I have so much respect for this man taking his father's teachings and sharing his respect for them with the world. I'm moved by his dedication and discipline. Truly a legend.
I saw him fight live twice. He was one of 5 of my favourite figters. At the time he was my favourite. How fickle this reads. He is a legend. Thank you for the fights. Thank you producing this video. Goosebumps
@Newbie4Hire All of the mawashi gyuri (round house) and mygeri (Front) kicks are straight out of Karate! And how many straight punches did you see? Both choke-zuki (straight punch) and gyaku-zuki (Reverse Punch) for knockouts? All of those are straight out of Karate. And if you didn't recognize that, you never studied Karate!
What a character , strong personality.True role model. The most impressing to me is the way he never excuses , always respectful, accepts questionable decisions like a man no complaint. Back to grinding. I would give him my deepest and longest bow if i would ever meet him.
What I find most interesting about Machida is the culture combo he represents - a humble Japanese discipline mixed with a brazen Brazilian fire. Truly a master in every aspect. God bless you Lyoto Machida.
@DigiMeth just a little fact for you, the highest population of Japanese people outside of Japan is actually in Brazil so having a half Brazilian and half Japanese person is actually a lot more common than you may think.
Though he was sometimes criticized as a counter striker, it was fun to watch his excellent timing and precision. I remember watching him on his rise to L-H champ. I liked how he reinforced the spirit of MA in MMA.
I loved how his opponents would get so frustrated because they couldn't touch him. He was so elusive and his counters laser sharp. One of my all time favorite fighters for sure. Much respect Dragon
@Theo Dutra no but you are. 'He was the reason I got into the Ufc." Maybe you actually are in the UFC and have taken too many hits. Are you reading the top comment in the thread?
@Theo Dutra what didn’t you understand? I'll make it clear If you have to post about it on KZclip, you know, tell everybody that has NO WAY of confirming it it's probably a story. People in prison love to tell stories. One of the best, most prolific stories is how they are MMA fighters on the outside. In reality they are strung out tweakers who have burned their families. In a context like this, I'm skeptical.
"Persist, because adversaries will be there along the entire way. Not only in your competition, but in your life. Sometimes it seems like you're not going to make it, but you keep going. That's the warrior's way" More words to live by ♥
I wonder how much a monster he would have been,going middle weight years earlier,but overall he definitely have a legacy that is gonna be respected for many years to come
I don't watch stuff like this often but I can tell he's something different from most. Very quick on switching up his style and very quick on using any opportunity to dive in going straight for the head. A lot of others seem to hit once and see how effective it was and land a lot of hits on the back of the head. He lands a hit and if he thinks it was a good one without observing first just dives in with a flurry of blows with great precision to the the front of the head.
What a warrior!! Nothing to be ashamed about in this career or way of combat. I'm sure his Father would be proud of his son. Great video, really enjoyed it.
If you've never had a friend that had this kind of fighting talent allow you to join him in a friendly sparing match where they hold back any knockout blows, you'll soon realize why these guys are BAD ASS!! I had that opportunity when I was young (24) and in awesome shape. My buddy who had some serious fighting training/skills but was much smaller than I offered to show me his skills after I gave him a bit of friendly shit. I soon realized that could have knocked me out in the first few seconds. Instead, he showed just how fast he was by tapping me around the jaw and midsection and I couldn't block more than one punch (at best) he was so fast, and I couldn't touch him!! I finally had to laugh I felt so out of my league, and he smiled back with a told you so smile. LOL.
When I was doing MMA all my fights were a first round knock out, no matter how big or small my opponent was. The only reason I quit was because I was sick of getting knocked out in the first round every fight.
Nothing but respect to Lyoto Machida, not only humble but respectful, and big ups to Rampage for geniunly accepting that he got his ass wooped, shows the good humble side and gave credit where credit was due, Rampage definitley earned my respect today lol. Lyoto Machida is amazing to say the least.
