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From: kaisellgren
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  • this is awsomne

  • One of Luca Valdesi's biggest failings is the fundamental lack of grounding in the majority of his punches. The power in the punch comes from using the whole body and the feet, pushing from the ground into the hip into the punch. It seems that he's missing a fundamental point in the way he has his punch going forward while he lets the power in his body be lost by letting his back heel slide loosely backwards. The power is gone and the punches are weak. Last gyaku-zuki is a prime example.

  • Very nice. Good work. It is obviously a Sport Karate' rendition of Kata and it is arguably one of the best. How could anyone take anything away from this level of performance? I am a student of Kanazawa's and I appreciate this performance. I cannot appreciate the comparison. Though Kanazawa clear on His stance regarding the single-minded purpose of Sport Karate' He is also clear that it is only His opinion.

  • muy bueno pero la pudo hacer mucho mejor de lo que la hizo en este video

  • let me guess, your just one of those guys who follows Hirokazu Kanazawa (who is one of my heroes) and doesn't accept when someone is actually better then him, Luca valdesi has a modern touch to his kata while Kancho Kanazawa is old school, which is fine by me. Both men have their own styles. When you reach black belt level you are allowed to make small changes if you want!

  • He is an amazing guy and a great performer but I really didn't like his take on Unsu. Totally different from how I feel it is. Regards.

  • muito loco parabens! oss!

  • i like luca

  • Dislike. I'd emulate Kanazawa over Valdesi any day. There is a far better sense of application, and a certain simple elegance in traditional karate that seems to be lost on the sports practitioners, who are all style over substance.

  • Good speed and power control. But in the end the essence of Kata is just lost in this good-looking movements, what really means, for what is really necessary, is hidden in this martial arts theater (:

  • galing

    

  • Like his other Kata (Empi for example) his moves are too fast leaving no room for proper Hikite, his left gyaku the hip is not fully engaged, so more short cuts to satisify judges who like this sort Kata. Why people still clap after the jump is beyond me, Unsu is not about the ability to do a 360 degree jump its only one move out of forty seven. Look at Yahara Sensei's Unsu not technically perfect but with the kata's true spirit. I dont blame the Karateka for this type of kata its WKF

  • lucaa's kata its aaa perfect kataa im shotokan style im mexican and i thought tthis style are best opposite the shitoryu or other styles

  • luca's karate is the best i've ever seen

  • @MrKarate007 You have never seen Kanazawa Kancho?

    His Karate is flawless...even in his 70's...

  • ahhah si sente il kimè di brancaleon in sottofondo ahahah grande luca

  • At 1:25 his foot doesn't slide slowly over the floor but stands still ?? Again at 1:41 that combo needs to be 123 not 1...23 why he do that ? At 1:50 NO ushiro geri and when he lands his left foot leans almost on the ground :( those minor detail make a difference between silver and gold if ur up against a competitor that knows it too

  • @Cuenca20 you idiot! He is the world champion! And if you can do it better, post a video of your Unsu please. I would like to see it. Also, why should the timing be 123?

  • No need to be offensive !

  • Seems to me you don't know anything bout the bunkai, and Valdesi only does Unsu the safe (easy) way and not the more difficult way... difference is the hard way gets gold if performed properly and not silver . And don't embarras yourself by offending people, makes you look like a kiddo.

  • Calling an idiot, an idiot is not offensive, it is stating facts. You know what I hate the most? I hate people coming on and saying its not good and stating all the mistakes...please post a video of your Unsu up. And telling me that I dont kno how the bunkai is "supposed" 2be performed makes you sound like even more of a fool. Bunkai in kata is not "supposed" to be done in any particular way, it should be completed how the karateka wises to interpret it. Oherwise all kata would look identical.

  • @Cuenca20 Also, if you knew anything about this kata, you would know that a successful jump isnt about adding the Ushiro Geri, it is about the height, he rotational speed, the control of the landing, the snap of the jump the crispness of the landing. NOT just about a simple ushiro geri

  • @Cuenca20

    No use even talking to these guys...they are from his country or from his organization....they are drunk on pride or something. Not every practitioner is into competition making him technically the best in that tournement i guess but the world is another thing.

