Never "LOCK" Your Body For Karate Techniques!

[@ozzcoremidmx8287]

Karate is about to be relaxed and make tension and muscular contraption and body connection to focus the energy on a certain point in the minimal time possible and right after making the maximum muscular contraption relax again, it last a very very short time. When is the right time and how little is the minimal time to make this body connection depends solely in years and years of hard training, true kime is not easy at all to find but hard to forget once you have it. Having muscular tension all the time only makes you to move slower, reducing damage impact and most important wasting energy since contracting muscles requires a lot of energy.

[@KarateDojowaKu]

I agree!

[@lawrencesounddesign1862]

This!!! "Focus" can easily be self defeating because we are learning to slow down the technique by engaging muscles that we need to keep relaxed to impart maximum velocity. Energy imparted is mass times velocity squared - this is physics. The ONLY time focus would matter is if the opponent is charging hard as you need those antagonist muscles activated to prevent them from folding you. But the "focus" should still be on imparting maximum velocity on an impact. What you say is incredibly important. Focusing the body (locking the entire frame) is eliminating follow through. You *need* follow through to spin the head, or push the chin back on a head impact, to impart a KO. Or to impart force to the internal structures behind rib cage, etc. This is why some boxers are said to have "heavy hands" for their size. Think of the renowned and devastating power of Maui Thai kicks. Our linear techniques in Karate will naturally terminate at a very specific point simply because they cannot continue traveling further due to the limits of our skeletons. Maui Thai follow through in a circular motion - so even if the point of impact isn't where you *thought* it would be (the opponent moves) it's still going to impact with full power anywhere on that trajectory. Think of our techniques more of an impact range than an impact terminus. When you hit a moving opponent in an actual fight that impact may very well be anywhere between 3-5" of where you "thought" it would be. You are moving, they are moving, and combat is chaotic. Your point of aim is going to be well beyond your visual target because you want to make sure that strike connects. If you "try to hit them on the chin" and focus that technique you are far more likely to miss that strike entirely because a tiny movement of the opponent will cause you to miss. If you project your mental target as the back of their head, *through* the chin, that last 3-5" of your technique is in an effective range. By the time you would "focus" a technique, whatever damage you were going to do is already done, the velocity and mass have been transitioned in to the opponent, and there is no rebound back to you - the force pushes their mass in the opposite direction. So there's no mythical "shockwave" coming back through you to the floor. Their tissues are moving in the opposite direction. Thus, the end of your technique's range is anywhere between 0-5" of where you had planned it to be, because people move quickly in a fight. Given that reality of fighting, the concept of "focus" makes absolutely no sense because in a fight you are not striking a stationary target. The concept of follow=through and penetration become critical for application and focus (while a tool to learn what muscles to engage for maximum velocity impact) is not. Putting maximum effort in to this velocity building will INHERENTLY resist the force of a charging opponent, and I believe strong follow through is far more effective than focus at providing damage regardless of whether the opponent is moving away, remaining in place, or charging full speed at you. Great video and thanks for sharing.

[@CristianoSadun]

Last year I wanted to explain this to my 8yo son, and the idea I used is to think of your limb as a rope with a weight - say a metal ball - attached at the end. You don't control the weight directly, you control the end of the rope attached to your body, launching the weight attached to the other end wherever you want. The weight is, say, your fist. It becomes immediately obvious that the feeling is not of contracting at all, but rather of *extending* your limb as much as it can. Stopping happens simply because after impact you stop your body - and the fist is attached to the arm which is attached to the body. And once you stop, your limb - say your arm, should simply fall down, just like a rope does (here katas and even kihon are a bit misleading but it's not their fault, and a subject for another time). It's important to start with little power, because when you're doing it right, if you put lots of momentum in the extension you will feel some discomfort in your joints, since they're not yet used to be extended that way. The misunderstanding happens because to external eyes, it's impossible to see the difference between extension and contraction. In both cases the hand or foot appears to suddenly stop. Since we don't normally throw hands and feet around in daily life, most people naturally associate such stopping to a voluntary contraction... while the truth is that hands and feet stop simply because muscles and ligaments prevent them to move further! Another way where you see this happening is the yoi position.. loads of people contracts a lot at the end of the yoi, which again makes no sense - as you're supposed to start your execution as fast as you can and if you're contracted you'll be terribly slow! The right execution is simply to literally throw your fists down and letting them stop where they stop, because they can move down no further. In short, the idea is to be as relaxed as possible at any given time, with the only muscles contracting are the few ones that either keep you upright or control the shape of the specific technique (for example, in a oi tsuki you control your shoulder, elbow and wrist so that the total movement of the fist becomes a linear one) The tsuki is the easiest technique with which to understand this (which I suspect is a reason for which it was traditionally taught first in Okinawa) but the same idea applies to all of them: shuto uke, uchi uke, all kicks, shoulder hits, and so on. A lot of karate is based on the idea to treat your arms and legs as ropes launched from your body and with a solid bit attached to the end. And the rope extends, doesn't contract.