I like how in several matches he did not "finish" his opponent because he saw he didn't have to. Holding back this much says a lot about his principles.
That is why I hated Tito Ortiz as a fighter. He did the opposite of this. He is a terrible blemish and chipped tooth on the face of MMA. It is satisfying to see Machida defeat him.
Yeah! Thank you Mashida Sensei, for proving that traditional karatedo training is not a joke. Kata has a purpose. It's not a "dance". Everything in kata has a purpose. Aside from kata, karatedo has other teachings not seen by lower-ranked students.
One of the goats. One of my all time favorites. Lives up to his name, The Dragon.. Flys around a bit. Gets the lay the land. Spits a fire ball here and there.....Then when he's figured out the lay of the land and has had enough he swoops in and burns your entire village to the fucking ground lol.
Karate works when properly applied to full contact combat. This is true for everything. What is needed is for traditional martial arts to come completely into the full contact sparring and competition areas then we will see a lot more diversity. Point based and low contact competition is the issue.
Out of the ring, one of the coolest nicest guys ever. I've met him a couple of times. Always has time for everyone and smiling. I feel like I am more informed about Lyoto's career now. Thank you for posting this. I really enjoyed the watch.
Lyoto Machida is an excellent fighter, disciplined, focused, makes perfect adjustments and is well prepared to fight anyone. He's had a great example and teacher, his father to guide him along the way. He made a solid decision that paid off and proved that traditional martial arts can still be very effective when applied properly even when he had to go against his sensei and father's advice. But what I like the most about this fighter, this man, is his humbleness and overall respect for others. I could honestly say that Lyoto Machida is my all time favorite fighter. Continued success and blessings to you Brazilian Dragon!
Don't know anything about him as a man but as a fighter I always found him to be one of the absolute most respectable in the ring. A true role model to be used to show the youth about honorable fighting.
Much respect to Rampage because he knew he had gotten beaten ,and didn't agree with them letting him win. Good guy ,and real man. Good fighter as well!
As long as you keep the definition of karate loose-y goose-y it’s very effective in mma. You don’t see them bang it out directly in front of each other very often
The thing that really stands out to me is that Machita always starts by stepping backwards as if he's intimated by his opponent. Once the opponent gets confident enough to attack, Machita counters with a very strong and confident dash forward which catches opponents off guard every time at the start of the match. It seems to intimidate opponents afterwards into thinking they are fighting a genius.
100% he almost looks like he's feigning tiredness, being off balance. It's very subtle body language and then he just bursts to life and the opponent takes a flurry to the face. By the time they have a chance to recover they're on the other side of the ring on the floor.
Also typical shotokan, stances are to draw opponents towards you by tilting back or taking the stances deep, increasing the distance while being just in striking range.
He should not have fought tho, it was for the title belt no way in hell would anybody put the belt on the line if they weren't ready, not even Tyson! Any other fight, fine by me.
Ahh but does he ever do the "Crane Kick" - we need to know! Seriously though, the way the backs of these guys heads crack down when knocked cold should be a warning to anyone who thinks it's a good/fun idea to knock someone out in the street without a very good reason. Imagine that on something hard - and the prison sentence.
How can the other dude proudly act like he beat Machida when he literally had a broken arm??? Honestly, I'd feel embarrassed doing a rematch with someone who has a broken arm and act like I earned that win.
This is what the martial arts are all about. The philosophical part of the fighting art itself. Both sides have to be learned for a well rounded practitioner.
