| Title: |
Goju Technical Volume 1 |
| Publisher's site: |
Dragon Tsunami |
| Buy from: |
Martial Art Superstore |
| Price: |
£20 |
| Date: |
1997 |
| Running time: |
70 minutes |
| Available formats: |
DVD & Video |
| Featuring |
Morio Higaonna |
Goju Technical Volume 1
Morio Higaonna was considered to be one of the great Goju teachers and technicians in the art, this DVD is the first in a series of six in which he leaves his legacy for the world to study.
In this DVD, he demonstrates the performance, application, and detailed bunkai of the katas Saifa and Seipai, both of which fall within the GKR kata syllabus.
The Goju versions of these kata are similar, but somewhat different to the GKR versions, so this will not be useful as a pattern learning reference. However, the underlying principles, as well as the self-defence explanations, largely hold true for both versions.
Whilst I found these explanations fascinating, Sensei Higoanna has come in for criticism for his bunkai explanations from modern-day Goju instructors, and many of the explanations that he proposes, clearly disregard significant parts of the kata, in favour of overly simplistic interpretations. Whilst simple solutions to self-defence situations are indeed, the most preferable, I think it’s highly likely that Sensei Higoanna is coming up with solutions to entirely the wrong attacks.
Having said that, his interpretations have merit in their own right, and whether they are correct or not, they do offer some useful responses to certain situations in their own right.
The most interesting point about this DVD, is the fact that it shows the way that a 9th dan master performs these kata. Admittedly, he was well advanced in years when the footage was recorded, and Sensei Higoanna humbly admits his own failings and inadequacies, nevertheless, he performs the kata for effectiveness first, and aesthetic beauty second, and in my opinion, this is the approach that all karateka, particularly GKR senseis, should return to. After all, what is kata, if not a practice for a fight?
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c |
| Plausibility |
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| Entertainment |
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c |
