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Kumite Tips #1/Kumite Tips #2/Kumite Tips #3/Kumite Tips #4/Kumite Tips #5/Kumite Tips #6/Kumite Tips #7/Kumite Tips #8/Kumite Tips #9
Kumite Drills # 1/Kumite Drills # 2/Kumite Drills # 3
Well summer is officially over and now it's time to re-focus on ones martial art...
...in my case Karate.
It's almost like starting over but with a little more understanding than before...
...too me, Karate is kind of like a slow boil. I seem to be progressing, but sometimes I feel like I'm not and that I'm standing at the start line.
I have a red belt and I wanted to take a full year for my black belt training and exam...
...my Sensei wants me and another red belt to test in December.
How can someone as indulgent as I am, transform myself into a black belt by December?
This should be interesting...
Anyway, here's a basic principles refresher and another Kumite drill to muse over...
Points of importance are:
Form, Balance, and center of Gravity.
...a students balance is constantly shifting from one foot to the other...so one's center of gravity must shift quickly from forward and back, and side to side...
...all the while looking for an opening to attack and avoiding the attack of your opponent.
Power and Speed
To achieve power you must incorporate the action of speed.
For example, the punch of an advanced Karate-Ka can travel at a speed of 43 feet per second and carry enough potential energy of 1500 lbs per sq inch...
Speed training should be based on techniques that move the muscles quickly rather than techniques that build strength like weight lifting...
...which are important, but not for application of speed...
...punching the Makiwara board is one such training technique.
Too be continued...Abdomen and Hips, Concentration of Power, Timing, Rhythm and how the muscles work together to create power...
Oh ya, the Kumite Drill...
Movement is one of a Karate-Ka's greatest assets...
...if you can move around with ease, you'll never really get nailed with a solid technique, conversely you'll be in a perfect position to unleash your own solid technique when your opponent finishes, or lands from their technique.
Start from the Kamae position...left leg forward...
...shift forward then bring the back foot up to the front foot and push your front foot forward and finally take a full step forward with your back leg.
Your right leg and foot should now be forward...
...shift back then bring the front foot back to the rear foot and push your back foot out to the rear and finally take a full step back with your left foot.
You should now be back to your original position...
Switch legs and repeat...
Practice moving like that for straight forward attacks and straight back defensive techniques...
In Kumite, those are the 3 basic means of making distance on your opponent...so practicing those movements in unison with your opponents movements will frustrate them and set them up for your jab and reverse punches...