True story. My older brother met a Shotokan Sensei my senior year and we both started Karate lessons in N. Indiana (circa 1976 when I graduated). They had testing about 6 weeks after starting and I thought "no way" I'm ready that fast to go for my yellow belt. I worked hard and by the next time testing came around some months later, I had learned a lot, even moving on to more advanced techniques that I was trying to learn along with some Katas, since I liked Kata more than Kumite. I would practice at home a lot and when a friend jokingly challenged me that "that **** isn't any good for a real fight", we faced off only semi-seriously, and when I followed a round kick with a side kick all in one motion that stopped an inch from his nose, he said, "ok, maybe...". Anyway, we drive two towns away months later to the next testing, and after I change in the bathroom, an old Japanese man asks me if the bathroom is open, I reply, "yes" and he goes in and changes. We all line up, and the local school sensei introduces the Japanese man as a Shotokan master from Japan, touring the U.S. dojos, with my sensei, and two others from other schools sitting on either side of him. Finally my group of 4 white belts come up to test, we do all our basic forward kicks, front punches, downward blocks, etc. across the dojo floor and I thought it went fine as we finished, when about to walk away, the Japanese master looks at me and says, "YOU - you know round kick?" in his thick Japanese accent. I said, "a little" all while my heartbeat jumps up as I'm wondering 'what the heck, did I screw up???'... He says, "you DO!" So I do round kicks down the floor and he says, you know side kick?", and similarly I go "a little" and do side kicks down the floor. Keep in mind, this is one scared 17 something at his first Karate testing in a room with 50 students from white to black belts in rural Indiana. After a few more "you know...?" and me with my "a little" responses, he thanks me and dismisses me. Man, everyone's looking at me and there's a lot of mumbling going on, and those from my school are asking me what the heck I thought just happened as we circle up afterward. No one had any idea, had never seen anything like that at all. I learn that common practice was for our sensei to stay after and once they new all the results for our school, would call us each and tell us. So I'm walking on pins and needles at home, when he finally calls me about 9pm. He tells me that he had never seen anything like that either. But the Japanese master was impressed with how well I did the basic techniques to pass for yellow belt, that he wanted to ask about those other techniques to see how much more I knew than those. The result was he was suggesting that I be made green belt after what he saw, and the net result was they made me a blue belt, since a couple others suggested it might go to my head if I skipped TWO belts, instead of just one. And that's how I became a blue belt in Shotokan and never was a yellow belt. I later tested and passed my green belt test and then started college so had to put Karate aside, but I never forget that day in the dojo testing, nor my sensei who basically had only one good arm, as the other was partially paralyzed, but was a great inspiration and teacher.
I have so much respect for this man taking his father's teachings and sharing his respect for them with the world. I'm moved by his dedication and discipline. Truly a legend.
I saw him fight live twice. He was one of 5 of my favourite figters. At the time he was my favourite. How fickle this reads. He is a legend. Thank you for the fights. Thank you producing this video. Goosebumps
***True love = the love of God!*** God himself went to the cross for you out of love for you as a human being Philippians 2:5-8
Agree
The man that proved karate could be efficient against mma. WHAT A LIVING LEGEND.
Amazing fighter. But he did not move as a karate practitioner. Mostly boxing and kicking. Therefore, kickboxer.
@jake halle looks like its just someone who dose karate happens to be good in
MMA aswell dont seem to have much to do with karate at all
@Newbie4Hire All of the mawashi gyuri (round house) and mygeri (Front) kicks are straight out of Karate! And how many straight punches did you see? Both choke-zuki (straight punch) and gyaku-zuki (Reverse Punch) for knockouts? All of those are straight out of Karate. And if you didn't recognize that, you never studied Karate!
did he though? He barely used any karate in his fights.
effective, not efficient
FOI UM GRANDE LUTADOR, MERECE O NOSSO RESPEITO LYOTO MACHIDA. salve de angola
What a character , strong personality.True role model. The most impressing to me is the way he never excuses , always respectful, accepts questionable decisions like a man no complaint. Back to grinding. I would give him my deepest and longest bow if i would ever meet him.
What I find most interesting about Machida is the culture combo he represents - a humble Japanese discipline mixed with a brazen Brazilian fire. Truly a master in every aspect. God bless you Lyoto Machida.
I thought Karate was chinese not japanese.
Today's stupidest "woke".. statement.
"The more you know"...
.
