SHOTOKAN - Elwyn Hall Looks Back

[stefandetrez]

Strategy: hidari ushiro geri chudan, hidari ashi barai and migi mawashi geri chudan. Finish.

[njtr]

I ts really great to see a guy who can perform at this level, yet he has no ego, and GREAT control.

[dragonbut]

Another shotokan monster

[chinte70]

Elwyn Hall is really a great fighter!

[Louiecummings01]

good kick

[rpesik]

Woww... 4.17 really great anticipation and timing.

[folioboards]

this guy would tear up Brennan

[genious4real]

Check out 2:13 to 2: 16! Straight back kick, set, sweep, roundhouse, reverse punch! and you can HEAR THEM ALL!

[JustinThoj]

Every time i see videos of the way they use to compete i'm stunned. Nowadays I'm used to the tip tappy point karate shit... this on the other hand is fucking badass and shows shotokan being applied at a highly competitive, full contact, live scenario...i fucking looove this!

[Boylefawsitt]

Old school kumite!

[gangster4lifeful]

he trained me

[hiranom20]

2 words...SUPERB CONTROL!! 

[elisboa]

The Akuma of real life

[twodeltas]

Elwyn and I trained in the same dojo as kyu-grades - but he was quite the athlete and rapidly left most us trailing behind. Fighting him was like trying to stand up against a gale filled with hail - a blinding flurry of arms and legs that wore you down until a hole appeared in your guard, when he would strike. Also one of the nicest guys you could meet - a real gentleman.

[200374]

@twodeltas - You're absoluely right, it's hard to imgine, when you see him fight; just what a nice guy he really is, nothing like you might imagine. He's one of the funniest blokes, a lugh a minute, and generous as well.

[MrCatita123]

essa cara é muito fera

[omegaice8]

I wish these days could come back Real KARATE

[mechanix5]

machine! such an excitin style! luvs it

[olev456]

i dont think that these kind of leg sweeps are allowed?

[200374]

@olev456 Well if it's not allowed, at least 50 ref's need to be re-educated on the rules of kumite! What is your definition of a leg sweep?

[jitteryjoe]

@200374 Nowadays they're not so keen on it. He is basically giving a low kick. Today's competition dandies would probably take a dive and try for a disqualification if you kicked their leg that hard.

[jitteryjoe]

@200374 I think he means the new WKF ones that aren't allowed to leave the mat. Sad in a way =/

[jivaughn]

yes they are!



[shingitai333]

@olev456 ... depends what federations rules you compete under ... back then in his day they were ok ... and mostly shotokan rules these days they are still allowing that type of " kick " sweep ... WKF rules wont though ... they think it causes too much injury ... modern points fighting is just getting too soft now is my opinion ...

[scottlikesvideos]

@olev456 They were back then and there were no hand mits.

[cuprakol]

saw him fight a few times and the speed of his hands and feet was somethink else the only person who could tame him was frank brennan.

[200374]

@cuprakol

Yes, Elwyn is all that you say, and he did beat Frank at the 1988 KUGB Nationals.

[cuprakol]

@200374 thats true elwyn was so fast i dont think ive ever seen anyone quicker

[genious4real]

@cuprakol When did Frank Brennan "tame" him?

[FoodCubes]

That combination of strikes, sweeps, throws, takedowns is an absolute beauty to watch!

[mfuji02]

love to see em & spider silva do sum stand up kumete -_-

[zakardo]

the black tiger!

[scullysedge]

competition has gone soft, not the training. Anyone who thinks it has should come the triangle in Liverpool. I can understand why competition has, people getting broken bones for nothing, but the training certainly hasn't. Elwyn fought at the most exciting time for Karate aswell as Frank, Ronnie Christopher, George Best, Jimmy Brennan, Myles Draper, Ronnie Cambell etc whent hey all fought it was exciting, not worth a carrot now, the comps that is, not the training.

[pastropmal]

@scullysedge It is the most famous karate style now days. That makes it likely that there are more poor dojos out there. More than in some. Not that there wouldn't be in every style..

[shoomeni]

I just saw my Swedish sensei Mr Leif Söderberg as the judge in this clip @ 2:31 - 2:50

Karate is just not the same without him in the Dojo...

