Overthrow

 

With this move, the practitioner takes the opponent's arm and lowers his own body while pulling and choking at the base of the opponent's neck, lifting him onto his back and throwing him.

Similar moves can be observed in other styles in Judo, but what distinguishes it in the Hazuki Style is that the opponent is not released during the throw. Because the opponent's neck is grasped with both hands and the throw is executed while choking, the opponent cannot assume a defensive posture and is flipped completely upside down when falling. In order to develop the muscles needed for the required grip, Ryo practiced by filling an earthen pot with sand and lifting it with only the tips of his fingers.

Move description/video courtesy of Suka Pass.

The Overthrow is the quintessential over-the-shoulder throw seen in various grappling arts and movies since motion pictures were invented. Judo is the most famous for its seoi nage (背負い投げ) shoulder throw and many variations of it are still regularly used in competition today.

Masashi Ebinuma (JPN) vs Antoine BOUCHARD (CAN) at the Budapest Grand Prix 2018

It is somewhat rare in modern MMA, but standing and drop versions do appear occassionally.

Former Olympic judoka Rick Hawn using a seoi nage in one of his MMA fights

Is Ryo gonna have to choke a bitch mad angel?

The description mentions choking the opponent with two hands while throwing them. There is a historical analogue in classical jiujitsu called ganseki nage or ganseki otoshi (boulder throw/boulder drop). A cross-armed double lapel grip on a gi or kimono is commonly used for strangling techniques in jiujitsu and judo. While these chokes are usually applied during newaza ground-fighting in the modern era, applying these chokes while standing was more common historically. Using this choking grip, the user can throw the user over their shoulder, either for the surprise factor or if the choke is being defended. The ganseki otoshi eventually morphed into the shoulder throw of today, but one can still find it listed as a "reference technique" in sources like Kyuzo Mifune "The Canon of Judo."

From "The Canon of Judo"
Top: the ganseki otoshi in action
Bottom: the cross arm grip used to strangle during newaza

Grip Training

Hojo undō (補助運動), or supplementary exercises, refers to traditional physical conditioning exercises done with and without weighted equipment. It is most commonly associated with Okinawan styles of karate. The earthen pots of sand that Ryo lifted are called nigiri gami and are common hojo undō tools.

From Michael Clarke's "The Art of Hojo Undo: Power Training for Traditional Karate"

Crescent Kick

In regular old-style Jujitsu, high kick moves were rarely used. In particular, kicking moves that come under the classification of roundhouse kicks were never used. This is because it is easy to lose one's balance when executing high kicks while dressed in a Japanese kimono. The characteristic feature of the Crescent Kick is that it is unleashed like an upward sword-stroke aimed at the opponent's head. Although this move wasn't used extensively because it was originally a move of last resort, Ryo favors it because of its effectiveness in street fights.

Abridged move description/video courtesy of Suka Pass.

The Crescent Kick is a roundhouse kick thrown at head level. The move is a staple in virtually every martial art that involves kicking. However, despite its ubiquity in martial arts today, high kicks were very rarely used in traditional Japanese martial arts. So how did high kicks become so common today?

Japanese high kick origins

High kicks were rare in Okinawan karate styles due to their self-defense focus. Any kick above the waist was considered risky not only due to the ease of losing one's balance (alluded to in the move description), but also because it exposed one's groin to strikes. High kicks were integrated into the art after karate had spread to Japan, but there is a surprising amount on competing theories on how this development occurred.

One popular theory is that they were developed by Gigō Funakoshi, son of Gichin Funakoshi (the founder of Shotokan karate). Gichin, considered the father of modern karate for popularizing it in Japan, initially studied Okinawan styles of karate and taught Shotokan with the same self-defense philosophy in mind. Gigō however took a heavier fighting-focused approach compared to his father's approach of predominantly kata and exercise. High roundhouse kicks were said to be one of the many techniques developed by Gigō through many sparring sessions and incorporated into the art. Some other speculation is that they The popularity of Shotokan spread these techniques to other karate styles and to Korean styles like Tae Kwon Do.

Chuck Norris demonstrating the high roundhouse kick

Another theory is that high kicks were imported from the French martial art of Savate. Many western advisors were brought in during Japan's Meiji era rush to modernization, including French military experts. Savate, used by the French soldiers for exercise and self defense, was said to have influenced local martial arts. The art of Savate does feature things like high kicks and synchronized drilling, features that are commonly associated with karate today.

Chasseurs Alpin practicing savate drills in 1898

Some other hypotheses include influence from Muay Thai/Muay Boran as there was historical trade between the Ryukyu Kingdom (Okinawa) and Siam (Thailand). It may also have come from Northern Chinese kung fu styles which feature more above-the-waist kicks compared to Southern Chinese kung fu styles (which were a primary influence on the development of Okinawan karate). Regardless of the origin, it remains a simple but devastating technique.

Mirko Cro Cop destroys Wanderlei Silva in their rematch with his signature high left roundhouse kick