Friday, July 1, 2022

Stick To The Fundamentals ---- Chief Instructor July 2022


I had a basketball coach in high school that was a stickler for the fundamentals, the building blocks.  Without the basics, not only could you not perform well, but trying to do the fancy moves more likely just ended up making you look silly or actually get yourself injured.

This concept applies to martial arts as well.  The fundamentals, the basics, are core to everything we do.  Without a strong foundation in the basics, you cannot move on to more advanced techniques, and if you tried, you will probably just end up hurting yourself.   And the fact of the matter is advanced techniques are just extensions of the basics.

And while some may think basics are just the basics techniques you were taught the first six months of training; the fundamentals include the attributes of those basics themselves.  Since that may not be clear, let’s discuss a few.

 

1.      Formal Cat Stance key attributes include

  • Hips and shoulders square; back straight
  • Head up, chin level
  • Front knee points in the forward direction, knee above ankle
  • Stance locked into hip
  • All body weight will be on rear leg; no weight on the leading foot

 

2.       Forward punch fundamentals include a strong horse stance with a proper front punch. 

The key attributes of a strong horse stance include: 

  • Feet approximately twice shoulder width; parallel to each other,
  • Knees bent approximately 45 degrees from horizontal,
  • Knees over the ankle pointing straight ahead,
  • Body weight evenly distributed on both feet,
  • Hips and shoulders square; back straight,
  • Head up, chin level

 

The key attributes of a front punch include: 

  • Proper closed fist
  • Arm stays in contact with side of body throughout motion; driving from the elbow
  • Punching arm elbow remains slightly bent at impact
  • Wrists flat at impact; first two knuckles pointed at target

 

3.      Knife Hand fundamentals include a strong attack stance with a proper froward open hand inward strike. 

The key attributes of a strong attack stance attack include:

  • Hips and shoulders square; back straight
  • Knees and feet point straight ahead
  • Front knee bent approximately 35 degrees from horizontal and above the ankle
  • Body weight evenly distributed on both feet
  • Rear leg is locked
  • Stance is approximately twice as wide as it is long

 

The key attributes of the forward, open hand inward strike include:

  • Palm is flat; tips of the fingers slightly bent; thumb tucked in 
  • Elbow remains close to the body and downward throughout the striking muton
  • Palm is forward and rotates upward just before impact
  • Elbow remains bent at contact

 

For example, without a proper cat stance, you will not be able to throw a jump kick with any force, turns will be wobbly, sparring ineffective, you will not be able perform more advanced techniques like a sweeping attack stance.  And the list goes on and on and on.

So, it is not enough to just practice hundreds or thousands of techniques in cat stance if you are not focused on and ensuring the fundamentals, those key attributes are part of the practice. 

So, if it has been a while since you focused on the fundamentals of techniques, why not start today?  Make it a priority to commit to mastering the fundamentals.

Regards,

Kelly

It is not the number of Kata you know, but the SUBSTANCE of the Kata you have acquired." ~ Jitsumi Gogen Yamaguchi (1909-1989), Gogen Yamaguchi (1909-1989), Grandmaster of Japanese Karate-dō and founder of the International Karate-dō Gōjū Kai Association