Kyokushin is a style of karate created by Masatatsu Oyama. Kyokushin karate is known for its emphasis on mental and physical toughness and for its grueling, full-contact training methods. This style does use the traditional kata, or forms of karate, but it is better known for its "kumite" or sparring exercises.
Origin of Kyokushin Exercises
The exercises and techniques of Kyokushin karate derive from the kata of the Shotokan and Goju Ryu karate styles, both of which were studied by Masatatsu Oyama before he founded his own karate system. Among the 35 kata of the Kyokushin curriculum, the Sanchin and Tensho kata are the most important exercises. Sanchin is a very old Okinawan karate kata based on Chinese martial arts forms, while Tensho was created by the karate master Chojun Miyagi to improve the skills of Sanchin practitioners. Masatatsu Oyama described Tensho as the most important kata in the Kyokushin style.
Breaking Exercises
Kyokushin karate exponents practice not only the formal kata, but also "tameshiwara" or breaking exercises. These are exercises designed to test the power and the correct technical execution of the student's strikes. In tameshiwara practice, the Kyokushin practitioner attempts to break a hard object, such as a stack of boards or even slabs of concrete with the power of his attack. In some martial arts styles, breaking exercises are performed largely for purposes of demonstration. However, in Kyokushin they are seen as a test of technique rather than a spectacle for public entertainment.
Sparring Exercises
Kyokushin's reputation as a particularly tough, hard-contact type of karate hinges on the practice of "kumite" or sparring exercises in which full power strikes to the body are freely applied, and victory is determined by actually knocking the opponent off his feet. Kumite exercises do have rules to reduce the risk of serious injury. For instance, the fighters are not allowed to elbow each other in the head or punch each other in the face. However, many full-power techniques are allowed, including punches to the torso and kicks to the head.
Hundred Man Fights
One of the most famous exercises of Kyokushin karate is the 100 man kumite, which is a very advanced exercise attempted by only the top Kyokushin karate fighters. In the 100 man kumite, the Kyokushin fighter must fight 100 opponents in a row for two minutes each. If he is knocked down and cannot get back in the fight within five seconds, he has failed. In addition, he is required to win more of the fights than he loses, and to win as many of them as possible by knocking his opponents down. The 100 man kumite is such a difficult test of courage and skill that as of 2011 only 14 people had ever completed it.
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