Mas Oyamas Essential Karate
Mas Oyamas Essential Karate – Mas Oyama
Do you feel self-confident enough lo handle any situation that might arise? If not, prepare for a radical change In your like. Here, on these pages, the world-renowned karate.Master, Mas Oyama, shares with you his own philosophy and techniques that he has developed over a period of many years.
By means of diagrammatic photos {over 1300 of them), the Master describes every Important aspect of karate, starting with the basic elements — the hand, the foot, the elbow — and leading up through their use In actual training and combat situations, such as the kata (forms), kumite (sparring) and tam&shlwari The two photographs here illustrate this incredible feat, the ultimate test of your ability.
When you have reached this pinnacle, you will have achieved Mas Oyama'3 own life goals through karate — serenity, extremely good health, and the inner and external strength that will enable you to be gentle and courteous to anyone because you know you can afford to be.
Foreword
Karate is currently enjoying wide popularity the world over. We encounter it frequently in books, films, and on television. There are few people who have not seen a demonstration of brick or wood breaking or a single bare-handed man defeat a host of armed opponents.
But karate is much more than this. It was developed over a thousand years ago, not only as a form of unarmed combat, but as a way to discipline the body in order to improve the spirit. In this way, a unity of body and spirit could be achieved.
If this sounds too abstract, perhaps we can use terms that are easier to deal with. Besides conditioning the body and improving speed, strength, and co-ordination, karate increases one's alertness and self-awareness. It also teaches confidence— not cockiness or brashness—but a deep confidence in one's abilities to deal with the world around him. And with confidence comes calmness and a sense of inner peace.
This is the true karate, the karate that one can practice years after he can no longer break bricks. But everything must have a beginning and great things cannot be accomplished in a handful of days. In karate, the beginning is the physical forms—the punches, kicks, and blocks that we have all seen. These are the techniques that enable an. adept kareteka to perform the seemingly impossible feats that he does.
Not everyone who studies karate achieves IIII but if you are able to master the techniques described in this book, you could be one of them. work with patience and perseverance and you are sure to.find some measure of satisfaction. You musta also work with caution, always bearing in mind that karate is a combat form and enables one no deliver a blow of devastating power. Techniques applied improperly or with insufficient care could cause injury to you or others.
May your pursuit of karate be a rewarding one.
Contents
Foreword................................................................................................................................. 11
1. Fundamentals of Karate....................................................................................................... 12
The Hand and Arm as Weapons........................................................................................... 13
- Seiken (normal fist)........................................................................................................ 13
- Uraken (back fist) ........................................................................................................ 16
- Tegatana (handsword)................................................................................................... 18
- Sega tana (reverse handsword).................................................................................... 21
- Nukite (piercing hand)................................................................................................. 22
- Variation of nukite....................................................................................................... 22
- Ippon-nukite (one-finger piercing hand)........................................................................ 23
- Nihon-nukite (two-finger piercing hand)....................................................................... 23
- Keiko (chicken beak fist)............................................................................................. 24
- Oyayubi-ippon-ken (thumb fist)................................................................................... 24
- Hitosashiyubi-ippon-ken (forefinger fist)....................................................................... 25
- Nakayubi-ippon-ken (middle-finger fist)....................................................................... 26
- Tettsui (iron hammer fist)............................................................................................. 26
- Shotei (palm heel thrust).............................................................................................. 27
- Toho (sword peak hand)................................................................................................ 28
- Heiken (flat fist)......................................................................... .................................... 28
- Koken (arc fist)............................................................................................................. 28
- Hiji (elbow)................................................................................................................... 30
- Kote (forearm)............................................................................................................ 31
- Additional upper body weapons.................................................................................. 31
The Leg as a Weapon ......................................................................................................... 32
- Ashigatana (footsword)............................................................................................... 32
- Naka-ashi (ball of the foot)......................................................................................... 34
- Seashi (instep)............................................................................................................ 36
- Soko-ashi (arch)......................................................................................................... 38
- Kakato (heel)............................................................................................................. 38
- Hiza-geri (knee kick).................................................................................................. 40
Preliminary Exercises........................................................................................................... 41
!. Wrist exercises............................................................................................................ 41
- Exercise for the Achilles tendon.............................................................................. 42
- Knee exercise............................................................................................................. 43
- Heel and ankle exercise.................................................................................................. 43
- Toe exercise.................................................................................................................. 44
- Hip exercise................................................................................................................... 44
- Side exercise for roundhouse block................................................................................ 45
8 Back exercise for roundhouse block............................................................................... 46
9. Push-ups................................................................................................................. 46
10. Leg-stretching exercise.................................................................................................. 47
11. Neck exercise............................................................................................................... 47
12. Back stretching exercise................................................................................................. 48
13. Knee-bend exercise....................................................................................................... 48
14. Flexibility exercise for the legs........................................................................................ 48
