In Japan, Shihohai (worship in four directions) is the first ceremony conducted in the Imperial Court at the beginning of each New Year. It is said to have its origins in yin and yang (two primal opposing but complementary principles) but there is no documentation available that clearly indicates this path. However as yin and…
Last December, Roland Figgs-Renshi, the head of Ryusei Karate-Do U.S.A., and his student, Dusty Stalcup, travelled to Japan to participate in the 18th Ryusei-Hai Tournament and Instructors Clinic in Katsukabe, Saitama in Japan. At the tournament, Figgs-Renshi provided his able officiating expertise, honed by his years as a successful competitor. For his part, Dusty was…
Modern karate, I believe, has strayed from the correct path, with many instructors separating the practice of kata and kumite. They think the two are not the same thing. I disagree with this point of view. When I started karate, in 1981, I enjoyed both kata and kumite, but we trained in them separately. It…
In order to improve your overall technique, you need to introduce the concept of “sinking” into your training. You must feel as if you are dropping into the ground, as well as adopting a dead-weight feeling in your striking limbs and a dropping/sinking feeling while throwing. With the combination of these concepts added to your…
Ryusei Karate-Do Canada would like to welcome two new members. Rick Going (left) and Kambiz Miranbigi (right) are long-time Chito-Ryu members who have now establshed the Ottawa Ryusei Karate dojo. Rick GoingRick is a third-degree black belt and has been a member of the Ottawa Chito Kai dojo, under Harvey Brown-Sensei, for 28 years. A former…
Most of us cast ourselves as heroes in our life stories. To achieve this exalted status usually requires us to ignore some inconvenient truths and put a spin on others. I usually present my decision to test for my 6th degree black belt in Japan like this: Sakamoto-Sensei had just finished an embukai (demonstration) where…
Here is a copy of an essay I wrote on the technical theory of Ryusei karate. I haven’t marked this up for the Web, since I have included parts of it in other Ryushu articles (such as Hard to be Soft). Click here to see a PDF of The Chinese Connection. —Peter GiffenBarrie Ryusei Karate