THIS IS NOT KARATE! A warning from a JKA life member: I spent a long time training and teaching this activity. Because of many contradictions I saw and heard, I began a study of karate from it’s beginning; what it really is, why it was developed, how it was taught, what it’s general syllabus was. The JKA is a shell, they have eliminated much of original karate and have invalidated it as a martial art. Read comments my site, the truth is obvious through study if you are willing to see it.
He was able to reach best 8 in, was it 2004 All Japan Trounament? Is he still participating in all japan tounaments? REaching best 8 is already an accomplishment but I could not see his name in the latests tournaments.
They are home made. Just tape a squash ball, racquet ball, or tennis ball to some surgical tubing. If you braid the tubing you can give it a bit of an irregular wiggle which helps tune up the eyes. This really improves accuracy and timing
Richard you may want to look at the last fight where you think you struck Koji first, well my friend you didn't! JKA judge will never score a point to you if you are moving backwards. Now the second part where you land a kick, well you didn't, Koji blocked with Gedan barai and then counter was Kizami tsuki! Lol plus he is Japanese :)
Sorry Ninjaboy8, no disrespect to Japanese, I mean I have always found them to be honorable fighters. If they attack, they attack, if they defend, then its defense. That's all . In other words no mistake, I can tell you more, but its got to do with why they are so.
and shotokan also as i said focused on speed but is also the more traditional more closer to the Okinawan original's but both kyokushin and shotokan have bareknuckle fights, most iv seen a kyokushin wear on he's hands are one or 2 stripps of thinn papertape, and back to MT they wear gloves yes 6,8,10 ounze gloves depending on your weight and a gummshield and they can use elbows and knees and kicks and punches anywhere to the body exept the groin and entire back including back of head and spine.
which stlye of karate, and what advantages do u see karate having on MT and what disadvantages karate has comparing to MT, why do u like it and why did u switch. im trying to choose between shotokan, MT or Kyokushin because there are local schools that teach that. the only thing i dislike about MT is that it seems to be alot of tattooed up big ego pple in there. share ure expereinces in general. thank u
i c, do different styles of karate fight against each other? or are karate tornaments separate for each style? from what i hear ''full contact karate'' is kyokushin
that depends, there are tournaments from only one style (like the one I've been today: Shotokan karate only) and also all-styles karate cups.
Don't let the whole full contact thing about kyokushin make you think less of other styles.
in this tourny there was hard enough contact, also some matches where the fight was simply over with 1 punch since the other was not fully ko'ed but too far from this world to even stand straight.
I'd say that only the real advanced fighters fight other styles.
thnx for the info, so how advanced are u in shotokan? and have u done other styles of combat and if u had how do u compare shotokan to previus or other martial arts uve done?
I'm totally not advanced, this was my first competition.
I do crosstrain often with an kickboxer thought, I know the basics of Muay Chaiya, but those are only the basics. But I can say this: if you got an good teacher and you put in the effort to learn you'll be an unstoppable fighting machine. no matter if you do shotokan, kyokushin or an Muay boran art(not muay thai! too much restrictions)
But the key is to find an good teacher, one that teaches on an traditional way and not the western way.
let me just tell you that iv done MT for several years and my trainer is thai, i am now switching over because of a broken shinn a year ago,as for what you should choose if you like hard slug full contact and training 6 hours a day its MT but their is no such thing as hit once and stop in MT sure their are points but its more about tko and KO, like Kyokushin exept you cant punch or elbow to the head in kyokushin but you can kick or knee but not clinch, now shotokan is more point and freakin fast
I saw this guy fight way back in 1997, tokyo dome. hmmm... I think it was him. It was in the JKA All Japan. I was from Osaka and he, I think was from Tokyo.
i really enjoyed this video. looks like the interviews were done at a Gold's Gym. does anyone know which one? and which dojo does mr. heselton train at? i ask because i'm in tokyo now.
Richard Heselton is indeed an amazing Shotokan fighter.I hope he wins the all Japan title. He may very well be the first non-Japanese to do it.However, in this fight with Ogata, Heselton is clearly the looser. At 4:35 his is strike off balance, moving backward, and speedily countered by Ogata's gyakuzuki. At 4:53 his kick is blocked and countered again by Ogata's gyakuzuki before Heselton throws his kizamizuki. Maybe next time. Please be kind to the judges, they saw it correctly.
Just wait for Lyoto Machida to win the title. He's a Karate-Do Shotokan fighter (from JKA too) who has incorporate his shotokan into MMA and has shown impresive fighting skills. He has a record of 12 wins, 0 losses, 0 draws. He won fights over former UFC champions Tito Ortiz and Rich Franklin (by KO).
