The History of Kyokushin PART 2 | ART OF ONE DOJO

welcome to the history of Keough question a three-part series one of the toughest quítate systems out there last week was the first episode and we talked about suicide masutatsu oyama and his dedication to training and how he formed the art of kyo kitchen if you have not seen that video yet I highly recommend that you watch that one first as it will lay out a stronger foundation for what we'll cover today in this episode we're going to explore the training of the art belt ranks techniques etiquette and testing requirements in part 2 of the history of kyokushin [Music] now just a disclaimer Japanese is not my native language so I do apologize if I put your any name so I'm going to do my best so to summarize the previous video we explored the background of masutatsu oyama the founder of kyokushin oh yah mah born in korea lived on his sister's farm in Manchuria China where he was introduced to Chinese Kempo later upon moving back to Korea he continued to train in Korean camp Oh during World War two Aoyama had been part of the imperial japanese army aviation school through his young adulthood he studied judo boxing shotokan karate and goji route karate he also found great inspiration from the Bushido samurai code and admired the spirit of the warrior he followed the ideals from his favorite book the book of the Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi and he spent a collective 32 months training and solitude in the Japanese mountains when he returned to civilization he came back a hardened fighter and an incredible martial artist he demonstrated his combat skills by fighting and defeating life pools and establishing the 100 man kumite which a challenger takes on 100 consecutive rounds of bare-knuckle full-contact sparring Oh Yama completed the challenge three times defeating three hundred men over the course of three consecutive days he founded the art of kyo question which translates to ultimate truths kyokushin is one of the most influential styles of full-contact karate especially in competition most tournaments are unpadded and allow full contact punches and kicks to the body now strikes the face usually run allowed by hand but kicks to the head often are and have resulted in some impressive techniques and knockouts [Music] first let's talk about arrival to the dojo kyoko-chan embodies a very strong spirit of discipline and respect and their customs should be observed when visiting a kyoko-chan dojo all students are expected to bow way and the pollen entering the school and once again while exiting bowing is performed facing the front of the dojo where there usually hangs a portrait of so sight masutatsu oyama the student then boughs towards the direction of others in the previous episode we talked about the tradition of oaths a word used to represent the spirit of the Arts it is a combination of the words oshi which means push and Shinobu which means endure in essence the sentiment behind it means to push oneself to the limit and endure going past it all greetings are observed by us so the student is to deliver the word when bowing towards teachers and fellow classmates during class when given a command or instruction by a teacher Alice is also used to acknowledge and agree this is very similar to the traditional I used in many Japanese arts so in kyokushin I sensei or yes sensei is replaced with bas kyokushin dojos typically observe a formal and proper behavior so this means you should act appropriately while you're in a dojo and show respect to senior students and teachers students of lower ranks may address each other by names however this is not appropriate practice with senior students or instructors when you're addressing a senior you should address them according to the official title or rank followed by their first name many Japanese schools have what's called the dojo Qin posted on the wall now these are the codes of conduct and rules expected in the dojo in kyokushin the dojo kun is recited at the end of each class students lined up by rank they kneel down with their eyes closed and the senior student recites the code out loud for the class as a senior student reads it the class will follow and repeat it word for word we will train our hearts and bodies for a firm unshaken spirit we will pursue the true meaning of the martial way so that in time our senses may be alert with true vigor we will seek to cultivate a spirit of self-denial we will observe the rules of the courtesy respect our superiors and refrain from violence we will follow our religious principles and never forget the true virtue of humility we will look upwards to wisdom and strength not seeking other desires all our lives through the discipline of karate we will seek to fulfill the true meaning of the kyoko-chan way [Music] like most Japanese martial arts student ranks are represented by colored belts now as we explored in the previous video how many belts are there in karate we looked at the difference of ranking systems across many systems of martial arts the concept of colored belt ranks was first established by G Goro Cano the founder of Judo in many arts followed suit with their own now what we learned is each discipline has their own set of colors and bell rings each meaning something completely significant and different to that art and in this respect kyokushin is no exception consistency is something that's also an issue in some styles with bell order and customs changing wildly from one school to the next now at least in kyokushin the order is generally consistent between schools with some possible minor variations similar to the other arts colored belt ranks are called cue rings and they count down as a student approaches black belt the different ranks of black belts are called dawn ranks and they progress higher as a student achieves higher levels of mastery in kyokushin there are 10 q ranks and tend on ranks the first belt a student receives is the white belt now in many martial arts the white belt is considered the first kyu rank but in others such as kioku shin it is called mu q which means ungraded this is an entry level belt and requires no skill or work to require it and it is not included in 210 q ranks the white color of the belt reflects this as the canvas is clean and the student is not yet had any experience in the art so it stands for level of purity and potential the first official colored belt