April 6, 2009, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

I studied Karate for a while and was surprised at how rigid and powerful it was. During sparring in that gym, even the fifth- and fourth-dan black belts moved like trucks. If they hit you, then you were finished, but, between attempts, they were tense. Maybe that was the style practiced in my neighbourhood only? There are as many styles of Karate as there are of Tae Kwon Do. Last month, my instructor, Mr. Di Vecchia, found an old, Karate video that depicts a more fluid version of the art... Masatoshi Nakayama is a Karate legend now, I suppose, and his movements in this fuzzy video from 1958 show how similar the two martial arts were (and still are in some places). I love the video (assuming it's authentic). I love the precision and the angles -- and the power of the strikes, especially the kicks, all of which he unleashes from the hips. If I didn't know better, I'd take him for a grandmaster in traditional Tae Kwon Do.