  • @brinnonvallere... ye i know, he probably saw Valdesi at some competition and is stalking him ever since :p

  • WKF standards?

  • @brinnonvallere He is the best the world has to offer at the moment. Luca Valdesi is a multiple world champion and currently, his Gankaku cannot be beaten. Search Luca Valdesi, Gankaku, 2006. That is the best that I have ever seen him doit.

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  • not bad but definately not the best

  • he has won 8 consecutive titles what r u talking about?

  • @brinnonvallere He is the best in the world. Idiot. Ranked number 1 in the world.

  • He's the best!

  • What the hell are u saying?? Luca's unsu Is maybe the best Unsu in the world...precision, speed in techniques, spectacular conections, He's like a Dragonfly in the wind or a Dolphin in the water...He's elegant, powerful.....simply Awasome

    Luca sei l'orgoglio del karate italiano

  • Absolute biased rubbish im afraid. I completely disagree with you. Although I think that Valdesi, overall is the bes tin the world at the moment, his Unsu is NOT the best in the world. Jon Mottram, 4th in the worlds, 3rd in Europe has the best Unsu around. It is simply perfection. Luca totally messed up that jump too - the jump is the key to a good Unsu. Have a look at Jonathan's jump - look at the height, the speed at which he rotates in the air. Perfection.

  • If his Unsu is so perfect then where is the ushiro geri in this jump ?

  • @Cuenca20 Because that is the beauty of kata - there is not only one way to do it. Kata is all about the competitors interpretation of the bunkai. There is not only one way to do the jump and if you have been taught this, then your sensei doesnt know what he is talking about.

  • All these weird pauses between sets of techniques make the overall kata very choppy. Kanazawa's Unsu just flows from one technique to another, this one feels like a seizure.

  • you're right my friend... Kanazawa's Unsu is the best... and it flows from one technique to another... Luca is fast... but he adds mouvements to the kata that should not be there... for example, when he starts he makes a big mouvement with his arms... the mouvemnt is simpler than that. The rithm is inapropated and Luca is very fast... but where is the kime here?

  • This sport based kata for you. While Kanazawa's will be more technically correct, Valdesi's is closer to what is needed in the sporting arena. I agree though, the old way is better. The new way just looks more flashy.

  • power

  • MUY BUENO!!!

  • this guy is really good in kata! i like him! i think him one of the bests karate atheletes in the world.(in kata)

  • Man you're wrong Luca is the best in the world

  • You guys can say anything you want. Luca is exceptional otherwise he cannot be a World's Champion.

    You cannot see the soul in it? Yeah...there is so much technic in those movements but is close to perfection and I think that's the requirements of this kind of competitions. Be with him in a Kumite on the ring and then talk again if you can.

  • is he a big deal ?

  • tiborzkarate, I wouldn't use such harsh words. I'm not a fan of Valdesi's either, but he's still not that bad. And yes, I also have a feeling that his performance is somehow egocentric. If you compare this to Unsu of Yahara Sensei, or Kawasoe Sensei... it's worlds apart. I wouldn't outright scorn this guy, but his Kata are kinda "without soul", just sequence of rapid movements, no warrior spirit here.

  • to all you guys who think how he did his kata is amazin u guys are incorrect he sacrifices his movements for speed doesn't finish his blocks or punches or kicks he just goes in the next movement my classmate in martial arts does it better than him and he is younger this is no champion if he got first place for this than the judges are stupid and karate has been ruined

  • This Guy Is Awesome. Enough Said.

  • Again, amazing .. Simplicity & pure techniques combined with power. Brilliant!

  • Agree

  • quelle force et la tequnique

  • i think diaz is better

  • Just in 2008, Japon... IN MY OPINION

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  • karate kid

  • ele eh brasileiro?

  • italiano

  • eeeeeess laaa bombaaa !

  • Meh.

