whenever the teacher asks you a question or whent they are teaching a concept. or when you bow to them to greet them as you walk on the training floor.
Osu is used as: Hello, goodbye, yes, please and thank you. When you enter the dojo. When you leave the dojo. As a greeting to each other. When teacher tells you (to do) something. When you're sparring and your partner has snuck a REALLY good point in. ("Osu, nice one!") Before and after sparring. I have been told that "osu" means millstone in Japanese? Why do karate people say "osu" and other styles say hai sensei/onegaishimasu/domoarigotogozaimashita...?
Probably too much. I'd rather use "hai" as it's more polite, but our style is based around the Takushoku University style teaching which is quite "laddish".
Have you ever trained in Japan? They say it all the time. Osu is loosely translated as "Stength through adversity." I say it all the time. Sometimes I might even let it slip out in normal everyday conversation. "Hey, bro, want a slice?" "Osu!" "What did you just say?, Are you f-ing high?" "Just give me the damn pizza."
Interesting link regarding the topic http://www.24fightingchickens.com/2005/08/29/appropriate-usage-of-osu/
Actually, that would make those who accidentally let osu slip out instead of kiai feel alot better... *punch*STRENGTH THROUGH ADVERSITY! Although I don't think it'd work so well for the long kiais... STRRREEEEEENGGTH THRROOOUUGH ADVEErrrsity...
in kyoku environments it's used constantly-I first heard it outside of training, in cardiff (by a group of engineering students from japan) osu! yann
We say osu! a lot. It's a universal one-fits-all for all those things that Bridge says. It saves having to learn Japanese as a language: hai (yes), dozo (please), iye (forbidden), domo (thanks), arigato (thank you very much), domoarigatogosaimashta (respectfully thank you very much I am humbled in your presence), isu-creemo (ice cream). (In aikido, we say domoarigatogosaimashta a couple of times.)
Last year I had a very interesting (and amusing) conversation with a USA-based Aikido Shihan. The term "Ossu" (Osu, Oss, Ossssssssss ) came up in conversation. I discussed that, in over 20 years of Karate training, nobody could ever confirm exactly what "Ossu" means. She smiled and said "It's easy...my Sensei said that it's just another way of saying DUDE!" Respectfully Peter
It's a contraction of "oshi shinobu." "Oshi" is push. "Shinobu" is endure. It's used like "hoorah" or that sort of call. It's not terribly dignified, but it gets the point across.
