Andy Hug, Kyokushin Karate Kumite Techniques
Full length Kyokushin Instructional video presented by the legendary Blue Eyed Samurai, And Hug
Andreas "Andy" Hug (Sept 7, 1964 – August 24, 2000) was a Swiss karateka and kickboxer who competed in theheavyweight division. Considered to be one of the greatest heavyweight kickboxers of all time, along with Mirko Filipović, Peter Aerts, Remy Bonjasky, Ernesto Hoost and Semmy Schilt, Hug was renowned for his ability to execute numerous kickingtechniques rarely seen in high level competition and although he was usually smaller than his opponents, standing at 1.80 m. and being barely a heavyweight, weighing around 98.0 kg in his prime, he made up for his lack of size with his tremendous athleticism and speed. A southpaw, his trademark kicks included the axe kick and the "Hug Tornado", a lowspinning heel kick targeting his opponents' thighs.
Kyokushin career (1977–1991)
After winning a number of beginners' karate competitions, Andy Hug was selected to represent the Wohlen Karate School during the National Team Championships in November 1977. His breakthrough performance came at the Swiss national Oyama Cup in 1979 at the age of fifteen when he defeated several opponents much older than himself to take the tournament crown. In 1981, Hug had an upsurge in competition as he was part of the Swiss team that defeated the Dutch in the finals to win the 4 Countries Team Tournament and recorded his first international success by taking a bronze medal at the 5th Dutch Kyokushin Championships in the 80 kg middleweight division in Weert, Netherlands as he lost out to Koen Scharrenberg in the semi-finals. He also won the Swiss Oyama Cup for a second time that year, beating Heinz Muntweiler in the final, before further establishing himself as the country's top Kyokushin fighter by winning the 1982 Swiss Championships at middleweight. After reaching the round of sixteen in both the 2nd European Championships and the 6th Dutch Open, being eliminated by Jean-Pierre Louisset and Kenneth Felter respectively, Hug closed out the year by being crowned champion at the 1st Ibusz Oyama Cup in Budapest, Hungary where he defeated Mark Niedziokka in the final.
Hug again made it to the last sixteen at the 7th Dutch Open in 1983 and in 1984, he moved up to the heavyweight class with instant success, winning the Swiss nationals. In January 1984, he competed in the 3rd edition of the Kyokushin World Open, knockdown karate's most prestigious competition held once every four years. Andy was able to battle his way through and reached the final sixteen but lost to Shokei Matsui on points. 1985 was another successful year for Hug as he won the Ibusz Oyama Cup for the second time and the Swiss nationals for the third time before taking his most notable prize to date when he outpointed Klaus Rex in the final to win the 3rd edition of the European Championships in Barcelona, Spain in December of that year.
At the 11th British Open in London, England in 1986, he was eliminated at the semi-final round by Michael Thompson. They would then rematch at the same stage of the 4th European Kyokushin Championships in Katowice, Poland in May 1987 with the Englishman again coming out on top and forcing Hug to relinquish his title as European champion. Andy Hug returned to the World Open in November 1987 and made history by becoming the first gaijin to reach the final of the tournament, booking his place with a judges' decision win over Akira Masuda in the semis. There, he again faced Shokei Matsui and lost to his Japanese foe by decision once again.
With his status as an elite Kyokushin fighter secured, Hug began to compete more sparingly over the next few years. He won the 1st Sursee Cup in 1988, defeating Kenji Midoriin the final, and became a two-time European champion in 1989 when he beat Michael Thompson to win the 5th European Championships in Budapest.
After an uneventful year in 1990, Andy Hug returned to the spotlight in '91 when he reached the final of the 6th European Championships in Budapest only to lose to Michael Thompson once more. The 5th World Championships also took place that year at the Budokan in Tokyo, Japan. In his third fight, Andy came up against Francisco Filho. At the end of the round, as the bell rang, Filho landed a mawashi geri on the side of Hug's head which left him unconscious the floor. Despite protest from the Swiss camp, it was later confirmed that Filho's kick had indeed struck after the bell rang, but he had started his move before the time was up and Filho was declared the winner.
He was diagnosed with acute leukemia on August 17, 2000. On August 23, he fell into a coma and his illness was made public. Twenty-two hours later, Hug died following breathing difficulties due to multiple organ failure. He was thirty-five years old.
RIP Osu!
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