I'm confused. I thought that only Kyokushinkan-kai karate allowed full-contact, bare knuckle fighting. Can you strike a person in the face in JKA-style kumite?
@kolsyrade my broken ribs would agree with you. But hey, this is karate. If you don't want to deal with the contact, maybe you should do Tai Chi instead! Or Yoga. or Cardio Kickboxing.
@ndileonardo Well, for people who have issues with hard contact, WKF rules karate usually allows much less contact than JKA these days. There are even some organizations who allow NO contact (stopping all techniques a inch before impact),
Personally I think I´ll stick to trying to avoid getting KO´d under kyokushin knockdown rules. I can admire JKA style fighting, but the "stop after every hit" thing annoys me. I prefer long full contact exchanges, even if they look sloppy in technique.
I have had the pleasure of training with Richard he is very sharp and would keep any body on their toes. Great to see how far he's got. I would have liked to see more of his actual fights on the clip though.
I'm a lifelong friend of Rich's. We came through school together and have been best mates thoughout our life. Please forward my congratulations on his success in his chosen path.
This is a great clip. It really reveals his dedication to the art. The only thing I didn't like was about the narration on the match with Ogata. I personally say that the first point was to Rich and the second was Ogata. So I wouldn't have said that he scored his second point. I would have just said that it was an arguable and close match, or this clip may hurt him at JKA than help him.
The comment is mine not Rich's so he should not be held responsible. Yet, clearly rich and unabashed bias exists in almost all aspects of the fight scene in Japan against foriegn fighters. It is often so overt it borders on the comic.
I agree with tnakamur. Whatever the case may be re: bias against gaijin, in the particular case of Rich's fight against Ogata, you didn't conclusively demonstrate that the point scored was wrongly awarded to Ogata. To show that you'd have to do a slo-mo and freeze-frames -- not just assert it. But the other commenter said it very well already.
Yes, japanese people are very racist. They cannot stand to lose to a gaijin. They think they are better than everyone else in the world and they will try to prove it, even if they have to cheat. Japanese have a complex about their height,and the size of their penis, therefore they hate foreigners. They want to stay in their protected little world and lie to themselves, and everyone else. Japanese are the worst racists I have ever seen, and I have lived around the world. They are jealous.
@MsJoeaverage I was able to live in Japan for 2 years and yes, there are some who are racist but generally the Japanese are good people. Well, I think it's to each his own experience....
@rcadag When the Japanese are trying to gain internaitonal support like in Shinkyokushin the reffing is fair. However, in other events they are only surpassed by Koreans in corrupt reffing. Watch the Roy Jones Olympic fight if you want to see downright laughable corruption at the Olympic level with the whole world watching.
@fightjapanrc hmmm... i did not see that one. maybe you have a poinit and maybe I am just in the denial stage. I hope you are wrong on this one. i do have a question. Is Rich still competing? was he able to reach best 8 on the last All Japan? I don want him to be sucessful in these tournaments to at least, for me, erase some notion about "they only want a Japanese to win" notion.
@fightjapanrc sorry for the double post. I can't see where my first response went. well, I did not see the roy Jones fight. Well I maybe in denial. but i do want Richard to be successful in the JKA All Japan tournaments. This way, at least for me, i could say that there are no racism in the JKA tournament.
Yeah, I enjoyed making the show about Rich. He is smart and he is always trying to improve. This is a pleasant change from many of the people one meets in the fight scene.
VAIIII TOMAR NO OLHO DO TEU CUUUUUUUUU FILHA DA PUTAAAA
CelsoNaiff 9 months ago
THIS IS NOT KARATE! A warning from a JKA life member: I spent a long time training and teaching this activity. Because of many contradictions I saw and heard, I began a study of karate from it’s beginning; what it really is, why it was developed, how it was taught, what it’s general syllabus was. The JKA is a shell, they have eliminated much of original karate and have invalidated it as a martial art. Read comments my site, the truth is obvious through study if you are willing to see it.
IEKUKATAKA 1 year ago
this video's audio is messed up
shoulung 1 year ago
Im in his shoes... well someday.
shotojojo1986 1 year ago
Im in his shoes... well someday.
shotojojo1986 1 year ago
I wouldn't wanna spar with him... he's got those big eyes that says bang!
underugmedia 1 year ago
He was able to reach best 8 in, was it 2004 All Japan Trounament? Is he still participating in all japan tounaments? REaching best 8 is already an accomplishment but I could not see his name in the latests tournaments.
rcadag 2 years ago
rich is my son's karate teacher! a very dedicated person to his craft, and a wonderful person.
josie426 2 years ago 2
This man is so inspiring...I think i've watched this video 30 times!
goraisan 2 years ago 2
He's very good ;-) I'm glad that a non-japanese can reach such a level.