- Finger exercise
16. Chest-to-feet exercise...................................................................................................... 49
17. Shotei-zuke (hip exercise)........................................................................................... 49
Stances................................................................................................................................ 50
- Heisoku-tachi (blocked foot stance)............................................................................ 51
- Musubi-tachi (open foot stance).................................................................................. 51
- Heiko-tachi (parallel foot stance)................................................................................. 52
- Zenkutsu-tachi (forward stance).................................................................................. 52
- Kokutsu-tachi (back stance)........................................................................................ 53
- Fudo-tachi (ready stance)............................................................................................ 53
- Shiko-tachi (Sumo stance)........................................................................................... 54
- Kiba-tachi (horse stance)............................................................................................ 54
- Sansen-tachi (fighting stance)....................................................................................... 55
10. Tsuru-ashi-tachi (crane stance).................................................................................... 56
11. Naka-hachiji-tachi (inner figure 8 stance)..................................................................... 56
12. Soto-hachiji-tachi (outer figure 8 stance)...................................................................... 57
13. Kake-ashi-tachi (hooked foot stance).......................................................................... 57
14. Futa-ashi-tachi (two-legged stance)............................................................................. 58
15. Neko-ashi-tachi (cat stance)....................................................................................... 58
16. Shumoku-tachi or Toboku-tachi (T-shaped stance)..................................................... 59
Uke (Defense)..................................................................................................................... 60
- Defense against hand attacks....................................................................................... 60
- Defense against leg attacks............................................................................................. 61
- Applying blocking techniques......................................................................................... 64
2. Applications of Fundamental Techniques.................................................................................. 72
Oi-tsuki (Lunge Punch)................................................... ................................................... 73
- Chudan-oi-tsuki (middle body lunge punch).................................................................... 73
- Turn after Chudan-oi-tsuki (middle body lunge punch).................................................... 74
- Chudan-gyaku-oi-tsuki (middle body lunge punch from the reverse position)................... 74
- Jodan-oi-gyaku-tsuki (upper body lunge punch from the reverse position).................... 74
- Chudan-soto-uke (middle body block from the outside)............................................... 75
- Chudan-gyaku-soto-uke (middle body block from the outside from the reverse position) . . 75
- Jodan-uke (upper body block).................................................................................... 75
- Jodan-gyaku-uke (upper body block from the reverse position)................................... 75
- Zenkutsu-hiji-age-uchi (forward elbow upper thrust).................................................... 76
10. Zenkutsu-gyaku-hiji-age-uchi (forward elbow upper thrust from the reverse position) ... 76
11. Hiji-soto-uchi (elbow thrust from the outside).................................................................. 76
12. Hiji-gyaku-soto-uchi (elbow thrust from the outside from the reverse position) .... 76
13. Sansen-tsuki (fighting blow)............................................................................................ 77
14. Sansen-gyaku-tsuki (fighting blow from the reverse position)........................................ 77
15. Turn after Sansen-tsuki (fighting blow)......................................................................... 77
16. Tegatana-uke (handsword block)................................................................................ 78
17. Turn after Tegatana-uke (handsword block)................................................................ 78
18. Shotei-uke (palm heel block)....................................................................................... 78
- Shotei-gyaku-uke (palm heel block from the reverse position)...................................... 78
- Segatana-uke (reverse handsword block).................................................................... 79
- Koken-uke (arc fist block).......................................................................................... 79
- Kaiten-jun-tsuki (turn and thrust)................................................................................. 79
Oi-geri (Lunge Kick)....................................................................................................... . 80
- Oi-mae-geri (front lunge kick)..................................................................................... 80
- Oi-mae-geri-age (front lunge upper kick)..................................................................... 80
- Oi-yoko-geri-age (side lunge upper kick).................................................................... 80
- Oi-mawashi-geri (roundhouse lunge kick).................................................................... 81
- Oi-ashigatana (lunge footsword).................................................................................. 81
Breathing............................................................................................................................. 82
- Ibuki........................................................................................................ .... 82
- Front breathing .......................................................................................................... 84
- Back breathing................................................................................................................ 85
The Point and Circle................................................................................................................ 86
Mawashi-uke (Roundhouse Block).......................................................................................... 89
- Migi-mawashi-uke (right roundhouse block).................................................................... 89
- Hidari-mawashi-uke (left roundhouse block)................................................................... 90
Enkei-gyaku-tsuki (Reverse Thrust in a Circular Motion)...................................................... 91
- Hidari-enkei-gyaku-tsuki (left reverse thrust in a circular motion)...................................... 91
- Migi-enkei-gyaku-tsuki (right reverse thrust in a circular motion)...................................... 91
Tegatana-uke (Handsword Block)........................................................................................ 92
- Migi-tegatana-uke (right handsword block)..................................................................... 92
- Hidari-tegatana-uke (left handsword block) ................................................................ 93
Rhythm in Karate.................................................................................................................... 94
3. Kata . .............................................................................................................................. 95
Taikyofcii 1............................................ ... , - .. ... 97
Taikyoku3............................................................................................................................ 100
Heian 4 ..... ....................................................................................................
