What a Karate Girl Learned After Being Thrown Around by an Aikido Master [Hiyori and Ryuji]

0:12 That was really disappointing.

0:16 I thought he was kind, but I was wrong.

0:21 Instead of hitting, do this.

0:29 Move forward with irimi,

0:31 take your hand.

0:35 Hiyori Kanazawa of Shotokan Karate-Do International Federation.

0:39 She is an authentic karateka who has won world championships in both “kumite" and “kata”.

0:46 Her grandfather is the legendary karate master Hirokazu Kanazawa.

0:50 Her father is Nobuaki Kanazawa Kancho, the head of SKIF.

0:55 She is the third generation of a karate family.

1:00 Don't grab too hard, but stick gently.

1:03 Hiyori went to Ryuji Shirakawa's dojo to study Aikido.

1:09 How did she feel at that moment?

1:12 Soft and slippery.

1:16 Actual footage of her experience and a later interview.

1:21 "HIYORI EXPRESS"

1:23 Please enjoy watching until the end.

1:25 Would you like to practice throwing techniques?

1:27 Yes, please.

1:29 If you get caught here...

1:31 I think I'll be thrown out right away...

1:38 This is the easiest way.

2:02 This is dangerous.

2:12 I guess I shouldn't resist.

2:13 It hurts if you resist.

2:15 That's right.

2:19 That's good. You're getting better.

2:23 I was able to relax at the end.

2:24 If you can relax, it won't hurt.

2:26 If you resist, it will hurt.

2:27 It hurts when it impacts.

2:29 That's right.

2:30 I tried to resist, but it didn't work.

2:32 So you should relax.

2:34 Your wrist hurts a lot when you resist.

2:36 By practicing ukemi over and over again, you can tell when you should relax, right?

2:44 That's right.

2:44 It's no good just listening to how to do ukemi.

2:47 Yes, timing is also important.

2:50 The experience of being thrown is important.-Yes.

2:53 You can apply this technique no matter which part of you your opponent grabs.

2:58 It's difficult to grasp the punch, but it can be applied.

3:15 You immobilize your opponent with a blow attack.

3:19 I couldn't move.

3:20 You're stuck, right?

3:22 Yes.

3:22 I reacted to such a small movement.

3:24 This is one of the options.

3:25 In order not to hurt your opponent.

3:27 It's too dangerous to punch someone in the face.

3:30 Your opponent may be carrying a weapon.

3:32 For example, a dagger.

3:36 Rather than punching him in the face,

3:38 it's better to do this.

3:45 Shirakawa sensei asked you, “Would you like to try some throwing techniques?” and you replied, “Yes.”

3:49 From that moment on, he threw you around repeatedly!

3:52 It started suddenly!

3:53 Moreover, every time you tried to get up from the floor, he threw you again and again.

3:57 That's right, I remember it well.

3:58 At first, I was surprised.

4:00 But I quickly felt grateful to Shirakawa-sensei for letting me experience such techniques.

4:10 And after being thrown over and over again, I naturally learned the “ukemi” technique.

4:18 Of course, it's not perfect, but I think I was able to handle it reasonably well.

4:25 So I was truly grateful.

4:26 When you fell to the floor, I thought he pulled you up by your hand, but then he threw you back down again.

4:32 That was really disappointing.

4:38 I'm sure it was.

4:39 I thought he was so kind.

4:42 Did you?

4:43 I thought he was kind, but I was wrong.

4:46 I may have trusted him too much at that time.

4:50 You let your guard down, didn't you?-Yes, that's right.

4:52 Shirakawa sensei threw you while guarding your punch with both hands.

4:58 What did you think of that technique?

5:00 If you catch a punch, the energy stops there.

5:09 Instead, I found the method of using the strength of your opponent's punch to throw them very convincing.

5:23 In reality, I don't think it's possible to catch a fast punch with your hands.

5:29 And he used strikes as feints.

5:34 He would throw when his opponent reacted to the strike.

5:39 My body froze for a moment in response to that strike.

5:42 Without missing that moment, he threw me.

5:48 It was perfect timing.

5:51 You actually experienced Aikido techniques with your own body.

5:56 Did you find them very effective?

6:02 Yes, I did.

6:03 The more I resisted, the more it hurt, so I felt it was better to be thrown using "ukemi".

6:13 You were thrown many times in that short period, so it looked like you had improved your ukemi.

6:18 Yes, at first I didn't know how to do ukemi and asked many questions, but by the end I was able to do it naturally. .................................

6:31 This is called "kote-gaeshi".

6:32 The basic way to grab it is to place your hand between his little finger and ring finger.

6:38 Bend it like this.

