High Risk Kicks

In Isshinryu karate, the kata (form) Wansu features a pair of blade kicks delivered to the low section. A blade kick is a side kick with the foot turned inwards to strike with the edge. In Wansu this kick is performed left and right as kata techniques (waza) tend to work both sides. The above image depicts how this would crystalize in actual combat, in this case by targeting the hamstring. It's important to strike with the edge of the outer foot closer to the heel; making contact closer to the little toe could torque the foot, setting you up for torn ligaments. This happened to me when I was twenty, and I had my foot and part of my leg in a cast for about six weeks.

Mid-section kicks are generally effective and practical. Low kicks (or any strikes below the waist) are prohibited in most styles of sportive karate and tae kwon do. The problem with high kicks is that they can be countered relatively easier than lower kicks. Still, high section kicks have their place for the athletically inclined, and they have even found their way in MMA matches. Crescent kicks (see above) was something I used in dojo matches that I could score with, in principle, by clearing the head of my opponent. A variant of the crescent kick, the axe kick, requires extreme flexibility (kicking leg extends straight up, then whips straight down, leg remaining straight) but overshooting your heel or foot can impinge the Achilles tendon. Speaking from experience, tendons and ligaments take a long time to heal, as connective tissues involving bone and muscle have limited reserves of blood flow.   

 

When I attended a judo workshop years ago the instructor would say "make your opponent a one-legged fighter"; this is the concept of kuzushi (unbalance). Raising your leg high to launch a kick compromises equilibrium, but also leaves one vulnerable to an awful counter targeting a precious commodity. Before he became a full-contact karate fighter, Bill 'Superfoot' Wallace lost one of his testicles in a point match. I have no idea if it was a counter to one of his warp speed forward-leg kicks or something else. At a tournament I witnessed a guy from my school break his opponents plastic groin protector with a spinning back kick, the strongest kick in martial arts. Thai steel cups might be a good investment for those who are wary. Some lessons shouldn't have to be learned the hard way.

Neat Tricks

Eric Shahan, a martial arts practitioner who specializes in translating classic Japanese texts into English has translated a treatise on acquiring supernatural powers in a new book, Twelve Rules Of The Sword, that was passed down verbally from a 17th century samurai school. Among other things, the rules for prevailing in combat involves saying two prayers and writing Sanskrit characters on your palms. Could be a tad time consuming when the heat is on. But supposedly the book also discusses some practical strategies for combat, similar to those found in The Book Of Five Rings, which deals more with the psychology of fighting than physical techniques. Training, attitude and situational awareness, while paramount in the martial arts, are far from magical concepts.

In Okinawan karate, performing the kata Sanchin over and over is supposed to develop otherworldly stamina and strength. The ancient form, of Chinese origin, is akin to a dynamic-tension routine that was hawked in comic books by bodybuilder Charles Atlas in past decades. It's a slow motion punch-and-block sequence that mimics pushing and pulling a heavy weight with isometric contractions and forced breathing. Entire books have been written on the single topic of Sanchin. The kata is a staple in many schools of karate, especially Goju-ryu. Its founder, Chojun Miyagi, made his students perform Sanchin many times each day, with the idea that it would transform them mentally, physically, and spiritually. Miyagi himself was built like a bull and purportedly could perform superhuman feats. In one public demonstration in 1924, he...

[T]hrust his hand into a bunch of bamboos and pulled out one from the center. He stuck his hand into a slab of meat and tore off chunks. He put white chalk on the bottom of his feet, jumped up, and kicked the ceiling — leaving his foot-prints on the ceiling for all to see. Spectators hit him with long bo (staffs) with no effect. He tore off the bark of a tree (with his fingers). And with his big toe he punctured a hole in a kerosene can...He did many more feats which had to be believed.*

These types of feats today are rare. Most modern demos involve crowd-pleasers like self defense moves and board breaking. Gymnastic feats like tricking or parkour (the latter which is derived from military obstacle course training) flood the internet. Most recently we have the Bottle Cap Challenge, originally uploaded by Farabi Davletchin, a champion taekwondo fighter from Kazakhstan. The trick involves setting up a bottle of some beverage roughly chest high, and executing a variant of a spinning hook kick which grazes the pre-loosened bottle cap, spinning it off the top while leaving the remaining bottle untouched.

