Elbows, Knees, Shutos and Head Butts.
One of the first things I got excited about while training in Kenpo was the drilling in the use of these weapons.
All of these strikes are in Karate, but outside of their use in Kata, you don't see them practiced much.
This is a shame as these are powerful self defense techniques and are essential in close quarter combat.
I recommend that all artist make an effort to drill in these techniques. Use them while training in Ippon Kumite. Drill in their use while practicing various self defense techniques. Practice close quarter combat attacking and countering attacking with them.
If you want to take your art beyond the sport aspect, hard training in these four weapons will dramatically improve your ability to defend yourself and add to the total grasp of your art.
Learn real self defense
KARATES NEGLECTED WEAPONS
KARATE STRIKES
Your karate strikes can be made more effective in many ways:
1. Use your body - As an example you could punch by moving just your arm and possibly hit reasonably hard but it makes far more sense to practice better techniques. Practice a stance that will give you a firm base to punch from, the punch starts right down from the foot where a twisting motion is initiated, push your knee, push your hips, rotate at the waist and rotate your shoulders all whilst extending your arm to punch. It is a way to focus more muscle into a punch than just arm speed.
2. Brace your Target - This can be done by the person being against a wall or floor or even brace the Target yourself by holding the person or limb in place whilst striking. Basically, you do not want them to move away from the strike so hold the target in place or even pull it towards the strike.
3. Strike through the Target - Don't aim at the Target but aim approximately 6 to 8 inches through it.
4. Time on Target - Don't pull your strikes back too quickly. Your strike is kept in contact for a count this helps create a maximum transfer of Energy. Striking with a larger surface also gives a better transfer of energy.
5. Over loading - Strike several times to the same target. If you are targeting a motor nerve for example the repeated strikes in the same area will shut the limb down and stop it from working properly or at all.
6. Target Weak or Senstive Areas - Many people know the obvious targets such as eyes, nose, solar plexus, groin, thighs, shins and insteps.
7. Shouting - Helps you focus on your energy into your Karate Strikes.
Shouting alone serves many purposes:
1. Startle the Attacker.
2. Attract Attention of passers by.
3. Create witnesses to the Attack.
4. Tenses your abdominal region which will stop you being winded if you're hit at the same time.
5. Helps you focus energy into your karate strikes.
As a general striking rule strike with hard to soft and soft to hard - For example:
1. Elbows to Ribs
2. Knee to Thigh
3. Knee to groin
4. Head to Nose
5. Palms to head
Avoid punching to the head if possible. It's so easy to break knuckles and fingers as the head is so hard and these days most people's hands are pretty soft. There is also the risk of someone transmitting nasty infections or even HIV or hepatitis via puncture wounds from the teeth to the knuckles. You can hit just has hard with the palm of your hand with much less risk of injury to yourself.
Further Targeting and Striking
When working with these sensitive areas, pressure points or motor nerve points, full on karate strikes would cause lasting damage and even 5% strikes can have an effect on people, sometimes there is even a delay before the reaction. Due to this, we are very careful. Striking these areas can have the effect of shutting down that limb and can also cause unconsciousness. Be warned that strikes to the Throat could cause permanent damage to the throat and even result in death so this must be treated very cautiously in Training and only used in a true Self Defense situation. The same caution is necessary with strikes to the eyes, you must treat this with total caution in training and only use firm karate strikes in a real Self Defense situation.
Train Smart - Fightwize!
Malcolm Bale
Head Instructor of Alberta Self Defense - http://www.fightwize.com
3rd Degree Blackbelt in Jiu-Jitsu
Author of "The Essential Elements of Self Defense"
http://www.fightwize-self-defense.com
"Is Karate Effective On The Street"
This is a question you see posted on many different forums. This was my response to one such posting, feel free to comment if you agree or disagree.
The question isn't valid. If I chop you across the front of the throat, yes it works, if you hit me in the head with a bat, no it doesn't. Question should be "Can karate be an effective form of Self Defense?"
Even asked in this manner is not completely correct. Lets try: "Are punches in the face, kicks in the groin, stomps on the knees, strikes to the throat, pokes in the eyes, hammer fists to the nose, knees and elbows to the head and joint breaking techniques really effective on the street? What do you think?