  • LOOOOOOOOOOOOOL

  • Luca Valdesi is a very good kata performer, but, in Unsu, I didn't like his form. The first steps are too large, the Jump wasn't so good (the hands didn't touch the floor at the same time)

    Luca Valdesi is perfect in Gankaku and Emppi.

    Oss.

  • @brunorogerioleite step too large or ass to big are you guys really thinking this is martial arts?whate a waste time

  • @bushidoartss fuck you

  • @brunorogerioleite listen, how about you go up there and perform this kata as fast and as amazing as he did. Jackass!!!.

    p.s. its spelt OSU!!!

  • @acrocanthosaurus4 first of all. in order to perform a kata at an extremely high level you need to know bunkai. If you look at the jump for exaple, it is actually a mikazuki-geri followed by an oshiru-geri. he just jumped. dont praise him if you don't know the kata yourself.

  • Ma Bravisimo... Sei un kata veramente bello.. e con Luca Valdesi piu..

  • Quanto sei forte!

  • is luca brancaleon doing kata in the same time like valdesi in this video ? :P

    listhen the kime.. ;>

  • lol, it does sound exactly like him!

  • Interesting how much the timing of the kata is lengthened for tournament use. If you compare this to the unsu of old timers (Kanazawa or Yahara, for example) they take less time and look continuous. I'm not saying one way is necessarily better than the other, but you have to wonder how passing down a kata with this type of timing affects how people understand the applications--when the attackers are coming, how many are attacking at once...

  • Luca Valdesi is really amazing. His power, speed and accuracy are just incredible. Sometimes it seems to me that his techniques are kind of "short" but I think this is just because of his awesome speed. Watching him performing Kata motivates me to improve myself bit by bit. Great Karateka!

  • Power and accuracy I agree...but lack of form. Examples include his pulling hand, front stands too long and lack of crescent leg motion when stepping forward.

    I'm not trying to be picky but I expect alot more from a "world champion".

    Constructive criticisms are welcome.

  • No, at the end doesn't give more power! According to the Chinese, a bent arm vertical punch has more chi in it than the straight arm twist! Can the originators who taught the Okinawans be wrong? A boxer doesn't twist, yet he can kill you with one punch also! How can one be so ignorant and fanatical? Ignorance leads to disaster! Anything works in it's own world and under it's own rules. The ignorant denigrate that which does not agree with their dogma! Heresy is truth! Learn it! LIve it!

  • No, the original is the Best! It was created out of mortal combat. Modern karate do is too sports oriented. MMA is really just the original karate do, which incorporates all kinds of fighting techniques. Okay, you hit the opponent with a punch to the chest. And he keeps on coming and grabs you. Karateka not trained in REAL karate do such as I, have no idea how to stop the opponent. So you can have your little ippon and live in the fake world. I live in the real world! And will you learn to spell

  • Just watching again. Mr Queens has alot to say. mmmm. and reading through i can't work out whether he is astute or on drugs. Anywho. I do GKR in Australia but i like to watch all sorts of styles. This kata and this bloke is good but Milons Unsu is the best. As far as going on about tradition. If nothing changed nothing would advance. The original is not alwys the best. Time can make improvements. So if something cahnges ie a move its not necessarily wrong or bad. This blokes still talented.

  • frankvanqueens get over yorself.

  • yeah like we're going to do combat in modern day with sport karate.  who cares stick with your style..stop critiquing everyone elses.

  • Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! Look at the modern day shotokan teachers. Each is arrogant that they broke and made their own system. Changed katas and each belittles the other shotokan systems and associations. In fact Egami's shotokai bears no resemblance to Nakayama's, but each claims the other is incorrect! Egami studied under Funakoshi and says that you should punch with a fist with two knuckles out. Oshima twists at the START of the punch. JKA at the very end? Who is right, and who is arrogant?

  • At the end!! gives more power!!

  • Whilst he may have excellent PHYSICAL ablities, these have nothing whatsoever to do with actual life or death combat which karate was created for. The physics of a technique making contact is entirely different than empty space! It is one thing to "perform" movements from a kata than to face living breathing moving opponent who blocks and hits back! Competition kata has helped to destroy the TRUE karate do, and replace it with gymnastics!

