Karate Classes And Kihon

 Karate Kihon

Kihon is a Japanese word meaning “basics” or “fundamentals.

So, what is karate kihon and why do we do it?

Kihon is the basic karate techniques of stances, blocking, punching, striking and kicking.

Repetition of basic Karate kihon holds all the secrets!

Basic karate moves, or simple combinations, is all that’s needed to achieve a very high understanding of karate. But I must emphasise, when it comes to repetition, correct form, both physical and mental is essential. Bad habits can develop quickly and can take years of correcting and can even cause injury and that’s just the physical side, if the state of mind and attitude is wrong, it can unleash a whole plethora of problems, some of which, can never be fixed.

This is why I always recommend joining a really good karate dojo, but if you are unable to train at a karate dojo, then take heed of the words in this article and get your mind, body and soul right for karate!

An incredible inner focus and determination can develop, when practicing very basic karate techniques, over and over again. Levels of understanding continually reveal themselves, as your karate practice continues.

Here’s a quote from the late and great Bruce Lee ~
I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.

Master Masahiko Tanaka 8th Dan, was once asked what the secret to his success was, he replied, ‘basics, basics and more basics!’

Karate For Beginners Shomen and Hanmi

Shomen and hanmi are explained to new karate students, but it sometimes takes a little while to understand. There are different explanations of shomen and hanmi. My karate instructor always referred to hanmi and shomen as, Hanmi = side facing and Shomen = Square facing.

Many shotokan karate dojo place tremendous importance on this area, but karate Sensei differ in the way they teach and practice shomen and hanmi, so please, if you are new to karate classes, ask your dojo sensei for an explanation of shomen and hanmi.

A beginner to shotokan karate will be told that hanmi (side facing), is used for the basic blocks in front stance and shomen (square facing), is used for the two basic punches oi zuki (stepping punch) and gyaku zuki (reverse punch).

Shotokan Stances Kokutsu Dachi

Many shotokan karateka find this karate stance the most difficult. Kokutsu dachi should be roughly two shoulder lengths, front foot facing directly forward and back foot facing 90 degrees to the side. The front leg slightly bent and should not be locked straight. The back leg is bent strongly, but naturally, do not force the knee outwards. 70% of the weight should be on the back leg and 30% on the front and the heels should be in a straight line.

Karate For Beginners Do You Use Punchbag?

Punchbag training is a very important part of my karate, some people prefer makiwara, whick I also like, some people like focus pads and kick sheilds. Whatever your preference, your karate training shoulkd include hitting something! Maybe your karate classes use a lot of striking equipment and maybe they do not, if your karate dojo do, then great, if not, then set yourself up at home and start hitting things! The benefits are incredible, learning karate at home should be a priority, so go get em! :)

Karate For Beginners A Basic Combination Using Empi Uchi or Elbow Strike

The video below is taken from karateClassesOnline karate dojo, check out their Special $1 Trial offer.

At most shotokan karate dojo, these basic elbow strikes are practiced early on in a karateka's training.

Here is a very basic karate kihon four elbow strike combination, starting from Zenkutsu dachi – gedan bari (front stance – downward block), then moving into Kiba dachi (horse riding stance) and back into zenkutsu dachi (front stance).

The elbow strikes are ~
1. Mawashi empi Uchi (round elbow strike)
2. Age empi uchi (upper elbow strike)
3. Yoko empi uchi (side elbow strike)
4. Ushiro empi uchi (back elbow strike)

learn Karate At home Soto Uke

Soto uke or outside block is one of the basic karate moves that is practiced in the karate dojo. The block comes from outside the body, to inside. The basic soto uke uses the inside of the forearm to block, the more advanced block, simply uses the open hand and is a very small karate technique.

Soto uke ou bloquer l'extérieur est l'un des mouvements de base de karaté qui se pratique dans le dojo de karaté. Le bloc vient de l'extérieur du corps, à l'intérieur. Le ukulélé soto de base utilise l'intérieur de l'avant-bras à bloc, le bloc plus avancés, utilise simplement la main ouverte et est une technique très petites karaté.

Soto uke oder außerhalb Block ist eine der grundlegenden Karate-Bewegungen, die in der Karate Dojo geübt wird. Der Block kommt von außerhalb des Körpers, nach innen. Die grundlegenden soto uke nutzt die Innenseite des Unterarms zu blockieren, die weiter fortgeschrittenen Block, nutzt einfach die offene Hand und ist ein sehr kleines Karate-Technik.