Andre Bertel - Karate Master This athlete profile was first shown on CTV Sport Monday on 10th August 2009. CTV Sport Monday - Monday 8:00pm CTV www.ctv.co.nz/
The reporter Anna was so nice as was the cameraman, Ben. They were so professional in all respects! The funniest thing is that when doing the ushiro geri's on the pad, I was demonstrating "how not to do ushiro geri... That is without driving with the support leg" and that's on there! That's TV! I love it! Anyway, all I can say is how fun it was to do this interview! Thanks Annabelle and CTV for asking me to be on 'CTV Sport Monday'. Best regards from Japan.
I'm nearly 40 years old... and I've never claimed to be a master, the media people just say whatever in their stories. It is great that you practice under a REAL Master and that you are telling everyone! Well done!
There are many excellent styles of karate i.e. - Shito-Ryu, Goju-Ryu, Ryuei-ryu etc.., all are equally great. Also different styles within SHOTOKAN. I practice Asai-ha Shotokan-ryu, but there is also Kase-ha Shotokan-ryu, Kanazawa-ryu (SKIF) and many others... All of these variations of Shotokan are also equally great. It depends what you are looking for in Karate-Do. Find what is best for you then stick with it! Good luck and all the best, OSU!!!
I am a Taekwondoin and am entering the US Army through ROTC. Because of school, military, and work, I don't always have time to train Taekwondo. But these videos have inspired me to squeeze in as much training as possible. Thank you and good luck, sir.
No worries Goju1990. Times in my life when I've had "no time to train", I gotten up earlier and made time! Luckily as a professional karateka I can often self-train twice a day in addition to teaching. When I was a university student, I trained just as much, but taught less classes. If you make karate a natural part of your life it's not hard to train everyday. I've had seniors with four children, and they train daily, and they are still great husbands and fathers. Check out my time article!
I really like Sensei Bertel’s Channel. The whole package is wonderful and is such an inspiration with excellent contributions to the art. I admire the spirit and the down to earth side of Sensei Bertel. I am sure everyone who watches his channel and comes back to watch again must be fascinated by the gifted human being. Thank you ever so much for sharing your experiences with us. Oss!
Very true, all martial arts are great! I'm a Shotokan karateka but respect all styles. It is very important to spar with other styles/martial arts. I especially enjoy sparring with jujutsu and muay thai exponents. Foolishly, not many karateka don't do very well on the ground. I practice newaza and are comfortable on the ground. Karate is not complete being able to fight from any position. Asai Sensei said there are 3 STYLES: standing, on the ground & leaping.
I had a class one time taught by another student of Asai's. He is an excellent teacher, who really seems to inspire his students to carry on. I train under Mikami, here in Louisiana.
Whenever I feel unhappy with my techniques, i watch some video of yours sensei, it motivates me to train , to someday become a instructor of your level oss
Why thank you, you are too kind! Perhaps two factors: daily karate-do keeps one young and my philosophy "Happy Wife - Happy Life". All the best and thanks for your compliment, Andre Bertel
Interesting style ... Different. So different that not even seems Shotokan. The personal trace of Mr. Andre Bertel in his Shotokan style it is really deep. So deep that, in my humble opinion, touch even the foundation of the classic Shotokan style.
Sensei Bertel, it's a real pleasure to see your karate application, your "kime". If you agree, i want to define your karate like "do...or do not. Don't exist to try"
Hajimemashit sensai Andre Bertal , are proud to be one of your kwf shotakan student's and can say it has helped me in my job on some occasions when word is not enough.... OSS
@ChristopherMonti I said I wouldn't reply... But here you go! Firstly about Asai Sensei... Photos & videos don't lie (my blog is a public domain). Secondly, maybe you haven't noticed but who else knows that kata I know? Thirdly, I have a NZ accent. Fourthly, my wife is Japanese & we speak both English and Japanese together; therefore, my Japanese pronunciation is correct when I teach karate! Lastly, besides everything I say and my past experiences, my karate talks for itself
Quand on dit que l'on aime pas ,c'est que l'on sait mieux faire !! et qu'est- ce que proposent ceux qui n'aiment pas ? Pour moi c'est un karaté souple , puissant et rapide très varié, basé sur un énorme travail de hanche ..Avoir ce niveau si jeune ça m'épate ..Oss!! Senseï !