[genious4real]

elwyn hall's shotokan is so strong that if he never learned grappling he would likley win 50% of his mma fights.

[yankeesfan0130]

more than 50 bro

[genious4real]

@yankeesfan0130 YA GOT ME THERE BRO! I WILL NEVER ARGUE THAT POINT!

[HarryBallbag]

I remember seeing this guy back-kicking someone out of the area back in about 1987. Forgot how great he was.

[Dannyboyshotokan]

I have traind on a course with this guy and he really does know his stuff. Constantly urging you on and some how enthuses you. Nice bloke as well, friendly and has a laugh when the course is ended.

[opticannon]

hes got what a lot of fighters today lack. courage...hes not afraid to get right in there. his ki\chi is phenom like cmon mother fucker me or you ( you know ). hes like right there in your face ready to mix it up. confident, sharp and drawing from the kata and flavor.

[seagoju]

Check out 4:16 to 4:22...!

[FredGuitar89]

yeah, pretty cool lol, I thought the same when I saw it

[JimBpa]

AWESOME!

[infoada]

Espectacular !!! No lo conocia a Elwyn Hall , no desaprovecha ni una oportunidad, me gustaria hacer kumite como el: muchos ashi barai. Excelente

[ohhiraflavio]

just amazing

[omegaice8]

Wish he could have fought in the UFC..Ossss

[diamondsculpture]

Elwyn Hall

one of the greatest fighters of all time.

To bonus a great showman.

[barrington190462]

i have trained with elwyn on and off over the years, and he trained with my late intructor at grove park back in the day jim patterson. its a shame that karate has gone a bit soft now,` as someone has said you can not hit to hard at comps.

but as long as elwyn is around and i known that i can still get a good work out-and as for elwyn he is the NUTS!.

[omegaice8]

so true Karate is gone too soft

[Mmichel07]

dam...this guy is awsome..i gona try to train just like him....lots of takedowns

[Fishies125]

and really good fighting spirit

[Shodan234]

This is awsome!

[ricohagen]

ashi barai's king

[1URESAM]

the guy is amazing.

[tujevito2428]

can some one send this video plz

[NeoShadow617]

Elwyn Hall is a leyend 5 star

[MaBu888]

I do kung fu and this video shows what shotokan karate should really be like, not some krotty, but ['kharate], same with kung fu, not kung foo but gongfu ['gong fu,], meaning hard work. This video gets 5 stars from me. The good thing is that the gongfu that I practice involves sparring similar to this, but with protective gear we go full contact. We, like in this video, try to apply every move we learn.

[feher75]

impresionantes lo ashi barai son exactos a la hora de usarlos

[Insigma83]

I just trained with Elwyn this weekend at Weston-Super-Mare at an all grades course. He came down and trained with the clubs from the FBSKUI. I am only a yellow belt but my god, this man was tearing all our black belts apart even now. His power is incredible and he's a nice guy too. Good course! If you get a chance, go and see him.

[JohnNW17]

I trained with Elwyn also, and i must say that if you ever get the oppertunity to train with him, then make sure you do. Every aspect of his fighting was amazing and he was so strong with every move that he did. I had to stand up why he did an example in front of the class, and even tough it werent full power, it still killed days after. What a guy

[yxs6176]

amazing!

[ruddyneb]

CHAMPION

[sianimusegirl]

My sensei has actually met this guy he's amazing, we all aspire to be him at our club

[seanhive]

now this is what i'm talking about dude. strong dudes looking like they're tryin to win the fight.

great footage.

[fuddyboi]

man those leg sweeps are enough to make the cobra kai sensai proud

[datdrudi]

Awesome! Elwyn Hall was a great fighter!

[tabascojazz]

shotokan used to be good but competitions are too soft nowadays. its too easy to get disqualified. this video shows what we need to get back to if we're to survive the death of enoida.

[christianbrecht]

I have noticed in Shotokan schools the decline in the emphasis on mastering the kihon well. Students tend to rush through the kata instead of gradually building on the more basic kata. Classes run for only one hour whereas before it used to bef or 2 hours. And I think its easier to earn a blackbelt nowadays, even in the JKA one can get it in maybe 3 years. Before training was harder and stricter. I lament this as well.

