Karate Woman learns Aikido Seated Techniques [Hiyori Kanazawa and Ryuji Shirakawa]

0:02 Hiyori Kanazawa of Karate-do, SKIF.

0:07 She has studied under various Budo masters to grow as a martial artist.

0:12 Today marks the final episode of the aikido series with Ryuji Shirakawa sensei.

0:18 The "seated techniques".

0:31 Kneel on the floor.

0:37 Let's practice this part.

0:40 I must use both my hands and feet correctly.

0:43 This is excellent training for the lower body.

0:49 You begin with your hands touching each other.

0:54 And "shikko".

0:59 That's correct.

0:59 Is my hand correct?

1:01 Yes, keep moving forward.

1:11 This is the final form.

1:15 It's important to pin his arm down with my knee at the end, right?

1:18 Yes, like this.

1:23 I don't think I can move anymore.

1:25 You lose the strength to resist, right?

1:31 Moving forward with shikko.

1:35 That builds a strong lower body.

2:08 Let's practice rotating.

2:10 Using your back foot, pivot on your knee and turn.

2:20 Back foot.

2:21 Can't go in the opposite direction.

2:23 Turn using the knee.

2:40 Let's try the other side too.

2:49 Move straight forward.

2:53 Turn backward.

2:55 Practice both.

2:56 First move straight forward, then turn backward.

3:20 I feel like I'm wrong.

3:22 No, it's correct.

3:39 Right and left. Front and back. Practice all directions.

3:44 That's how you learn footwork.

3:53 This is interesting.

3:54 It's tough, but I want to practice more.

4:02 "Kote-gaeshi".

4:03 Touch each other's hands, then turn.

4:13 It looks easy, but it's difficult.

4:45 Let's do the left side too.

5:10 From what I can see, you're pointing both knees outward.

5:17 This requires hip joint flexibility.

5:19 You can't do it unless you spread your legs this wide.

5:27 Range of motion is crucial.

5:30 A wider range of motion allows for smaller movements.

5:38 This provides stability.

5:39 Oh, I see. I can't spread my legs that wide.

5:44 It has to be stable like this.

5:49 This can be used directly in the technique.

6:08 This really makes my lower body tired.

6:58 As for "shikko" practice...

7:13 When throwing, shift your center of gravity like this.

7:59 Transfer the strength from your hips.

8:06 Generate strength while seated.

8:09 Let me experience it.

9:08 With your buttocks and heels touching.

9:10 Ah, my butt has come off my heels.

10:32 Restricting leg movement builds a strong lower body.

10:42 Throwing is easy from a standing position.

10:44 Throw using hip movement from a seated, restricted position.

10:51 If you can do this while sitting, doing it while standing should be easy, right?

10:54 Exactly.

11:02 I'm doing my best because the camera's rolling. But it's incredibly tough.

11:06 It's super tough.

11:08 Overdoing practice puts a strain on your knees.

11:14 People who are inflexible are prone to injury if they force themselves to do it.

11:17 Flexibility in the ankles is crucial.

11:19 I understand that it's crucial to use every part of the body with flexibility.

11:27 The body tends to tense up, so we must use it flexibly.

11:32 This is very difficult.

11:34 I felt that applying this flexibility to karate movements would open up new possibilities.

11:46 Using big movements to dodge attacks is a good idea, right?

11:49 Yes, thank you very much.

11:57 Finally, why not try out different ways of throwing?

11:59 Yes, go ahead and throw me around.

12:02 Try grabbing me with both hands.

14:35 You've let go of your strength, and your "ukemi" has improved.

14:39 Really?-Yes.

14:44 Today's experience alone isn't enough, so I'll practice on my own from now on.

14:51 Since you learned the method today, please apply it to your karate practice.

15:01 Yes. Thank you for the valuable experience.

15:08 This time, it wasn't for just a YouTube project,

15:13 but purely for the purpose of learning Shirakawa sensei's Aikido through ‘degeiko,’ right?

15:17 Please tell me how you feel now.