I'm trying to make a point. If a grappler walks into a dojo and says "Hey lets spar a little" I'm probably going to end up on the ground in a very uncomfortable position.
If someone confronts me on the "street" I'm not going to "spar" with him, I will stomp the knees, poke the eyes, strike the throat, kick the groin and maybe if i react swiftly, with power and speed and control the situation before my opponent can get started, maybe my "karate" will be effective.
If a boxer lands a solid hook on a grapplers chin and knocks him out, is grappling an ineffective art?
If a football player runs head on into a boxer an flattens him out, is football now the most effective art on the street?
Maybe the question should be "Are you effective on the street?"
I believe trained properly anyone can be effective and I also believe everyone can be beat.
Here you can learn powerful effective basic self defence techniques for yourself or to teach to your family.
Click Here!
OLD SCHOOL TRAINING
Awhile back, after what seemed like a very hard workout, I was thinking back to when I first started training.
My first training was in Tae Kwon Do at the local YMCA. A friend was training there and got me interested.
This was either late 1970 or early 1971, I was 14 at the time, involved in Olympic Weightlifting and in pretty good shape. The workouts weren't to tough, but somewhat difficult at first, very different from what I was used to. There were a lot of breaks and while other people were sparring or doing kata, we would set and watch. Latter in life I understood that you have to accommodate your class some, there were children, elderly and people who hadn't really done any real exercise in there life.
One day we stopped at the local boys club because we had heard that they taught Karate there. We went up to the gym area and watched as an Instructor was just finishing teaching a class with four students.
We thought, this guy can't be to good, he only has four students.
The Instructor approached us after the class, he was sweating and his gi was dirty. He was pleasant enough and seem to have a real knowledge and passion for the art. He explained that the art he taught was called SHOTOKAN KARATE and that it was similar to our art, just less emphasis on kicks.
He told us that we could train there for $2.50 a month, we were paying $10 at the Y. (Ahh the good old days)
We signed up, feeling a little sorry for the guy, just four students, maybe we could help him out with our months of experience in Tae Kwon Do.
The workouts were Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, but they were two to two and a half hours long, that seemed kind of long to me.
We arrived with our clean, pressed Gis, I brought my yellow belt, (just earned that week) all of his students were white belts and he might want me to take over and show them some of my stuff.
Only three of his students show up for this workout, Chuck 17, Mike 16 and Vince 16. The other student had joined the marines and wouldn't be back.
The workout begins and the Instructor has us do this little bowing ritual which was kind of cool, very Asian and mystical. Then he said something in Japanese which I think meant: WELCOME TO HELL.
he was throwing out terms like Gedan Barai, Oi-zuki, Uraken-uchi,
Mae-geri, well it was all French to me.
This continued on and on, up the floor, back down the floor. I'm thinking he's trying to kill us, I felt bad for his students, they must really be dieing.
We then moved into this thing he call "Ippon Kumite", he explained that we probably did something similar and that we would just do some basic Oi-zuki and Chudan-Ude-Uke, HuH. "He forgot about our break"
I'm paired up with Chuck, he gets in a front stance, I get in my ready stance and Chuck punches me square in the chest and I land on my ass about five feet back. I immediately look to the Instructor, he's really going to let chuck have it, no, he looks at me and says "GET UP, LETS GO!", Chuck still has 4 right handed Oi-Zukis and
5 left handed Oi-zukis, then I get my turn.
Next were going to do a little Kumite, The Instructor has a Dentist appointment so were going to have to cut the workout short about an hour, forty-five minutes, we'll make it up on Saturday though.
He wants Chuck and Vince to Spar a little, show us what he wants to see when his students spar. I was just punched in the chest THIRTY TIMES by his students so I assume the best crossed leg stance on the floor that I can, only to quickly find out that there is no setting down, we could stand in a deep Kiba-dachi and if our legs got to tired in that stance, we could switch to any of the very comfortable stances offered in Shotokan Karate.
Well, we each sparred for about 20 continuous mins, "light day". Didn't have time for Kata, because of that Damn Dentist appointment, so we ended the workout with a hundred squatting front kick, fifty squatting side kicks, 25 squatting round kicks, and 25 squatting back kicks.
He explained that he was sorry for the light workout that day and promised he would make it up Saturday.
