Coming Up Short
"Coming Up Short”
By E. Jude Gore, 5th Dan
Gichin Funakoshi once said it takes a lifetime to learn karate. As I continue on my path of learning I have decided I might need 5 lifetimes. I have been told on more than one occasion, and by more than one Sensei, that I am “shorting my punches.” In my mind I responded with, “No I’m not, I’m squaring up.” After considering their advice, I decided maybe my cup was a little too full and needed emptying. A very good friend once told me the best way of checking your form and techniques is to videotape yourself. So out came the camera and off to the garage I went. To my surprise I found my techniques were stiff, mechanical, lacking power, and …..”short”. I endeavored to change,
but I then found myself leaning forward sometimes and reaching (see the example to the right). This too resulted in a correction from my instructors and peers. They observed that my posture was poor, my techniques lacked power, and that I was “off balance”. It took an article I read by heavy weight champion Joe Lewis to open my eyes. The article was about why so many fighters lack power due to their shoulders and hips stopping short of completing their technique. A little light in my head came on. I know this to be true because I was asked by my wife why there was light coming out of my ears. It all started to make sense. From that point I started to observe how the best martial artists handled this. What I observed was proper hip and shoulder rotation, extension of techniques, follow-through, and action/reaction. When you first started your karate training how many times did you get pulled off balance by your instructor when you performed a front thrust punch? My number would be close to the National Deficit. I have corrected my students many times for this same error. The normal correction would be to
have the student square up their stance. The student then begins to stop his or her punch (or any technique), motion, and hip rotation short. In the example to the left, I stopped my punch short with my shoulders and hips squared to the front. This also can result in the front leg becoming too straight as it is in the same example. You can compare this to hitting a baseball. When a batter bunts, his motion stops short of a full swing. He cannot hit a home run with this shortened swing. When his intention is to hit a home run he swings through with power. His hips, shoulders and body flow with his swing. Each of these techniques has a legitimate purpose and appropriate use; there is a time for both shortened and complete follow through. When you throw a jab, even though you want your technique to be effective, it’s not the same as a solid front thrust punch. It’s very difficult, if not impossible, to get hip motion if the shoulders and hips stop exactly at square (hips and shoulders straight forward). So what is the answer? Rotate and extend. I mentioned before that I first tried to correct the problem by reaching, leaning, and over extending. The answer was to “extend” my technique while keeping good form and posture while not leaning, but also allowing my hips and shoulders to rotate through the completion of the technique
(see the example to the right). With proper hip motion and rotation the force of my punch is more in line with the rear extended leg. This is our anchor to the ground. In AKS Tiger One you kick, step forward and extend your punch, rotating into an American fighting stance (a horse stance at a 45° angle from front) as you advance down the middle of the H. From this stance shift 60% of your weight on your front leg, lock your rear leg and rotate your hips and shoulders just slightly but not to square. Keep your torso vertical and check your form. This should be the ending position of the front thrust punch. The rear hand and hip are now in position to put power into the next technique, much like an archer with his bow pulled back ready to release his arrow.
I understand that there are some very fine instructors that don’t want you to end in this position but more centered and squared up. An easy solution is to execute your technique with good rotation and form, then immediately ease back to a more squared or centered stance. It’s important to always be aware of your posture and balance. Keep your torso vertical. Too much of a good thing is usually bad so don’t “over” rotate or extend. Our Chief Instructor, Mike Sullenger, has always instructed us to strive for a balance between over extension and shortening our technique, all the while maintaining good posture and balance. Concentrate on action and reaction while executing your techniques. Relax and let your body move to produce both power and speed, and remember to think “extend and rotate” not “lean and reach”.
(The views of the author are his own and don’t necessarily mean anything to anyoneJ.)
