Sensei Tetsuhiko Asai, Geri waza, 浅井先生哲彦、蹴り

Sensei Tetsuhiko Asai, Geri waza, 浅井先生哲彦、蹴り — Seminar footage featuring Tetsuhiko Asai, founder of Asai-Ryu karate. Preserved as part of the Asai karate video collection.

#karate #asairyu #shotokan #seminar

This seminar footage is devoted to geri waza — kicking techniques — and it shows Asai's kicking as a complete system rather than a set of isolated kicks. Watch the supporting leg first: it stays rooted and slightly bent, and the hip turns over each kick so the power travels from the floor, not from the leg alone. Notice the rechamber after every kick — the foot returns along the same path, which keeps the balance and prepares the next movement. The kicks vary in height and direction, and the transitions between them are as instructive as the kicks themselves. For students, the lesson here is control: speed without balance is wasted, and Asai's kicks land exactly where they are aimed because the body behind them stays organised.

Sensei Tetsuhiko Asai , Ippon Kumite

Sensei Tetsuhiko Asai , Ippon Kumite — Seminar footage featuring Tetsuhiko Asai, founder of Asai-Ryu karate. Preserved as part of the Asai karate video collection.

#karate #asairyu #shotokan #seminar

Ippon kumite — one-step sparring — is where basics become application: one committed attack, one defence, and one counter, performed with full intent. In this seminar footage, watch the distance first: the attacker must step in from a realistic range, and the defender must meet the attack without backing away. Notice the timing of the block — it arrives at the same moment as the attack, not after it — and how the counter follows without a pause. The stances stay strong through the exchange, and both partners return to a guarded position before resetting. The value of ippon kumite is in this discipline: each exchange is short, but it trains the judgement of distance, timing, and courage that free sparring depends on.

Karate-do, Sensei Tetsuhiko Asai Warmup

Karate-do, Sensei Tetsuhiko Asai Warmup — Seminar footage featuring Tetsuhiko Asai, founder of Asai-Ryu karate. Preserved as part of the Asai karate video collection.

#karate #asairyu #shotokan #seminar

This warmup footage shows how Asai prepared the body for training: the exercises move systematically from the joints upward, loosening the neck, shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles before any fast technique. Watch the rhythm of the movements — they are smooth and unhurried, and each one is repeated enough times to actually warm the joint rather than just gesture at it. Notice how the warmup already contains karate: the stretches open the hips for stances, the rotations free the shoulders for blocks and strikes, and the breathing stays deep and even throughout. For students, this is a reminder that a good warmup is part of training, not a formality before it, and that the care taken here is what allows the fast, powerful work that follows.