A Kick in Time saves Nine Stitches…

Ok, so maybe that isn’t the old adage, but it helps us to think about the topic of today’s
workout, which is a continuation of the previous workout and video called “Kickin’
it Old School” (If you haven’t went through that yet, I would advise doing so or be
comfortable with the usage of your kicks).

Let’s start off with some physical exercises that will both strengthen and help to train our
kicks in a variety of situations.

Step Away Squats: The purpose of these is to train our step away kicks, and also
helps to improve our iron horse and low cat stances. Practice stepping into either a
low cat or iron horse stance and then squat down while keeping your back straight.
Step out in different directions with each leg. Use the idea of an “X” and a “+” for
your angles.

Let’s look at a couple of ideas to train environmental factors into our kicking with some
household props. In this case we are going to be using a sturdy chair (kids make sure you
have adult supervision and get your parents approval first).

Basic kicks from the chair: Have a seat and get comfortable, execute basic ni and
ku kicks to the front. Now practice a front heel thrust, and then a lower heel thrust.
How does that effect your balance in the chair. Is it easier if you are slightly more
forward in the seat on some kick? Really find out what your body is doing…Then
try those kicks to the sides from the chair. Do you have to lean to compensate? Did
you find yourself moving over the edge of the seat when going to the side? Again,
play around with this idea and find out how your body works best from the seating
position.

Try a step away kick with the chair now. But, when you step onto the chair, don’t
rise up as we did in the previous drill, try and maintain a similar level on the chair while
your other leg is kicking. In what circumstances would we use something like this? Are
there any advantages to it? How does it affect your balance when staying low?

Self Defense from a Chair: Let’s explore some ideas if we are sitting from a chair
and are attacked. We will still try and focus on using kicks as our main tools, but
will also incorporate some upper body to assist.
• Sucker Punch from side/behind: If you get hit hard enough, it’s going to hurt
  and disorient us. If the punch is hard enough it is going to knock us out of the
  chair onto the floor. Practice using the idea of accepting a strike from Seuisan
  and tuck the chin and do a shoulder roll from the chair. If the punch is still hard,
  but not enough to warrant the roll or we get hit and don’t roll. Practice that idea
  of getting knocked out of the chair onto our hands and knees and immediately
  throwing a rear heel thrust to either the attacker OR kicking the chair into the
  opponent to buy time and create other opportunities.
• Grab while leaning forward in the chair (prelude to a punch): Picture our
  opponent grabbing us with his left hand and is getting ready to punch with his
  right hand. When we are grabbed like that, there is going to be some force
  driving us back before pulling us into that punch. We are going to apply a
  concept from Kakato-Hiza to counter the attack. As we are grabbed we are going
  to pin his left hand with our left hand. We are also going to lean back/sit up into
  the chair as we also throw a right kick to his knee or hip area. With our right
  hand we are going to execute a right heel palm under his elbow to hyperextend or
  straighten his arm. Practice other follow ups and also standing up and getting out
  of the situation.
• Grab while sitting and no room to move back (prelude to a punch): Same
  scenario as before but we are not leaning forward so when that grab hits, there
  is no backward momentum to use against him. Pin his left hand with ours and
  apply the opening moves of CBA Ni-Shichi. We are going to strike with a right
  crossbody shuto and then snapback into a backfist. As to the kick, practice seeing
  what openings are created by inserting it before the backfist and after the backfist.
  When we bring him in and take his posture what kick fits best to his posture?

Kicking the Chair: Let’s get back to our feet and examine how to use the chair as
a barrier and also as an environmental weapon (we won’t focus on clobbering him
upside the head with the chair WWF-style in this article). Take the form of Kibon-
Ki where we work with a partner and think of that chair as an immovable object.
Do you form and see how you are setting up your opponent to have to move around
the chair to get to you and use it to provide protection. Use Naihachi form with the
chair to your back and again think of it as an immovable object. How can you limit
his access to you? How can you use it to your benefit? Using the form of Wansu,
how does the dump change if you are dumping him INTO an object? Those are
some ideas of using the chair where it doesn’t move. Now I want you to go back to
your forms and as you move around, kick the chair into places where your opponent
would be attempting to close the distance and get to you. By kicking the chair into
him, how can you cut off angles of approach? When you put the chair in a certain
location, how can you use the knowledge of where he is going to be next to your
advantage? How does having a chair, or other object kicked/pushed into you effect
your mental and physical balance. What about knocking the chair over and then
into him? How does the legs of the chair aid you in tangling him up and tying up his
balance?

You will realize that as you go through these drills, we are really examining our basics.
Why do we use certain strikes and where? It provides us with a specific tool and gives
us a specific action for us to capitalize on. The vast majority of fights can be taken care
of with just your basic ichi and basic ni, so why the other techniques? As we get to using
the chair, we realize that this is what we are doing in ALL of our forms and katas. We
are creating barriers and obstacles that our opponents have to work around before getting
to us. Start looking for those opportunities in the forms and then apply it to your next
kumite.

Welcome Guest, to The Sachin-Ryu Dojo. Please Login to access Videos, Articles and take part in the Discussion Login Learn More About The Sanchin-Ryu Karate Dojo or Sign-up Today!

Featured . Kumite Tips . Purple Belt