We come to find out in the documentary that Macchio still wishes he had gone to the Academy Awards ceremony with Morita in 1985.įor anyone who is a Karate Kid fan, there are lots of memories from fellow cast members about making those films, including the famous “wax on, wax off” moment, and discussions around the studio not wanting Morita to play Mr. The producer revealed he was recently speaking to someone who didn’t even know Morita was nominated for an Oscar for his role in The Karate Kid. Miyagi.” One thing that really comes across is that Morita was not only important to fans of his work, but also to his colleagues.Īlvarez believes there is still so much people don’t know about Japanese-American actor. Miyagi.”Ĭoming off the heels of the Cobra Kai release on Netflix, Karate Kid actors including Ralph Macchio and William Zabka, Happy Days stars like Henry Winkler and Marion Ross, and other celebrities including Tommy Chong, Larry Miller and Esai Morales tell their personal stories about Morita - the man known to millions as “Mr. “I would say the manuscript was the blueprint of everything and that's what got us excited, especially because he had talked about his early years and that's the stuff that you don't know, pre-Mr. “There some really dark things,” the film’s producer Oscar Alvarez told Yahoo Canada. LaRusso's "hard" and "soft" Gōjū-ryū-based ethos becomes even more apparent in Cobra Kai as he trains characters like Robby Keene and Demetri (Gianni Decenzo) to "wax on/off" and perch atop a wide variety of perilous structures, thus instilling them with the fundamentals of kata and Gōjū-ryū.A manuscript written by the late Karate Kid star Pat Morita, sharing his life story in his own words, was the catalyst of an inspiring but heartbreaking documentary More Than Miyagi: The Pat Morita Story. This scene reinforces many of the water-based training exercises Miyagi imposed on LaRusso. One of Cobra Kai's most iconic training sessions involves LaRusso directing his daughter Samantha (Mary Mouser) and Robby to practice karate moves on an unstable platform floating atop a koi pond. These are just some of the skills that you will master when you join Miyagi-do Karate." This insistence on balance pervades LaRusso's teachings. In season 2, LaRusso further extols the virtues of harmony in an internet ad for his dojo: "Inner peace. As LaRusso tells Robby, "You may have the moves, but none of that matters unless you have balance." Clearly, this line attempts to refigure Miyagi's wisdom from The Karate Kid. LaRusso and Robby end up practicing kata on a number of different surfaces, including rock formations, a dock, and several other platforms that echo scenes from The Karate Kid movies. In season 1 of Cobra Kai, LaRusso honors Miyagi's traditions by telling young protégé Robby Keen (Tanner Buchanan) that his karate, like Miyagi's, is kata-based. If that wasn't difficult enough, The Karate Kid Part II sees Miyagi swinging a massive, barbed block-and-tackle at LaRusso to test his balance. Miyagi's synthesis of Okinawan combat styles sets the table for LaRusso's approach in Cobra Kai. Balance bad, better pack up, go home." Miyagi even demands that young LaRusso practice throwing kicks while negotiating breaking waves, while balancing atop a narrow piling, and while perching on the bow of a very tipsy rowboat. Early in LaRusso's training, Miyagi tells him, "Balance is key. Miyagi also teaches LaRusso the fundamentals of kata - a foundation-building practice based on choreographed, fluid motions.
On the contrary, Miyagi is instilling LaRusso with the muscle memory needed to parry and redirect incoming strikes (the basics of Gōjū-ryū).
#Miyagi karate for free
When Miyagi demands that LaRusso paint his fence and "wax on, wax off" his car collection in The Karate Kid, LaRusso suspects he's being exploited for free labor. Related: What Happened to Daniel Between Karate Kid & Cobra Kai
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