Yahara Kata: Unsu

Clips from 1982-84 JKA All Japan Championships (Kata Finals)

[@brinnonvallere]

i never really understood "pull back arm" of shotokans punches/blocks until i seen yahara fight

[@rafadiiaz]

thiss is one of the best kata i´ve ever seen this is Great Shotokan

[@MMilon]

During those times, the kata performances were quite poor, but the fights were amazing. The kumite-ka had the spirit and the attitude of a real martial artist. And the speed and reaction were mind-boggling.

[@ryukyuprime]

more like it de-evolves since the real bunkai of the kata is lost to flashier performances

[@ryukyuprime]

I think those who have a true understanding of combat oriented combat in kata bunkai suffer far less from this than those who bunkai and kata centers around tournaments

[@YouCallThataKnife253]

I'd hate to get hit by that guy..it's my understanding that yahara is quite the fighter as well. does it get any better?

[@KDonxcrack]

I remember first seeing this kata as a white belt, promoting to yellow. i thought it was the coolest thing ever. and i still do. haha. i know about half the moves, but would probably fail at trying this, LULZZ. :P

[@Sebmagic2]

Michael Milon ? Plus fort ? Laisse-moi rire... Tain mais Yahara c'est une légende, regarde un peu son kimé, sa puissance, CA c'est du karaté, du grand art !

[@CCYKWONG]

great unsu. funny thou i found that his first two attempts were better than his third - which he won.

[@aiyer1989]

Eum LoL? Unsu is done by more than half of the kata competitors. Last competition I joined the final was Unsu vs Unsu. It's one of the most important competition kata together with gojushiho sho and the shitei kata.

[@SenseiShotokan]

excuse me but what do you call "kumite-ka"? I see the presentation of kata in this video. Are you searching the word "karateka"?

[@rcadag]

by the way, does anybody know where I could find a video Aihara sempai? That is if anybody here still remember him. He as won kata competitions using unsu.

[@toanthony]

You make a great point. The flashy performances today are lacking in terms of real-life effectiveness. Then again, the way they train and compete may differ. And further more, kata is as much about self-mastery as it is about bunkai. Mastering your body and your emotions til you get a perfect performance. people who are too bunkai orientated tend to lack self-mastery (performing loose techniques). So it goes both ways

[@toanthony]

I have seen Yahara sensei do kumite and know he is a killer. But this is his 'kata' we're looking at. People commented that his kata is soooo much better than the top people nowadays - and thats a ridiculous statement. Fear not, i have much respect for him. But kata wise, the top people today are far better. But thats ok because karate continues to evolve. Yahara has better kata than the old karate masters and in 20 years they will be better than our current crop...thats life.

[@Saurichard]

what kind of championship is that? not serious!

[@TheSiliconeCat]

michael milon est plus fort que lui !!!

[@GalaxyGazer929]

I find his kata better than Kanazawa sensi's Unsu. Its more like Nakayama sensei is doing it.

[@toanthony]

are you guys kidding???? Current guys are so much better than this guy. His punches come from his ribs (not hips). He telegraphs his moves, making him slow (strong but slow). His haito's have the thumbs out (making the technique weak - he would prob break his hand if he hit something).