Page 55 - Martial Science Feb Issuu 19_Active

IMAGINE THIS SOUND:
12’000 people giving somebody a 5-minute-long standing ovation.
Now, imagine this “somebody” is a tiny Japanese girl, performing kata in
the middle of a huge arena!
Her name is RIKA USAMI.
At the 2012 World Championships in Paris.
That’s the incredible power of her kata!
RIKA USAMI is truly one of a kind when it comes to the technical
execution of kata.
Her merits include gold medals from huge competitions such as the
Japanese National Championships, Asian Championships,
World Championships, Istanbul Open, Jakarta Open, Dutch Open, Paris
Open, Salzburg Open and other events in the international tournament
scene. I’ve been filming her top-class kata performances for a long time.
You’ve probably seen her Bassai Dai, Seienchin, Koshokun Dai, Ko-
shokun Sho, Tomari Bassai or Chatan Yara Koshokun many times if you
follow my YouTube channel.
However, not until this weekend did I actually interview her!
And the result was epic…

J (Jesse): Okay, Usa- RU: “My first tournament was you think you’ve had such
mi-san! Let’s take it from the when I had green belt. I was great success in tournaments
beginning: When, where and in elementary school at that anyway?
why did you start practicing time, 12 years old. It was a pre-
Karate? tty small tournament though, RU: “Probably because I truly
consisting mostly of kids from love Karate more than anything
RU (Rika Usami): “I started nearby towns’ dojos. I actua- else. Plus, I get a lot of support
Karate when I was 10 years lly did not participate in any from people around me. Those
old, by joining a Goju-ryu style bigger tournaments until I was are the reasons, I think.”
dojo located near my family’s 15 years old.”
house in Tokyo. The reason was J: Speaking of people around
because one day I saw a cool J: So how long did it actually you, can you tell me about your
female fighter on TV, which take before you started winning sensei? What is it about your
made me really curious about most of your tournaments? master that makes him so spe-
the martial arts. Back then, my cial?
older brother had already been RU: “I was 17 years old when
practising Karate for a while, I won a big tournament for the RU: “You mean Inoue sensei?
even letting me wear his gi on first time. That was the national Well, first of all, he teaches me
occasions, so that helped me a high school championship. So, it not only the physical aspects
lot when I decided to eventually actually took me 7 years to win of Karate, but he also helps me
start practising Karate myself.” my first tournament in Karate!” improve my mental abilities. It’s
the spiritual aspect. Also, the
J: And at what age did you start main thing that separates Inoue
competing in kata? J: And you’ve been winning sensei from other instructors is
a lot more since! Why do that, unlike many masters, he

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