The kanji lettering used to spell kyokushin can be translated as “society for the ultimate truth,” which reflects founder Masutatsu Oyama’s belief that traditional karateka were becoming soft, missing the forceful combative nature of the true art. Kyokushin’s philosophy centers on discipline and self-improvement, which Masutatsu Oyama believed could be further honed through rigorous training and full-contact sparring. Masutatsu Oyama’s patented knockdown karate competition format was a natural outgrowth of his beliefs and kyokushin practice.
Influenced by his goju-ryu karate teacher So Nei-chu, Masutatsu Oyama followed the path of his spiritual samurai warrior idol, Miyamoto Musashi, by spending three years doing yamagomori (intense solitary training) on Japan’s Mount Kiyozumi. Eighteen months after Masutatsu Oyama came down from the mountain, he hit and killed a charging bull with one blow and ultimately went on to fight 52 other bulls. Why? Masutatsu Oyama’s goal was to embody the epitome of the samurai warrior’s code, “One strike, certain death.” Thus, kyokushin’s way of training is more about following the code of bushido (the samurai way) than budo (martial way), which became the standard philosophical tenet behind many modern Japanese martial arts.
– October 4, 2011
Kenji Yamaki is a big man, even in the United States. His arms are like legs, and his legs are like tree trunks. He’s soft-spoken and smile-prone off the mat, but the minute he dons his gi, that demeanor fades fast.
Warming up, he moves like a Bengal tiger, his muscles
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– September 30, 2011
I selected 10 systems that I’ve practiced and found to be self-defense worthy. It’s hard to say just one art does it all. The best advice is to try them all and get in combat shape. Ultimately, it’s not the art that’s important; it’s the individual. It’s not the technique
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– August 26, 2011
This list is in no particular order. I could have put krav maga, haganah and others in there, but when I got to 10, I stopped. This list will piss off many instructors, but they have to realize, for example, that with a system like kyokushinkai, which came from goju-ryu
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– July 8, 2011
The power-vs.-speed debate has raged in martial arts circles for decades. As soon as a rapid-fire striker convinces you that speed is the key to victory, along comes a powerhouse prodigy who’ll bend you back toward the other extreme.
But now there’s a newcomer from Japan who’s set up shop in
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– May 6, 2011
It was 1 o’clock, and I was sitting at Jun Chong’s taekwondo school in Los Angeles getting ready to work out. In walked Dolph Lundgren, 6 feet 5 inches tall and built like a brick [outhouse].
He said, “You’re Bill Wallace, right?”
I said, “Yeah, and you’re Dolph Lundgren.”
I stood up and
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– March 23, 2011
Even if you’re not a fan of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, by now you’ve probably heard about the ease with which Georges St-Pierre systematically dismantled B.J. Penn at the UFC 94. The victory is just part of a five-bout winning streak for the 27-year-old Canadian karateka. If that doesn’t sound
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– March 21, 2011
The martial arts exist in a universe polluted by promises of the ability to punch through walls or defeat 10 thugs after a lesson or two. Equally off-kilter is the premise that the style makes the fighter and competitions can prove which style is best. “Reality” has been packaged and
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