Shotokan Karate

Shotokan Karate learn to defend yourself

"A most important technique, so we are going to explain some vital theoretical points, using it as an example. First of all, there are different ideas in different schools, about the way your body should move to help the punch to be fast and strong. In the Kyokushin we end up with the shoulders turned 45 degrees, so that the twist of the body increases the speed of the hand. But it only works if the two motions are performed in synch. If you, for example, move your shoulders, and then begin to move the hand, your opponent will get a message: ""his shoulders are moving, looks like a punch, I better do something"". In many places of this book I am going to talk about the ways to NOT to communicate your intentions to your opponent. If you turn your shoulders more then 45 degrees, you will a) injure your back sooner or later, b) spend too much energy, c) loose the speed, and d) make your back vulnerable to the counterattack. The hips are turning too, it looks more like a slap, throwing an impulse, to provide an additional speed. It is different from many other karate schools. Also keep in mind, that if you work on a very short distance, there will be no space for hips and shoulders to perform the ""classics"". The techniques (all of them) are adjustable. The fist must be properly closed. The hand should be almost relaxed, until the last moment, when it is touching the target. Then it should be completely tense, all your focus on the target, or - if you are performing a ""breaking"" punch - behind the target. You will often hear the saying, that if you are hitting the chest, you should aim the backbone. The outer side of the palm and the wrist must be on a straight line. Imagine the line that goes through the seiken (nockles of the pointing and the middle fingers), the wrist and the elbow. This should be the line and not a zigzag. Otherwise you will bend your wrist, using all the power of your hand, hips, plus the body weight. The fist begins its motion from the place almost under the armpit, at the height of the nipple. This is different from many traditional schools, they start from the hip level. The fist rotates. At the beginning it is with the palm up, at the end - with the palm down. It should screw itself into the target - it will help your elbow to unbend, and the energy of a punch will increase. But the elbow should not unbend completely - it must be slightly bent, to prewent the injury. Imagine, that your elbow is straight, and your opponent blocks it, or hits it. Very bad for you. While if the elbow is bent - it is not that easy to damage, and your opponent will think twice, before hitting it. Your elbows must look down. If they look sideways, your punch will be less powerful, and your armpits are opened for an attack. The other hand is performing a ""reverse"" - exactly the same move, in the opposite direction. At the end, it will be near the armpit, ready to launch another punch. In the middle of the trajectory, both hands should face each other, palms inside. This is often used to check the beginners for mistakes. The fist should move by the straight line. It does not matter, that the body is turning, and hands are moving, and hips are moving too. It your hand is moving by the ""freehand trajectory"" - you are doing something wrong. The line between your fist, when still in the armpit, and the target, is the trajectory to follow. "