Stance
- Weight 60/40 – more on front leg to avoid a sweep and help propel you forward (easier to push off when more weight is slightly on front than back)
- Feet should be almost shoulder length (not width, but length). The sparring stance is really quite short.
- Feet should be shoulder width apart. Make sure back foot is pointing forward, as much as possible.
- When close to opponent, keep front-most hand (if left leg forward, then left arm/hand) closer to the body to close the target opening. When farther away from opponent, this hand can be lifted slightly higher and further out
- Hand that’s drawn back (if left leg forward, it’s the right hand) should be against the stomach (in case an attack comes in, the attack will hit arm and not body). Hand should be rotated 45 degrees towards stomach.
So Sensei Kyle and Shihan were in town this weekend to test the black belts, and to give the annual karate seminar. The really big take-away that I got from the seminar was not particular to one kata or one technique. It was more of encompassing sort of thing.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever watched Sensei Kyle move across the floor? It looks like he's gliding. You see his legs moving but from the belt north nothing moves. He moves that way whether he's doing kihon or kata. How does he do that?
The secret is in the legs. For each movement, even just forward or back, subtle but vitally important shifting of weight. Once the weight is shifted to where you want to go, then it's a "simple" matter of trailing leg to move where it needs to. So for instance, there's a lot of katas in which you do a high block and a gedan barai in kokutso dachi, and then pivot 180 to repeat the high block and gedan barai.
So the sequence is: (1) shift weight forward; (2) windup arms; (3) snap the pivot.
I say "simple" cos it's not really. In order to move like this, the impetus for the movement comes from the weight shifting and the strength of your legs alone. The reason Sensei looks like he's motionless from the belt up, is because he is. His core is still, his head is still. It's a cheat to move by lurching the core or head in the direction you want to go. It's all about shift the weight and then go with the legs.
Lot to think about...