Watch Olympic Karate kata “SANSAI” from Gensei-ryu, new kata in the WKF (World Karate Federation) list of approved kata for Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Visit www.karatebyjes... to learn more.
How exciting! I'm unfamiliar with Gensei-ryu, but this is awesome to get to see a new kata that can be included in the 2020 Olympics! Thanks for sharing this recent development! :D
The Style isn't really well known I don't think. It's quite different from shitoryu kata. It's mostly for competition from what I saw. I would like to see bunkai for it because it is not very practical. It looks amazing though
Funny, my sensei did this kata last Friday. There's a few Taido techniques in this one- it's clear where Taido comes from 👌 For those who don't know, the kata is created by the late Seiken Shukumine, founder of Genseiryu and Taido.
To me, this kata looks like it was made solely for the purpose of competition, and that's not good. Kata should be made with function and application first, and flashyness later, preferably never. The more I study this art, the more am I convinced that "sport" karate is the wrong way to go. And no wonder then why those MMA and BJJ guys make fun of us.
Jesse Enkamp I know it's from Gensei-ryu. It doesn't change my point, though. Many kata that were created during the XX century are mainly derived from older kata but made flashier for competition (think Shotokan's Unsu or Shito-ryu's Chatan Yara Kusanku).
Marko Vuksanovic It's not the kata, or any traditional kata, was made with competition in mind. It's the way in which one chooses to perform it. Even the oldest kata could be sped up or slowed down if one were inclined to do so. That doesn't the kata itself was created with that original intent. Furthermore, it's alright to have an opinion on competition kata, but we must make sure we understand that different people study karate for different reasons. Some study mainly for the self defense aspect, some for competitive fighting, others for kata competition, health and fitness benefits, list goes on. The mistake we karateka tend to make is that we believe the purpose we individually study karate, that should be the only reason. Not everyone is interested or worried about fighting, and there is nothing wrong with that. Furthermore, it's not the best idea to do something because of what may think or worrying about getting laughed at. We have some very practical-minded karateka who are all about applied karate and effectiveness in battle,guys are some tough mo-fo's ...and they still get laughed at by MMA, just because they take karate. You even have MMA fighters who are based karate, like Michelle Waterson and Stephen Thompson, both very competent championship contenders, and people still don't take them seriously. Jake Ellenberger was one of those guys cracking jokes....until Thompson laid him out. They're going to talk badly about us karateka anyway, no matter how reality-based we make it, simply because we're not doing what they're doing. So why be concerned about what they think? Better to focus improving ourselves and addressing the concerns of karate as it relates to our own needs in life protection. And we must make don't do the same thing to each other, and not ridicule other karateka just because they have different reasons for practicing it. Peace and Blessings, Osu
Rohan Davey Actualy, I agree with you completely, dude. We all study for different reasons, and all of them are valid. However, I think what some senseis do is very dangerous - pushing sport akrate with impractical bunkai as valid self protection techniques. If you choose to follow the path of sport karate, understand its limitations and modify it for self-defense situations. As for kata, I think that adding unnecessary jumps to kata just to amaze the judges is plainly dumb. Kata are impressive just the way they are, with those hard to notice details and in my opinion this tournament over-dramatization of kata kinda kills the mood.
he performed it well, but i'm not a fan of the kata yet, maybe i'll have to watch it a few more times, looks disjointed in places. Might be just where i've only seen the once.
Jesse: As practicioner and a participant, could you explain what exactly is the appeal of kata competition and why it exists? As a newbie, I was told that katas are Karate knowledge encoded as technique sequences which have to be decoded and analyzed by the means of bunkai. But for me, this does not explain why there is a competition for kata. Wouldn't it make more sense to do competitions for bunkai? Please don't get me wrong if I say this, but for me as a beginner it appears more like a dancing competition (I really don't mean that in a negative way, I just don't get it (yet?)). What exactly makes a performed kata better than another one? I have heard you writing and talking about how back in the days one would study a single kata for months or years and my mind just can't grasp what exactly would take so long. Is it the study of bunkai? Or really how the kata itself is performed?
