Kase - Ha Shotokan-Ryu Borovo (Like Page)
"Extreme power has to be released upon contacting opponent's arm. That is Ato Baya principle. Ato baya means employing maximum speed and power apon the contact with opponent's arm. That is Budo! Miyamoto Musashi said that after touching target with katana full power release has to follow. After touching... faster and stronger. This is important because it explains how to use Kime in real situation and not to think about form. Clenching fist causes tension in the shoulders, and that's wrong. Kime has to be felt from low abdomen and it has to be released with any technique. After that, the same felling has to be applied to open hand techniques. Open hand techniques offer more freedom in controlling defensive distance than closed fists blocks. Naturally it is easier to feel the kime with clenched fists than with open hand. That is why the first step is to develop kime with closed fists. I think that after the black belt level it is better using open hand techniques. They allow more freedom in connecting kicks. Naturally, when the fist is clenched, the whole body is tensed and that inhibits kicking. On the contrary, when the hands are open there is no tension in the body, so it is easier to use kicks." - Sensei Taiji Kase on seminar in Greece (1998) (Photo: Kokoro-Kai Dojo Varberg/Sweden - from Erfurt/Germany, June 2002)