@DigiMeth just a little fact for you, the highest population of Japanese people outside of Japan is actually in Brazil so having a half Brazilian and half Japanese person is actually a lot more common than you may think.
@Umami Papi The only thing weird is finding a persons Race more interesting than their accomplishments.
@Melted nostrils Born without nostrils Weirdo.
Certainly one of the best fighters of his time, classy, humble and technical as hell. It was a pleasure to see him fight. Thank you, Lyotto
So much respect for Lyoto. Also love how much respect he shows for his opponents.
Though he was sometimes criticized as a counter striker, it was fun to watch his excellent timing and precision. I remember watching him on his rise to L-H champ. I liked how he reinforced the spirit of MA in MMA.
I loved how his opponents would get so frustrated because they couldn't touch him. He was so elusive and his counters laser sharp. One of my all time favorite fighters for sure. Much respect Dragon
He was the reason i got into the ufc, seeing his story displayed like this is enlightening 🔥🔥
@Theo Dutra no but you are. 'He was the reason I got into the Ufc." Maybe you actually are in the UFC and have taken too many hits. Are you reading the top comment in the thread?
@Shane Reeves he said he got into it as in acquired a taste for it. Are you dense?
@Theo Dutra what didn’t you understand?
I'll make it clear
If you have to post about it on KZclip, you know, tell everybody that has NO WAY of confirming it it's probably a story.
People in prison love to tell stories. One of the best, most prolific stories is how they are MMA fighters on the outside.
In reality they are strung out tweakers who have burned their families.
In a context like this, I'm skeptical.
@Shane Reeves what the fuck are you trying to say bruv?
Lol. Did you just get out of prison? Lol. A third of the guys in prison are in the UFC. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Cringe bro
Much respect for his career and accomplishments.
16:48 What a legend! He was not hiding his shock and immediately said he got his ass whooped! 🙏
I just love classy athletes. He went out, did the stuff and respected his craft and his opponents.
"Persist, because adversaries will be there along the entire way. Not only in your competition, but in your life.
Sometimes it seems like you're not going to make it, but you keep going. That's the warrior's way"
More words to live by ♥
Persist might better be said "gently insist". It is the gentle pressure that causes all to yield.
Like Ukraine !
I wonder how much a monster he would have been,going middle weight years earlier,but overall he definitely have a legacy that is gonna be respected for many years to come
God bless you Lyoto ! Thanks for your wisdom and example through your martial art
I don't watch stuff like this often but I can tell he's something different from most. Very quick on switching up his style and very quick on using any opportunity to dive in going straight for the head. A lot of others seem to hit once and see how effective it was and land a lot of hits on the back of the head. He lands a hit and if he thinks it was a good one without observing first just dives in with a flurry of blows with great precision to the the front of the head.
What a warrior!! Nothing to be ashamed about in this career or way of combat. I'm sure his Father would be proud of his son.
Great video, really enjoyed it.
I will always remember Lyoto for his kicks. They honestly look like a simple tap that sent people to the ground.
AND the KNEES!!!
*The ETERNAL GOD would do anything for you!! Even out of love for you he went to the cross as a human!!* Philippians 2:5-8
Crocop was the best tho. As far as leg kicks go
Apparently he is still going to fight at 43 years old.
It is a traditional snap kick to the head. just how a snapping whipping punch hurts more than a push punch.
Machida has always been in my top 3 for the UFC video games.
They really make sure you know his neck/head kicks are lethal in those games.
If you've never had a friend that had this kind of fighting talent allow you to join him in a friendly sparing match where they hold back any knockout blows, you'll soon realize why these guys are BAD ASS!! I had that opportunity when I was young (24) and in awesome shape. My buddy who had some serious fighting training/skills but was much smaller than I offered to show me his skills after I gave him a bit of friendly shit. I soon realized that could have knocked me out in the first few seconds. Instead, he showed just how fast he was by tapping me around the jaw and midsection and I couldn't block more than one punch (at best) he was so fast, and I couldn't touch him!! I finally had to laugh I felt so out of my league, and he smiled back with a told you so smile. LOL.