[@KarateDojowaKu]

I agree with you! You don't think about stopping the body, the body will stop when it reaches its maximum range of motion.

[@DoctorSuezz]

#1 thing for me is control breathing which becomes important for thinking and awareness. #2 is momentum with "follow through" action. When you use that bottle in a punch, youll see and feel the power of the weight distribution when striking... then pulling back. It is all muscle memory once we learn the proper stance, breathing and striking. ❤

[@KarateDojowaKu]

I agree!

[@popcornzbd]

Yes. You have a good grasp on this.

[@MarioCezarBertin]

When discussing kime, we are led through different meanings of the concept. I think it is easier to talk about energy flow. When striking, you want to deliver maximal energy to another body in the least time. This is Power. But this energy is not muscle energy, like the energy you spend pushing something and contracting your muscles. It is kinetic energy generated from your relation to the ground, passing through a complete set of joints and muscles until it reaches the target. That is why the feeling he's talking about should be active relaxation (another concept called Nuki, I believe). At the moment of the strike, you should be delivering energy, and excessive contraction of the muscles actually traps energy in your body. This is how I understood the last video, and I agree with that. This is also currently discussed in the JKA seminars I've been attending.

[@KarateDojowaKu]

YES! We are on the same page here.

[@Dagonius.]

Yes. I also like the thinking around force in Systema.

[@KarateDojowaKu]

Is it similar?

[@Dagonius.]

@@KarateDojowaKu Yes, I can see some similarities. Haven't done Systema myself though. It would be a great addition to Karate.

[@kdefensemartialarts8097]

I get what you mean.

[@billysteyn3399]

Thank you i thought my karate journey was done becouse of multiple fusions in my spine and neck my teachers didn't told me this now my karate journey can continue.. After ive saw this ive tried it out and no pain in my spine.. Still ways to go but this made it easier.. Thank you so much..

[@williamwilson2624]

This was a great tip! Thank you for sharing.

[@KarateDojowaKu]

No worries!

[@BLenz-114]

My understanding of this is that you should stay relaxed right up to the moment of impact, but at impact you "rigidize" just for a split second. When you rigidize, you are effectively putting your entire body mass behind the punch, rather than just the mass of your fist. I totally agree that trying to move/deliver a strike when tight, is incorrect. We call that hydraulic motion; strong, but slow. You absolutely need that whip-like motion to get to the target ASAP, but a whip doesn't punch, it slaps. You can't punch with a whip because it has no rigidity. A punch (or any strike) needs mass behind it to penetrate, as was mentioned in the previous video. That's where the moment of rigidity comes in. IMHO. Onegai Shimasu.

[@KarateDojowaKu]

I completely agree!

[@mustafanawaz243]

This type of technique reminds me of Okinawan shogun ryu... Would love to see you revisit those sensei. Sorry if I say this a lot but I keep hoping you would 😅

[@KarateDojowaKu]

If the senseis are a bit younger, I would go back again😅 It's hard to grasp the core essence of the style when they have passed their prime times..

[@bahamut7028]

Wow These are some good notes thank you hope to see more

[@KarateDojowaKu]

Thank you!

[@THERLE86]

Love all your content

[@KarateDojowaKu]

Thank you!

[@rajinderrupal6091]

Thanks for the technique.

[@garymiller1875]

Makes sense!

[@KarateDojowaKu]

Yes, indeed!

[@edtheangler4930]

I love wing chun because it teaches absolute dead stop striking power generation and balance. The forms are goldmines and when you do iron palm and learn the "limp" fist with full force to bricks etc so you can break them you are a human machine gun

[@KarateDojowaKu]

Thanks for your insight!

[@TigerKoehn]

When punching or kicking, stay loose until the moment of impact, explode the hit point, and then immediately relax and stay loose. Study Goju Ryu and you will understand.

