karate principles

8/23/2019 Karate Principles

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http://www.karatethejapaneseway.com/karate_underground/viewtopic.php?

t=10180&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=60

Principles of Karate (the ultimate short form. Most of you that are listening have

a copy of the long winded form)

Three basic groupings with some subtitles:

Kihon or Technique.

Karate is essentially a striking art with some grappling as a secondary aid. The

thought process should be stike, grab and strike, strike and grab or grab, throw

and strike. As such, striking is the primary emphasis of technique.

Striking is basically applied physics: hit the target with optimum velocity

combined with maximum mass. Kinetic Energy is what we are using to cause injury

(the KE is disappated into the body as a wave of destruction) KE is equal to the

mass times the square of the velocity. As such you need to emphasize speed in all

techniques.

Strikes need to be focussed. Delivering the maximum KE into the minimum of surface

area will maximize damage. As such a fist will generally be superior to an push and

the ball of the foot will be better than the flat. This is assuming full

proficiency of the striker.

The first step to developing focus is EYELINE. This is my first basic principle.

The EYELINE should lead all attacks. One of the major reasons beginners have weak

techniques is that they strike in one direction while looking in the other.

The second principle is ALIGNMENT. This means that the technique must align with

the strong/ long axis of the stance, regardless of what stance you may be in.

Certainly there are some exceptions to this rule, but the strikes done not in

alignment with the long axis of the stance are generally weaker than they could be

if they were.

ALIGNEMENT is an all encompassing term for stance, posture, projection of techniqueand is used in conjunction with EYELINE. To me a perfectly performed technique

includes perfect ALIGNMENT of the MOVEMENT and projection of the technique along

the EYELINE.

Co-ordinated MOVEMENT is my third principle. To correctly apply the KE equation you

must have mass. To throw a "perfect" technique you must MOVE the maximum amount of

mass along the EYELINE and in perfect ALIGNMENT. If we apply the principle of

ALIGNMENT, all MOVEMENT will be done with excellent posture and the student will

endeavor to maintain ALIGNMENT by attempting to keep his center of gravity at a

consistent level and along the direct line of movement. This translates to no "bob

and weave" or "bird wings and cowboy legs". (those last terms seem silly, but think

about new students; up and down, side to side and arms and legs flying freaking

everywhere)

My fourth principle is BREATHING. BREATHING in a controlled manner will help

coordinate the MOVEMENT to maximize velocity and mass at impact. Properly used the

BREATHING helps give the student correct body dynamics by involving the abdominal

core muscles in every movement. We talk a lot about MOVING from the core, but you

cannot actually do so unless you engage the abdominal muscles. The easiest way to

engage those muscles is to use them to co-ordinate the BREATHING. To the beginner

this will be a consicious effort, to the advanced student it is just BREATHING.

Nothing more nothing less. If I am MOVING, I am BREATHING. they are one and the

same.


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Four principles only; EYELINE, ALIGNMENT, MOVEMENT, and BREATHING.

Kumite and Fighting

There is only one basic principle: using mastery of timing, rhythm and distance,

ALWAYS LEAD THE OPPONENT.

You become the puppet master and he the puppet. You are the General and he is the

soldier.

You may LEAD THE OPPONENT in any one of a number of ways.

1) entice him to attack first by offering up a target and

a) allow the first attack to flow by and counter-attack before he realized he

missed.

b) intercept the first attack firmly and counter-attack in the gap created by your

firm interception

c) intercept the first attack and counter-attack simultaneously

d) read the telegraphs of an impending attack and counter-attack just as your

opponent starts his attack.

These are obviously all the variations of Go-No-Sen timing; giving the opponent the

impression they are in control when in fact you are playing with timing and

distance to optimize your opportunity for success.

2) attack first by

a) picking up a loss of focus and attacking

b)causing a loss of focus by trickery and attacking

The key points remain that you must always LEAD THE OPPONENT by the mastery of

timing, distance, and rhythm.

The major concepts the student must keep in mind are only two: Kyo and Jutsu. Ifthe opponent is ready and at focussed guard (maintaining zanshin), then he is

jutsu. Any attack done on a opponent that is jutsu is doomed and foolish. Kyo is

open to attack and is the proper opportunity to attack. Kyo comes in two basic

forms: natural kyo and created kyo.

An opponent will always be kyo in the gap between any successive techniques. The

slower the opponent is between successive techniques, the greater the kyo gap.

Extending a technique or firmly intercepting a technique will extend the gap

between techniques and increast the moment of kyo.

Any loss of focus will be a kyo point. This may include that moment that the

opponent finally commits to an attack: at that moment he is thinking only attack

and therfore may be attacked himself.

Kata

Really only one key principle and many, many, many pages of explanation of what

certain postures, techniques, and sequences may mean. There is only one hard and

fast rule of kata applications, everything else are merely helpful guidelines.

Kata demonstrates the principle of:

EARLY INTERCEPTION, DOMINATION, AND INCAPACITATION.


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While not all the kata necessarily demonstate EARLY INTERCEPTION the principle of

intercepting an attack is always formost on the mind. As a defender you may choose

to allow the opponent a little head start on his attack (ie: you may choose to

allow him to secure his grip on your jacket) but this will merely feed your

ultimate strategy to DOMINATE. Once the opponent is engaged, you are always

attacking and leading the attacker.

Finally, all kata sequences finish with the opponent INCAPACITATED. If your

sequence ends with you turning away from the attacker while he still stands, thenyou are not applying the kata correctly.

No kata sequence will end without the complete INCAPACITATION of the opponent.

For all you guys that are suffering through my treatise, there is obviously far

more to this discussion. Far more explanation and justification. I hope, that

having digested some of what I said in my treatise, you will agree that I am about

80% right, and that is all I ever ask of myself.

Final point: Rules are made to be broken, but you need to know the rules first.

That is why I get so irritated by newbies telling me how they think things should

be done. My favourite English teacher taught me that a good writer knows all the

rules of good writing while a great author knows when to break them. That, to me,

sums up karate as well.

karate principles

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