15:18 Actually, this was my first time experiencing Aikido, and I came here with no prior knowledge.

15:28 Sensei explained things carefully many times, and by being thrown myself repeatedly,

15:36 I really understood how crucial relaxation is.

15:46 What surprised you the most?

15:51 What surprised me was how much Aikido actually requires training your legs and hips.

16:01 And that you can't perform the techniques correctly and beautifully without flexibility not just in your wrists,

16:07 but also in your ankles and hip joint.

16:13 That was beyond what I imagined.

16:17 You were thrown many times by Shirakawa sensei, but the reason was “resisting is dangerous,” right?

16:22 Exactly. I did resist at first, but resisting is dangerous.

16:30 If Shirakawa sensei had gone all out, I think he would have broken my arm.

16:33 So, sensing that danger, I had no choice but to relax and take the "ukemi".

16:43 You must have seen Shirakawa sensei on video before.

16:48 What impression did you get meeting him in person and receiving instruction?

17:01 It's hard to say this to his face, but his impression in videos was bright and gentle, but this time was different.

17:22 This time, I came purely wanting to learn Aikido, not for YouTube filming.

17:29 I appreciated that he taught me as he would in his regular dojo, and I sensed his genuine presence as a martial artist.

17:40 That's why I challenged myself wholeheartedly, both physically and mentally.

17:50 Shirakawa sensei, thank you very much for today.

17:53 What were your impressions today?

17:55 Hiyori-san is a world champion in both karate kata and kumite,

18:00 yet her eagerness to absorb as much Aikido as possible is truly admirable.

18:08 As expected of a karate world champion, I felt she possessed incredible stamina.

18:13 I thought she might need breaks since shikko (knee walking) and "tai-sabaki" are extremely tiring, but she never once asked for a break.

18:20 And her earnest focus on learning Aikido, completely absorbed in training without worrying about the filming, was very impressive.

18:26 I truly sensed her strong will to genuinely develop her karate.

18:33 No breaks, right?

18:36 For a typical YouTube shoot, you'd just practice the technique once and be done, but she kept challenging herself over and over.

18:43 Her desire to truly master Aikido came through, so I taught her earnestly myself.

18:48 She has excellent sense.

18:50 Her punches and kicks were truly those of a top-tier karateka.

18:54 Also, her Shotokan Karate involves moving the body broadly, which I found similar to Aikido's principle of “moving broadly to learn kata.”

19:03 That made me happy.

19:05 You really taught her seriously this time.

19:09 That's my usual approach as an Aikido instructor.

19:12 I become serious myself when faced with someone serious.

19:16 I sensed Hiyori-san's seriousness.

19:20 I was both surprised and deeply grateful that you taught Hiyori-san so earnestly, even though it was your first meeting.

19:35 Did you feel a desire to teach her various things?

19:44 Yes, Hiyori-san has such a high level of comprehension that I felt she could absorb everything I taught her up to this point.

19:50 So I taught her quite deeply, even things I wouldn't normally teach others.

19:55 After all, movements share common elements with karate and other martial arts.

19:59 She has a solid core and her body mechanics are already well-developed.

20:04 Aikido's unique relaxation and ukemi techniques should have been difficult for her since she doesn't practice them normally,

20:09 but she trained diligently to master them.

20:12 And because she was learning at a pace several times faster than most people, I wanted to teach her even more deeply.

20:18 Thank you.

20:23 Hiyori Kanazawa of Shotokan Karate-Do International Federation.

20:27 She is an authentic karateka who has won world championships in both “kumite" and “kata”.

20:34 Her grandfather is the legendary karate master Hirokazu Kanazawa.

20:39 Her father is Nobuaki Kanazawa Kancho, the head of SKIF.

20:44 She is the third generation of a karate family.

20:46 Stay tuned for the next “HIYORI EXPRESS”!

20:53 Please subscribe to SKIF's YouTube channel.

21:03 Everyone is a Hero in "Kuro-obi World".

21:11 Of course you are also a Hero!

21:13 See you again in "Kuro-obi World"!