‘Craig
Raye’s Kumite Sparring Tips’ by Karate Videos
is a beautifully presented and very informative  production,
with very high production values and exciting content.
From the outer package alone, this DVD looks high quality,
and when you sit to watch it, the design does the DVD
justice.
In
a very easy to follow manner, this DVD manages to provide,
almost private tutorials on each specific topic that
the DVD covers, giving the audience a great insight
into the skills of Craig Raye.
Craig
Raye, student of Sensei Enoeda, provides a series of
short tutorials, some looking at fighting tips, others
at drills for training. All detail ways to heighten
your fighting skills and capitalize on the skills you
already have.
For
example, at one point, Raye illustrates an effective
way to make a simple mawashi-geri work that little bit
better, simply by aligning the feet a little differently,
making the kick sharper and more effective. The DVD
doesn’t overcook the technical details of kihon,
but simply provides ways to make your techniques work
better.
 Navigation
through the DVD is also very good, for if you want to
re-cap on a specific point, you don’t have to
run through an entire DVD the way you might with many
other productions. This DVD does not run as a whole,
but rather as little sections, where you also get a
choice of many great angles and viewings.
The
DVD is broken down into:
Basic
Kumite (Kihon)
Semi-free
Kumite (Jiyu-Ippon)
Punching
and blocking drills
Kicking
and blocking drills
Combination
drills
Championship
fights
These
sections are then broken down further into many other
subcategories. The brilliant thing about this DVD however
is the fact that you can view the footage through a
quad split, and edited version and slow motion; making
viewing all the more simple and detailed; allowing you
to fully analyse the points that Raye is teaching.
Within,
there’s fantastic footage of Raye talking about
ushiro-geri, and the best way to make the kick work.
He provides a number of tips on how to get the advantage
with this kick and how to ensure the kick travels the
correct path to the target. (I’m not telling you
what he said; you’ll have to buy the DVD for that)
This is then backed with the footage of Raye fighting
in competition under the ‘Championship fights’
section, where you see the devastating results of getting
this kick to work properly, making you understand that
the tips and skills he discusses really do work, which
inspires much enthusiasm in the audience.
As
I watched this competition footage, I was very impressed
with Raye’s fighting skill, especially his spirit
and determination. This is inspiring and makes for excellent
viewing. One skill he honed perfectly was his great
use of the leg sweep. When he decides to use them, his
opponents are at his mercy as they fall, and the footage
got me thinking about the famous clips of Enoeda Sensei
in the Best Series, showing his destructive leg sweeps.
I think it is fair to say that Enoeda Sensei’s
spirit and skill certainly had an impact on the skills
of Raye, who himself employs a fantastic fighting skill,
but also a spirit that is very powerful and inspirational.
Very
exciting stuff!
Shaun
Banfield
22/12/06
Review
Courtesy of www.theshotokanway.com
Shotokan Karate Video Clips now available to download
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