Thank you very much! And thank you for all your work and your videos! One additional question (as my questions tend to get ginormous - sorry for that - I will make it short): Are kata sequences executed independently of bunkai/Do you think about the application of techniques when you train and perform a kata?
Coming from a very traditional Dojo, we don't get to learn too many katas (as a Goju Ryu, there's a handful of katas compared to other styles). When I was young I always wondered the same, why can't I learn more katas instead of doing the same ones over and over. You would be surprised at the amount of detail each move has. Sure, you can punch in a particular stance, but now add movement. There are turns and combination of punches, blocks, and other basic and even advance techniques. The amount of detail is ridiculous. It's not just movement and feet placement, but which muscles must be tensed and which are allowed to be more relaxed. It's not linear as well so that 45 degree turn and kick better be 45 (Senseis can tell, if you are a .5 degrees off), and that kick better be flawless, good snap, good power, good balance, and good placement so that the next transition to the next technique is perfect. I have been practicing karate for over 13 years and man, my senseis still have a field day correcting and perfecting me (granted i don't practice as much as need to). I was taught kata is a battle with yourself and it is the practice of kumite. Kind of like how boxers practice combos, this is another way. But in the competition sense, it's even more technical and that's how points are scored. Hope that helps
no-trick-pony_lockpicking Bunkai is the analysis of kata. If kata is solo, Bunkai is the application and explanation for it. So that's why you see Bunkai with other people. It explains and it helps u derstand as well as practices the kata .
I knew this would end up happening the moment i saw this video. As a practitioner of the style from which this kata originally comes from (gensei ryu), this is an adaptation made by a practitioner of different style for the sole purpose of competition. The original kata is a lot different and much more grounded on the original concepts of our style, since this is basically an adaptation to the shotokan morphology more than anything
THERE ARE TRADITIONAL KARATE AND DEVELOPED SPORT KARATE in many styles. THERE ARE WKF AND ITKF. SELECT ONE OR TAKE IT BOTH. DON'T YOU BLAME EACH OTHERS. BE WISE. SO, DON'T BLAME KARATE TO OLYMPIC IF YOU DON'T KNOW THE REASON FOR THE FUTURE. DON'T WORRY. TRADITIONAL KARATE WILL ALWAYS EXIST
From the moment i went to train and everyone told me sansai appeared on a competition performed by a karateka from another style, i knew this kind of public reception would happen. I'm a practitioner of gensei ryu, the style this kata comes from, and though the technical skill of the karateka performing it is no doubt marvellous, this version of the kata is radically different than the original kata shukumine devised. Most of the practical meaning of the kata is completely gone, since a lot of the techniques that made this kata "bunkai ready" are gone as well. For example, after the knee to the head at the start of the kata, there was a projection of the enemy grabbing him by the upper and lateral parts of the gi, followed by a stomp to the right shoulder to keep the opponent from moving his right arm and leaving only the left upper body free, which is the part attacked after it. The transition in the lower middle of the kata is completely different, as with most of the elbows in the kata, the evasion at the the start of the second part (if we divide the kata in 3 parts) is non existent, instead replaced by a completely meaningless move, the kick in the middle part of the kata is an adaptation to shotokan, only the 3rd movement at the end of the 2nd part is a defensive stance, the other 2 are strikes with the side of the hand which, even if the interpretation varies from practitioner to practitioner, is mostly understood as a hit to the clavicle to make space between the practitioner and the opponent (exactly the same purpose as both strikes in neko ashi dachi at the end of ananku for anyone familiar with the style)the kick in the third part is an adaptation to the shotokan morphology, and so on. I have nothing against the competitor nor his competitive adaptation; i just want everyone to know that this is a version made completely for the purpose of sport, and not a representation of the original kata. And if this is the first time you see a comment like this on a sansai video, it's probably because the majority of the gensei ryu practitioners all around the world don't speak english. Yeah, it's that small of a style xD
Hi Sergio, that's a very informative comment! As you might have seen, a version of Sansai has continued to be popular by Shotokan performers, and I think it's a shame if we are not aware of the origins of the kata. Would you recommend a video that you think portrays a more authentic Sansai? By the way I don't see any knee to the head in this kata, is that one of the missing moves?
