Karate Reverse Punch and Footwork Drill

www.iainabernethy.co.uk/ This video covers a drill involving four reverse punches (gyaku-zuki). Each one has a different bit of footwork associated with it:
1) Punching as we retreat. 2) Punching as we shift forward. 3) Punching as we hop forward. 4) Punching as we double step-forward.
The aim is to ensure the correct distancing and solid impact on all four punches. It’s also important so seek to deliver all four strikes in a flowing motion i.e. no stops or breaks (no matter how short).
This drill is for the consensual violence aspects of karate i.e. NOT self-defence (non-consensual violence). Closing a significant gap, as we do on the 3rd and 4th punches, is tactically antithetical to the needs and goals of self-defence. However, for duelling / fighting being able manage and close distance is very important. It should also be understood this is not intended to be a combination, but a drill to isolate some of the footwork options for the reverse-punch. It’s also a fun way to get students to do lots of reverse punches in non-monotonous way (“repetition by stealth” as one of my teachers called it).
All the best,
Iain
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[@raymondowens5852]

Very nice! Thanks for all the shared knowledge!

[@TimRHillard]

5:50 thats a superman punch! Very cool.

[@CombatSelfDefense]

Great content, as always. Gonna play with this drill myself and then incorporate it into my classes.

[@falkschiffner6565]

LOVE IT! quite similar to the combinations I thought 2 weeks ago... I will add your variation to the training tomorrow!

[@jonahakivahbenavraham]

Well, that was cool! Thanks

[@MarshOakDojoTimPruitt]

thank Iain

[@thecarnosaurchannel2819]

New sub

[@TimRHillard]

Sensei Abernathy, 4:36 looks an awful bit like the overhand right. From my boxing days, two punches they usually don't see coming are the uppercut and overhand right. I felt it was because of the gloves blocking vision, but now thinking it was more because they were moving a vertical plane? What do you think?

[@practicalkatabunkai]

I think there are various reasons why people don’t see punches including distraction, angle, blocking line of sight, doing something unexpected, etc. Uppercuts, especially close-range ones, come through the blind spot under the chin. Over hand rights often get misread as either a cross or a hook. In the karate world, they are also not thrown as often so many karateka don’t recognise the pattern.

[@dobo9150]

I wonder whether this footwork also makes sense for an aikido context. Maybe half the standing techniques practiced require finding and blending with the guard of an attacker, who might want to retreat and hem in the person with footwork or clear enough space to keep a knife or other weapon usefully between them. I guess that means space management in multiple attacker rondori and disarming techniques.

[@dobo9150]

@@tatumergo3931 Well, all of this is just politics pursued by lethal hurley techniques; that doesn't change the reality or diversity of who we practice with, what we practice for, and why such-and-such set of people doing stuff came to be as they are. As best I can tell, everyone can only walk their own road with these things anyway; a name like "aikido" or "judo" or "hurley" is just a way of naming intersection points among these roads, and may not be very good at that to boot. Edit: My whole point was, "I kinda like this; I wonder if we would like this back at my old stomping grounds."

[@dobo9150]

@@tatumergo3931 I dunno who you've met or what your experience has been, but I grew up in a family devoted to a certain football team--one or two of us love the sport for itself, and most the rest of us only like it when our team wins. Maybe I am in that outlier sometimes, but the common thread I see between both sides--the ones who only like a thing when our team wins and the one who likes a thing for itself--is that we like it. You know the phrase, "Take what you like and leave the rest?" I think you're describing the phenomenon where people like what they've found and don't want to muck with it by continuing to look further--the ones who don't want to love a game beyond their team in it. Edit: My point is, "Sure, that's a natural thing to see, because we all only love what we love and ain't nobody got time to love everything every which way. The suffering is real, mate."

[@YoukaiSlayer12]

Gonna have to look over this drill over & over. Especially if I can get a partner.

[@practicalkatabunkai]

It can be done solo, on the pads, and with a partner ... that's how we built it in the dojo.

[@YoukaiSlayer12]

@@practicalkatabunkai oh ok, just worried about getting a good feel of the movement & feedback from another set of eyes.