[eyup94]

işte karatenin ustaları

[rokkudan]

I remember seeing him at pickets lock in the mid 80's he was awesome, i was glad i was in a different category i won mine but know he would have stuffed me with that awesome diashi!

[MrSweetPotato]

Are you sure it was SUnderland 1986?

[200374]

Yes, my father was one of the cameramen and we still see Elwyn on a regular basis. He's in Finland teaching this weekend.

[200374]

Yes, it is Sunderland 1986.

[MrSweetPotato]

Was this Sunderland 1986?

[200374]

Yes, it was Sunderland 1986

[samsiufan]

ashi barai is his weapon. excellent use of ashi barai makes him almost unbeatable.

[rickjames789]

That was some really good fighting. Shotokan karate is some really good stuff.

[AVbullet]

ya he goes for the legs good fighter

[Windkick]

Nice!

Great fighter!

Even if i do Kyokushin, i like him!

Great Spirit!!!

[spaceglow]

i remember watching the nationals and hearing a guy behind me keep talking. i was going to tell him to be quiet. it was elwyn

[longquando]

I would like to be taught by that man.

[javraj87]

wow thats though as hell

[internalBoxing]

To bad this guy is to old now for the UFC I'm preatty sure that if had been in the early competitions of the UFC he would had kick some gracy ju-jitsu butt.

[kostresa]

That would be cool, although he probably wouldn't unless he got the proper MMA training.

[abra00cadaver]

I study gojo ryu, alot similar, but his hook-toundhouse combo is so much better than anyone I've ever seen. His sweeps are perfect.

[brunokino]

o kra é o capeta.. kkkk

[IndianaWrestler]

my grandfather is a 6th Dan in Shotokan, has fought w/ Bill Wallace and company full contact back in his day. Great teacher...

This black guy is unreal, though. Wow

[djmedan]

holly hell.. he's so fast and he doesn't loose form. he's got my respect.

[bomac10000]

THE best fighter on youtube. You rarely see anyone even do a good foot sweep, it's a great technique. This is pretty typical of top of the line WUKO fighting, tokey hill or billy blanks caliber.

[Akira300]

This man is amazing and his sweeps are way dominant!

[Sh0ot0okan]

That guy has speed and power to die for.

[mikebubur]

that black guy kicks ass

[josse1975]

Great video and great martial artist!

[Betsnipe]

What can i say... WOW!

[senos64]

nowadays you would be warned if you kicked that hard at somebody when sweeping

[cky3000]

yeh, compared to tournaments back then the one's that we have now are a load of crap. nowadays half of them are to scared to attack first

[vampgirl109]

i titaly agree and they are all fixed

[ipponwaza]

Wow! I have ben wondering for a long time who he was, not knowing. Im glad I can now put a name on the poster I need to buy. I myself train JKA, but havent seen such strength and agility in a fighter since Tanaka and Yahara. I am very, very impressed. Thank you for posting this. Osu!

[Dintellig]

Respect!

[THEEMERALDTABLET]

i thought george morrison of kirkby karate club was going to slap elwyn in 3.51 how is old george?

[fujicolt]

As a person who was at the vast majority of the fights shown i can only say this - Nanananana!!! Thankfully we have legend to provide it for us all - Elwyn Hall was astonishing and probably still is - I know how to beat him though - Transit Van - run him over when he aint looking!LOL

[BLZbozo]

What's he up to these days? Last I heard he gave up karate for boxing.

[MrMaul2006]

what are Elwyn Hall's stats . . ie height and weight and age at the time of these videos

[200374]

height 5-10ins - weight 170lbs - age 22 - circa 1987

[dobok1]

He's a great fighter.. His sweep is really effective. BTW - the mullet was awesome! :-)

[jimkel]

amazing, unbelievable reactions

[Abusivemelon]

I love the guy...

[JohnChivez]

Now that is what its supposed to be like. Fast, furious, and effective.

[Toxeh]

Savage...

[Derukugi2]

Pretty much leg sweep every time, no?

[Toxeh]

Described once as the only man who could sweep a horse...

[blackbeltste]

did anyone else see the mullett? quality.

[mooseven]

If I drew this guy in competition, I think I'd throw in the towel! :-D