Ashihara kaikan
 |
|
| Date founded | 1980 |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Japan |
| Founder | Hideyuki Ashihara |
| Arts taught | Karate |
| Ancestor schools | Kyokushin |
| Descendant schools | Enshin kaikan |
| Official website | ashihara-karate |
Ashihara karate is a modern full contact street karate developed from Kyokushin karate by Hideyuki Ashihara with influences from various martial arts including Boxing, Muay Thai and Jujutsu with an emphasis on Sabaki. The style is revolutionary as it is solely focused on practical application in a real fight including multiple attackers, a street style, with all techniques taught effective in a real fight against an attacker or multiple attackers of any size. Sabaki is using footwork and techniques to turn an opponent's power and momentum against them and to reposition oneself to the opponent's "blind" spot.
The first worldwide public display of Sabaki was in the documentary on the first Kyokushin World Open Tournament in 1975. Shihan Hideyuki Ashihara (senior instructor) displayed his Sabaki skills to defeat multiple attackers in a demonstration at the start of documentary. In 1980, Hideyuki Ashihara established his own style of karate forming the New International Karate Organisation (NIKO) - Ashihara Karate Kaikan and became the Kancho (Grandmaster) of NIKO.
The Honbu (headquarters) of Ashihara is located in Matsuyama City. Kancho Ashihara appointed senior student Joko Ninomiya and tournament champion, who was already based in the United States, as Shihan (senior instructor) for the United States.
The technical aspects of Ashihara are shaped around 6 basic areas:
The basics are 21 basic techniques which are all practical in a street fight.
The katas are based on Sabaki and are applicable to real fighting situations making them unique in the world of karate. There are six kata types:
In the katas there are three types of pattern: short, middle and long range. Each kata can be used for solo combination practice or with a partner as control technique training. Ashihara Karate is called a modern style, in part, for its revolutionary katas have no historical influence from traditional Samurai era karate katas, every move (strike, footwork, block or sweep) is effective in a street fight with the karateka envisioning an opponent and once the kata is mastered by the karateka it will then be performed with an attacker, with the karateka grading solo and with an attacker.
Full contact fighting (kumite) is practiced in training and in gradings.
The essence of Ashihara Karate is contained within Sabaki, the method of fighting that combines defense and offense into one. In creating Sabaki, Kancho Ashihara considered the various functions of the human body, and how to maximise the body performance in order to control an opponent without being punched or kicked. For example, there are directions of movement that the human body finds easy as well as awkward. If your opponents approach head on, it needs a great deal of power to force them back, especially if they are a lot stronger. If instead, you step to his side and pull him onward, he will carry on under his own steam. At that point, if you apply a little force from the outside, you can change the direction of his momentum and upset his balance. By using your opponents force against them, you can see how someone who is not as strong can fell a much larger opponent. If this principle can be understood and mastered, then karate becomes something which anyone can learn.
...
Wikipedia