[@KarateDojowaKu]

I agree with you!

[@pantokratorius777]

In karate and other martial arts, we use not the tension of muscles, but the tension of ligaments (fascia). That's when you are solid, fast, heavy and also free in your movement.

[@whitewh1]

I got 2nd dan in tang soo do and it was not until I started Muay Thai that I fully got this. I think it has a lot to do with practice in the air (karate/TSD) vs practice on a bag (MT/boxing). If you hit a bag, you naturally learn to put your full power into the bag. No incentive to "lock" other than to absorb impact. If you practice in the air, you have to "lock" to maintain balance and control and protect your joints, when throwing with power. The downside is that Muay Thai students do not learn good control until a lot later in their development, and you have to be careful in partner drills as a result!

[@gloqintfx]

Thank you this helped a lot❤️

[@KarateDojowaKu]

Thanks!

[@gloqintfx]

@@KarateDojowaKu np anytime ❤️❤️🙏🏽

[@SQUATCH100]

There's two sides to this. On one hand, you are putting the brakes on your hit when you tense at the end of a strike. On the other hand, I think you might be allowing yourself to move faster, and be more EXPLOSIVE.

[@KarateDojowaKu]

Are you saying that those 2 sides coexist?

[@SQUATCH100]

@KarateDojowaKu I suspect they do in some way. Could also just be two different ways of doing the same thing. If you study explosive striking in American boxing, according to the great Jack Dempsey, the tension at the end of the hit is deliberate because it engages the back muscles. The same idea is in traditional Korean Karate styles, and the tension at the end of the strike is emphasized for the same reason, and so that your hand and arm don't get crushed when they land on the target.

[@RAJAARSLAN2009]

LOVE YOU AND YOUR VIDEOS ! SENSI ❤LOVE FROM PAKISTAN !

[@KarateDojowaKu]

Thank you!

[@RAJAARSLAN2009]

@@KarateDojowaKu 😘

[@jimubaraun]

Hi, quick question for you. If you hit a 150-lb or 200-lb heavy bag full force, you may find that if you don't at least keep the hand and wrist super tight and "locked" on impact, you will have a serious injury. This is especially true if you are hitting 100% force for an extended period of time, like 3 min rounds or something. I wanted to know your thoughts on this. I understand that staying loose and letting the body stop itself is better than stopping in a locked, static position. However, when really striking things, heavy bags or people, you need to lock up to protect your wrists, fingers, and even arms as well paying close attention to the body mechanics and form of your strike and its supporting joints. As someone from Shotokan and Western Boxing, I would like to hear your thoughts on this. Thanks. Another point I heard from my Sensei back in the day is that having a max tight hand prevents the loss of force in the strike. When you slow it down, some force is lost in even the hand closing on the target; the same would be true for any weak points in form or "line" of the strike, causing some force to be last at the elbow or elsewhere, for example.

[@DonovanMitcham]

Sensei Yusuke, Can you please Demonstrate how to probably use a kakutō uchi and where would you on the body plane used to strike at?

[@ashikthanoob]

Hello I am from Bangladesh I see your video for some taimes. If you give the all bloks video, it s vary help full for me

[@deadmike2]

you evolved a lot

[@KarateDojowaKu]

Thank you!

[@danielbernatchez3216]

I think both of the movement are useful, Depend what are the situation ! For instance lock can be realy useful in defense. The point you describe about the 2 of them i dont know if i am crazy or not but look like Bruce Lee was using them all the time in real time when fighting. Anyway thank for the wise sharing content.

[@sassuki]

Yes, it feels heavier while relaxed, but I want to see you break a board without locking during the impact 😁

[@KarateDojowaKu]

Sure! Will do so sometime later!

[@popcornzbd]

Tensing your muscles is like driving with one foot dragging on the brake and the other on the gas. No good. Muscles fighting each other. Some muscles may not even need to be envolved. No need for your fist to ever be in a tight clinch. Even when you make contact. Fist is kind of somewhat relaxed, but holding form. Sensei can explain that. Tip: Cut your finger nails by the way. So you don't cut yourself. Just throwing that in.

[@KarateDojowaKu]

How did you see my nails？😂

[@popcornzbd]

@@KarateDojowaKu No. I'll look at the video again. I was balling up my fist and noticed my nails were digging in a little.

[@popcornzbd]

​@@KarateDojowaKulol. That's funny.