Everyone seems to be getting in on the action with their own clips, including famous martial arts actor Jason Statham (see above). Pretty impressive for a guy over fifty. If Chuck Norris were a bit younger he would have a go at this.^† Hell, maybe I'll give it a shot. Still, Miyagi would probably outdo everyone with his barefoot hole-in-the-kerosene can move. Then again, Miyagi also said at the conclusion of his demo, "Karate is a total commitment. I have not done anything that someone else cannot do, or, for that matter, you. There is no halfway measure. Either you do it or you don't. Nothing is impossible."

Indeed. There is no magic.


* Richard Kim 1974. The Weaponless Warriors. Ohara Publications. (Originally written by journalist Tojuda Anshu.)
† Want to feel old? Norris will be eighty next year. Can you believe it?

Risky Business

How you train is how it happens. That's an old martial arts maxim. You want to train as realistically as possible. But this is fraught with problems. Your dojo is not a back alley and uke (your training partner/attacker) is not on a wanted poster (hopefully). In other words when you're paired up with somebody, be mindful of how you handle yourself. This goes for sparring, self-defense drills, or 2-person exercises such as kotekitai (forearm conditioning).

Some techniques are inherently difficult to control, even among experts. High-target chamberless kicks such as crescent and axe kicks are nearly impossible to pull. Crescent kicks are okay if you can clear your opponents head, showing that you could have made contact. Not so with the gravity-charged axe kick, which implicitly targets the face or collarbone. Bear in mind that it only takes roughly 12 lbs. of pressure to break the clavicle. Also, overreaching with the axe kick means you'll end up striking with your Achilles tendon, not the sole or heel of the foot.

Set-up for Axe Kick

Anything that involves a full-body rotation to launch your move, such as a spinning backfist or any variant of a spin-around kick are specifically designed to increase power via centrifugal force. Think of a shot-putter torquing his body before he explodes that 16 lb. steel ball off his shoulder. If you see someone KO'd at a tournament it is quite often from a spin-around back kick, the most powerful kick in karate. And those things tend to come in hard, fast and wild, capable of breaking ribs, teeth, or anything that gets in its way. A few years back two BBs were sparring at our school and one of them got nailed south of the border with a spin-around back kick. Because this genius left his groin protector home that day he was rewarded with a trip to the hospital and emergency surgery. Some lessons are learned the hard way. Protective gear has its place, but too much of a good thing can be a problem.

When you're working self-defense with a partner remember that you're employing time-honored methods such as joint-locks and pressure-point applications designed to impart extreme pain. Play nice. And this goes both ways. If you're a student looking to one-up a senior or instructor you may be in for a really bad time.

The Shin as a Weapon

Yesterday I received an email from a reader regarding my last post on the perils of hand conditioning. Here's part of it:

Been training in ----- for about a year. In my school we don't punch anything hard but my sensei has us round kick the heavy bag with our shins. Man that s#!t hurts! He [the instructor] says the thai boxers have shins like steel, this is the way to do it. What do you think? My legs are all lumped up now I'm thinking of quitting.

Among other things I advised him to let his shins heal before he resumes training. Like makiwara training for punches, shin-striking hard or semi-hard objects are not my forte. I've never really been schooled in this method, but I'm guessing that the shinbone (tibia) should not take the full brunt of impact, but when performing the roundhouse kick the toes should be angled down a bit so that the muscular part of the shin (tibialis anterior) makes predominate contact.

In Muay Thai shin-strikes are a signature move. There's a lot of controversy and misunderstanding about shin-striking delivered as a roundhouse kick. Traditionally, Muay Thai fighters would kick banana trees till they keel over. Banana trees, unlike most North American variety, are relatively soft and flexible. Still, being able to fell one is a formidable task. It's not hard to fathom how novices would end up crippling themselves after hearing about these feats.

