From Noah Legel's http://budonokaizen.blogspot.co.nz Thanks for letting me add it in Noah.
Taira Masaji Sensei is a Kudan (9th Degree Black Belt) in Okinawan Goju-Ryu, formerly of the Jundokan, and a student of the late Miyazato Eiichi Sensei. He is a fast, fluid, powerful karateka, and he is renowned for his kata bunkai (analysis). If you've never seen his material, you can see one of his renzoku bunkai drills here. Those flowing drills, which move from one kata movement to the next through the entire kata, are probably what he is best known for, but they are simply a quick way of recording the techniques in the kata, and how they can be bridged together. Any technique in those drills can be taken and used separately, if one knows how to finish it effectively, and they are built off a series of bridges, or joining techniques, that can be universally applied. While I do not study Goju-Ryu, I can still see great value in Taira Sensei's work, and he is certainly a master of his art!
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DVD footage of Taira Sensei explaining ashi-kakie |
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DVD footage of ashi-waza from the kata, Seiyunchin |
The material, itself, is great! We have many of the same ashi-waza in Shorin-Ryu, but we don't utilize them as much as Taira Sensei, and some of his methods are more advanced than ours. For me, this DVD really helps build on the material I have already learned. For someone who has never learned any techniques of this type, they may seem strange and impractical. It definitely takes time to get a feel for them, but they are a subtle, yet powerful addition to kata application that is worth the time. In the DVD, the techniques are often connected to the movements in Goju-Ryu kata, which is probably helpful for people who study those kata. Since I only know modified versions of Sanchin, Seiyunchin, and Tensho, it doesn't benefit me as much. Even so, I can see connections to some of my Shorin-Ryu kata in the same movements. These techniques are a fantastic building block to further your study. The bottom line is; this DVD can improve your karate, and if you want to improve your karate, then this DVD is certainly worth the price!