is the orange belt now when mas oyama first established kioku shin this belt was originally red now the color red and martial arts is a little bit of a wild-card in some arts the red belt is a lower grade belt while in others it is the color and symbol of mastery so in Kempo and some other arts red stripes are applied to black belts to no Don ranks as they increase in an art like Brazilian jiu-jitsu the red belt is the highest achievable rank even above black belt it is believed that due to this discrepancy that mas oyama changed the red to orange s to avoid confusion today most traditional Kyojin schools observe the orange belt while some still might use the red the meaning behind the color stands for a level of stability or injure red symbolizes the color of soil and earth building the foundation from which the seeds of basics can be planted cultivated and grown up the blue belt represents water and a level of fluidity water is free-flowing and it can move and change based on its environment so too should the student at this level displaying a level of fluidity and adaptability the student at this point in time learns to flow within the context of what they have learned the yellow belt represents a level of assertion by now the student has been training hard and should have developed a strong skill set of basics and physical ability now as with most arts key occasion students are not only expected to achieve physical strength but they're also expected to develop mental fortitude as well at yellow belt the student is entering a psychological phase of training understanding and ISEC ting what they have previously learned and they are now learning to analyse new information when the student achieves the green belt they are entering the first level of senior rank belts this belt represents a level of emotion and sensitivity and the student is expected to be aware and embrace the concepts of benevolence and compassion it was once said that a Yama would declare that strength without justice as violence also justice without strength is impotence mastery of the basics strength and speed are an expected combination at this level now as with most arts the brow belt is a senior rank and typically the last colored belt rank in kyokushin the brown belt signifies a level of practicality a student should be adept in their own training they should be strong fast and they should be comfortable in the performance of what they previously learned and they also understand not to abuse their strength and power but rather to guide mentor and look after the junior ranks the black belt synonymous across the martial arts as a rank of expert now I think we've all heard the expression that a black belt is simply a white belt and never quit now while it sounds easy to say it is certainly true the black belt represents a several year long journey and hard work and in kill machine this is no different the black color represents strength as the color black is too strongly pigmented and not easily overcome by other colors so this philosophical notion applies to the student in that at this level their skills should have reached a level of proficiency in that lower colored belt rank should not be able to overcome them once the student obtains their black belt or first on they will spend a lifetime progressing each additional down group by a single gold stripe [Music] [Music] Cole hi this is a term used to refer to the colored belt ranks or q ranks now generally kohai implies a junior student especially in comparison to another if two students have the same rank then the younger one is generally referred to as the kohai now an important note is that this is not a title used to address someone the word kohai is used strictly in the context of generalization such as comparing you know a student to a senior to a senior rank it is considered inappropriate to address someone personally as kohai senpai senpai means senior student now this term is used in many dojos of many different arts and the senpai is usually the senior ranking student and often the mentor to the lower ranks now in some styles it can refer to brown belts or may even refer to someone senior in age in the context of kyokushin however it is reserved to those who've achieved their first and second don block bell rings sensei now this is a term that pretty much everyone knows it simply means teacher in the literal translation and it's sometimes used in Japan as other teachers not necessarily in the martial arts in kyokushin sensei is a title applied to third and fourth down black belt ranks Shihan or master teacher the title of Shihan is typically bestowed upon those who have reached a level of mastery and usually lead a school or even multiple schools in kyokushin 1/5 on rank and upwards is awarded the title of Shihan now there are also some other titles that are much less common but you may hear them in the context of kyokushin concho in which the word khan means building their Hall and the word cho means head or the top so concho literally means head of the hall or head of the training hall Kaiko is similar except that khan is replaced with chi which means society or association therefore keiko means the head of an association honk she translates roughly to gentleman scholar warrior and while it may not be a widely utilized term in kyokushin when it is used it is usually applied to those with an extremely high ranking title usually 7th Don and upwards finally the term society this is generally to refer to the President or director-general and no one in kyokushin or its derivatives have really utilized it it seems to be an honorary and prestigious title apply to suicide matsutake Aoyama for its extraordinary contributions of the martial arts the closest equivalent to this title may be considered Grand Master that is sometimes used in other arts for the founder or the highest-ranking masters training and coefficient is divided into three main classifications or the three case kihon kata and kumite kihon is a Japanese term that means basics these are the fundamental concepts of the material so all punches kicks blocks steps throws posture and movements are all part of basic training without these strong basics the rest of the students training becomes compromised kyo-chan dojos also use what is called edo geico now this refers to training techniques in motion Edo Keiko is executed with combining some of the basics into a sequence