All India Full Contact Karate Federation

OSU....every body

✊The meaning of Osu🙅
In Kyokushin every question is answered with
osu. Every greeting is Osu. Every instruction or
question in class, is answered by "Osu" instead of
"yes" or "I understand". When performing kihon
waza (basic techniques) in class, each technique is
often accompanied with a loud "Osu". When
practicing jiyu kumite (free fighting) in class and
your opponent lands a good, hard technique, you
say "Osu" to acknowledge your opponent's skill. As
a measure of respect, knockdown fighters at a
tournament bow and say "Osu" to the front, to the
referee and to each other, before and after the
fight.
Osu is a combination of the words: Oshi which
means "Push", and Shinobu whihch means "to
Endure". It means patience, determination,
appreciation, respect and perseverance.
In order to develop a strong body and strong
spirit it is necessary to undergo rigorous training.
Kyokushin training is very demanding. You
push yourself until you think you've reached your
limit. First your body wants to stop, to give up, but
your mind keeps pushing you. Then your mind
wants to stop, but your spirit keeps you going.
When you reach this point you must fight yourself
and your weakness and you must win. To do this
you must endure the pain, you must learn to
persevere, but above all you must learn to be
patient. That is Osu!
Kyokushin karate is not learned overnight. It
takes years to properly learn the fundamentals. The
basic techniques are performed thousands of times
(ren ma – "always polishing") until they are done by
reflex or instinct, without conscious thought
(mushin – "no mind"). It's easy to get frustrated by
doing the same thing over and over again,
especially when progress seems to be slow. To
overcome that frustration and continue training
takes patience and determination. That is Osu.
The reason you subject yourself to hard
training is because you care about yourself, and to
care about yourself is to respect yourself. This self
respect evolves and expands to become respect for
your instructor and fellow students. When you enter
the dojo you bow and say "Osu" . This means you
respect your dojo and the time you spend training
there. This feeling of respect is OSU!
During training you push yourself as hard as
possible because you respect yourself. When you
finish you bow to your insructor and fellow students
and say "Osu" once more. You do this out of
appreciation. This feeling of appreciation is OSU.
Thus OSU is a very important word in
Kyokushin Karate because it signifies patience,
respect and appreciation. That is why we always
use the word OSU; to remind ourselves of these
indespensable qualities.
The ultimate devotion needed to live
Kyokushin's way is Osu.
The spirit of Osu as described by Shihan
Cameron Quinn of Australia in his book The Budo
Karate of Mas Oyama:
"There is a saying in Japan, "Ishi no ue ni
sannen." Translated, it means "Three years on a
rock." This saying symbolizes the need to
persevere at all times. It is one of the most
important philosophies in Kyokushin karate.
Kyokushin is an art offering many things
according to the immediate and long term aims of
the trainee. Ultimately, one realizes that
transcending the kicks, the punches, and the kata,
there is a special spirit in the heart of the
participants. It teaches them to face the demands
of daily life with a mature and enduring attitude. A
budo-ka is not easily shaken by the blows of
adversity, realizing that for a person to draw near to
their true potential, a never-say-die spirit of
perseverance is required.
This strength of character develops in hard
training and is known as osu no seishin (the spirit
of Osu). The word Osu comes from oshi shinobu,
which means "to persevere whilst being pushed". It
implies a willingness to push oneself to the limits of
endurance, to persevere under any kind of
pressure.
The single word Osu captures most
accurately the ultimate in what the art of karate,
particularly Kyokushin, has to offer. One who is
truly able to manifest the spirit of Osu in every
word, thought, and action may be regarded as wise
and brave. Training should first and foremost be
approached in the spirit of Osu. One's daily life, and
the responsibilities it holds, would be more
completely lived if addressed in the spirit of Osu.
Even for the beginner, who is conscious of his
lack of training and does not necessarily want to
face the demand of training, it is enough merely
being aware that through perseverance and the will
to continue, there comes great physical, mental,
spiritual, and emotional gains. All that is needed is
that special determination."
OSU!!!

Posted by Sensei Gora Ganguly

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