It's debatable as to the effectiveness of shin conditioning in the martial arts. Some use a rolling pin device for the shins to deaden the nerves, thereby raising the pain threshold. There is also a psychological component involved concerning pain tolerance. According to Wolff's Law, bones that are subject to incremental overload will respond by becoming stronger and denser. Evidence suggests that activities such as weightlifting and jumping support this thesis. Other research has revealed that microcrack damage actually decreases bone brittleness, making the bone less susceptible to further fracturing.

A low-section roundhouse shin-strike to the opponent's outside thigh can be highly effective in a match, but it can come at a cost. In a UFC title match held in 2013 between Anderson Silva and Chris Weidman, the former attempted a low-target shin-strike that was leg-checked by the latter with catastrophic results. Silva had orthopedic surgery to repair his broken tibia with an intramedullary metal rod infused in the bone cavity. He is scheduled to resume fighting in 2015.

I hate to say it, but every fighter Silva is matched with from here on out is going to target that left leg. He may also be gun-shy with kicking (or even checking kicks) with that leg, another impediment. I really think Silva should call it a day, unlike my reader with bruised shins who probably just needs a break (no pun) if he intends to stick it out in a school that he otherwise likes. Hopefully this young man won't continue getting hurt and is getting qualified coaching.

The Isshinryu Front-Kick: Varieties, Chambering and Distance

The front-kick is the most basic kick taught in karate, tae kwon do, or just about any striking style in martial arts. To execute, the knee is pulled up to waist-level (chambered) while the shin hangs down. The leg is then straightened to strike the intended target. Novices are taught to kick the midsection, but other targets include the shin, thigh, groin, or even head. In tournaments, Chuck Norris would fake a front kick to the gut, retract, then snap it to up the head for an easy point. Most practitioners either aren't that quick (or flexible), or prefer other kicks that are less detectable such as roundhouse, hook, crescent, and spin-around-back.

Sensei Victor Smith has a nice article on the front-kicking techniques of Tatsuo Shimabuku (the founder of Isshinryu karate). Some old video clips of the master (c. 1960) are posted featuring the mae geri (front kick) from the Isshinryu kata canon. As Smith-san notes:

If we have been observing his [Shimabuku's] technique,

1. First he raises his thigh parallel to the floor.
2. Once the leg is chambered parallel to the floor, the leg kicks out and returns in a hinging motion, front front kick or rear front kick.

This kicking method means the foot strikes out from the chamber and not slingshoting out as the leg/knee rises.

It gives less time for the opponent to recognize the kick is coming. That also means there is less time to try and catch the leg.

His remark "less time to recognize the kick is coming" raised my eyebrow at first. If I see my opponent has his leg chambered of course he is going to kick me, was my initial thinking. But from a chambered leg (with the shin held at 90-degrees) I have no idea which kick is coming. A chambered leg could be the prelude to one of the following:

• Front kick
• Roundhouse kick
• Hook kick
• Side kick

A "slingshot" style kick could be a telegraph if you're really sharp. Don Nagle, who trained under Shimabuku in the late 50s, supposedly could block a kick as it was rising from the floor with his forward foot! Now that's a neat trick. Personally, I'm too reflex challenged to pull this kind of move off. I've never seen anyone even attempt this. Attempts at catching kicks I've seen plenty, usually among beginners. In some dojo I've trained in catching an incoming kick is seen as taboo, even though (or maybe because) MMA players do it all the time. The time-honored way is to slip the kick (ideal) or block it with your arm. (The latter is widely taught in karate. Disclaimer: bad idea.) At any rate, I believe that chambering most kicks is good practice. As a last resort the raising knee could be delivered as a hiza-tsui (knee-strike) if your attacker manages to close the distance.

The last video in the blog shows a very brief clip of the master performing what appears to be an application from the kata Sunsu, his creation and a form particular to Isshinryu karate. It is a front thrust kick (as opposed to the snapping variety) in defense of a double-arm grab. (The image above illustrates present-day exponents demonstrating this.)* In this scenario ma'ai or striking distance is minimal between you and the attacker. In this manner, the thrust "kick" is performed more like a push-off.