DamMich 2 years ago
there are quite a few non-Japanese who have reached that level.
WestBfella 2 years ago 2
Very few.
There just aren't many who ever spent enough time in japan to learn to move like this.
Heselton is the product of the university system. It's very hard to get where he got without spending at least a couple of years in that system.
sligo405 2 years ago
anyone know where the small speed balls are from (or are they 'home made')?
Any help would be really appreciated
surfhippyhylt 3 years ago
They are home made. Just tape a squash ball, racquet ball, or tennis ball to some surgical tubing. If you braid the tubing you can give it a bit of an irregular wiggle which helps tune up the eyes. This really improves accuracy and timing
fightjapanrc 3 years ago
Thanks for that, I'll give it a try, brilliant videos by the way
surfhippyhylt 3 years ago
Richard you may want to look at the last fight where you think you struck Koji first, well my friend you didn't! JKA judge will never score a point to you if you are moving backwards. Now the second part where you land a kick, well you didn't, Koji blocked with Gedan barai and then counter was Kizami tsuki! Lol plus he is Japanese :)
wskfqld 3 years ago
What does that mean "plus he is Japanese"?
Ninjaboy8 3 years ago
Sorry Ninjaboy8, no disrespect to Japanese, I mean I have always found them to be honorable fighters. If they attack, they attack, if they defend, then its defense. That's all . In other words no mistake, I can tell you more, but its got to do with why they are so.
wskfqld 3 years ago
and shotokan also as i said focused on speed but is also the more traditional more closer to the Okinawan original's but both kyokushin and shotokan have bareknuckle fights, most iv seen a kyokushin wear on he's hands are one or 2 stripps of thinn papertape, and back to MT they wear gloves yes 6,8,10 ounze gloves depending on your weight and a gummshield and they can use elbows and knees and kicks and punches anywhere to the body exept the groin and entire back including back of head and spine.
dynamiz 3 years ago
but most of all its turned him into a real nice bloke...
salstream 3 years ago
11yrs 3rd dan. not like some places you get a dan grading after a year or two
mafiouso 3 years ago
He showed class when he lost that fight to the champion. No look on his face that betrayed any emotion, that was impressive!
Gman6755 3 years ago 2
=D
I went from Muay Thai to Karate and I'm loving it!
HotKebab 3 years ago
which stlye of karate, and what advantages do u see karate having on MT and what disadvantages karate has comparing to MT, why do u like it and why did u switch. im trying to choose between shotokan, MT or Kyokushin because there are local schools that teach that. the only thing i dislike about MT is that it seems to be alot of tattooed up big ego pple in there. share ure expereinces in general. thank u
saweet999 3 years ago
What I can say is simple this:
Try them all out,
I'd say shotokan or kyokushin.
shotokan is most technical and about precission,
kyokushin is full contact and be prepared to get hit often,
MT is an pure sport full of protection and very bound by rules.
Eterud 3 years ago
i c, do different styles of karate fight against each other? or are karate tornaments separate for each style? from what i hear ''full contact karate'' is kyokushin
saweet999 3 years ago
that depends, there are tournaments from only one style (like the one I've been today: Shotokan karate only) and also all-styles karate cups.
Don't let the whole full contact thing about kyokushin make you think less of other styles.
in this tourny there was hard enough contact, also some matches where the fight was simply over with 1 punch since the other was not fully ko'ed but too far from this world to even stand straight.
I'd say that only the real advanced fighters fight other styles.
Eterud 3 years ago
thnx for the info, so how advanced are u in shotokan? and have u done other styles of combat and if u had how do u compare shotokan to previus or other martial arts uve done?
saweet999 3 years ago
I'm totally not advanced, this was my first competition.
I do crosstrain often with an kickboxer thought, I know the basics of Muay Chaiya, but those are only the basics. But I can say this: if you got an good teacher and you put in the effort to learn you'll be an unstoppable fighting machine. no matter if you do shotokan, kyokushin or an Muay boran art(not muay thai! too much restrictions)
But the key is to find an good teacher, one that teaches on an traditional way and not the western way.
