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.
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Speed Training

Speed training is essential to effective self defense. "The ultimate goal of the warrior is to learn to end the fight with a single blow" this was stated by Miyamoto Musashi in his famous text "A Book of Five Rings. So how does the martial artist attain their own level of maximum speed for quick strikes and devastating kicks? Lets explore.
'
1. repetition

2. proper technique

3. visualization

4. explosive conditioning

5. natural reaction


Repetition: No speed training method can be effective without repetition training, practicing your techniques over and over until they become ingrained in your consciousness.

Proper technique: Fast sloppy techniques are ineffective and will keep you from advancing. This is part of repetition training. Practicing your techniques over and over using smooth form and proper technique.

Visualization: See yourself as fast, may sound funny, but this works. I have visualized my backhand striking my opponents head and it does. It's amazing when it happens, because it just happens.

Explosive Conditioning: Slow progressive exercise is great for building strength, but explosive training like plyometrics, Olympic type weight lifting and sprinting are great for building explosive power and should be part of every martial artist speed training regimen.

Natural Reaction: The hardest to develop even thou you already possess it. Ever strike a match, have a piece fly off at your face and you jerk out of the way or have someone throw something at you unexpectedly and you deflect, dodge or catch it, no thought, just happens. One instructor I trained with was always throwing tennis balls, or would lash out with a kick or punch at his students unexpectedly. In the beginning you would just stand there and get hit in the head with the ball or take a quick kick or punch to the body, but the students would quickly learn to react. These were difficult people to sucker punch as they developed their natural reactions.

Every effective Martial artist follows an effective speed training program.

Deadliest Style Of Martial Arts

   What is the deadliest style of martial arts?

   Depends on what you mean by deadly? When I hear the term deadly used, I think in terms of a martial art that is more then a competitive sport or even a self defense based art.

Martial Arts means combat arts, used by warriors to kill and destroy their enemies, not what you learn in most strip mall dojos.

    If a boxer knocks you out, or a wrestler pins you to the ground, are their arts more deadly? What about an art like Arnis or Kendo that are weapon based, are these arts deadlier then the hand to hand Martial Arts?

    In my opinion the deadliest style of martial arts would be an art that emphasized strikes to the bodies vital areas, eyes, throat, groin, joints; taught how to use everyday items as deadly weapons; emphasized when to strike to gain advantage and is able to develop a killer instinct in the practitioner. With all things equal, the person trained in this type of martial art would be deadlier the the same person trained in what passes for Martial Arts today.

Martial art styles taught like this would be one of the deadliest style of martial arts, but a big right hand to the head seems to trump all.

ARE TRADITIONAL MARTIAL ARTS DEADLY?

Traditional Martial Arts like Shotokan, Kenpo, Tae Kwon Do, Kung Fu, etc..., can and are deadly martial arts. I know many people who are solid traditional art practitioners who are very dangerous individuals.

    Many of the skills like focus, timing, awareness and controlled reactions can take years to develop, but worth the effort.

Traditional Martial Arts are generally complete arts that go beyond quick self defense training and can take years to develop, again, worth the effort.

    All martial arts to be effective require the same thing, An Instructor who understands the principals of the art. I've known many who had the training, had the belt, but didn't have the principals or could not convey them to their students.

    So what about arts like San Soo, Krav Maga, BJJ, Ju-Jitsu  etc...

    Are all the practitioners of these arts always the baddest dudes on the block, and deadlier then all the people training in Traditional Martial Arts,  probably not, but the skills taught in each of these styles can make any of these the deadliest style of martial arts, but like I said before,a big right hand to the head seems to trump all.

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WHY DO YOU TRAIN

1. You want to get in shape.

2. It's a hobby.

3. Your interested in learning about the mystical Asian culture.

4. Your going to be the next Bruce Lee.

5. Your having your kids train so they can learn discipline.

To these reasons I say BULLSHIT!

From Wikipedia: Martial arts or fighting arts are systems of codified practices and traditions of training for combat. While they may be studied for various reasons, martial arts share a single objective: to physically defeat other persons and to defend oneself or others from physical threat.

Training for combat and to physically defeat your opponent. This should be the reason you train. If it's a hobby, get yourself some jigsaw puzzles, your wasting the classes time.

Want to learn about Asian culture?, spend a year in Laos or Cambodia, they should give you a feel for real Asain culture.

Your not going to be the next Bruce Lee or B.J. Penn, but I guess it's fun to day dream.

If you can't teach your kids discipline, don't bring them to my class, they won't last a day.

For all of you who just want to GET IN SHAPE, take a jazzersize class, believe me no one will ask you to "SHOW ME SOME OF YOUR MOVES"