  • haha His Opponent in the Corner is like OMG OMG OMG WHAT DO I DO!?!!??!?!

  • Negativity is child of ignorance. that which you cannot fathom,you attack! And not such an intelligent attack whatsoever! Knowing as much as I do of the history and culture of Karate-do, I can state this all without hesitation. Try this nonsense when your life depends upon it, and I'll come to your funeral!I harbor no ill will, but train,and train, and train, and you'll come to know my truth. Study that which this art is founded upon, and your eyes will be open! Take the blinders off my son!

  • respect & control (physical and mental) are more important lessons of karate. at least shotokan. those lessons are useful every day of one's life. 

    boisterous arrogance, especially on a comment board requires little training, and in fact, IMHO, misses a more critical teaching of shotokan.

  • luka valdesi the best

  • To the ignorant and deficent, this is NOT kata, but merely gymnastics masquereding UNDER the false guise as kata! It is worthless because it is done to garner points. IT has no relevance to the real karate do which I have breathed all my life! How has this heavenly art become so prostituted? When the JKA fell apart and each went their own way, this is the result! Please, sit at the master's table, and drink from my wisdom!

  • how much junk you spoke so little space ..

  • in a way you are right

  • Omg whats with his backfoot on the landing at the jump!? O_O He should "roll" over his frontleg knee instead of running like a robot forward, same thing in the beginning hands are perfect but not his lower body, unfortuently

  • holy moly.

  • Boy or girl?

  • Excellent kata. Felicitations du debut a la fin...la respiration est fluide aussi.

  • je donnerai hyper cher pour faire les kata comme lui ...

    vive le karaté !!!

    ( nearly black belt )

  • wow... his stances are reeaallly low

    especially his neko ashi dachi in the beggining

    he must have some really strong leg muscles

  • bellissima esecuzione!!!!!!

    fatto molto con calma, ma veramente un bellissimo kata

    complimenti!!!

  • fenomenale!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Seriously. Stop comparing everyone with Michael Milon! No one will ever do as good unsu as Milon. But this guys still "swipes the floor" with everybody in this chat room. Pathetic to hear all the negative comments. This guy is world champion people! Get a life!

  • Milon fu e resterà sempre un pessimo karateka, per il semplice fatto che si drogava. La droga non collima con i cinque precetti di quest'arte.

  • aun no nacio hombre que supere a michael milon,por mucho cuento que digan que se drogaba,michael milon is the best.

  • E' impressionante la precisione con cui riesce a posizionarsi dopo ogni spostamento eseguendo il kata ad una velocità così inaudita. LUCA VALDESI THE BEST!

  • No where near as good as Milon (R.I.P). Milon's Unsu would still wipe the floor these days!

    Valdesi messed up the jump. But no doubt he is still quality.

  • il massimo che un mortale possa raggiungere.

    dopo di questo c'è solo hokuto no ken

    osu!

  • Ma perchè lasciamo parlare gente che di karate non capisce un cazzo?? Tornate alla vostra boxe, kick boxing e stronzate varie e lì rimaneteci...mi meraviglio anche di chi dice "poor karateka"...voglio vedere se in inghilterra o da dove cazzo vieni trovi di meglio

  • Good to watch in comparison to the Milon Unsu from 96 because they are shot from the opposite angles. I do GKR in australia which is great but i like to watch Shotokan and Go Ju as well. I am learning this kata just foor the fun of it. To negative commenters. Get a life.

  • bueno^^

    pero no ecepcional

  • I see that he made some minor mistakes in this kata. But, I don't have any strong negativity against his style. After all, Valdesi is the world champion and I still am a very big fan of his.

  • Esecuzione niente da dire, ma una cosa che a mio parere manca, non esiste propio è la tecnica di respirazione. Non esiste contrazzione nei colpi,o magari la si sente poco, in questo atleta. C'è solo una gran estetica del kata ma poca efficacia.. Mi meraviglio anche degli arbitri.