[@ClintsCrypt]

While I do agree long distance training and shifting exercises are good for strength and flexibility training, these exercises look like they are being choreographed for a modern Marvel super hero movie, like The Avengers, Black Widow, etc. I don't see the point in practicing them, as you said yourself they are no good for self defense due to distance. If meant to develop some skill for later use in a practical technique, then I could see the point. But there are better exercises for that. It doesn't seem that the trade off for making it less boring by doing these is worth the negative muscle memory of poor body mechanics is worth it. I would prefer exercises that induce better muscle memory for good body mechanics for practical applications, even for long distance techniques. Long distance techniques could be useful for defense of a third person if there was no other way out of the situation other than to attack first (sen).

[@practicalkatabunkai]

YOU WROTE: “you said yourself they are no good for self defense due to distance.” That’s right because self-defence situations are almost always close-range affairs. There is no need to “close the gap” because that is antithetical to escape. However, such methods are very useful in fighting (a consensual exchange between two martial artists) where being able to manage and control distance are key skills. We like to train both but are always clear on what methods apply to what context. This a technical drill for some of the various kinds of reverse-punch. To land a shot, you need all of the 3Ts in place i.e. technique, tactics and timing. This drill is for the technique side of it. Later that same session - as is said in the video - we did live drills with the same methods. People were landing them too. All of these shots are widely used to good effect when martial artists fight each other. While jumping punches are a staple of action movies, they are also widely used to good effect in combat sports (for example: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l5KtdqR8jrGcbc0 ). Me and mine land them a lot too. My favourite set up is to do the punch when my opponent has moved out of range of a rear leg front kick. I retract the kick, which is often mistaken for me moving back, and then hop into land the punch.

[@ClintsCrypt]

@@practicalkatabunkai I guess if you are doing kumite just for fun, it serves its purpose. You did say in your video it was to keep things from getting boring. I guess I am just different, as I never find training boring. I know many do get bored. Hence the high drop out rate instructors sadly have to deal with worldwide. Even just thinking about body mechanics, technical improvements and self defense applications can keep me from sleeping at night (often to my dismay when I am tired) 🤪. But I wouldn't change it if I could. I love karate and would be disheartened if it ever became boring to me. I train strictly self defense, to include the joint locks, takedown, throws, etc.. The commentator in the video you linked said right at the beginning of the video if you don't land the punch, it leaves you in a bad position. I totally agree. That is another reason it would not be ideal for self defense. It would not be worth the risk of the technique failing and leaving you compromised in self defense. Even good self defense techniques are often lost on a non-compliant, moving combative opponent. But at least you are left in a better defensive position to re-engage, if necessary. In the video, the narrator called it the "Superman punch". I think it is aptly named 🤣🤣🤣. I am not a Supermen, so I will leave it for those guys 🙂. For keeping students from getting bored, the "Superman punch" works. I hope you get to train today and everyday, as I know you love your karate too.

[@practicalkatabunkai]