Very impressive fighter... super tenacious
Sometimes he really was on point with his timing
When I was doing MMA all my fights were a first round knock out, no matter how big or small my opponent was.
The only reason I quit was because I was sick of getting knocked out in the first round every fight.
Say what you will - and I do - This is class, personified. - A TRUE warrior, in every sense of the word. - Machida - A name for honor.
He is the most humble ufc fighter to ever fight!
This guy has been my MMA hero since high school.
"Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. No excuses. He was better then me, and deserved victory. " Words of a good, humble man.
Nothing but respect to Lyoto Machida, not only humble but respectful, and big ups to Rampage for geniunly accepting that he got his ass wooped, shows the good humble side and gave credit where credit was due, Rampage definitley earned my respect today lol. Lyoto Machida is amazing to say the least.
I like how in several matches he did not "finish" his opponent because he saw he didn't have to. Holding back this much says a lot about his principles.
🥋🥋🥋
My thoughts EXACTLY
That is why I hated Tito Ortiz as a fighter. He did the opposite of this. He is a terrible blemish and chipped tooth on the face of MMA. It is satisfying to see Machida defeat him.
so true.
He has always been one of my favorites. Such an interesting style.
Much respect for Lyoto and the Machida family!
29:57 this is incredible.... he just lets his attacking opponent run into his elbow!!! 😲
Hands down my favorite fighter of all time!!!
Back when I watched UFC Lyoto the Dragon Machida was one of my top favorite fighters.
I liked BJ Penn alot too.
true champion held his head high the whole time :) much respect!
A+ video. Machida has always been one of my absolute favorite martial artist.
A true good story and I'll never forget he was one of my idols back in 2004 end up.
Great video. Such a humble and classy champion.
9:05 that was brutal ive never seen anyone take so many knees to the face and still stand
My favorite fighter of all time the dragon will always be a legend...
Somemthing about this kept bringing tears to my eyes. Awesome story.
He’s definitely, my favorite fighter!
Any tool in the hands of a master can do incredible things
Yeah! Thank you Mashida Sensei, for proving that traditional karatedo training is not a joke. Kata has a purpose. It's not a "dance". Everything in kata has a purpose. Aside from kata, karatedo has other teachings not seen by lower-ranked students.
Literally one of my top 5 fighters of all time
He’s my absolute favorite. Stephen Thompson is my 2nd. Two class act extremely amazing athletes. 🌟🌟🌟
Your videos are FANTASTIC.
They all say “There's levels to this”, Lyoto is masters level. Regardless of discipline.
That bow of respect and chivalry 🥲
As much as I love Machida, watching Shogun knock him out is still super cathartic.
RESPECTS TO YOU SIR 💪🏾💖💯
NGL he was one of my favorites when I watched UFC. I was a fan of his fighting and root for him I ever saw him fighting.
the fight with rashad was crazy. that dude folded on impact. that's a clean ko
What an inspirational man
One of the goats. One of my all time favorites. Lives up to his name, The Dragon.. Flys around a bit. Gets the lay the land. Spits a fire ball here and there.....Then when he's figured out the lay of the land and has had enough he swoops in and burns your entire village to the fucking ground lol.
Karate works when properly applied to full contact combat. This is true for everything. What is needed is for traditional martial arts to come completely into the full contact sparring and competition areas then we will see a lot more diversity. Point based and low contact competition is the issue.
Machida said that Jones "can't fight me standing". Jones was on another level, Machida never stood a chance.
Masterpiece. THanks for this video!
he was so good at the counter. hed lure them in and make them over commit and hed take them out. it was crazy
Mad respect!
Respect & Honour. My favourite fighter.
