Asai Sensei's Thunderous Storm, Part 2

The secret to Asai Sensei's Karate is in his soft joints. He says that as people get older their muscles slow down, therefore, their speed and power is also reduced. This is a natural process that occurs to all people as they increase in age. Asai Sensei, however, reversed this process through the application of new techniques and methods that he personally developed.

Joint power is stronger than muscle power.
Let me explain to you the characteristics of Asai Sensei's technique. Asai Sensei says: "Joints are most important. I can use my joints freely from any stance in any way I want to meet any situation that comes before me." The followoing is a question and answer section with Asai Sensei.
Q. Asai Sensei What is a joint?
A. "Simple answer, A joint is a mechanism that rotates, and through this rotation it allows for extension and and retraction."

Q. So how do we apply this snapping joint technique?
A. "If we take the simplest Karate technique, the straight punch, most people just concentrate on power going in a straight line.
However, we must concentrate on the shoulder and elbow to push and twist the punch forward. The direct movement forward becomes secondary to the twisting penetrating power of the shoulder and elbow. (First and Second Photo, A and B.)
Let's think of a Nunchaku. A Nunchaku, consisting of too pieces of wood connected by string/chain, has no muscle in and of its own.
What makes it powerful is the method in which it is used. In Picture C, below, we see that the Nunchaku is used in the same manner as a whip. It is that "Whipping Action" that generates the power of a Nunchaku. Held on one end and swong forward, then quicky retracted back, will propell the free piece of wood towards its target like a whip. When the end of that piece of wood makes contact with its target, it creates the damage.
So in effect it is the joint- mechanism of the Nunchaku, in this case the string or the chain, that allows for such damage inflicting power at the moment of contact with the target. The same can be seen in Kendo. A Kendo expert, when attacking his opponent with his Shinai (bamboo sword) does not use muscle tension as a method of generating power. He simply relaxes and releases his power by whipping his weapon towards his target. A novice instead, would have a tense grip on his Shinai, reducing power and stability and unable to use the snap of the technique.
Asai Sensei discovered this power generation technique when he was using the "Seven-Jointed Whip", seen in picture D, the last picture below.
Therefore, whether it be a Nunchaku, a Kendo or a Karate technique, we must use the snap of a technique, like a whip. Without this whipping action power and speed will be reduced.

So the more joints you involve in your strike the more power you will generate at the moment of impact with your target. Also, should one be older in age or weak with little ability to generate power, this whipping techinique can prove to me be most effective because the joints are the essense of initiating that movement."
Asai Sensei further says the following:
"Therefore, by softening one's joingts and practicing how to use them, one can begin to understand their full range of movement. By increasing this range through practise, one can use this whipping action in one's Karate technique.

Therefore, joint power used in conjunction with Back-Power, which is your ability to bend in any direction, twist and turn in any direction, used further in conjuction with your Leg-Power, and your Hip-Power, will enable one for maximum power generation."

Asai Sensei, today, is able to generate a more effective technique than his younger years because he is not relying only on his muscles to generate power.

The author of this article asked Asai Sensei to demonstrate this method on him. When Asai Sensei did so, with a very soft touch to the author, the author felt an excruciating pain that felt more like the stabbing of knife.





The "Seven-Jointed Whip", in the last series of these pictures, like the human arm, this weapon can be used to attack straight, like a normal forward attack, or to wrap around something , like a hooking attack, similar to the human arm.