Russian Becomes First Foreigner To Claim All-Japan Karate Title

[Mulboyne]

[floatl][/floatl]19 year old Russian Tariel Nikoleishvili has become the first foreigner to win the All Japan Open Karate Tournament run by Kyokushinkaikan. There are a number of national karate tournaments each year and I'm sure there are others here who are more knowledgeable about how they differ and what status they have. This was the 42nd year for the tournament so it has some pedigree. Another Russian, Lechi Krubanov, place seventh.

[dimwit]

Jeez this has to be a first. My son knew all about before I ever read the story. From what I have seen of my son's tournaments Kyokushinkaikan is a branch of contact Karate that doesn't allow blows to the face. It is a fairly major branch of Karate which about a half million members in Japan and God knows how many world wide.

[Ikemen-of-d00m]

[floatl][/floatl]

"Congratulations! You just won the "All Japan Open Karate Tournament"! How about a smile for the newspaper?"

"I must break you"

[Mulboyne]

More pictures here

[Doctor Stop]

More pictures here

It looks like Nikoleishvili gets in one of the rarely seen in competition "Kancho Hook Kicks" in this shot:

[Kanchou]

Jeez this has to be a first. My son knew all about before I ever read the story. From what I have seen of my son's tournaments Kyokushinkaikan is a branch of contact Karate that doesn't allow blows to the face. It is a fairly major branch of Karate which about a half million members in Japan and God knows how many world wide.

That's only because they barely wear gloves.

It's one of the hardest full-contact forms of karate out there.

[TennoChinko]

The first non-Asian foreigner maybe. The founder of Kyokushin Karate was a Korean -- Mas Oyama aka Choi Yeong-eui

[McTojo]

Sad day for Karate.

[IparryU]

That's only because they barely wear gloves.

It's one of the hardest full-contact forms of karate out there.

Most of the Karate tournaments I have been in all have the "no head contact" rule. 3 inches from the head w/o a fully extended limb (arm/leg) gets you the point.

point for it is control and respect. but spinning def. back kicks to the mid-section are ok? WTF

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

I'm feeling kinda sorry for the Japanese. All the sports they made up to occasionally win gold medals somewhere have now been taken over by bloody foreigners -- judo, sumo and, now, karate.
They're lucky that "fucking weird" is not a sport because even the foreigners would have taken that over recently.

[IparryU]

I'm feeling kinda sorry for the Japanese. All the sports they made up to occasionally win gold medals somewhere have now been taken over by bloody foreigners -- judo, sumo and, now, karate.
They're lucky that "fucking weird" is not a sport because even the foreigners would have taken that over recently.

I wouldn't say "taken over", "dominated" seems to be more like it. Japan had slacked in competition vs FGs even though they claim to have adept teamwork and yaruki...

two examples of japan trying to make a come back.
judo: japan wants to eliminate shooting
sumo: rounding people up for weed... but killing stable mates seems to be not so extreme

[Uthark_Runa]

Congrats to him! I know how tough it is. I myself won the Japan Cup in 2008, also I was not the first gaijin to win. So I think they mean he is first to win for that particular branch of Kyokushin, because there a few different ones, but all fight under the same rules.

There are quite a few top gaijin now, and have been for a while, especially since Fransisco Filho won, more and more have been excelling.

[MrUltimateGaijin]

Most of the Karate tournaments I have been in all have the "no head contact" rule. 3 inches from the head w/o a fully extended limb (arm/leg) gets you the point.

point for it is control and respect. but spinning def. back kicks to the mid-section are ok? WTF

that's point fighting. this is knockdown.

[Mulboyne]

[YThq]U1wZLVCqLIs[/YThq]

American karate.

[Takechanpoo]

Severe 19th-century-like environment like this makes Russian strong.
[YT]jBqtQjJqSQw[/YT]

[Iraira]

Severe 19th-century-like environment like this makes Russian strong.
[YT]jBqtQjJqSQw[/YT]

Glad you're back Takechan, missed you in an odd way. You must have a lot of free time now to post the same clip twice....and I must have a lot of free time to have commented on both.