In many martial arts we are taught that on the climax of our technique we should “sink” into our stance. I will admit that if my knees are sore, I sometimes find this quite difficult to do.
But firstly, why do we do it? “Sinking” at the climax of out technique is a way improving our skeletal structure and helping us for form an immovable “root” to the ground, thus enabling us to more efficiently absorb the reaction energy to any impact from our blows. Read more
Read MoreThe “corkscrew” punch where we rotate the fist at the end of the punch is unique to Oriental martial arts.
Twisting the fist is something that we all know about and take for granted. And why shouldn’t we, we’ve been doing it since our very first class in Karate/Tae Kwon Do/most styles of Kung Fu . The reason that I write about it here, is because I believe that it is something that though deeply ingrained into us, is still not done quite right by a good many people.
It may sound a bit strange to question something so basic, but bare with me. Although many will be doing what I describe below, a good many others will not be. Read more
Read MoreOK, this is mainly from a Karate perspective, but does also apply to some other styles too. If you’re not a Karateka but sometime compete with them, then it might help you to understand some of the mechanics of our techniques too.
The content in the video below is in fairness nothing new, it’s just honing a fine detail which may help some to understand the mechanics of a reverse punch (gyaka zuki) that little bit better. Read more
Read MoreOne of biggest assets in a real fight is to be able to move naturally. And there is no more natural bodily function then breathing.
Yet in Karate, I believe that one of the biggest problems over the years has been an over emphasis on the exhalation at the end of the technique. In fairness to other styles, I should point out that most of my experience is with Shotokan Karate so it may not apply to other styles quite so much. But if everybody is honest, I don’t think that Shotokan is completely alone with this fault. Read more
Read MoreIn Part 1 of How To Put A “Whip” Into A Linear Punch, I looked at how to use the hips properly to generate a waveform motion through the body for basic punches. Many people struggle with this because as beginners we tend to move the whole torso as one, rather than generating movement from the hips and simply relaxing the rest of the torso so as to let it flow naturally. This puts tension into the body and takes away our power. Read more
Read MoreGetting a “whip” effect into your punches and technique can greatly enhance the power of your punches and other strikes.
The Karate masters of old often taught that we should use our body like a “whip”, but this is not always easy to do, especially if you practice a predominantly linear style. In practically all sports, power is generated from the hips, transferred to the shoulders, then to the arms/hands. However, people often struggle to do this in linear styles. I believe that this is because we are often taught that everything finishes together, whereas in most other activities they are taught to move in sequence. I believe that this is partly brought about by the fact that we focus (kime) into one spot, whereas in most other disciplines (including other sports) they move through their target. When a golfer hits the ball, he does not stop there, he moves right through it (as does anybody using any kind of racket or bat to hit something). When somebody throws a ball, they do not stop at the instance of release, they move through that point. Read more
Read More© Copyright 2018 All Rights Reserved
