The 48 Killing Arts of Yoga - 1-10

Here is the first installment of my translation of the 48 Killing Arts of Yoga, a collection of Dhalsim tricks by Foosuke and the Yoga Strike Backers. All of the YSB members were champions of various old school (SF2 and Vampire) fighting games, and these "Yoga 48" techniques provide an amusing look at the early days of Dhalsim strategy.

Credit for the original text goes to:
1-26: Hamah*
27-44: Idagoro
45-48: Miira

* - "Hammer" in the ST Player Report. I'm going to write his nickname this way henceforth.

There is a companion video for the 48 Arts. It's out there on the net somewhere... (if anyone has it, please contact me - nohoho at gmail dot com)

Some of the silly bits have been paraphrased. When there's a passage that I struggled to translate and it concerns actual gameplay I'll mark it with: [TL?] -- don't pull your hair out trying to get these to work.

Some of the technique names were missing. Guesses and omissions are marked with question marks.

I'm going to continue to use the character naming scheme (for the bosses) popularized by NKI on shoryuken.com.


The 48 Killing Arts of Yoga

Notes on Proper Usage
- When you land one of these techniques, you must suavely say its name.
- When you land one of these techniques, you must thank the YSB members.
- Even if you use one by accident, you must be nonchalant about it.
- If you try a technique and lose, you must have no regrets.
- Work diligently on using each technique, day after day.

1. Yoga Strike Back

This one goes without saying: Strike Back.
That's right, the origin for the name of the "Yoga Strike Backers."
When your opponent is crouching, attack from the air with
jump fierce -> far standing fierce for a beautiful combination.
It's quite splendid. Initially, Foosuke, who developed this killing art said,
"They have to stand to block Dhalsim's jumping fierce. Still, depending on where it connects, they'll eat it if they don't crouch block.[TL?]"
But it took Hamah about two months to believe this.

2. Yoga Sniper Custom

AKA Sniper. The moment your opponent is about to throw an FB, jump forward (or up or back) and hit them with jumping fierce.
Unless you hit them on the ground (air-to-air = no good) you can't claim a true Sniper hit.
Landing this when they're at "eat a Sniper and die" health is extremely thrilling.
If you're at a health deficit on top of that, land this for big EXP UP.
We'll leave with the aphorism, "The Sniper loses with with no regret."
(<- We're just left with regret!)

3. Yoga Bonjour

This fabulous technique is where you hit your opponent on the top of the head with a jump roundhouse as you're falling from a jump. When you land it, you're obliged to look at your watch and say, "Yoga Bonjour. The time is exactly 9 PM, it's morning in France. I'll have a cup of coffee... (etc.)"
By the way, Hamah once ate a Guile low forward while he was looking at his watch and saying all this.
If you land this technique, you may want to have someone nearby say the line.
If they won't, just say it yourself.
But, why is called "Bonjour?"
You see, the Killing Arts of Yoga were originally going to be written in french (or so Idagoro had hoped,) and so we have the Bonjour.
Idagoro, however, didn't know any other french words and thus this was the only french killing art.

4. Yoga Grand Strike

As your opponent is landing from a jump, hit them with a deep forward (or short) cross-up slide kick and combo into a close fierce (head butt.)
In SF2CE it became more difficult to use the forward slide kick and this technique fell out of fashion.
Note that the forward slide cross-up -> close standing strong -> throw sequence is called the "Grand Strike Variant."
This Grand Strike (Variant) is particularly useful against Chun-Li's jumping short.
By the way, there was a time when the variant was called the "Yoga Sexy Throw," but we like both names.

5. ?Nospey

This is Dhalsim's close crouching forward (the thrust kick.)
Why is it called, "Nospey," you ask...?
In the days of SF2 classic, when Guile player Nosuke was playing with Dhalsim against Chun-Li, he discovered that a deep thrust kick could beat wake-up throws. So he said "hey, Hama, this thrust kick is like Chun-Li's crouching forward in that it can't be countered with a throw. Ok, this is the Nosuke Special; call it Nospey!!" and thus it became known as the Nospey.
During SF2 classic days, it was said that there weren't any [Yoga] Killing Arts, so we're grateful for the finding of this one. Since Nosuke said, "Hama, since SF2CE came out people often use the Nospey, but nobody actually says, 'Nospey.' I'm so sad!" let's all call the thrust kick Nospey!
Of course, all Yoga Strike Backers members call it Nospey.

Thank you, Nosuke

6. Yogaku

This term describes Dhalsim's close standing roundhouse kick (the knee.)
It's not Yogaku- (inhalation) because he's straining his yoga to do the kick.

Frank Crowther: "By the way... I was wondering... what's the deal with that finishing blow?"
Tsukumo: "The 'Yogaku?' Gaku refers to the mountain..." (etc.)
(C) Gate of Shura [info]

When Blanka uses this it's Bugaku. When Guile uses it, it's Gagaku.
When Ryu and Ken use it, it's Fugaku, seemingly.

7. Nagata Shougatsu Happy New Year Special

As your opponent is getting up, hit them with a deep Yogaku and then jump away and combo into a Sniper.
A great technique to use if you expect your opponent to miss a reversal, land this to inflict unimaginable damage to their spirit.
By the way, Nagata Shougatsu is the nickname of the developer of this technique.
It's broken down like this: the initial Yogagu is "Happy" and then the Sniper is "New Year."

Thank you, Nagata

8. Yoga Blast

The decals that came with SF2 classic didn't have Yoga Blast on them, so we appropriated the name for this Killing Art.
When SF2CE came out and the Yoga Spiral Break (see below) was created, Yoga Blast became the term for a drill kick attack that goes past Dhalsim's opponent without hitting them.
When you think you've pulled off a Yoga Blast and you start to say "Yoga B-,"
but you actually failed to do it, just fudge and say "Yoga Brassiere."

9. Yoga Spiral Break

As your opponent is getting up, hit them with a cross-up drill kick,
then combo into Nospey x2. That's the Yoga Spiral Break.
This works well against Ryu, Ken, Blanka and Zangief but if you mess it up against Zangief you're in deep trouble.
Studies show that this is easy to set up after you've burned your opponent
with a Yoga Fire (or Flame.)
Research the timing on your own.

10. Yoga Rolling Crystal Flash

This beautiful technique was developed by taking a cue from Claw's Rolling Crystal Flash (partly true.)
It consists of this four-hit combo: cross-up drill kick -> close crouching jab x2 -> Nospey.
Getting two close crouching jabs to combo is extremely difficult.
When you use this technique it goes like this: "goro-goro" (drill kick,) "doka!" (low jab,) "baki!" (low jab,) "gusa!" (Nospey.)