Mr Bertel, please, when are you going to France ? A lot of good karatéka would be very happy and honoured to be taught by you. Sorry, my english language is not very good. Ouss Sensei !
stephane Gentric if he isn’t available, you might want to invite Sensei Rick Hotton (Sunday Morning Keiko). He is arguably one of the best practitioners of Shotokan in the world. You’ll have no problem finding him here or through a Google search.
Thank you! In regards to combinations, they are fine. But the most important are the most simple i.e. sanbon-zuki and uke-waza followed by single counters etc. What matters most is that each waza is `completed'. Insofar as the combination you've mentioned, it is a typical shodan requirement to test full use of the body in each action. Simple is "the hardest" because it shows one's real skill, via the unveiling of subtle refinements, and core power: moreover, simple is most effective! OSU
Yes Shotokan ryu actually comes from Japan. Further Karate means empty hand. It was named Okinawa-Te/Di before Karate in that sense existed Further if you look for the origins you need to visit china.
Recently stumbled upon this vid and just wow! I don't practice the exact same style since different dojo's teach differently, though i am practicing shotokan and under the JKA but still, i believe our goal as karateka isn't that far. People often just think of karate as fighting, from where i'm from and fail to see the art behind it. So i found the video and your words to be deeper and richer than the shallow perception of karate, so i appreciate it. Gonna read your blog and learn more. Thanks!
@andrebertel Thank you for the correction and the references. I know Asai. His karate seems to emphasize flow and has more circularity in it, than traditional Shotokan karate. It's more Chinese in feel, if I'm not wrong. His warming up demo on RU-vid is one of the most effective I've seen in a while.
Yes, it is... I love spending time there with my wife, not to mention training there. Do you live in Japan? If so, please come for training at my dojo in the near future. All the very best, Andre Bertel
Wow, very fast techniques, Sensei! And a very beautiful dojo for small group training, as well! Osu from an IKD/Woon-a-tai associated group from Winnipeg, Canada!
Awesome interview Andre. What a refreshing change from the traditional 1950's "stiff" karate that most people practice today. Hmmmm how to get to Kyushu.
Well, thx for the information. I really like what you do. I use to train with Asai sensei once in a seminar...it was amazing! I'm with JKS but i'm really open minded and like anything that can make me improve. Hope to meet you someday!!!Have anice day!! Greetings from Quebec,Canada.
@dinoaxd Firstly, Go-dan is impossible at 26 if you have not trained in Japan and have been an uchideshi of a senior instructor. Otherwise the minimum age for JKA 5th Dan is 30 years old. The youngest rokudan (mainstream Shotokan) in the world are myself and Shane Dorfman of South Africa. While Dorfman hasn't lived in Japan, he has been world champion numerous times, and his father is 8th Dan. As far as offending & misleading? Please tell me how? Was Asai Tetsuhiko Sensei not official?
Great video Andre. Your execution of technique is fast and flawless. I'm currently an orange rank in Goju (my wife is also Japanese too!) but I'm not thrilled with the school I go to. I'm looking at other styles like Shito Ryu or Wado Ryu. One school actually has a Japanese 6th Dan sensei. I'm planning on watching a class of his to learn more about Wado Ryu.
I have huge respect for KWF. I'm currently independent of any organizatiosn. I'll join someone if there is something I can gain from it. At this stage in my life, being independent is better as I can train with everyone, and teach everywhere.
@MyShorin Thank you very much. I really appreciate it! It is great you do Shorin-Ryu. We know that ryuha, kaiha and organizations are not important. What matters is the ability to talk with one's karate skill. The internet is full of people who make comments about others in an attempt to bolster themselves, they do this anonymously. They are motivated by inferiority. Videos like this work to back up my articles. This is because he only legitimacy in karate is one's skill level. ARIGATO
Wow. How old are you? You look so young for a 6th dan. And you move so much like Asai sensei - so very different from what I am used to seeing, having come up under Nishiyama's lineage. I do love your effeciency, the lack of unnecessary movement. You have spent many, many hours removing the crap from your technique that so few of us even realize we have. Congratulations. These guys don't appear to be regular students of yours. Are they?
