Master The hitting skills – What is a hitting sport?
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On February 4th, the “2nd HITTING SPORTS PROJECT Research & Exchange Meeting” was held at AKIRA Martial Arts School in front of Sagamihara Station. This event was made possible by the cooperation of Aoki Sensei of AKIRA Budo School, Kato Sensei of Bushinjuku, and Akiyoshi Sensei of Masuda Dojo.
Currently, three dojos are working together to conduct research toward realizing the concept. However, this project was launched in a hurry, and I would like to continue to add more members. The other day, when I had dinner with former K1 champion Kohiruimaki and a mutual patron, he promised to cooperate. Mr. Kohiruimaki also has a background in Kyokushin Karate. I was impressed not only by his kicking ability but also by his serious personality.
Now, what is a hitting sport? I want to talk about it again. To put it simply, hitting sports is a platform for competitions centered on striking techniques that not only karate, but also kickboxing and mixed martial arts enthusiasts can freely participate in. More specifically, it is a project to create a new martial arts sport.
The slogan can be said to be “mastering the Hitting skills” It can also be said that the ideal of HITTING SPORTS is to create universal and common skills and sensibilities that will serve as the foundation for improving hitting skills in a variety of martial arts.
I would like to make a disclaimer here. There are parts of various martial arts and martial arts that make it impossible to compete as a single sport. The reason for this is probably that martial arts have the principle of not stepping into the opponent’s dohyo, and fighting in ways that the opponent cannot predict. Therefore, the very idea of a variety of martial arts sharing a platform may deviate from the idea of martial arts. Therefore, it is HITTING SPORTS. In short, I think it’s best to keep the part where you study martial arts and the martial arts part a secret. This is because I don’t think that part should be disseminated to the general public. Therefore, I believe that the social value of martial arts will increase by creating a sports platform that martial arts and martial arts groups can participate in and having them share it.
Furthermore, I believe that if various martial arts organizations simply emphasize only the secret aspects of martial arts, as they have done up until now, they may end up creating socially unique people in some respects. (The problem is that martial artists seem to want to be unique.)
I think it would be better to create a sports-like martial arts platform and avoid changing the traditional training methods and culture of various martial arts as much as possible. We recognize a variety of martial arts, and then share a platform where individuals with diverse traditions and cultures can interact and connect. If we can do that, I think the value of martial arts will increase even more. What is more important for me is for each person to understand the core of “connection” and to connect. Simply put, it means unification. If we can connect and unify just the striking martial arts, there is a possibility that there will be more fans than any other major sport. However, in order to create such a platform, it is necessary to understand common principles and rules.
To summarize the story, I will repeat, “HITTING SPORTS” consists of three types: HA (HITTING Association style) kickboxing, hitting, and HA (HITT ING Association style) Kyokushin, and HITTING stick. It can be said that it is a new martial arts sport with the addition of.
Specifically, HA kickboxing is a competition that uses headgear and gloves. Furthermore, HITTING is a competition in which the skill of hitting techniques is competed by using protective equipment to minimize damage to the head and body. The general outline of this HITTING competition is the same as HA kickboxing. The difference is that HITTING requires a more sensitive reaction to each blow, which is a characteristic of the sport. In addition, since the damage to the body is minimized by the use of protective gear, beginners and intermediate players of all ages can practice dangerous kumite over and over again.
Another competition method is HA Kyokushin. This competition prohibits manual head blows, which is the same as in the existing Kyokushin Karate grouping method. However, the judgment method is different. To put it simply, the difference is that, like in boxing, the judges look at factors such as effective strikes, defensive techniques, and control of the match, and make decisions on a 10-10 basis using a points deduction system. Also, perform kumite for at least two rounds to judge the superiority and inferiority. The common denominator in the judging methods for these three competitions, and the most important thing, is that damage is not the absolute criterion for judging. Until now, in Kyokushin matches, the winner or loser has been determined by the referee’s subjective judgment of damage. In addition, the referee’s subjective image, such as “this player is not mentally defeated,” has also influenced the outcome of the match. In hitting sports, you hit your opponent with a punch or a kick. Therefore, it cannot be said that there is no damage. However, hitting is based on the criteria of a clean hit (effective blow), which includes not only damage but also accuracy, which is the biggest point in determining the outcome of a match. In other words, according to this criterion, even if the opponent does not appear to have received any damage from the batting technique, if the batting technique is determined to be a clean hit, the maximum points will be given to determine the outcome. However, if the opponent suffers physical or psychological damage due to techniques other than foul play, and loses the will to fight or becomes unable to fight, the opponent is called ”waza ari”or “shobuari ippon （IPPON)”. , the game ends. However, this is not a factor that judges the superiority or inferiority of the competition. In the end, the decision is made based on the damage caused to the contestant and the meaning of suspending the match. With the above ideas, traditional fighting competitions will be reborn as sports competitions. This is the central concept of Masuda’s concept.
As a supplementary note, there are three types of fencing competitions: “Epée” “Forulet” and “Sabre” Each type has differences in the parts of the body that can be attacked (on the body), how to use the sword (piercing, cutting), and other differences. Also, the shape of the sword is slightly different.
I would like you to think that, just like in fencing competitions, in HITTING SPORTS, the competition methods differ depending on things like the tools used and the areas that are allowed to attack. As a side note, I think it would be a good idea to add more competition methods. However, the most important thing is to share the ideals that we ultimately pursue.
Therefore, the purpose of the HITTING SPORTS PROJECT is to bring together people with diverse martial arts backgrounds. In order to integrate and integrate various things, we desperately pursue fairness and universal values. Based on this premise, the aim is to develop the industry and improve social value. As a supplement, I believe that the special and traditional aspects of martial arts and martial arts should be inherited and pursued as “Koshiki〇〇 and “Koryu〇〇do”For example, I pursue karate from a martial arts perspective, such as traditional Kyokushin Karate as a Takushin Budo. On top of that, I would like to connect with more people through hitting sports. If this happens, a variety of martial artists will grow as a result of being influenced by the concepts and ideals of sports that have high social value. I think it will evolve. If that happens, martial artists will no longer be outsiders to society. Also, martial arts will no longer be considered a subculture. It will be reborn as the main culture.
I would like to make a disclaimer here. I think I know the social role of subcultures. Rather, I believe that a society that is able to embrace diverse subcultures is a mature society. He is also in the position of recognizing that subcultures are important. However, I am thinking of preserving the subculture aspects of martial arts and martial arts culture as a tradition, while creating a new culture with everyone.
◎The footage (video) of the “2nd HITTING SPORTS PROJECT Research & Exchange Meeting” will be published tomorrow (Sunday) in Digital Karate Budo News No. 71.