6:40 It works very well no matter which part you bend.

6:43 Please try it.

6:47 It is a typical aikido technique called "kote-gaeshi".

6:52 If you bend your opponent in a dangerous direction in order to hurt them, it will hurt tremendously.

6:57 However, in Aikido, you use your hips as you practiced earlier to avoid hurting your opponent as much as possible.

7:06 That's good.

7:10 You're using your waist very well.

7:12 If you don't use your waist like that, it hurts a lot.

7:15 If I twist only your wrist, you will be in a lot of pain.

7:18 This is a strange pain.

7:18 It's as if your wrist is going to come off.

7:20 This is no good.

7:22 Grab his hand firmly.

7:25 And use your hips.

7:27 That's right.

7:28 This made his waist collapse too.

7:31 If you can do this, it doesn't matter where you grab your opponent.

7:34 Use it like this.

7:36 If you only twist your opponent's wrist, this won't work.

7:42 Twist your waist.

7:43 Relax and turn.

7:47 First, start with the wrist, then grab this area.

7:52 That's good.

7:53 One more time.

8:00 Let's do the other side too.

8:01 Use your hips.

8:03 Good.

8:04 Oh, I'm sorry.

8:08 That was wrong.

8:10 Please point out my mistakes.

8:12 Down from here?

8:15 Let's do it slowly.

8:16 Slowly.

8:17 This moment.

8:19 It's good.

8:20 This is it.

8:21 That was good.

8:23 This is it.

8:24 This moment is important.

8:26 That's it!

8:30 The image you have now is important.

8:33 It's easier to do while saying something.

8:35 That's because you exhaled.

8:45 You're getting better.

8:49 I imagined it would be like this, but it goes downwards, right?

8:53 Yes, straight down.

8:54 I see.

8:57 Once a space is created, it becomes possible to attack.

9:01 You certainly want to strike a punch.

9:09 I don't put any strength into it at all.

9:11 That's better.

9:13 It will also reduce the strength of the counterattack.

9:18 You were good at practicing kote-gaeshi with your right hand, but not so good with your left hand.

9:27 At that time, you asked Shirakawa sensei to point out your mistakes when you made them, didn't you?

9:34 Yes, I did!

9:39 When you threw Shirakawa-sensei's student, he probably noticed your mistake but didn't point it out.

9:47 Yes, I felt that.

9:50 So I thought, “I came here to learn today, so I want you to teach me strictly rather than praise me gently,”

9:58 and I couldn't help but say to Shirakawa-sensei, “Please point out my mistakes.”

10:05 What would you do in response to this?

10:06 How would you do it yourself with karate.

10:11 There is a risk that your opponent will swing a knife at you.

10:14 Yes, there is a risk.

10:18 To reduce this risk, it is safer to grab your opponent's hand.

10:25 Good.

10:28 This reduces the risk.

10:37 If I can move forward against the attack,

10:40 I can do anything.

10:46 Do you sometimes practice just "irimi"?

10:48 No, we don't practice this specifically.

10:50 There are many “irimi” movements in the normal techniques like this.

11:15 It's dangerous to use a dagger like this, so...

11:19 With your hands?-Yes.

11:35 We practice like this.

11:38 It's simple, but you have to catch the beginning of your opponent's move.

11:43 It's difficult.

11:48 Now, let's try controlling an opponent who is holding a short sword.

11:54 Don't let go of his hand.

11:57 Then do this.

12:00 If he's heavy, hold his elbow while doing this.

12:05 Never let go of his hand.

12:08 The whole time?

12:09 Yes, then you can take the dagger.

12:13 He can't keep holding the short sword.-That's right.

12:18 Your hand on this side will be the axis.

12:24 There are some difficulties in dealing with short swords.

12:27 It's better not to grab here.

12:29 You should grab around here.

12:32 If you grab this, the dagger might move and hit you.

12:35 You should hold this part so that he can't let go of the sword.

12:46 You must not put your knee on the floor.

12:47 I understand.

12:51 Go around like this.

12:53 His wrist is locked, so you can take away the weapon.

12:57 Kneeling on the floor and throwing is effective in a bare-handed fight like this.

13:04 However, if your opponent is carrying a weapon, you should not kneel.

13:09 If you kneel down, you won't be able to use your legs.

13:12 I get it. I should not kneel down.

13:22 It's really good.

13:27 Just locking this place makes you feel safe, right?

13:29 Yes, it certainly makes me feel at ease.

13:35 This requires flexibility in the wrists.-That's right.

13:42 When I first started practicing with the "bo" and "tonfa",

13:50 I couldn't do it well because my wrists were stiff.

13:54 In aikido, you twist the wrists of both hands.

