on Ice, Roller Skating and Injuries to My Upper, Middle and Lower back. But overall, I truly believe without Studying Gichin Funakoshi's book, Karate Do Kyohan and the 6 to 9 months of Study in a Shotokan Dojo in Pennsylvania, I would never have learned to be Relaxed. And it really was a big deal. Because my next duty station in the U.S. Navy was Naval Special Warfare SWCL's on many ocassions when under way on those small boats, the ability to relax helped me keep my balance on a Pitching Deck where If I had not learned to relax and keep my balance I would have fallen overboard and in one instance I know I would have drowned because the waves were 36 Feet tall from their Peak to their Trough and the Patrol Boat I was on at that time actually went from 0 to 90° while I was at the bow of the boat holding on to the guide wires and using what I learned in Shotokan Karate, I was able to maintain my footing on the deck while holding on to the guide wires without falling off the Boat and into the Sea.

I've heard rumors of internal divides in early Matsubayashi-ryu, but don't know the full details because it's not polite to ask too many questions and reopen old wounds. Suffice to say, modern practitioners are not so close-minded. I remember one time I was trying to decide which way was best to perform a technique, so I asked my sensei. He said, "You have a black belt now. Why don't you figure it out and tell me?" I can't speak for all of Matsubayashi-ryu, but many of us are all about adapting and modifying based on experimentation and new insights.

Oss great stuff here.

I use men like this as examples for senior citizens in America to understand that movement is very important in life. I tell many to join karate for old people to help with hip, back and feet issues. it is cool to see these men will to teach.

I was train to relax by staying open and tighten up on the strike and than release back to an open state. only be hard at the strike, block or throw but release to a relax state.

the flow and manipulation of the zen energy.

This is brilliant, However as a English man who grow boxing in gramma school, I would say read up on Jack Dempsey's crucial point of grabbing air and the true line of power . Because that exactly what these two Gentlemen are talking about, one should be relaxed through the final point of transfer, as tensing up stops motion. Again I think this was brilliant. Cogito ergo sum Tim

I had befriended a highly decorated marine named James who was a great man, he told many of his war time stories and they were amazing, James was even at old age a very big broad shouldered man typical marine look, well we were talking of where he been and the fighting he had seen and I was a kid just 17 who had been in martial arts back then over 30 yrs now I said James who did you fear while in the war? He said the Japanese ...with a stern serious look, he said he was stationed in Okinawa and the marines would go to bars there and get drunk ,well a crew of them he said came up on this little old man he said the guy had to be in his late 60's James being a kid himself there just watched as this little old Japanese man walked through that group of marines leaving them all but dead from the besting he gave them and one marine had broken a bottle and came towards the old Japanese man and I said James what happened? He looked horrified as he said it he said son smh that old man. Hit that marine in his side somehow and pulled out a piece of his rib and snapped it off and held it in his hand ...😐.. ya...he said the guy hit the soldier and tore through his body and pulled his rib out of his side ...That's serious...the OLD ONES didn't mess around in those days and the KNEW a waaaay different type of style and conditioning than today... and rip🙏 James you were a great man and friend ...

At our Dojo, we did Seiza-Zazen-Mokuso before starting class to focus on what we were doing and release whatever was going on in our minds before class. For trying to stay relaxed, I also just try to focus on just putting the tips of the fingers in contact with the palm instead of trying to crush something in my hand when making a fist.

Excellent interview. I would offer than breath and breathing are key. Without proper breathing and control of breath, your mind cannot relax, and hence you cannot relax the muscles or joints. I used to breathe in through the nose and breathe out through mouth. I have since found that that type of breathing is in itself troubling. The best way is Oujai breathing if yoga (oo-jai). I find it relaxing and comfortable. It takes time to learn it, but not long. Truly everything both paths use the nose. Mouth remain closed. I remember reading somewhere that you must breathe as if there was a feather on your lips, it wouldn’t move. Breathing must be as natural as the waves of the sea. Kiai, can then be used as another tool. To reset the tempo of the breath. We may lose our tempo or rhythm in breathing. Kiai can restore it. It is the crashing wave that builds up slowly through movement of smaller waves before it. I hope this help.