@@ClintsCrypt YOU WROTE: “You did say in your video it was to keep things from getting boring.” Training being boring is not a virtue in my eyes. It’s likely to be a symptom of one-dimensional training that won’t develop skills as much as training that is more holistic. I could get my students to do 100 reverse punches on the spot, or I could get them to do well over 100 reverse punches in a way where they also learn different ways to manage distance etc. The first is boring and unproductive. The second will be more fun and will develop more skill. It’s not just to “entertain”, but to ensure that training is genuinely producing practical and adaptable martial arts. It’s fun because it works, and people can see and feel themselves making genuine progress. YOU WROTE: “I guess if you are doing kumite just for fun, it serves its purpose” We are not doing if “for fun”, we are doing it to develop functional fighting skills … and we find functional fighting fun. While the self-defence side of things is very important, I want to be a martial artist, not a “partial artist”. We cover the self-defence side thoroughly, but that in no way prevents us from learning fighting skills too. YOU WROTE: “I know many do get bored. Hence the high dropout rate instructors sadly have to deal with worldwide.” Martial arts aren’t for everyone, and some people do move on to other things. However, many quit because the instructor can’t instruct; the students stop progressing, the realise their efforts are wasted, and they quit. If the instructor has a high dropout rate, they may well need to take a look at how they are teaching rather than putting the blame solely on the students. If students can feel themselves continually improving, they tend to keep training because who doesn’t like to make progress and do well at something (it’s fun to do that!). YOU WROTE: “The commentator in the video you linked said right at the beginning of the video if you don't land the punch, it leaves you in a bad position. I totally agree. That is another reason it would not be ideal for self defense. It would not be worth the risk of the technique failing and leaving you compromised in self defense.” With respect, if you think real situations afford you that kind of space you need to better understand the nature of criminal violence. Using fighting methods for self-defence is like trying to hammer in a nail with a paintbrush. The tool works great when used for it’s intended purpose, but we need to be clear on what tool is for what job. The hopping punch is most defiantly a fighting technique because it is closing distance (something antithetical to self-defence goals). However, within the consensual fighting framework it works great. I use it all the time. I throw a rear front kick, the opponent moves back, they see the leg go back and think I am retreating, and then BOOM, I hop forward land the punch and am close enough to follow up. Defiantly a fighting technique, so it should be judged as a fighting technique. It’s wrong to critique a paint punch for failing to knock in a nail; in the same way it is to critique a hammer for not being able to effectively apply paint. Use the right tools and tactics for the right goal. YOU WROTE: “I am not a Supermen, so I will leave it for those guys” Do you want to be the best martial artist you can be? Of course you want to the skill to keep yourself safe from criminal activity, but do you want the skills to competently engage with other martial artists too? If you do want to be able to deal with more then one type of conflict, then you need to train for that too. If we are training consistently for a long time, we can get good at more then one thing. It’s up to everyone to train as they see fit, but I want to be the most rounded martial artist I can be. I also want that for my students. The self-defence side of things is covered very thoroughly (verbal skills, escape skills, protecting others, law, personal security, etc and all the physical stuff), but we can also cover fighting footwork, combinations, advanced methods to catch fellow martial artist unaware, etc. As I say, I don’t want to be a “partial artist”. As regards the superman punch specifically, the hopping punch isn’t that hard to do. If you are working throws - which a generally take a lot more practise to get competent at - you more easily add a few unusual punches to your arsenal. YOU WROTE: “For keeping students from getting bored, the "Superman punch" works” You are being overly dismissive of the method there. You have been clear it’s not something you practise. Seeing as you have no personal experience of it, maybe reserve judgement? It works well within the framework of consensual fighting (what it was intended for). In combat sports people KO each other with it all the time. In dojo sparring, people land it regularly. All ages, sizes and skill levels. It’s genuinely not that hard. It works. I hope the above is of some use to you and other readers. All the best, Iain

[@ClintsCrypt]

@@practicalkatabunkai I wholly agree with you that many students quit because they stop progressing, etc. and it is often due to the lack of knowledge, skill or teaching ability of their instructor. Sadly, too many people get limited experience under their belt and then think they can be instructors, making the problem even worse. I have seen that more times than I can count over the last 40 years in karate, as well as numerous other martial arts. Many years ago, I almost reached the point of quitting. But then I was very luckily to meet a very knowledgeable and skillful sensei who was a private student of Masatoshi Nakayama sensei in the early 1970s in Japan and later of Hidetaka Nishiyama sensei and Mori sensei. It changed my life and way of thinking. I think it also saved my life more than once in my career. Your comment that I needed to learn more about the nature of criminal violence did give me and my wife (she is also a longtime karateka/aikidoka) a good chuckle (literally, in good spirit, I don't mean it negatively), as I have lived in a high crime city and county on the U.S.-Mexico border for 50 years and I am retired from law enforcement here after 24 years of dealing with violent criminals on a daily basis. My goal was always to de-escalate the situations and to go home safely. But there were still many shifts when I ended up engaged in 2-3 physical altercations in a single night (I worked late swings and graveyard shift for 17 years) with violent gang members, drug dealers or domestic violence offenders, etc. Most of them unable to be reasoned with due to being mentally ill, high on drugs and/or alcohol or just notoriously violent. Those years taught me no one is a Superman and your life can be gone in an instant in any given physical altercation, even if just by shear acvident. So you try to never leave yourself compromised if you have an opportunity to prevent it. Looking forward to your future videos. Take care! 🙂

[@practicalkatabunkai]