Out of the ring, one of the coolest nicest guys ever. I've met him a couple of times. Always has time for everyone and smiling. I feel like I am more informed about Lyoto's career now. Thank you for posting this. I really enjoyed the watch.
May the peace of Allah be with you
Legend 👏
Lyoto Machida is an excellent fighter, disciplined, focused, makes perfect adjustments and is well prepared to fight anyone. He's had a great example and teacher, his father to guide him along the way. He made a solid decision that paid off and proved that traditional martial arts can still be very effective when applied properly even when he had to go against his sensei and father's advice. But what I like the most about this fighter, this man, is his humbleness and overall respect for others. I could honestly say that Lyoto Machida is my all time favorite fighter. Continued success and blessings to you Brazilian Dragon!
There’s a new champ in town.. Servey Pavlovich
I was so sad when he lost to shogun loved this guy
Don't know anything about him as a man but as a fighter I always found him to be one of the absolute most respectable in the ring. A true role model to be used to show the youth about honorable fighting.
Hold up wait a second are you telling me this guy is still fighting?
Lyoto was my all time favorite fighter.
Much respect to Rampage because he knew he had gotten beaten ,and didn't agree with them letting him win. Good guy ,and real man. Good fighter as well!
Rampage was a fucking legend, Yeah. Just a real dude.
at 18:52
How can you win against three equally strong opponents? That's insane!
i had no idea that the dragon was so qualified before entering the UFC. man...his resume is up there with the GOATs.
nice of him to bow goodbye to his defeated opponent as their soul exits their body and begins to ascend
As long as you keep the definition of karate loose-y goose-y it’s very effective in mma. You don’t see them bang it out directly in front of each other very often
The thing that really stands out to me is that Machita always starts by stepping backwards as if he's intimated by his opponent. Once the opponent gets confident enough to attack, Machita counters with a very strong and confident dash forward which catches opponents off guard every time at the start of the match. It seems to intimidate opponents afterwards into thinking they are fighting a genius.
@Ben McCann Noticed that too, simple but effective tactic .
100% he almost looks like he's feigning tiredness, being off balance. It's very subtle body language and then he just bursts to life and the opponent takes a flurry to the face. By the time they have a chance to recover they're on the other side of the ring on the floor.
Also typical shotokan, stances are to draw opponents towards you by tilting back or taking the stances deep, increasing the distance while being just in striking range.
Epic video much respect!
"Above all, you must first beat yourself" - 🤔. 👊🏼🥋
Such an brilliant fighter and video about him!
This guy is really good.👍
His fight against Jackson and him saying “he whooped my ass and I’m ashamed of this decision” shows a ton of respect to the fighter
But..he still lost.
He should not have fought tho, it was for the title belt no way in hell would anybody put the belt on the line if they weren't ready, not even Tyson! Any other fight, fine by me.
Jackson is such a class act
Exactly brother!
Além de um grande esportista , um ser humano fora da curva que tive a honra de conhecer. Humildade , simpatia e gentileza são suas grandes Virtudes
He was as good in karate as Khabib was in wrestling
Always one of my favorites:)
Ahh but does he ever do the "Crane Kick" - we need to know!
Seriously though, the way the backs of these guys heads crack down when knocked cold should be a warning to anyone who thinks it's a good/fun idea to knock someone out in the street without a very good reason. Imagine that on something hard - and the prison sentence.
He broke his arm in training camp, lost the fight, but made zero excuses for losing. What a G.
Would of been more paid and more successful had he just been honest and told about his broken arm. Honor is great but this isn't the 1600s.
Yeah 😤😤😭
The best ever G
How can the other dude proudly act like he beat Machida when he literally had a broken arm??? Honestly, I'd feel embarrassed doing a rematch with someone who has a broken arm and act like I earned that win.
Une légende
What can I say... a true master he allways be forewer and allways is my humble opinion
Shotokan all day long. Machida - huge respect!
He is able to still go like that in his 40's really speaks to how well he treats his body in such a demanding sport. What a legend.