Generally, the front thrust kick is a very different animal from the more widely taught front snap kick in traditional karate. A front snap kick utilizes mostly the vastus medialis portion of the quadriceps muscle and requires a quick recoil, striking with the ball of the foot (If you're wearing footwear as most folks do when out and about, the ball-of-the-foot application becomes moot, but I digress.). A front thrust kick is akin to kicking down a door; you're really driving more with your hips and striking with your heel. Thrust kicks have more knockdown power than snap kicks. A staple in Muay Thai kickboxing, the front thrust kick has been favored among the Japanese military for use in combative self-defense.^†

The front kick, a basic technique that is relatively easy to execute, has viable self-defense applications and variations that shouldn't be given short shrift in lieu of so-called flashier kicks.

* This particular bunkai of Sunsu is how it was originally taught to me by a high ranking instructor who trained on Okinawa. I believe it's the correct way. Since then I've visited a number of schools through the years seeing other things applied. It seems everyone has their own version of Isshinryu.

^† Donn Draeger 1974. Modern Bujutsu and Budo. [p. 75-76] Wheatherhill, Inc.

Karate Moves We Could Do Without

Have you ever witnessed a technique that was touted as effective that you either felt to be unsuitable or could never work under almost any conditions?

Here's my short list:

• Jump kick. Legend has it that the jump kick was devised by the Hwarang warriors of feudal Korea. The idea was that it enabled one to dismount a soldier from his horse with this airborne leg assault. Also, the tobi geri makes its appearance in numerous karate kata. They look great in demos and in the movies, but jump kicks are definitely not recommended for the street.

• Spear hand. The nukite is a vertical hand technique utilizing the fingertips. Okinawan karateka would spend years hitting the makiwara (striking post, usually made of wicker) which eventually made the fingertips calloused and flat. Nice, but it might make typing blog posts on a keypad a bit of a chore.

• Lunge punch. This is punching that corresponds with the same side stepping foot accentuated with a long stance. Sometimes called a "chasing" punch. Lots of instructors like to demonstrate a self-defense technique against a lunge punch (or a knife in lieu of a punch); the lunging posture puts uke in a compromising position conducive to an easy counter. For this reason, no fighter worth his salt punches or cuts using a lunging stance.

A number of inapplicable techniques continue to be taught because they're "part of the syllabus" that have been handed down through antiquity. Maybe it's time to remove some impractical filler. Modernity engenders the evolution of martial arts.

Fancy Kicks

The other night while watching some MMA (something I rarely do) I noticed that the arsenal of some of these fighters contained low kicks to the thigh, a la Muay Thai. They don't look like much, but speaking from experience they're pretty brutal. I remember a seminar where the instructor showed some conditioning moves designed to prepare the legs/quadriceps in the event of a nasty low-kicking assault, similar to kotekitai (forearm toughening routine) that karate people employ. With the exception of Kyokushin practitioners, most karateka aren't accustomed to taking leg strikes (or head shots for that matter), so some desensitizing routines for the lower extremities isn't a bad idea. In most traditional Okinawan karate tourneys, low kicks are prohibited, yet high-target kicks are okay if delivered with control (i.e. without knocking out your opponent). You don't need a degree in kinesiology to figure out that a low-kick has a far higher success rate of being delivered with "control" than a haymaker crescent kick aimed upstairs. I've already posted my thoughts on low kicks and shooting high, so I'll move on.

When front and roundhouse kicks are taught the toes are curled up. This allows the ball of the foot to take the impact of the target. This is done for practical purposes and safety, but the curling of the toes becomes a moot point if you're on the street and wearing shoes. Many practitioners will round kick with the instep (wearing foot guards) to accentuate reach. Good, flexible kickers that rely on their natural gifts tend to break some toes through the years, probably more from wear and tear than poor kicking form. Chojun Miyagi, the famous founder of Goju-ryu, would puncture holes in kerosene cans at demonstrations utilizing a specialty of his: the toe-kick. Imagine the conditioning and training it took to do that.