@@ClintsCrypt YOU WROTE: “I wholly agree with you that many students quit because they stop progressing, etc. and it is often due to the lack of knowledge, skill or teaching ability of their instructor.” Indeed. Instructors need to keep focusing on their own development, both as martial artists and instructors, to ensure they best serve their students. YOU WROTE: “Your comment that I needed to learn more about the nature of criminal violence did give me a good chuckle (literally, in good spirit, I don't mean it negatively), as I have lived in a high crime city and county along the U.S.-Mexican border for 50 years and I am retired from law enforcement here after 24 years of dealing with violent criminals on a daily basis.” That’s not what I wrote. I didn’t say, “You I needed to learn more about the nature of criminal violence”. What I said was … I WROTE: “With respect, if you think real situations afford you that kind of space you need to better understand the nature of criminal violence. Using fighting methods for self-defence is like trying to hammer in a nail with a paintbrush.” We agree methods for closing a gap in an unexpected way are not relevant to self-defence. However, in the post above you did dismiss the superman punch on the basis of utility in self-defence. That’s why I used the “hammer and paintbrush” analogy. It strikes me as wrong to dismiss a method for consensual violence (mutually agreed fighting) on the basis of its inappropriateness for non-consensual violence (unwanted criminal violence). That was why I wrote the above. YOU WROTE: “That is another reason it would not be ideal for self defense. It would not be worth the risk of the technique failing and leaving you compromised in self defense.” It would be wrong to even consider such a method for self-defence because its primary function is to close the gap in an unexpected way (which is why I was surprised when wrote the above). For self-defence, the gap is rarely there to start with, and the ultimate aim is to get away safely so deliberately closing a gap would be antithetical to the goal. It’s obviously a little different for law-enforcement because the goals and methods are different i.e. arrest vs. escape, working as a team rather than solo, etc. However, I’m sure you get the point: It was your consideration of the use of the method in self-defence, and the resulting dismissal on that basis, that was my concern. It’s a good fighting technique. It’s not a technique that is appropriate for self-defence. YOU WROTE: “Those years taught me no one is a Superman and your life can be gone in an instant in any given physical altercation, even if just by shear accident. So you try to never leave yourself compromised if you have an opportunity to prevent it.” I would agree, but this IS NOT a self-defence method. By way of simile, a ground fighting choke can be very effective in one-on-one fighting. People use it successfully in that context all the time. However, the same method in self-defence is hugely problematic because it leaves people very vulnerable to third parties. Does that mean such things should not be practised? Not to my way of thinking because it works very well within the context of consensual violence. The key, as I see it, is to always correctly contextualise any methods being practised and taught. “Does this work?” is a meaningless question unless we first clarify, “Works for what?”. When doing judo, I learnt loads of throws that involved me going to the ground with my opponent. They work for judo competition, and I won bouts with them. Would I use them in self-defence? No, because they would leave me terribly exposed. I’m not going to dismiss them though because they work within the judo context. As I say, I want to be competent in lots of differing areas; therefore, I have to practise what works in those differing areas. To return to my analogy, I am not going to reject the paintbrush because it does not hammer in nails … I will need it when I paint :-) I hope that helps clarify. All the best, Iain

[@padraicogawain3162]

Ian, I love your many karate applications Man. But this? No way. Try that against karateka in Kyokushin full contact, Sabaki Challenge, and Karate Combat, and then get back to us with your success rate. In the past, you've demonstrated much great bunkai. But THIS is NOT IT.

[@williamkrevey1098]

This comes from Shito ryu version of Pinan Sandan, right after the turn where one stands like superman!

[@williamkrevey1098]

I believe the technical term for this technique is called the superman punch. However to preform it properly one should be wearing there underwear on the outside or over the top of there gi. Now in all seriousness these sorts of techniques do work, and are fun in sparring. They really can throw your mates off. Similar to faking a left kick while moving forward and shifting to a right front kick in mid-air. Your opponent usually starts blocking the left and gets overpowered with the right. Works great. But only once. Remember to wear your tighty whiteys on the outside!

[@practicalkatabunkai]

I’m struggling to follow your thinking here. The first thing is that this is not bunkai and it’s not self-defence. Anything that involves closing big distances would be best placed in the fighting category i.e. a consensual exchange between two martial artists. In full contact combat sports (consensual fighting) you see people get KO’d with such things all the time (even the jumping ones: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l5KtdqR8jrGcbc0 ) … so I am at a loss as to why you feel anything shown is problematic? There’s nothing in here but straight rights and they are very high percentage techniques. Unless you are mistaking this for a combination? Maybe read the text that I put under the video to better understand what is been shown? Or rewatch the introduction?