Thank you for this comment. As a sport karate competitor, I try my hardest to look deeper into the history of my katas and their origins. I am thankful you have posted this, as this will help me take a look at what can change my mindset about this kata. Thank you!
Hats off to the athlete, well done. Interesting kata, apparently in was constructed very late (1950s) so god knows if it's at all useful combatively. My gut tells me no but you can't deny it's at least aesthetically pleasing.
Ville-Pekka Turpeinen Thats interesting, were these other forms constructed by the same individual? By "combative" I mean directly applicaple in a violent context. So for traditional karate this would ussually mean based on a set of 2 person drills containing appropriate responses for non consensual civilian violence that after drilling with a partner you would then practice in live sparring The reason I had my doubts about the applicability of the kata was it's relatively recent construction. That's not to say that more modern kata can't be combatively sound but the 1950s was at the height of "3 K karate" wherein the art had kinda moved away for pragmatism, a lot of the grappling had been dumped, kata were generally applied against a lunging straight punch from a very large distance away etc. Again, that was just my gut reaction, I have no clue about the history of this/ these forms and any information is appreciated :)
Nice kata, I love the katas that include a slow transition into an explosive combo. New to Instagram and just started following you there too Jesse sensei, osu!
I practiced Karate Gensei Ryu almost 40 years ago. This succession has a certain similarity with the Sansai that make the Butokukai line (Japanese, Brazilians and some others). We do the kata as the founder Seiken Shukumine did. Both this man and the Turk that comes out in other videos are not from Gensei Ryu. In this kata neither we nor the other lines of the school do shuto uke, nor the mawashi geri from the soil of the Unsu of Shoto Kan, nor the ushiro geri of Unsu of Shito Ryu, we make Hotate Kanmae, Sajo geri and Ebi geri, besides of other details too long to explain. Now if what it is about is to show that you have the physical qualities of an Olympic athlete, congratulations, you get it, but of course you can not modify a kata because the original techniques are unknown or you do not want to do them. that is to distort the kata
Wooow!!! Nice to see your version of Sansai. Makes me proud to see our ‘king of all kata’ The karateschool in Holland I’m training is teaching Genseiryu.
It is a fantastic Enbu. But, Sansai is a Genseiryu kata. The kicks (Ebigeri and Shajougeri) and the the kamae (Hotatekamae not Shutou) are distinct to our style but they are performed incorrectly here.
Sansai ... one of my favourites... Gensei Ryu 1st Dan kata i think as i had practiced Gensei Ryu ... Shihan Yoshito Suzuki Comes to Bangladesh every year twice nd i had attended many of his seminars and He also recorded a video of me and one of my friend performing Sansai to show to the Gensei Ryu president of Japan .... i had learned a lot from Gensei Ryu and after Shito Ryu it is my most favourite style of karate that i love to practice ... u performed ta Kata very well ... 😄😄
I didn't like, the kata itself seems to me like freeform performance. but in my point of view turkish guy should win, hantei in favor of quintero was not fair. he oscilated in every single mawashi uke. by the way, talking about rare kata, one that I never seen: I really wanna see Ohan been performed by a ryuei-ryu guy, ryo kiyuna would be great to see
WTF is this? I've never seen this kata before lmao. PD: What do you think about creating a new style called WKF Ryu for those karate practitioners who only do this as a dance coreography?