In Okinawan karate there's not much flash in the kicking department. Personally I like to keep things simple. Here's what I find works for me:

• Front kick
• Forward leg side kick
• Spin around hook kick

The last one you won't find in the kata of traditional karate, but most schools will show it to some degree. Although far from a stellar kicker, I can actually perform spin-kicks fairly decent, I believe, courtesy of a mild case of scoliosis (curvature of the spine) that actually allows me to rotate my body in an unconventional albeit advantageous manner conducive to this manner of kicking. Lucky me.

Low Kicks Rule

Striking Thoughts' Bob Patterson got me thinking about the efficiency of low-target kicking versus the impressive albeit impractical high kicks of tae kwon do and other arts. "Sporting" kicks look nice, but the follow-up consequences can wreak havoc. Anytime you kick above the obi (belt) you leave yourself wide open for a serious counter. To further compound the problem, kicks that are aimed even at the midsection are typically met by your opponent's arms, where kicks can be blocked, redirected, or grabbed. Competitive practitioners have developed a plethora of moves to combat mid and high-section kicks, so depending on who you're playing with, it pays to watch out.

In a recent sparring match I executed a crescent kick to the head of my opponent only to be taken down unceremoniously. Granted, I really pulled the shot, so I ended up paying for playing nice. I wouldn't dream of trying that move outside the dojo anyway. Strictly speaking, high kicks are not, nor ever have been part of any traditional karate syllabus if you're using kata (practice forms) as a textbook. Bill "Superfoot" Wallace, the 70s full-contact karate high kick extraordinaire once said in an interview that kicks were never shown above the waist in the Shorin-ryu he trained in during his military hitch on Okinawa. Still, who would mind being able to kick like him?

Karate, Wing Chun, Muay Thai and Savate all incorporate low-section kicks as core techniques. I really like that inverted rear-leg side kick to the knee that savateurs use, as it can be used at close range with virtually no adjustment in stance. In karate, blade kicks delivered to the knee and step-over stomp kicks are signature moves taken directly from kata.

High kicks require a certain degree of flexibility and athleticism that many practitioners lack. Low kicks are definitely recommended for the street, while I have my doubts about the former variety. If you're an avid high kicker, consider including low kicks into your regimen. Simply put, low kicks are relatively easy to learn and can be indispensable when you need them.

Getting Some Airtime

Let's face it: there's few things more spectacular than witnessing a well performed jump-kick. While deemed impractical by many, jumping techniques do appear in some advanced kata of certain karate styles. They've also made some obligatory appearances in a number of not-so-advanced martial arts flicks. So on one hand, we have tradition; on the other, we have sensationalism. The best of both worlds, right? What about a practitioner that's built like a sumo wrestler? Launching oneself up to the rafters to execute a side kick, or a flying scissors takedown could prove to be a problem for a big guy. The jumping techniques were likely conceived to take out the big guy anyway, so the point is probably moot. The real question is whether soaring through the air has any street value to it.

In recent years, it's become fashionable to say something like, "My art isn't flashy, it just works." Those that study styles that are touted to "work", like krav maga, or especially Brazilian jiu-jitsu, train to stay close to the ground. It makes sense to live with gravity and accept it. Besides, what goes up, must eventually, come down.

Head Games

There's an unwritten rule in most martial arts schools that says you should not make contact with the face. A focus (pulling back on any type of strike) is considered good etiquette, but may deprive you of some realism. In tae kwon do, punches are not allowed to the head, but kicks are. Focusing a punch requires much less finesse than focusing a kick, so if your defensive skills aren't up to snuff, and your opponent can't pull her/his round kick too well, you'll end up taking a nap. Blocking techniques with your noggin a la Jake La Motta is never a good idea. Head shots are dangerous. It's somewhat ironic that muay thai kickboxers must wear steel groin protectors, but are allowed to use knees and elbows upstairs. At least those guys have their priorities straight.

To a streetfighter, the target of opportunity is the head. Always. Having a good "chin" is considered noble in boxing. In traditional karate, one primary target is the solar plexus. Getting the wind knocked out of you sure beats getting knocked out. And taking some hits to the breadbasket won't make you senile before your fifty. Some practitioners, especially in karate, have developed the habit of sparring with their hands held low, and this is definitely because of the stay-out-of-the-head rule. As the boxing referee advises, "Protect yourselves at all times."