Specnaz (also Spetsnaz) Special Forces
Modern terminology mostly uses “specnaz” or “spetsnaz” abbreviation to refer to special purpose forces or just special operation forces. However, the widespread use of this word is actually a relatively recent, post-perestroika development in the Russian language. The Soviet general public knew very little about the special operation forces. In a way, this became yet another state secret that was disclosed due to the glasnost (“openness”) policy of the Mikhail Gorbachev era during the late 1980s. The stories about the spetsnaz and their allegedly incredible prowess, from the more serious to the highly questionable, have captivated imaginations of the more patriotic part of the public, particularly being set against the background of decay in the military and security forces during the perestroika and in the post-Soviet era. Meanwhile, a number of books were written about the Soviet Spetsnaz GRU such as 1987′s Spetsnaz. The Story Behind the Soviet SAS by a Viktor Suvorov, self-described as a defected GRU agent and a special forces serviceman, helped to introduce the term to the western public. In the post-Soviet Russia, “spetsnaz” has become a colloquial term as special operations (spetsoperatsiya) became much more commonplace, be it a police raid or a military operation. Extensive media coverage of such events and the continued celebrity status of the special operation forces in state-controlled media allowed the public to identify and address many of these forces by name: SOBR, Alpha, Vityazand so forth. The term spetsnaz continues to be used in several other post-Soviet states in a reference to their own special operations forces as well. Foreign special operations forces are also commonly referred to as “spetsnaz” in Russia (for example, the United States special operations forces might be referred to as “amerikanskiy spetsnaz“).
Kyokushin Karate
Kyokushin can be translated as “society for the ultimate truth,” which reflects founder Masutatsu Oyama’s belief that traditional karateka were becoming soft, missing the forceful combative nature of the true art. Kyokushin’s philosophy centers on discipline and self-improvement, which Masutatsu Oyama believed could be further honed through rigorous training and full-contact sparring. Masutatsu Oyama’s knockdown karate competition format is a natural outgrowth of his beliefs and kyokushin practice.
Influenced by his goju-ryu karate teacher (So Nei-chu) Masutatsu Oyama followed the path of his spiritual samurai warrior idol, Miyamoto Musashi, by spending three years doing yamagomori(intense solitary training) on Japan’s Mount Kiyozumi. Eighteen months after Masutatsu Oyama came down from the mountain, he hit and killed a charging bull with one blow and ultimately went on to fight 52 other bulls. Why? Masutatsu Oyama’s goal was to embody the epitome of the samurai warrior’s code, “One strike, certain death.” Thus, kyokushin’s way of training is more about following the code of bushido (the samurai way) than budo (martial way), which became the standard philosophical tenet behind many modern Japanese martial arts.
Karate developed over a thousand years ago not only as a form of unarmed combat but as a way to discipline the body in order to improve the spirit. By practicing Karate, one can increase his/her alertness, self-awareness and self-confidence by conditioning the body as improving speed, strength, and co-ordination. It is to achieve the unity of body and spirit.
Kyokushin Karate has been known as “The strongest karate”, not only because of the incredible feats of strength and endurance that are performed, but also because of the rigorous requirements of the training and tournaments.
The founder, Sosai Masu Oyama, often said that the difference between sports and the Budo Way is the path of self-discipline. Sports can always be associated with a game in some form or another where people compete for leisure, money, or fame. The Budo way is never these since it was developed from harsh-living situations where one must fight for their life in the midst of human suffering and pain – this can either be of the mental or physical kind. The Budo Way is this challenge in life itself. Kyokushin Karate was founded by a man who was dedicated to the Budo Way.
Today, registered members of Kyokushin karate exceed 10 million located in more than 120 countries making it one of the largest martial arts organizations in the world.