We left there that day, my friend said "he's never going back, he's staying with the Tae Kwon Do, he's not going to pay good money to get beat up". I thought about it all night between the cramps, the gasps for air, the bumping of sore arms and legs from the THOUSAND BRUISE WORKOUT.
I was there the next Saurday and every TUESDAY, THURSDAY and SATURDAY after that, getting beat up, shins all banged up and watched as the "NEW RECENTLY EARNED YELLOW BELT" students from other schools would come and want to try a class and maybe show us a few things.
The Advanced Shotokan Karate Bible: Black Belt and Beyond
OLD SCHOOL TRAINING GOT TO LOVE IT.
Karate Tournament
While driving home Saturday morning I spotted a small paper sign that said, "KARATE TOURNAMENT",it was mixed in with all the yard sale signs hanging on every street sign in my neighborhood.
I anxiously followed these little red signs which led me to the local high school gymnasium.
The first thing I noticed upon entering was all the Black Belts kids, some that looked about 10 yrs. old.
Well they had Kata competition going on one side of the gym and kumite on the other, so I seated myself in the middle so I could catch all the action.
Hmmm, not to exciting, very poor technique, no focus, but a whole lot of yelling that I guess were suppose to be Kiai's.
Now I hear from the group next to me that Danny's fighting next, he's the top junior Black Belt in Kumite. I don't want to criticize Kids, so lets just say I anxiously awaited the mens Black Belt sparring.
Now I'm really glad I didn't criticize the Kids, I see where they learned how not to be effective, to have weak techniques, to lack power, to have no focus, no timing.
It seems the only technique they know is a "side push kick", lean back on your rear leg and push your front leg out, no power, no focus and these are "BLACK BELTS".
I know these Karate instructors sell parents on the fact that they are building character or teaching kids discipline, I say bulls@#t, you take your child to KARATE CLASS, so he /she can LEARN HOW TO DEFEND THEMSELVES IF ATTACKED!
This was a very disappointing event. I remember attending high school gym Karate Tournaments in the past and seeing fighters like Jim Kelley, Howard Jackson, Lenny Ferguson Sho Kasugi, Bob Dunek, Donny Williams, Steve Sanders, Darnell Garcia etc etc... Is this what the new age of Karate and Kumite is all about?
Karate Fighting Techniques: The Complete Kumite
Shotokan Karate
When taught and trained properly, Shotokan Karate can be the ultimate Self Defense Art.
Timing, focus, power are all developed. When backing down is not an option, a blow must be delivered to the proper target with sufficient power at the proper moment. These are the three principals of Shotokan Karate.
Find an instructor who can teach you these things,pay attention, train hard and stay with it. Shotokan founder Gichin Funakoshi has said that "mind and technique become one in true karate." We strive to make our physical techniques pure expressions of our mind's intention, and to improve our mind's focus by understanding the essence of the physical techniques. By polishing our karate practice we are polishing our own spirit or our own mentality. For example, eliminating weak and indecisive movements in our karate helps to eliminate weakness and indecision in our minds--and vice versa.
It may take a lifetime to develop these Shotokan Karate attributes, but the journey is the best part
Karate for "Little Johnny"
Little Johnny is being picked on at school.
Johnnys parents have tried everything, talking to the school principal and teachers, telling "Little Johnny" to ignore the bullies, dad says "if they push you, push them back!" So far nothing has worked.
"Little Johnny" is scared to go to school, his grades are failing, what are his parents to do?
While driving home from the beauty salon "Little Johnnys" mom spots,
"Master Joe's Strip Mall Karate For Kids".
Mom explains the situation to Master Joe. Master Joe recommends a 3 group classes and 2 private instruction karate classes a week program, it's kind of expensive, but Master Joe will throw in a free karate Gi if Mom signs "Little Johnny" up for a one year program.
Well it's been 3 weeks and "Little Johnny" has only cried twice this week at class and he almost has that horse stance down, if he can just get his fist rotating correctly on his punches, he'll be well on his way to that yellow belt, heck he already knows the first four moves of Kata #1 and half of the dojo slogan, "THERE ARE NO BAD KIDS, JUST KIDS WHOSE PARENTS DON'T PAY THEIR MONTHLY DUES".
Can anyone relate to this. I know we have all had remarkable kids come though our schools, but most of them aren't.