@stefandetrez Spelling correction: Sensei Lyall meant Yokotawaru-tatsu, Kaminari-arashi & Shinobiyoru-hayabusa.... All not easy to spell in English! If you are interested in Asai Sensei's kata please use the search function on my blog. I also wrote an article on THE SHOTOKAN WAY online resource titled `The Asai Karate Kata' which outlines the kata we practice. Best wishes & if you can come to my seminars in Europe (February 2012) you will get a chance to do Sensei's kata. Osu, Andre
Actually "Karate" was used in okinawa and meant "china-hand". Funakoshi changed the kanji from china to empty, so that Karate came to mean "empty-hand" when he took Karate to Japan. He did this simply due to the prejudices towards China at the time.
@lastimak "i believe our goal as karateka isn't that far" i mean isn't that far from eachother x) our development physically, mentally and spiritually. Beyond the different styles, if we trace the lineage of Karate, we are grounded on the same teachings and so it's ok =] i'm gonna try and share this with my friends who are also practicing and hope that they would get something out of this too. Thank you Sensei. Ossu! ~ a practitioner from JKA Philippines
@stefandetrez No problems. And sorry Lyall Sensei (Christchurch Shotokan) for the spell check... Yes, Asai Sensei's junbi-undo is great. I use a different warm up though as I suffered a broken back when I was very young. At the end of the day we must find out own karate, that is why all styles of karate are equal. You are right about the Chinese influence - Asai karate is martial arts karate more than Shotokan. But it is Shotokan! Kindest regards and all the best! Andre
Just a little confused if someone can clarify. By no means is this to be disrespectful and in all actuality I don't personally know Andre Bertel and I recently seen this video, being a karateka myself I am some what familiar with some of the shotokan organization.. So here is the confusion Sensei Bertel speaks much of Master Asai who from my understanding was the head of JKS organization until his untimely death, but in this video the organization in the window is KWF with head instructor Master Yahara. So Sensei Bertel with the KWF organization?
Dear Sensei, the kata you do around 1:55 has features of Bassai Sho, but it's not quite it. What is it and what are the other kata, which appear unfamiliar to me to the Shotokan repertoire? Thank you, rei.
How old is Sensei Bertel?! He's one of those guys you don't really can't tell. Either he just age extremely well, like most hard working Karateka, or he simply IS a young 6th Dan ^^ Great vid, Osu!
In my 37th year... I think many people think I am twenty something. I am presently the youngest karateka to ever achieve godan and rokudan in Japan (within Shotokan-ryu). I am sure this will be overtaken in the future as it seems dan grades are now being handed out like candy from Japan.
Hi, firstly to some of the posters, this is not my channel. This is CTV's, and I am certainly not claiming to be a `master'... As I have stated on my blog, I find that the term master is a little silly. I think people understand how TV people frame things to boost ratings; neverthess, aiming to master karate is a goal we must all have -- even though it's an unattainable goal. Insofar, as my age goes... I'm in my late 30s now! Grade-wise, in Japan, I'm the youngest 6th Dan in mainstream shotokan
@ChristopherMonti I'm sure other things are important too, but as a mental discipline it serves me very well. The physical aspect is just one thing in the training and it's helped me cope in plenty of situations. Last but not least, I think you underestimate the impact of being American. In cultural terms, America is very civilized, and decent in the sphere of philosophy, physics, and plenty of other sciences. Plus, if you know you'll never be civilized, that's a sign of intelligence ;)
Wow! Thanks for the read. I'd love to read it in full! I only really got my info from a Japanese guy who comes from a pretty racist family, so I guess his views were a little subjective ;) .
@patrickdarcy Yes, it is. It is Kah-rah-tay... Not 'Tee'. Just like saying "Kuma-tay" instead is incorrect. If you can't say karate correctly, why not just call it "empty hand"? Kindest regards & all the best. Andre
How ignorant, just because a Sensei is Japanese it doesn't mean they are the best. The entire Japanese Shotokan team was trained specifically to defeat Frank Brennan, an English Sensei!
@ChristopherMonti Clearly you know nothing about karate, nor do you speak Nihongo or write it for that matter. I am a very proud New Zealander and also have respect for your country the United States.... All countries for that matter. I am very happy that in your eyes I `double fail' as racists such as yourself are intolerable. Your comments against Asian and African American's disgust me as does your profile picture. I will not respond to you again.