[@user-ck5uu3dt5d]

Srilanga ❤❤❤

[@KarateDojowaKu]

Thank you!

[@Deivede73]

You mean, if you stop challenging gravity your hand becomes heavier? What kind of example is that?

[@KarateDojowaKu]

That's exactly what I mean!

[@Deivede73]

@KarateDojowaKu so you practice a type of karate that only punches to the the floor ? Still has nothing to do with kime. Kime is not holding something for a long time.

[@cinohamel8098]

Can you make video how to punch with light

[@KarateDojowaKu]

with light...?

[@cinohamel8098]

The way correct to punch like your video

[@ken2000X]

Sounds like you are explaining chinkuchi and gamaku.

[@KarateDojowaKu]

Oh I don't use that word, but maybe!

[@ken2000X]

@@KarateDojowaKu it’s used more in Okinawa.

[@lukasslegr8287]

Could pracitice with makawara without kime ?

[@KarateDojowaKu]

You can practice hitting the makiwara with this feeling!

[@JEDINITE30]

I think that a lot of the problem is that people misinterpret what is meant when they learn about tension and Kime. There are two types of tension. One is a static tension (locking) which is what most people are taught and it is actually incorrect. What is really meant to be learnt is dynamic tension where your moving your relaxed body and at the point of impact you are making a subconscious effort to maintain your structure and form without it collapsing against resistance. If a person just relaxes, extends their arm, and put their fist against a wall, and then push into the wall quickly while trying to keep their arm and body from collapsing, this is the actual tension that is supposed to be taught.

[@KarateDojowaKu]

Great way to put it! I learned a lot from your comment!

[@JEDINITE30]

@@KarateDojowaKu Thank you! I learn a ton from you!

[@ilainaor2171]

It's like fist pushup,no?

[@JEDINITE30]

@@ilainaor2171 No. You're arm is already fully extended. Like you threw a punch and was frozen in time. Stay relaxed. Then you do a quick jolt into the wall with your body and relax. You'll feel dynamic tension throughout your body. Remember to keep your structure. What you feel in this exercise is how you're really supposed to tense at the point of contact. You can do this with other strikes too. If you you ever did high level tameshiwari or strike a properly constructed makiwara that flexes, it is the same thing that happens with your muscles. The dynamic tension can only be activated when you make contact with something and never when practicing in the air. When practicing in the air, they should be exactly how @KarateDojowaKu shows in this video.

[@ilainaor2171]

I understand, thanks

[@Gouravpatil-ng4zr]

Hi

[@BobbyTanDowd]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@lifewalker808]

Locking is not natural at all. Imagine picking up food with chopsticks, or any other utensils, and somehow you're racing against your friends for the last piece. Do you snap and lock? That's definitely going to be slower. Fast, effective and functional movements are always relaxed. However in the practice of karate, we spend most of the time striking/blocking air than a target/opponent. Hence we have to stop the huge momentum generated, at the very end of the move. That creates a bad habit/illusion that locking equals great power. In fact, in real fight we aim for "inelastic collision", that brings about internal destruction of the target hit rather than pushing it away. Relax always!!!

[@11A05DeepakRaj]

Is it difficult to fight when we locked?

[@ayisyenkonsekan9964]

You'll be very slow!

[@KarateDojowaKu]

I think so!

[@Gouravpatil-ng4zr]

Mujhe bhi honi chaiye

[@lancecahill5486]

Maybe you should only “lock”:at the very last moment before impact but not during the execution of the technique.

[@lukasslegr8287]

Simply love you ❤ 😂

[@KarateDojowaKu]

Haha thank you!

[@paulgibbons2320]

Damn. I must have been really bad 😂

[@KarateDojowaKu]

You can start changing today!😂

[@paulgibbons2320]

m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/oovcemyjqdBsaJY These techniques do appear to lock for a split second Sensei. With respect 🙏

[@Docinaplane]

Back in the day, we felt that popping our Gi was power. Eventually we learned that the pop was our power stopping. Now the only time I lock my punch is when I've thrown a hard fast punch to my sparing partner's face, and I don't want to hit him that hard, so I stop it short of contact.

[@KarateDojowaKu]

I see!

[@Isaac_Shamir]

With all due respect, I do appreciate your work. Right now, at that point of your journey, you're just lacking the fundamentals of

[@karolinaaguilera672]

Estos conceptos también aplican a las patadas en tae kwon do?

[@KarateDojowaKu]

For any martial arts, this is applicable!