  • Allora questa persona Chiamata Luca Valdesi e solo come la chiami tu uno dei più grandi campioni non solo italiani ma di tutto il mondo...le contrazzioni ci sono e se senti la respirazione e perfetta

  • The "Italian Financial Police" (Guardia di Finanza) is a military corps. The best italian sportsman are enrolled.

    Shame on you.

  • If that's the "best" they can produce, I'd hate to see the worst... -)-)

  • Oh and by the way: according to what I've read, "Guardia di Finanza" IS a police corps, since its duties involve financial, economic, judiciary and public safety: tax evasion, financial crimes, smuggling, money laundering, international illegal drug trafficking, illegal immigration, customs and borders checks, copyright violations, anti-Mafia operations, credit card frauds, cybercrime, money counterfeiting, terrorist financing, and maintaining public order. So Valdesi IS a scumbag copper.

  • Keep eating bigmacs dude. It's good for your reasoning. Or not.

  • I'm not getting you.

    So this guy is a "scumbag" because he's helping Italy be a safer place and does fantastic Katas which you could only hope to match?:S?

  • PERFECT ^^

  • You really have no idea, do you? This was "performancekarate" at its lowest level. This has not been done in the true spirit of its intention.

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  • yeah he messed up slightly on the landing, but the kata is still excellent, that jump is incredibly difficult

  • möchte er pornodarsteller werden? oder was macht der da für bewegungen :-D

  • ich will dich sehen, wie du das machst. da gehört verdammt hartes training dazu, jeder der karate macht weiß das!

  • möchte er modell werden? oder was macht der da für bewegungen :-D

  • dünyada shotokan katada 1.mıchael milon 2. valdesi

  • Great athlete, poor karateka.

  • why?

  • what why?

  • he made a little mistake on that jump... he didn't dropped very well... lol...

  • ragazzi abbiamo difronte la perfezione del kata a livello planetario...nn esistono d esponenti migliori dello shotokan...W GLI AZZURRI

  • unsu is my favourite kata...and he do it the best...i luw him

  • I COULDN'T AGREE MORE ! ;D

  • ITS IMPOSSIBLE o.OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO­OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

    i can´t do this

  • no, inurty, it is possible to do this kata. why do you say so, and you ignore the fact that there are millions of karatekas out there in the world who can do Unsu? I'm not being boastful, but I happen to be one of them. It just takes a lot of practice.

  • I´m Brazilian, perhaps I´ve couldn´t express me well...

    I know it´s really possible, here in Brazil, when you see something very difficult we say "Impossível" or impossible ;P

  • dont get me wrong but i have been a karate champion for 7 years , I did unsu, but hes not even that good. when he does the jump his balance is nowhere, I mean compared to Milon hes far far away...

  • I think you're absolutely right

  • yes i see what you mean on the jump after close inspection. I do GKR in Australia but i like watching all sorts of styles and this kata is just good to watch. Yes Milon was good. Its a shame that he died. All the best

  • antonio lo hace mejor

  • bello tosto l'unsu..

  • grande valdesi...kata perfetto

  • on jest super wiem to bo on musi miec juz tyle madali ze ja!!:) a on ma jumpa jak mikt o jest prze dzik!!!!!!!!!!!

  • to jest prawdziwy mistrz ciekawe kto go trenował??

    kinga :)

  • very impressive!

  • damn teach me!!!!!!!!! i promise to be a good student!

    oss

    rei

  • wow...he is really the best.unsu is my favorite kata....

  • I'm am sure he is a very good karate practitioner his speed and fluidity show that, however his kata are demonstrated at speeds much greater than need be. Kata should simulate actual combat do not exaggerate the speed, should be steady flow with power and balance and concentration. He is very good no doubt about it. Ken Bright

  • i have sort of the same view. i was taught that when you do kata for judges, you should show every move. but his speed and power are incredible, and his balance is very create and his transitions are incredible. i don't know this kata, so i can't really critique, but he blazes through enpi (the kata i'm doing - learned up to movement 26) as well, and i've never seen anyone do it as fast as he does.

