守破離 ... Shu-ha-ri With KAATSU

For who? martial arts, Baby Boomers, retirees, student-athletes
For what? Strength, stamina, functional movement, mobility, flexibility, recovery

Shuhari (守破離 in Japanese) is a Japanese martial art concept. It succinctly describes the three stages of learning to mastery.

"When I first saw Dr. Sato use KAATSU to enable the human body to heal itself, to perform effective and efficient rehabilitation, and to build muscle and increase vascular elasticity in creative and unique ways, I realized that he followed the concept of shuhari," observed KAATSU Global CEO Steven Munatones.

Shu or 守 means to protect or obey traditional wisdom. This is the stage where the fundamentals of exercise or rehabilitation are studied, and the protocols of improving human physiology or healing injuries are learned from experienced coaches, teachers, masters, physicians or medical practitioners.

Ha or 破 means to detach or break away from tradition. This is the stage where KAATSU Specialists look beyond what has been done before - and study the mechanisms of KAATSU.

Ri or 離 means to separate from the past. This is where KAATSU Specialists achieve their own goals in the areas of human performance, rehabilitation and recovery for users of various ages, abilities, conditions and backgrounds.

Aikido master Endō Seishirō shihan explained, "It is known that, when we learn or train in something, we pass through the stages of shu, ha, and ri.

In shu, we repeat the forms and discipline ourselves so that our bodies absorb the forms that our forebears created. We remain faithful to these forms with no deviation. Next, in the stage of ha, once we have disciplined ourselves to acquire the forms and movements, we make innovations. In this process the forms may be broken and discarded.

Finally, in ri, we completely depart from the forms, open the door to creative technique, and arrive in a place where we act in accordance with what our heart/mind desires, unhindered while not overstepping laws."

Copyright © 2014-2018 by KAATSU Global

104-Year-Old Building Muscle and Doing KAATSU

For who? Baby Boomers, retirees, elderly
For what? Strength, stamina, functional movement, mobility, flexibility, recovery



Visionary physicians and patients born before 1950 are leading the way on how best to incorporate KAATSU to combat sarcopenia and address a host of other health issues. A 104-year-old female patient in Kawasaki, Japan shows what is possible with KAATSU under the guidance of her physician Dr. Odagiri and KAATSU inventor Dr. Sato.

The video above was presented by Dr. Odagiri at the first KAATSU Training Symposium held in Tokyo, Japan in 2005.

The patient was bedridden and uncommunicative for two months with severe dementia. She was transferred from her local hospital to Odagiri Hospital where she was treated with KAATSU. Initially for the first month, she simply did passive KAATSU Cycle sets as she remained in bed. Gradually, she became communicative - to the delight of her daughters in their early 80's - and was able to get out of bed by herself. Eventually, over the course of two months, she was able to do a variety of exercises and found herself wishing to live to be 200 years old [see video above].

During the video, she was asked how old she is and she answers as 104, holding a document confirming her age and birth date. She is shown doing a variety of exercises with her KAATSU AirBands on (at a 120 SKU level).

Her doctors also documented her muscle gains in her upper legs (quadriceps and hamstring muscles) via before-and-after comparative computed tomography scans (3 months apart):





























For a brief explanation of the mechanisms involved in doing KAATSU among elderly patients, visit here.

Copyright © 2014 - 2018 by KAATSU Global

KAATSU Aqua Core And Shoulder Work

For who? water athletes, Baby Boomers, retirees, student-athletes
For what? Strength, stamina, functional movement, mobility, flexibility, recovery



While basic core-strength exercises including planks, crunches, sit-ups, bridges, and abdominal presses can be done on land or in gyms, KAATSU users (especially competitive and fitness swimmers, water polo players, lifeguards and surfers) can also do a variety of core-strength and shoulder exercises in the pool.

Use a Bosu Ball and KAATSU Aqua Bands - either on your arms or legs.

The KAATSU Aqua Bands can be inflated and monitored with the KAATSU Master, KAATSU Nano, and KAATSU Master 2.0 products.

