The Basics
The basic building blocks of any karate style are all the same. You have to learn to block, punch and kick. To this list can be added other basic skills like stepping, turning, stance, kiai, tenshin and breathing techniques. For a beginner, everything about karate is new. In many ways, preparation for that first test is the biggest step the karate student will make until his or her shodan test.
Even advanced students should not assume that they have already mastered the basic movements. Kōburyū is subtly different from what they may have learned in Uechi Ryū or even Pangainoon Ryū. Master the basics, Kōburyū style. To learn any martial art is a physicaL endeavor. You cannot learn by reading about the martial arts, attending seminars or watching video. Repetitive practice is required to train the body so the movements become second nature.
Renshū Renshū Renshū
Practice Practice Practice
Build a Strong Foundation
Block
kÅsa | 交差 | crossing; intersecting |
uke | åã | block |
KÅsa uke is the block developed by SÅke KaichÅ KinjÅ. KÅsa uke and the circle block, hirate mawashi uke, of Uechi RyÅ« are quite different. In kÅsa uke both hands work together for more blocking effectiveness. KÅsa uke can be compared to the two-handed backhand popular in tennis for its greater power.
The circle block of Uechi RyÅ« uses each hand independently. The thought process for learning circle block was “slap drop around back.” Sometimes the slap hand does nothing at all, relying on the circle hand to do all the blocking. This one-handed block does work, but not well against an opponent who may be much stronger.
Yes, kÅsa uke has a hand thatâs purpose is to slap, but letâs call the other hand the control hand. Both hands come together to force the opponentâs thrust aside. The slap hand is then free to come to hikite in preparation for the counterattack while the other hand takes control (hence the control hand). Pay special attention to the control hand. Dropping too low with the control hand wastes valuable time. It also negates the advantage of using both hands together. In effect, the kÅsa uke devolves into the Uechi RyÅ« circle block.
The slap of kÅsa uke is not always delivered shÅtei, the base of the palm. There are four ways to perform kÅsa uke, for all of which the âslapâ is actually an attack to the opponentâs arm. ShÅtei is the least painful and therefore preferred for partner work. In karate kata, the flatter appearance of haitÅ is preferred. Interestingly, in KÅbu no Tinaka, both haitÅ and tetsui are applied to great effect, using the points on either end of the small hand-held weapon.
shÅtei | æåº | palm heel |
haitÅ | èå | ridge hand |
shutÅ | èå | sword hand |
tetsui | ææ§ | hammer fist |
- ShÅtei
- HaitÅ
- ShutÅ
- Tetsui
Punch
How much force you can deliver to an opponent is dependent on two factors: mass and acceleration.
F = MA
Loosely speaking, you have to be both strong and fast.
To be as fast as possible in the short distance from your fist to your opponent you need acceleration. Follow through is important. You want to still be accelerating as you hit. Imagine that you are creating a hole for the punch to travel through.
To increase the mass delivered to the opponent, use the whole side of your body and not just your arm. To make the collision as inelastic as possible, tighten on contact so that all of your force will be delivered to the opponent. In other words, you don’t want to bounce off like a ping pong ball hitting a billiard ball.
The central axis of the body is called chūshin. As the punch is launched you rotate around chūshin, causing the opposite shoulder to naturally move back. This sets you up to deliver the next attack. Potential energy is increased because there is more distance to accelerate through.
SÅke KaichÅ KinjÅ learned his physics by punching a makiwara. You can do the same. Punch until you feel you are delivering the most power possible.
There are many different ways of attacking with the hand, fist or elbow.
Hand Techniques
tsuki -zuki | çªã | thrust |
uchi | æã¡ | hit or beat |
nuki | 貫ã | strike through |
tsuki uke | çªãåã | punch block |
Tsuki means thrust. In karate tsuki is used to refer to a punch, but tsuki can also refer to the thrust of a bÅ. Tsuki is pronounced zuki when we are talking about a particular type of tsuki, like seiken zuki for “regular fist” or chÅ«dan zuki for a punch to the midsection.
An uchi is a strike with the side of a weapon, which can be the side of the hand or the side of a bÅ. The elbow strike is also an uchi. The elbow strike is a hit with the forearm near the elbow. It is not a piercing blow. Uchi can also refer to strikes that beat down, like uraken uchi.
A nuki is using the hand like a spear with the image of striking through the opponent.
Tsuki uke is blocking and punching in one motion. The outside of the arm acts as a wedge, driving the attack aside. The fist continues on the attack.
Fist Types
seiken | æ£æ³ | correct fist |
shÅken | å°æ³ | small fist |
boshiken | æææ³ | thumb fist |
hiraken | å¹³æ³ | flat fist |
Uechi RyÅ«, coming from China, originally had only nukite, shÅken, hiraken and shÅte, There was no seiken punch. Therefore, there are no seiken punches in Sanchin, Seisan or Sanseiryu. The seiken punch is purely Okinawan, coming from Shorin RyÅ«, the oldest of the Okinawan karate styles.
