YouTube Miguel Diaz (Xolo Maridueña) delivers a similar crane kick to his opponent in the 50th Anniversary All Valley Under-18 Karate Championship in "Cobra Kai" season 1.
Have you ever wondered if Miyagi-Do is a real thing? The answer might surprise you.
Fans of the hit show “Cobra Kai” are probably familiar with the Miyagi-Do style of karate and it’s actually based on a real style of martial art.
Here’s everything you need to know about the real Miyagi-Do:
Miyagi-Do Is Based on Kata & Gōjū-Ryū Which Originated in Japan
Fans familiar with the “Karate Kids” series will remember Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) teaching Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) to “wax on, wax off” which Daniel felt was useless at first. What he was actually teaching Daniel was one of the philosophies of Gōjū-Ryū, according to the book Bubishi, which was shared on the martial arts official Wikipedia page.
“Gō, which means hard, refers to closed hand techniques or straight linear attacks; jū, which means soft, refers to open hand techniques and circular movements,” it reads.
The martial art was founded in 1930 in Okinawa, Japan (Yep, the same place Mr. Miyagi was from). The name of the founder … wait for it … Chōjun Miyagi.
Miyagi believed that “the ultimate aim of karate-do was to build character, conquer human misery, and find spiritual freedom” according to the Ancient Okinawan Martial Arts Volume 2.
Some notable MMA fighters who practice this style of fighting are UFC’s Giga Chikadze, who many believe will become the first Georgian UFC champion someday, due in part to his unique fighting style. Others include Gunnar Nelson and former UFC champion Robert Whittaker.
Kata Is a ‘Foundation-Building Practice Based on Choreographed, Fluid Motions’ & Mr. Miyagi Teaches It to Daniel in ‘Karate Kid’
Another memorable part of the “Karate Kid” movies is when Mr. Miyagi teaches Daniel about balance. This is a principle of kata, another style of martial art which translated means “form.”
According to the martial arts official Wikipedia page, it is described as “a detailed choreographed pattern of martial arts movements made to be practiced alone.”
According to Screen Rant, in the movies, Mr. Miyagi tells Daniel “Balance is key. Balance good, karate good. Balance bad, better pack up, go home,” this is his way of teaching Daniel kata. According to the outlet, the fundamentals of kata are “a foundation-building practice based on choreographed, fluid motions.”
We see Daniel passing on his knowledge of kata from Mr. Muyagi in season 1 of “Cobra Kai” when he instructs Robby Keen (Tanner Buchanan), “You may have the moves, but none of that matters unless you have balance.”
‘Cobra Kai’ Season 4 Trailer Teases Johnny & Daniel Teaching Their Students at Miyagi-Do
The new season of “Cobra Kai” is set for a December 31, 2021 release date and fans got hyped with a trailer released on December 9.
In it, we see Johnny and Daniel finally working together to put John Kreese (Martin Kove) and Cobra Kai out of business for good.
Viewers also got the first look at Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith) who is there to throw a wrench in the plans.
“You just don’t want to admit there’s always been a little Cobra Kai in you,” Terry tells Daniel in the trailer.
READ NEXT: WATCH: Mike Barnes & Terry Silver Face Off
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Is Miyagi-Do a Real Karate Style?