13:58 Also, the joints are often locked, so relaxation and flexibility are very important.

14:04 I see.

14:04 This may be one of the things that is difficult for karate practitioners.

14:10 Yes, I think so.

14:12 In karate, if you don't strengthen this part, the impact of the blow won't be transmitted to the opponent.

14:18 Many karate practitioners are strong here, so they may be weak against attacks on the joints.

14:23 Because we tighten our wrist...

14:24 It has the advantage of being stronger in fist attacks,

14:29 but the disadvantage of being weak against joint attacks.

14:33 I've never realized that before.

14:34 I think it's difficult to balance these two things.

14:37 That's true.

14:38 Actually, aikido practitioners' punches are weak because they don't keep their wrists stiff.

14:42 That's why your punches must be stronger than mine.

14:45 I see, so there is such a difference.

14:48 I just realized this for the first time.

14:49 You notice that when you practice aikido, right?

14:52 Yes, even though I'm attacking, I hurt myself.

14:56 Shirakawa sensei's wrists were very flexible, weren't they?

15:00 Yes, they were.

15:01 You said that your wrists weren't very flexible.

15:05 You said that your wrists were stiff and it was difficult to practice "kobudo" weapons,

15:13 have they become more flexible now?

15:15 Yes, as you can see.

15:17 What do you mean?

15:19 So, as you can see now.

15:22 Really?

15:23 I don't know if I'm more flexible than other people, but I think I'm becoming more flexible than I used to be.

15:31 We have the impression that karate-ka cannot strike strongly with their "tsuki" unless they lock their wrists.

15:40 Is this actually the case?

15:43 If you don't tighten your wrist when you hit the target with a strong tsuki, this will happen.

15:48 The stronger the tsuki, the more likely you are to get injured.

15:55 Therefore, you can usually relax your wrist, but you must tighten it at the moment when the tsuki hits the target.

16:20 Very good. It works.-Really?

16:22 This "kote-gaeshi" is done well.

16:28 If you practice with a short sword like this, you will understand the meaning of practicing with your bare hands.

16:38 That's true. I can imagine it.

16:40 I see. That's interesting.

16:44 So it's important to know how to grab your opponent's hand first.

16:50 This is enough to bring me down.

16:52 Instead of just holding down, grab the hand like this.

16:56 Do you also practice making your grip stronger?

17:04 Don't grab too hard, but let it stick to your opponent's hand.

17:09 It also sticks softly when pushing here.

17:17 I thought you helped me get up.

17:19 No, I got you up and then collapsed.

17:22 Soft and slippery.

17:25 That allows you to hide the starting point of your movements.

17:29 This is no good.

17:34 This can be used regardless of gender or age.

17:38 Yes, we all practice this, but I think it's difficult to actually use it.

17:42 However, it will allow you to use your body in a delicate way.

17:46 You can control someone as big as him softly.

17:54 It's important to be able to move your center of gravity and perform precise movements within the body.

18:03 That's right.

18:04 You should learn about center of gravity and various other elements.-I see.

18:09 That is why we have kata practice.

18:12 There are no matches in aikido, but by repeating kata practice, you will realize things for yourself.

18:18 It is not enough to just memorize the outward appearance of the movements.

18:23 You won't be able to apply or develop.

18:25 In kata practice, you will discover things like the shifting of your center of gravity, the direction of your knees, shoulders and elbows, and so on.

18:32 I agree. You can't succeed in any field if you just learn the appearance of movement.

18:40 Shirakawa sensei said, “Don't grip your opponent's hand tightly, but hold it in a slippery grip.”

18:51 I found it easy to understand and intuitively grasp the concept of holding the hand in a slippery grip.

19:01 Don't hold it loosely, but slippery.

19:09 Loosely.

19:10 Slippery.

19:11 These two are different.

19:13 Now, hold my hand.

19:15 First, loosely.

19:19 Next, slippery.

19:20 It feels like an amoeba is crawling up my hand.

19:28 I think that's what it felt like.

19:31 That's why Shirakawa-sensei's explanation was very easy to understand.

19:37 That's why the person whose hand is being grabbed doesn't feel like they're being grabbed.

19:43 That makes them feel safe, so they get thrown.

19:50 Actual footage and commentary by Hiyori.

19:53 It was great to hear the real thoughts of a professional karateka!

19:57 Stay tuned for the next episode of Hiyori Express!

20:03 You can see Hiyori Kanazawa's karate skills on SKIF's YouTube channel.

20:10 Please subscribe!

20:13 Everyone is a Hero in "Kuro-obi World".

20:21 Of course you are also a Hero!

20:23 See you again in "Kuro-obi World"!