After tightening to your appropriate Base SKU and inflating to your Optimal SKU, and doing a few KAATSU Cycles in order to warm-up, you are ready to go in the pool.

In the exercise shown above, place the KAATSU Aqua Bands on your arms and start in deep water (so you cannot stand on the bottom of the pool). Place your hands on sides of the Bosu Ball and pull yourself up on top of the Bosu Ball, using your arms and legs. Balance on the ball for a short time (3-10 seconds) as you place stress on your core. Slide off the ball back into the water and repeat.

Do this non-stop: (1) pull yourself up on top of the ball, (2) balance on the ball, (3) drop back down into the water, treading water to stay afloat, and (4) repeat until failure - where you cannot do any more repetitions.

Rest 20 seconds between each set. Do 3 sets with the KAATSU Aqua Bands on your arms.

Then do 3 sets to failure in the same manner with the KAATSU Aqua Bands on legs, resting 20 seconds between each set.

It is harder than it looks.

Other core exercises in the water are shown here and below:



Copyright © 2014 - 2018 by KAATSU Global

Core Work In The Water With KAATSU Aqua

For who? water athletes, Baby Boomers, retirees, student-athletes
For what? Strength, stamina, functional movement, mobility, flexibility, recovery



While basic core-strength exercises including planks, crunches, sit-ups, bridges, and abdominal presses can be done on land or in gyms, KAATSU users (especially competitive and fitness swimmers, water polo players, lifeguards and surfers) can also do a variety of core-strength exercises in the pool.

Core exercises in the pool with a Bosu Ball and KAATSU Aqua Bands are fun and enjoyable to do with friends.

KAATSU Aqua Bands are made of neoprene and can be inflated and monitored with the KAATSU Master, KAATSU Nano, and KAATSU Master 2.0 products.

After tightening to your appropriate Base SKU and inflating to your Optimal SKU, and doing a few KAATSU Cycles in order to warm-up, you are ready to go in the pool. There are various exercises that you can do:

1. KAATSU Kicking
Use a Bosu Ball of any size and place KAATSU Aqua Bands on either your upper arms or upper legs (but not both!). Jump on top of the ball and starting kicking forward. It may take a few times to get the hang of it, but once you get the hang on it, KAATSU Kicking can be fun.

If you want, repeat three times with your arm bands on with at least 20 seconds of rest between each set. Then try three times with your leg bands on. Repeat three times with at least 20 seconds of rest between each try. You can kick freestyle - or even breaststroke or butterfly (dolphin) kick for even more difficult sets.

2. KAATSU Balancing
Use a Bosu Ball of any size and place KAATSU Aqua Bands on either your upper arms or upper legs (but not both!). Jump on top of the ball and starting balancing without trying to move. It may take a few times to get the hang of it, but once you get the hang on it, KAATSU Aqua Balancing can be fun.

Repeat three times with your arm bands on with at least 20 seconds of rest between each set. Then try three times with your leg bands on. Balance as you can. Then try extending your arms forward - and then placing your legs over the surface of the water for even more difficult sets.

You can start in the shallow water by jumping off the bottom of the pool - or try climbing up on the Bosu Ball in deep water for a greater challenge.



3. KAATSU Backstroke
Put on your KAATSU Aqua Bands on your upper legs. Kick on your back holding the Bosu Ball up over the surface of the water. Your hips and legs will sink deep in the water, but try to tighten your core and kick backstroke with your hips and legs as close to the water surface as possible. Kick 3 x 25 meters with at least 20 seconds of rest between each set.

4. KAATSU Aqua Walking
Put on your KAATSU Aqua Bands on your upper legs. Walk in shallow water of at least 1 meter in depth. The resistance of the water will make you quickly feel the KAATSU effects on your quadriceps and hamstrings. Walk slowly and steadily.

5. KAATSU Leg Lifts Put on your KAATSU Aqua Bands on your upper legs. Place your back against the wall of the pool and extend your arms along the pool's edge. Lift your legs in a variety of movements (see video above and other KAATSU Aqua ideas below). Move slowly and steadily.



Copyright © 2014 - 2018 by KAATSU Global