Really loved this video and grateful for the discussion about relaxation. I describe it as eliminating unnecessary tension, only using guiding tension to form the technique and using center to move for power. What point in the video was the discussion about kime?

Hello man, could you do a video about the breathing techniques that are used in kumite and Kata with their differences? Pd : your videos are amazing

Okinawans are way more relaxed and their mindset is different from the Japanese.In Okinawa they are more casual,easygoing and relaxed.And these differences are also present in training systems.In Japan the training is militaristic and formal and in Okinawa it's lot more relaxed and focused on individual freedom of technique interpretation.A classic example of this is that in okinawan dojos it's very common to see the Karatekas practicing on individual base.While one practitioner is practicing on makiwara the other is practicing the kata etc.While in Japan that's nonexistent.

Relaxation for me depends on the strike. Straight punches have less, circular can be more whiplike. A back knuckle is very fast and whiplike. A reverse punch is straight and rigid. A hook can have some whip. A slap, palm heel, pr knife hand, more whip.

Very great work love it sensei Please , could you make a meeting with sakumoto sensei

I dont do Karate,,, i do Aikido,, i stay relaxed following to Tohei Sensei Ki concept,,,, weight underside, keep one point, extend Ki,

Relaxing for me, is a relative term. The stronger you are, the more you can afford to stay relaxed while still producing a certain effect. Imagine a child versus a weightlifer lifting the same weight, the child has to tense and use up all his strength to lift it but the weightlifter lifts it easily even though he is relaxed. Strength is key to relaxation.

So In Kosho shorei we practice this method of relaxation, it’s difficult to understand but effective, for example, ie,. When punching in front of a wall in a standard horse stance or kiba dachi, practice hard punch from distance of arm, then lift up the arm relaxed, your hand will touch the wall when relaxed not made in strong fist, hope that makes sense?

Hey sensei yusuke I might be training in this style

When I trained in Okinawa my ura uke was done like they discribed. My elbows ached for a long time😮 but the aching go’s away eventually

It's incredible how deep Okinawan Karate is. I never liked the stiffness and the robot-like motions of Japanese Karate. Okinawan Karate brings life to Karate.

It feels like a golf swing, syrupy But in a solid structure

My fist stays tight while the rest of the body, even the arm and shoulders fully relax. This allows explosive movements with relaxation in between.

When I do a kick, block or punch at the point of impact I tense up and breath out, then un tense myself.

there is a great importance in retaining the original training and teaching methods. Change is good too.. its the importance of moving with the times yet also remaining able to teach traditional ways for retaining uniqueness.. I find no motivation in forgetting all that I have learned from our traditional way since I was the one attracted to it in the first place. what is the point of being a karateka or judoka or or or.. may as well throw it out the window ..

Staying “relaxed” is posture and the conditioning of the body(fascial, neuromuscular developmental., etc) to allow for that state. If the practice like that everyday I’d dare say the have probably forgotten how to move in the “wrong” way

My background is in Shotokan, and I am now training at an Isshinryu dojo. I struggle to relax my tsuki until the moment of impact.

You should visit Shinzato Katsuhiko Sensei. He heads Kishaba Juku, which is also an ofshoot of Matsubayasho Ryu.. Be blown away.

Tamaki-sensei's black belt has gotten white from use. That shows he's a real OG.

With the relax, do they mean relax tense? So throw a strike or punch with utter speed, and then tense at the end? For impact? This is what Is being taught to me, gyaku-tsuki reverse punch, is a good example, or a shuto uchi strike. Throwing a fist outward, and tensing right before the impact, combining with breathing,

I learnt more about the concepts of relaxation in my life when I realised that Kime and Mokuso were both a façade.

""This doesn't lead to Bujutsu" Mainstream Karate summed up in a sentence.