Eterud 3 years ago
let me just tell you that iv done MT for several years and my trainer is thai, i am now switching over because of a broken shinn a year ago,as for what you should choose if you like hard slug full contact and training 6 hours a day its MT but their is no such thing as hit once and stop in MT sure their are points but its more about tko and KO, like Kyokushin exept you cant punch or elbow to the head in kyokushin but you can kick or knee but not clinch, now shotokan is more point and freakin fast
dynamiz 3 years ago
I saw this guy fight way back in 1997, tokyo dome. hmmm... I think it was him. It was in the JKA All Japan. I was from Osaka and he, I think was from Tokyo.
rcadag 3 years ago
i really enjoyed this video. looks like the interviews were done at a Gold's Gym. does anyone know which one? and which dojo does mr. heselton train at? i ask because i'm in tokyo now.
Philmoscowitz 3 years ago
damn i wanna learn !!!!!!!!!
BADATHANG 3 years ago
Cool video, a very skilled martial artist indeed.
Sheik06 3 years ago
Richard Heselton is indeed an amazing Shotokan fighter.I hope he wins the all Japan title. He may very well be the first non-Japanese to do it.However, in this fight with Ogata, Heselton is clearly the looser. At 4:35 his is strike off balance, moving backward, and speedily countered by Ogata's gyakuzuki. At 4:53 his kick is blocked and countered again by Ogata's gyakuzuki before Heselton throws his kizamizuki. Maybe next time. Please be kind to the judges, they saw it correctly.
Ous!
DCdiamonds 3 years ago
Could he be selected to enter the Funakoshi (Shoto) Cup for Japan?
Toxeh 3 years ago
I hope he goes into MMA. I want a UFC champion to be a Karate fighter for once
gyromancy2 3 years ago
Just wait for Lyoto Machida to win the title. He's a Karate-Do Shotokan fighter (from JKA too) who has incorporate his shotokan into MMA and has shown impresive fighting skills. He has a record of 12 wins, 0 losses, 0 draws. He won fights over former UFC champions Tito Ortiz and Rich Franklin (by KO).
Sheik06 3 years ago
13 wins! :)
Hotora86 3 years ago
I admire that guy!
goraisan 3 years ago
I'm confused. I thought that only Kyokushinkan-kai karate allowed full-contact, bare knuckle fighting. Can you strike a person in the face in JKA-style kumite?
sullyb23511 3 years ago
Yes, you can strike a person in the face but not with full power. You have to pull your punches and kicks.
IronOgun 3 years ago 3
Are full force body shots allowed?
sullyb23511 3 years ago
Every strikes should be control, but contacts occur and it's normal.
charger089 3 years ago 2
JKA contact rules is basically "as hard as you can without actually hurting or knocking out the opponent".
Basically if the opponent goes down from your technique you get a warning/point-deduction/disqualification for excessive contact.
Ofcourse unlike kyokushin, there is seldome more than a single power punch. You break after each hit, and dont continue punching until one goes down.
But they are far from no-contact -especially on bodyshots.
kolsyrade 3 years ago 3
@kolsyrade my broken ribs would agree with you. But hey, this is karate. If you don't want to deal with the contact, maybe you should do Tai Chi instead! Or Yoga. or Cardio Kickboxing.
ndileonardo 10 months ago
@ndileonardo Well, for people who have issues with hard contact, WKF rules karate usually allows much less contact than JKA these days. There are even some organizations who allow NO contact (stopping all techniques a inch before impact),
Personally I think I´ll stick to trying to avoid getting KO´d under kyokushin knockdown rules. I can admire JKA style fighting, but the "stop after every hit" thing annoys me. I prefer long full contact exchanges, even if they look sloppy in technique.
kolsyrade 10 months ago
@ndileonardo Uhm...real Tai Chi is full contact. I walked out after my first Karate sparring session because I wasn't allowed to do any takedowns.
durty1calhoun 2 weeks ago
No, but if your opponent is a dumbass he'll play the hard guy and won't whine to the judge.
Here in Brazil many people won national titles taking advantage of this prohibition.
THIS i why i think full force shots should be allowed.
"Don't wanna have your nose broken? Why don't you try some ballet?"
That's my motto ;]
murilobizkitbrito 3 years ago 2
Why did the judges give those points to Ogata at 5:16??
followsjesus2 3 years ago
because its typical japanese biased judging, same in all styles. Unless you knock the Jap out, he will get the win!
CELTICWARRIOR247 3 years ago
Lovely Ashi - Barai at 0:42
karatefella 3 years ago
Shotokan is brilliant and this guy knows what he's talking about.
Hotora86 4 years ago 2
I agree, shotokan is a fascinating style, elegant and beutiful. It is the firm discipline that makes it what it is.