now this is used to test and judge the student's ability to combine and craft concepts as well as effectively determine the strength of their technique so perhaps a student can deliver a great punch from a stationary position but can they deliver the same punch with the same energy and power and speed while moving and in combination with other techniques that is the Edo Keiko the kihon portion of the curriculum is always performed at the beginning of class so after bowing in the class will begin a regimen of basics and practice before getting into the main main lesson of the day this consistent repetition helps these movements become natural and fluent kata is the second categorization of kyokushin training kata is an abbreviation of the word katachi which means shape form or pattern so in kyokushin as in most karate systems Karthus are longer sequences of techniques often simulating a combat scenario and demonstrated how movements strikes defenses can be used together the main purpose of kata is to teach the boom chi or practical application of the movement Coty's are usually performed individually and they allow the student to really break down and understand the concepts of material now kyojin also has a distinct organization to their Cantus the majority of kyokushin kata are grouped into one of two main categories northern style and southern style mas oyama studied many arts and drew from many influences particularly from Shotokan and Goju Ryu karate in the northern style Coty's they are derived from the short a tradition of karate drawn from Shotokan oh yah mahat spent a lot of time studying under teaching Funakoshi the founder of the art southern style Coty's are based on the influence of na hoti traditions while o yama was studying and practicing Goju Ryu karate you can often see and find similarities between kyokushin contas and from other systems as many of them share the same roots there are also some cots is dedicated to weapon usage but even more interesting are the Eau de contas who takata's our caucus at a perform and mirror image they are also sometimes called reverse Coty's and they were formed by Moscow Yama to aid the student in performing circular techniques sometimes spinning turning or moving forwards or backwards it also prompts some coordination adjustments if any of you out there practice of martial art and you have a kata perfectly memorized try to perform it in mirror image and see if you can do it just as easily definitely a great training concept and the distinct part of kyokushin kata training then become the kumite or freestyle sparring or fighting kumite is where Kyojin really shines in the public eye kihon and kata are important to learn and develop concepts and skills and kumite is where they are put into play in a teaching setting freestyle fighting is used to learn how to fight an opponent or how to adapt to a live situation and change your technique based on the scenario sometimes kumite can be simplified and broken down into variations such as upon kumite or one step sparring this is when an individual practices the reaction by responding to an attack thrown by an opponent's there's also sin bones kumite or three step sparring this is very similar except that instead of just one step it's done in a sequence of three counts kyokushin is a no-nonsense style of karate and you can clearly see it in their competition full-powered body blows devastating kicks are a staple and in tournament scene kyo cash and tournaments are usually continuous fighting and they're not point-based the idea is get your opponent to submit by delivering rapid full power strikes or by knocking them out with a well-placed technique it is not for the casual tournament participant or the faint of heart and it's not uncommon to see opponents exiting the ring covered in blood either theirs or their opponents kyokushin is also known for feats of strength breaking bricks rocks baseball bats even roofing tiles now we did the video a while back about we break up awards for training and we mentioned they also may be breakable bricks as we looked a little bit further we discovered there's also be breakable tiles so those might be a perfect training tools for those in kyokushin or those who want to Train outbreak tiles so if you are interested we have a link below in the description earning the black belt in kyokushin is an incredible achievement a student will go through a gauntlet of hard and rigorous training conditioning and a test of mental strength I have spoken with some of you out there who F test is for a key option of black belt and after hearing what you went through to get it you have my serious respect testing is often done twice a year typically in winter and summer many schools will do testing camps and the test itself is a gauntlet usually spread out over the course of several days six to eight hours or even more day of exercises condition fighting drills kathas more exercises more drills etc much of the tests occurs outdoors in the elements which can add a great degree of difficulty if your summer or it snows or if you're in an extremely hot environment in the spirit of Moscow Yama's 100 main kumite tests often have abbreviated version of this with belt candidates having to compete against twenty thirty or forty man or more Akuma taste now that's 40 rounds a full-contact continuous sparring non-stop lasting one and a half to two minutes per round again my serious respect to anyone out there who has completed that test for more information on mas oyama and Keo question I have listed some references below in the description and as before I wanted to extend my utmost sincerest gratitude to one of our viewers friend and Kyogre Shan martial artists since Saint Juan Ferrentino a or do from Melbourne Australia for his help in creating this project your generosity and efforts are greatly appreciated that concludes today's episode on the history of kyokushin next week and the third and final part of the series we're going to take a look at the impact of the art and the derivatives of it thank you so much for watching [Music] for those of you who have experienced a blackbelt tests please tell us about it below in the comments I love hearing your stories also please be sure to support this channel and share and subscribe this video and make sure you click on the bell icon so that you get notifications of all new episodes and releases thank you so much