Back in 2018, these 2 gentlemen visited Jerry Figgiani's (8th dan and President of Shorin Ryu Karatedo International) dojo on Long Island for a 3 day seminar. Sensei Takeshi Tamaki became the official Technical Director of Shorin Ryu Karatedo International. I filmed day 1 and 3. Unfortunately, I had a prior filming commitment on day 2. Here are the links to what we filmed those 2 days. Day 1 - kzfaq.info/get/bejne/bZZzmLKnx8W8YqM.html - Day 3 - kzfaq.info/get/bejne/greXnL1pq8Ddp4E.html

thank you for this video, I don't know how many people realize this but Tamaki Sensei is in Shoshin Nagamine's "Essence of Okinawan karate-do" if you have the book, he is on pg 269 of the hard copy holding the tonfa. Just curious, did you manage to ask him where he was sent to teach under Nagamine Shoshin Sensei?

Great to see you back to normal rather that watching bad TV shows! ;-)

Imagine he's 81 years old and still active Because he practice karate for years

Young ,man being modest: " Compared to you i'm just a puny puny karateka "' Both sensei just nod : hmmm yes yes that's true 😅

ユースケさん、david weckの　corefist の　一種である　corefast をご参考になられてはどうでしょうか

Yusuke, are you going to do more videos going over the Jesse Enkamp/Steven Segal series? Steven Segals idea of throwing a Mae Geri "like a spear" was interesting.

Zen and the arts are a perfect match. Think about it. There's a joke in there somewhere 😜

I think you might be interested In Iken. They have a teacher in Tokyo. The head is hidetoshi Matsuoka. They have a key to this opinion of soft. What you are seeking is the middle way. Not tense and not soft. Hsyq is the master key. There are several top karate teachers that train Hsyq. Why? It is the natural key for all the martial arts. The universal key. Quan Fa.

This reminds me Asai.

👍

In my Okinawan practice it’s very flowing and loose instead of tight and rigid . You realize a punch and kick isn’t even for striking ( took years to get that) , but that’s why it’s an art . I do Ryu te it’s sorta lost these days but a guy called taika oyata brought it here and my sensei is one of the last people who know it . You ever wanna come train and learn it lemme know brotha!

I try to stay relaxed then at the moment of impact I contract muscle.

The number of styles is as many as people practising martial arts.

Staying relaxed is something I've been working on very hard. Here in America men are raised to tough and masculine ( not so much anymore). I believe mast past weight lifting has made it harder for me in Karate. I started Karate cause I don't wanna lift another weight again, and yet I find Karate way more challenging.

That black belt is so worn out, it becomes white belt again. Wow! Sensei must have used it for decades..

If it matters, the lettering is too small for myself to read. I just started watching your channel, where it's interesting. What style was this karate?

I have a question about 1st and second degree black belt certification. I trained in multiple styles, never made it that high, but I've seen this 3 times that I can remember: a black belt holder, in order to get a higher rank, had to have no-holds barred fights, either one after another or all at once against the other higher-ranked black belts. Is that...normal? In a tang soo do class I was in for 3 years, the black belt student had to do a 3 day survival course in a wooded area, and win no-holds barred fights against other black belts he encountered as he made his way to a finish line. I haven't heard of this in Japanese training...or at least I'm not aware of it.

Tamaki and Tokashiki are NOT Shogen-Ryu. They have reverted back to Matsubayashi-Ryu and abandoned all teachings of Taba Sensei

Funny anecdotes, otherwise contentless deepities exchanged.

Huh... I am surprised that there is such in karate, what i as traditional silat practitioner would call a "tenaga ujung", literally "endpoint power", which we trained by being very relaxed to the point of our finger and toes extremities so that we can unleash fast movement without antagonist muscle's hindrance

Look into Master Shigeru Egami if you need to learn a relaxed style. The true Shotokan.

I never learned "Kime" in any Okinawan school I trained with, either Goju, Shorin or Isshin-ryu... this is not something special in my experience.

Mushin concept not easy