MadameHypnosesSlave 4 years ago 2
great story,the young man deserves all his success.
hssp900 4 years ago
I have had the pleasure of training with Richard he is very sharp and would keep any body on their toes. Great to see how far he's got. I would have liked to see more of his actual fights on the clip though.
imperfectbutpaul 4 years ago
Ok lets talk the truth, he has great spirit, but he lost, point fighting that is. Should I go on?
wskfqld 3 years ago
hater!!
naagyman77 2 years ago
I am going to film it, if possible
fightjapanrc 4 years ago
Rich has just won the jka all Tokyo's, good luck in the All Japan's.
jaitokyo 4 years ago
hard training, this guy is dedicated, thanks 4 this
post more jka iskf kumite people. kugb too.
maoswidow 4 years ago
I'm a lifelong friend of Rich's. We came through school together and have been best mates thoughout our life. Please forward my congratulations on his success in his chosen path.
(written on behalf of John Bob!! & Jameus)
englishpunk77 4 years ago
What is the nationality of Mr. Heselton??? Is he English??
strongkarate 4 years ago
Richard Heselton is from York in England.
Sensei Dave Hooper talks about him in the current (April 08 Shotokan Karate Magazine)
karatefella 3 years ago
This is a great clip. It really reveals his dedication to the art. The only thing I didn't like was about the narration on the match with Ogata. I personally say that the first point was to Rich and the second was Ogata. So I wouldn't have said that he scored his second point. I would have just said that it was an arguable and close match, or this clip may hurt him at JKA than help him.
tnakamur 4 years ago
The comment is mine not Rich's so he should not be held responsible. Yet, clearly rich and unabashed bias exists in almost all aspects of the fight scene in Japan against foriegn fighters. It is often so overt it borders on the comic.
fightjapanrc 4 years ago
I agree with tnakamur. Whatever the case may be re: bias against gaijin, in the particular case of Rich's fight against Ogata, you didn't conclusively demonstrate that the point scored was wrongly awarded to Ogata. To show that you'd have to do a slo-mo and freeze-frames -- not just assert it. But the other commenter said it very well already.
dmac1920 4 years ago
so do u think he lost the fight cause hes a 'Gaijin'
masterkershaw 4 years ago
Yes, japanese people are very racist. They cannot stand to lose to a gaijin. They think they are better than everyone else in the world and they will try to prove it, even if they have to cheat. Japanese have a complex about their height,and the size of their penis, therefore they hate foreigners. They want to stay in their protected little world and lie to themselves, and everyone else. Japanese are the worst racists I have ever seen, and I have lived around the world. They are jealous.
MsJoeaverage 2 years ago
@MsJoeaverage I was able to live in Japan for 2 years and yes, there are some who are racist but generally the Japanese are good people. Well, I think it's to each his own experience....
rcadag 1 year ago
@rcadag When the Japanese are trying to gain internaitonal support like in Shinkyokushin the reffing is fair. However, in other events they are only surpassed by Koreans in corrupt reffing. Watch the Roy Jones Olympic fight if you want to see downright laughable corruption at the Olympic level with the whole world watching.
fightjapanrc 1 year ago
@fightjapanrc hmmm... i did not see that one. maybe you have a poinit and maybe I am just in the denial stage. I hope you are wrong on this one. i do have a question. Is Rich still competing? was he able to reach best 8 on the last All Japan? I don want him to be sucessful in these tournaments to at least, for me, erase some notion about "they only want a Japanese to win" notion.
rcadag 1 year ago
@fightjapanrc sorry for the double post. I can't see where my first response went. well, I did not see the roy Jones fight. Well I maybe in denial. but i do want Richard to be successful in the JKA All Japan tournaments. This way, at least for me, i could say that there are no racism in the JKA tournament.
rcadag 1 year ago
the mad thing about kyokushin karate on the other hand is , they cant say you lost when the other guy is unconcious on the ground
masterkershaw 4 years ago
Yeah yeah,the other guy is on the ground,so what?What are you going to do with him?The fight is not finished yet,it just getting started.
HadeSCAR 4 years ago
I think you missed the part when he said "unconscious," unless you have other plans for him after that.
skimarcus 4 years ago
LMAO at that comment. xD "Other plans". LOL, bad thoughts.
Hotora86 4 years ago
Lol now that funny!
wskfqld 3 years ago
This video portrays Richard as the outstanding karateka and true gentleman that I know him to be.
kobutsumeek 5 years ago
Yeah, I enjoyed making the show about Rich. He is smart and he is always trying to improve. This is a pleasant change from many of the people one meets in the fight scene.
fightjapanrc 5 years ago