I would have to disagree with the comment as using kata as a form of dance, as a member of a karate dojo that competes we may adjust kata to 'suit' competition but try our hardest to maintain and preserve traditional training methods mixed in with modern sport. Whilst we also use kata as a form of sport, we (in my dojo) do try to use kata for its basic and core principle in self defense and subsequent bunkai. And btw its "choreography" ;)
@@gelowned to my knowledge Ikkyo, nikkyo and those kinds of principles are more practised in Aikido, and as a wad-ryu dojo we more so focus on Tai sabaki and the subsequent ways that it can, yes, be used to dislocations, locks and other types of submission techniques. I do not currently use a makiwara but that is solely due to the availability of using one in our dojo as not an option as we do not own our own dojo but rent halls to practise in. Yes I do practise Kote-Kitae but it is more used in Goju ryu than wado as we do not seek necessarily to harden our body but strike effectively and utilise the bodies joints against their natural movement. We do separate useful karate from the sport however which I can respect, but I think that all dojos should be respected regardless of whether they compete or not, surely you agree?
gelowned lmao I agree with u...It's a sports based kata...but not because it includes so many jumps and complex movements which amaze us but because it is done in that way...I don't think this kata may have a valid and traditional type of bunkai
Hey, I am in a tricky situation. I started karate when I was 16(I am still 16). Its ca 1/2 year ago. I started practicing Wado Ryu, but every time I practice katas I like them more, and I realize that Wado don’t have as many katas as Shotokan and they aren’t as fancy looking either. I am really sad. Becausei started this late I want to practice the style that suites me the most, but there is just Wado Ryu here where I live in Norway. My sensei is very good, or at least he used to be. He is getting a bit old haha, no I’m just kidding, but I want to practice Shotokan, what should I do?
After I watched this, I asked my teacher here in Japan if he knew this kata, and he said "40 years ago our Master (Sofue Toshihisa) was a high school teacher and leader of the school's karate club. One day a freshmen with a gensei-ryu background joined the club, and he knew this kata. So Master Sofue told him to use Sansai, (which is already approved by the JKF) and he ended up allegedly winning the high school championships and this kata became more well known and performed.
I think they should add a new criteria and not just aesthetics alone, after a Kata they could artistically explain its Bunkai of it in order to see its effectiveness.
One from our team already performed this kata in a tournament and it was splendid, it was amazing that he won with only a few practice, this kata is amazing! Hope to learn it soon! Ossu!
Jesse Enkamp, mais uma vez estou aqui para agradecê-lo pelo vídeo... Já vi a execução de muitos katas, mas nunca tinha visto um com movimentos tão complexos... Você saberia me informar quantos movimentos compõe esse kata? Gostei muito do vídeo...
Hey Jesse, My name is yoonis and i am a fellow karate nerd. I have a tournament today and I was wondering if you could tell me how to make the opponent scared
It is a little bit far away from the original Gensei ryu form, but that was to be expected since Gensei ryu is quite rare and there are very few people who know the original kata. But if you liked Sansai, wait to see Kishimoto no Kushanku ;)
You know, a lot of people don’t like this Kata. But looking at it, it looks very challenging. Both athletic wise. I think though it might be an Olympic Kata, I think it’s good that it’s a Kata that will challenge us. We need our industry to become great. Besides Unsu, was created in the 1950s so it’s just an update. I think it’s cool. Personally. Btw. We are no longer a tournament based school.
Love from Kenya. Though this kata looks flashy and dancy, I'm tired of losing my Jions n kankudais to the likes of Chatanyara... guess who's learning this "sansai" dance.. hehehehe. thanks for the upload
Jesse, im 15 and I study okinawan shorin-ryu karate kobuyashi branch and the headmaster being Tadashi Yamashita. I just got my yellow belt a few months in janurary and am now able to enter tournaments and ive been excited to for a new experience as well as talented people to meet. I want to go to the WKF tournament some day after getting my first degree or higher, but how do I get there? Also I think you did a really great job, the last kata I learned was Pinan Shodan and even that took more than a few days to get burned in.