Heian 5 . .... ............................................................... . . ... 108
Saiha ....... ,........................................................................................ 112
4. Kumite (Sparring)................................................................................................................. 118
Preparatory Techniques for Jiyu-kumite (Free Sparring)......................................................... 119
- Preparatory stance using Morote (both hands)............................................................... 119
- Preparatory stance using Enshin (center of the circle or pinwheel)................................... 120
- Preparatory stance using Ryuhen (moving dragon stance)............................................... 121
- Preparatory stance using Maeba (front part of the wing)................................................ 121
- Preparatory stance using Birin (tail of dragon stance)..................................................... 122
Ma-ai (Time and Space Relationship)................................................................................... 123
So-ou-ma-ai (one step)..................................................................................................... 123
Yudo-ma-ai (one and a half steps)..................................................................................... 123
Gendo-ma-ai (two steps)................................................................................................... 123
Sanbon-kumite (Three Form Sparring)................................................................................. 123
- Sanbon-kumite using only the arms and hands............................................................... 124
- Sanbon-kumite using legs as attacking weapons........................................................... 134
Ippon-kumite (One Form Sparring)...................................................................................... 138
Jryu-kumite (Free Sparring).................................................................................................. 150
5 Tameshiwari.......................................................................................................................... 154
The Dynamics of Tameshiwari.............................................................................................. 155
1. Materials used............................................................................................................ 155
- Body contact areas...................................................................................................... 155
- Power and striking angle.............................................................................................. 155
- Speed......................................................................................................................... 156
- Methods...................................................................................................................... 156
Practicing Tameshiwari......................................................................................................... 157
- Tameshiwari using wood boards.................................................................................. 157
- Tameshiwari using tiles................................................................................................ 161
- Tameshiwari using bricks............................................................................................. 162
- Tameshiwari using stones............................................................................................. 162
- Tameshiwari using cinder blocks.................................................................................. 163
6. Special Applications of Karate Techniques........................................................................... 164
Everyday Techniques for Self-defense.................................................................................. 165
- While shaking hands.................................................................................................... 165
- While walking............................................................................................................... 166
- While sitting.................................................................................................................. 172
- Self-defense techniques for a woman walking................................................................. 175
- Self-defense techniques using umbrellas......................................................................... 178
- Knife vs. karate........................................................................................................... 181
- Practicing everyday self-defense techniques wearing Gi (traditional karate costume) . .185 Fitness Exercises 190
Importance of a proper diet................................................................................................ 190
Daily physical and mental health care.................................................................................. 190
- Basic exercises............................................................................................................ 190
- Exercises using chairs.................................................................................................. 200
- Exercises using a towel................................................................................................. 204
Special Training Exercises..................................................................................................... 209
- Exercises using Makiwara (karate striking board)......................................................... 209
- Exercises using the sandbag.......................................................................................... 212
- Exercises using baseball mitts....................................................................................... 213
- Booshi-geri (kicking off a hat) and Tobacco-geri........................................................... 217
- Exercise using the Shishaku-bo (1.2-metre-long (4-foot-long) rod)................................ 219
- Exercises using barbells................................................................................................. 222
- Exercises using Sashi (stone weights)............................................................................. 228
- Exercises using Tetsugeta (iron sandals)......................................................................... 230
- The bridge................................................................................................................... 233
10. Exercises for the handstand........................................................................................... 234
11. The mysterious and amazing body................................................................................ 237
12. Tumbling..................................................................................................................... 238
7. The New Karate: Modernizing Shiai (Competition Karate)..................................................... 242
Tameshiwari Scoring............................................................................................................ 245
Glossary.................................................................................................................................... 247
Index......................................................................................................................................... 251