When I was 18 yrs old I was teaching at a Kenpo karate school in S. Cal and have seen this situation many times. Parents see Karate, maybe thats the solution and maybe it is, but it's not a quick solution.
I would take kids like, "Little Johnny" and teach them to throw a rear hand reverse punch, put him in front of a heavy bag and slowly train him to hit and hit and hit, usually in 3 weeks the kid would be able to rip off ten decent punches into the bag, know when to fire off his punches and know where to hit.
I had parents come down to the school, Mom and Dads mad, "John" got suspended from school today, he punched one of those kids that "HAD" been pushing him around in the nose.
Mom says she didn't bring her son here to learn to be a karate killer. I explain that I'll have a talk with him. Mom storms out and Dad looks at me and says "Thanks man, My wife and I both really appreciate what you've done for "John."
Karate, Kenpo ,Kung fu, are all beautiful effective self defence arts when taught properly.
Martial Arts Fitness and Strength Training
Everyone has a area of fitness they need to improve on.
Maybe you need more endurance, maybe strength training is whats needed, maybe your a little to heavy or a little to thin or maybe your just not loose enough to get your kicks up where you would like them.
Harold Liederman, old time strong man and editor of Strength and Fitness magazine suggested " that a man should....
* Be able to swim at least half a mile or more
* Be able to run at top speed for the length of two football fields
* Be able to jump over obstacles higher than your waist
* Be in condition to pull your body upward by the strength of your arms, until your chin touches your hands, at least 15 to 20 times
* Be able to dip between parallel bars or 2 chairs 25 times or more.
"If a man can accomplish these things,' Liederman said, 'he need have no fear concerning the safety of his life should he be forced into an emergency from which only he alone may be able to save himself".
So, how do we get to this level of fitness?
Balanced and slow progressive training is whats needed.
Most people don't reach these basic levels because they let their desire to achieve push them to over train and they end their training as quickly as they started.
Weight training: Pick 5 or 6 basic exercises, perform 1 set of 10 repetitions for the first two weeks, ( get the feel of the weight, find the weight that you can perform 10 reps and feel it in the last few), the next two weeks add a set of 8 reps with a small increase in weight. After this 2 week period add 1 more set of 6 repetitions, for a total of 3 sets 2 to 3 times per week. Now you can make small gradual increases in the amount of weight you lift.
This program will add strength and size to your muscles.
Stamina: Exercise bike, Jump rope, jogging, swimming or repetitive calisthenics are all excellent ways to improve your endurance.
Remember to take it slow so you don't burn out;
Take any of these forms of exercise or better yet, mix them up.
Do a few minutes each day, add time as you can, but be consistent, Try to achieve 20 mins. of continuous work and you will have all the stamina you need.
Flexibility: Being a Martial Artist you should already know how to stretch. Take you Dojo routine and try stretching for 10 to 15 mins before going to bed and again when you get up in the morning. Be sure you include some light stretching for you upper and lower back areas and your neck, these areas are often neglected.
You are a Martial Artist, your exercise program is to enhance you M.A. training, along with developing a solid flexible body.
Here are a few sites I strongly recommend:
1. MUSCLE BUILDING 2. BODYWEIGHT TRAINING 3. DUMBELL TRAINING
Ippon Kumite: The Essense of Karate
Ippon Kumite
The most practiced and least understood part of most martial artist training regime.
As a beginning karate student you are taught Ippon Kumite as a basic exercise, Attacker steps forward with an attack, defender steps back and blocks. This is fine, it teaches the new Karateka to use good form and how to transition from one stance to another.
Most martial art instructors have their students increase the power and speed as they advance, but never take it to the next level.
In Shotokan Karate, when we would train Ippon Kumite, we wouldn't know what attack was coming, we would be attacked from a standing or a fighting stance. The defender, who usually derives the most benefit from this kind of training would have to block or evade and would return with his own ippon, learning to see the opening, picking the correct weapon and striking with focus.
All of this needs to happen as a reaction, someone throws something at you, you duck or weave out of the path of the object, no training or practice, just reaction. Now lets combine this natural reaction with training, timing and focus.
Eventually every strike will be the final blow, not a combination of feints leading to the kime, but every blow as kime. Attaining this level is the essence of self defense taught in Shotokan Karate.
Ippon Kumite is so much more then basic training.