This is what the martial arts are all about. The philosophical part of the fighting art itself. Both sides have to be learned for a well rounded practitioner.
loved his fights
The dragon is a legend
Great fighter.
good to see Karate getting some respect again... since Karate kid debuted
Pretty cool. I hope they keep the updates flowing.
Dam he's gone up with the greatest
Ufc needs a new karate master to take over for a bit: old school needs a revival
True mastery & true Class.
He came from the best era of UFC. No drama and social media circus. Just amazing fights and title runs.
@Armando Rodriguez no drama? Lmaooo there was still plenty of drama at this time.
@Deen Kashim The fighters made more off sponsors then than they do with the venum sponsorship
@Joe Pace Are you unaware brain damage can happen from being hit on any part of the head not just the back.
@Eizbear 00 if ifs and buts were candy and nuts...
@Armando Rodriguez Weight class is important this is not a brawl.
True story. My older brother met a Shotokan Sensei my senior year and we both started Karate lessons in N. Indiana (circa 1976 when I graduated). They had testing about 6 weeks after starting and I thought "no way" I'm ready that fast to go for my yellow belt. I worked hard and by the next time testing came around some months later, I had learned a lot, even moving on to more advanced techniques that I was trying to learn along with some Katas, since I liked Kata more than Kumite. I would practice at home a lot and when a friend jokingly challenged me that "that **** isn't any good for a real fight", we faced off only semi-seriously, and when I followed a round kick with a side kick all in one motion that stopped an inch from his nose, he said, "ok, maybe...".
Anyway, we drive two towns away months later to the next testing, and after I change in the bathroom, an old Japanese man asks me if the bathroom is open, I reply, "yes" and he goes in and changes. We all line up, and the local school sensei introduces the Japanese man as a Shotokan master from Japan, touring the U.S. dojos, with my sensei, and two others from other schools sitting on either side of him.
Finally my group of 4 white belts come up to test, we do all our basic forward kicks, front punches, downward blocks, etc. across the dojo floor and I thought it went fine as we finished, when about to walk away, the Japanese master looks at me and says, "YOU - you know round kick?" in his thick Japanese accent. I said, "a little" all while my heartbeat jumps up as I'm wondering 'what the heck, did I screw up???'... He says, "you DO!" So I do round kicks down the floor and he says, you know side kick?", and similarly I go "a little" and do side kicks down the floor. Keep in mind, this is one scared 17 something at his first Karate testing in a room with 50 students from white to black belts in rural Indiana. After a few more "you know...?" and me with my "a little" responses, he thanks me and dismisses me.
Man, everyone's looking at me and there's a lot of mumbling going on, and those from my school are asking me what the heck I thought just happened as we circle up afterward. No one had any idea, had never seen anything like that at all.
I learn that common practice was for our sensei to stay after and once they new all the results for our school, would call us each and tell us. So I'm walking on pins and needles at home, when he finally calls me about 9pm. He tells me that he had never seen anything like that either. But the Japanese master was impressed with how well I did the basic techniques to pass for yellow belt, that he wanted to ask about those other techniques to see how much more I knew than those.
The result was he was suggesting that I be made green belt after what he saw, and the net result was they made me a blue belt, since a couple others suggested it might go to my head if I skipped TWO belts, instead of just one. And that's how I became a blue belt in Shotokan and never was a yellow belt.
I later tested and passed my green belt test and then started college so had to put Karate aside, but I never forget that day in the dojo testing, nor my sensei who basically had only one good arm, as the other was partially paralyzed, but was a great inspiration and teacher.
@youngloveg1 I'd go with, work hard, apply yourself and you'll be recognized and move up. Worked my entire career, and personal life.
Trying to find the major point in your story
Great story, thanks for sharing!
thanks for sharing
Respect 🙏
I miss the days of respectful, reserved fighters!!! Real men who are adults and don't act like tantrum throwing children!!!
Tells you how tough Bonner was. Rip