Customer Reviews

Goju Ryu Karate Kata (Tsunami)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

How often can you watch a Karate master, filmed in their prime, demonstrating their art? Morio Higaonna demonstrates the twelve kata that make up the Goju Ryu Karate system, as well as applications of some of the movements. You do not have to be a practitioner of Goju to get a lot out of this video. And if you do practice Goju, you absolutely must have this video! An awesome reference guide, and very inspirational!

So often, the way a company does karate videos is to put one or two kata on each video and then charge an arm an a leg for each one. It's great to have all the Goju-ryu kata on one video.

Morio Higaonna is one of the premier Goju-ryu practitioners and everything that he does, every little detail of his kata is done intentionally and for the specific purpose of generating more power in his punches, kicks and strikes. One of the most impressive things that he does is turn around. His turns are precise and quick and stop on a dime. It is a sight to behold, that's for sure.

Having seen home video footage of Morio Higaonna adds even more to seeing this video production. He looks exactly the same doing kata in the back of someone's dojo in one take as he does doing kata on this video. I'm impressed.

Morio Higaonna's flawless performance of the Goju-Ryu Kata is nothing short of spectacular. He's certainly one of the finest practitioners in the world. PERIOD. The DVD is well put together, there is only ONE thing that I wish ~ and that is that had put in "chapters" for each of the Kata where the storyboard is. (They have a sign for example that says "Saifa" ~ but the chapter doesn't start THERE so you don't know which Kata you are watching! Instead it starts AFTER the storyboard, so you have to manually back up to find out! DUMB! DUMB! DUMB!). If they simply correct that, it's 100% perfect, as it is, give them 95% as you'll have at least 5% frustation trying to back up and find out what the heck you're watching!

The performance in this DVD is excellent as far as I can tell, and those I've talked to who know more than I do don't have anything deragatory to say in that area. The lighting and setting is a bit annoying, but completely forgivable as this is a "historical" performance, and you can see all the detail you need to anyway. What really flabbergasts me is that there are no intelligently outlined scenes or "tracks" -- I should be able to look up where Saifa starts (or where the applications of it start after the formal demonstration ends), and click to that track immediately, instead of scanning through tons of stuff to find it. It's amazing to me how such simple and obvious markers (that wouldn't at all affect a viewing from start to finish) could have been left ouf of this DVD. The start screen is the most basic I've ever seen on a DVD (green screen!), so I have to assume that whoever produced this DVD did it as their first project. I hope Hanshi Morio Higaonna has someone reproduce this into a more usable DVD as a second edition, and then also preferably follows that up with well indexed DVD versions of his technical video series.

it really does have all Goju-Ryu Kata on the one tape. Not only that but the master provides detailed bunkai for almost EVERY single technique in each Kata. Fantastic value for money and a pleasure to watch: Master Higaonna is power, elegance and simplicity all rolled into one.

Unlike some of the videos which Higaonna made when he was older, this presents him in a younger, powerful display of all twelve goju kata, plus the bunkai of all except tensho...if you practice traditional okinawan goju ryu, this is a must have...

I also have the big 18-tape Panther video series of Goju-ryu katas, techniques, and applications by Master Higaonna, but this is still probably the most useful Goju tape you can have. It's very convenient to have all the Goju katas on one video for quick reference. The Panther videos have one kata per tape and are much more detailed, showing front and side views, normal speed, and follow-along speed or walk-thru pace versions, and even a "soft version" of some katas for older practitioners which is easier on the muscles and joints of us aging karate-ka. But though it's an impressive set, nothing beats the convenience of having them all on one tape for quick reference, which is usually all I need.

I don't need to echo what's already been said about the quality of Master Higaonna's kata performances, since they're superb in all respects. So I'll just say this tape is worth every penny and leave it at that. This tape is the Goju-ryu equivalent of the Kanazawa video showing all 28 Shotokan videos on one tape, another great video itself for those of you who are also interested in this style.

This video tape by Morio Higaonna is by far the best Goju tape I've seen for the money.. He includes all Kata's on one tape .. Great tape to get the basic fundamentals down.. I highly recommend it.. A + +

Wonderfull to see Higaonna. A pitty that nothing is done with the new medium DVD. There are no chapters. Just have to find the katas in the old fasion way by scrolling for- en backwards.

As Taikyoku kata has never formed part of Goju Ryu, it is not surprising to find it absent from a program dedicated to Goju Ryu karate that is presented by its greatest living exponent.
The reviewer also needs help with his English!