Kick
Keri -geri | è¹´ã | kick |
Your weight should be on the balls of your feet. As you kick the knee of the support leg should flex and the heel should turn inward. The turn of the heel with the knee flexed adds power and reach to the kick. The hip of the support leg will naturally pivot back as the kick extends, much as the opposite shoulder moves back as a punch is extended.
Stance
musubi dachi | çµã³ç«ã¡ | heels together stance |
heikÅ dachi | å¹³è¡ç«ã¡ | parallel stance |
sanchin dachi | ä¸æ¦ç«ã¡ | Sanchin stance |
suegoshi | æ®ãè °ç«ã¡ | “sit down hips” stance |
neko ashi dachi | ç«è¶³ç«ã¡ | cat foot stance |
shizen | èªç¶ | natural |
ç«ã¡
Stance
There are many stances found in karate kata and taisabaki waza.
Movement
tenshin | è»¢é² | shifting position |
The safest place for a defender to be is outside the path of the attack. The opening moves of the kata, Kanshiwa, are good examples of tenshin, moving to the outside of an attack.
Turn
mawaru | åã | to turn |
mawatte | åã£ã¦ | turn (command) |
Turn and look. Use your shoulders. Donât rely on peripheral vision. As you look begin your step and block. The whole side of the body turns as one. Shift your weight onto the ball of your pivot foot as you turn. Shifting your weight immediately moves your head and body out of the path of the attack. Practice the turn with a bend of the knee as you shift your weight. It looks like a swoop into the block. This lowers your center of gravity for a more stable base as you intercept the attack.
Two common errors:
- if you first turn your foot and then step into the turn you leave your head in the path of the attack. You may be hit.
- If you step across and then pivot you canât see what is coming until it is too late to respond properly. With your legs crossed over you will be unstable. Plus, this is even slower than turning your foot first. You are vulnerable for far too long.
Ask a partner to check your turn. Stand in sanchin dachi with your hands at the ready position. Have your partner place his fist an inch or two from the back of your head. Turn. Did your head immediately move out of the path of the fist?
Breathing
kokyÅ« | å¼å¸ | breathing |
hÅ | æ³ | method |
The KÅburyÅ« breathing method is very different from that of Uechi RyÅ«. Uechi RyÅ« practitioners are taught to breathe after the strike. They are also taught to control the breath by stopping the exhale using the tongue, making a “tssst” sound.
KÅburyÅ« practitioners breathe at the moment of contact for delivery of maximum power. Breathing is united with the movement and helps focus power. Push the exhale from the diaphragm. Imagine that you are a balloon. When a filled balloon is released the air exits explosively and completely. This is what your exhale should feel like.
SÅke KaichÅ KinjÅ recommends a breathing exercise to improve the strength of your exhale. Inhale until you feel you can hold no more. Then exhale completely, using your diaphragm to force out the last available air. You can pound your stomach at the last of the exhale. The exhale should take three times as long as the inhale. You can imagine that you are inhaling the essence of the universe and then exhale the impurities.
KÅburyÅ« students who are still using the “tssst” should work to remove this breathing method. The Uechi RyÅ« breathing method can not possibly add to power.
Kiai
The kiai is the martial artist’s fighting yell. Like the powerful exhale of KÅburyÅ«, a great kiai can help deliver maximum power at contact. It can also become part of your defense strategy, showing confidence and determination.
The three rules of kiai for defense:
- Express your kiai before your opponent.
- Express your kiai stronger than your opponent.
- Express your kiai more often than your opponent.
Does the kiai really increase power?
An answer from Scientific American magazine:
Does making a loud noise while hitting the ball actually help? Quite possibly, says ScientificAmerican.com. In a recent study, physical-therapy researcher Dennis OâConnell found that by grunting, college players could speed up their serve by 4.7 mph on average and their forehand by 4 mph. He notes that the grunt occurs during what is known as the Valsalva maneuver, when a tennis player â or weight lifter â forcefully expels air in moments of extreme muscle strain. Grunting appears to recruit more muscle fibers to the activity, thus generating more force, and âcan have a role in helping anyone do a maximal exertion,â OâConnell says.
Why Tennis Players Shriek and Grunt; The Week; September 18, 2009
Zanshin
kamae | æ§ã | pose |
zanshin | æ®å¿ | unrelaxed alertness |
yame | æ¢ã | stop (command) |
The last move of a karate kata is a kamae, a pose. The purpose the pose is to show zanshin, a tension in the body and an alertness of expression that shows readiness to continue the fight, if necessary.
Even though kata is an imaginary battle, remain on guard after the last movement of the kata until the command is given to stop, yame. There may be places during the kata where zanshin is appropriate, showing that one imaginary opponent has been finished off but you are ready in case of another attack.
Similarly, after completing a bunkai, withdraw out of range of the opponent but remain alert and poised to fight again.