  • Michael fue UNICO para este Kata. Siempre hay un kata que es como para uno, pero UNSU era de Milon. Simplemente fue hecho como por él. Nadie un mucho tiempo podrá superarlo. NRNihonKodenShinDoRyu. Venezuela. Sorry Lucas

  • Yeah, this guy is freakin' phenomenal. I can only hope to be half as good as he is one day.

    Shame about his botched landing on the jump though -- it could have been cleaner and I was expecting better after seeing the rest of his kata. Still, I'd give it a near-or-perfect score.

  • No one's perfect, ok? Why don't you guys saying he is bad put videos of yourself here, then we'll see who's the best?

  • ... mal salto.. milon era mucho mejor

  • very nice but i think he kicked the wrong hand.:(

  • il primo Kiai è effettivamente fuori tempo... come al suo solito alcune parti sono eseguite frettolosamente, e nel salto manca ushiro geri, senza contare mikazuki-geri sulla mano prima del salto... nessuno è perfetto, io tantomeno, ma dal campione del mondo mi aspetto di meglio...boh...

  • umm whoever this lethal guppy kid is...first off he is world champion... there must be a reason for that... and secondly i dont think it is possible to do a kiai wrong... unless your like some white-orange belt

  • Esse kata foi muito bom excelente. Muito show parabéns.

    Um amigo meu fazia igual.

  • Esse kata foi muito bom excelente. Muito show parabéns.

    Um amigo meu fazia igual.

  • hes doin it quite well...but its true, the rythm is kind of strange...and his kiai s are absolutely wrong...

    i hope he knows what it means to do a kiai, because doing it after the punch or kick or whatever is absolutely senseless

  • the sound is out of sync man

  • dude, the sound is out of sync with the video, thats why the kiai comes after the kick lol. and rythm? sorry mate but kata is not a dance, its about the spirit of the kata and its timing.

  • OK im an Idiot...the sound...my fault, the rhythm- not completely: I saw this Kata at a local competition and it was slightly different, but I now understood, that here it was just "changed" for the sake of presentation

  • i know that he is the world champion for team and ind. kata but is he any good at kumite?

  • Valdesi is a realy good karateka and he do Kata like Gankaku very good but his Unsu is not his best Kata and I don't like the way he do it.

  • I'm sure that everyone who posted critiques of Valdesi's kata is superior in competition and kata performance. In the case that his kata isn't perfect (as every persons), instead of trying to perfect his; perfect your own and go apply your advice to yourself instead of some video on youTube.

  • would be better if luca keep doing Gangaku, because your Unsu is terrible!

  • No KIME, No rythm, no timing and way to MUCH POSING! Certainly not world class UNSU.  Not even close. But hey, GOD BLESS him, at least he's passionate.

  • Terrible? Fuck you.

  • yer mate im with you, piss off dick head.

    No KIME, No rythm, no timing and way to MUCH POSING???? sorry didnt realise you where a WKF judge, coz they are a big part of the criteria for kata, and he is the WORLD CHAMPION.

    so fuck off you clown.

  • Are you agreeing with me or disagreeing? Cause I was saying that Valdesi is the fucking man lolz.

  • lol yer mate im agreeing with you, he is freaking awesome!!

  • who are you? he's a hundred times better than you will EVER be.

  • Molto bravo ma per privilegiare la velocità ha impoverito un pò la tecnica. Comunque molto bravo!!!

  • Concordo col tuo commento, seppur letto 1 anno dopo. Valdesi non si discute ed, al di là dei gusti individuali pro e contro questo Campione, resta il fatto che spesso moltissimi atleti penalizzano un po' la "chiusura" finale delle tecniche a favore della velocità di esecuzione. Ora se lo stesso "errore" è compiuto da una cintura bianca lo massacrano, se lo fa un campione invece è tutto ok... Ho visto un tuo filmato messo in rete: Marco Canfora è un bravo ragazzo, lo ricordo all'ITIS da studente.

  • Ottimo! mi piace un sacco quella posizione nekoashi.