Foundations of Power in the Punch
This is my third “Technique of the Week” for the Ueshiro Shorin-Ryu Karate deshi mailing list, shared on September 6th. I was originally nervous about writing about such a fundamental topic as the punch, but I started listing out all the things I think about or have been corrected on over the years. Once I got to over ten thoughts on my list, I felt like it was a good topic to refresh.
Read the message sent to the list below, and see the bonus tip I got from Kyoshi Kevin Reymond after the note went out.
Onegai shimasu Hanshi, Kyoshi, Sensei, and all Deshi:
Fall is fast approaching, and in just two weeks my college deshi will return to campus. Since I teach karate as a Physical Education course, each term brings roughly twenty new white belts to the deck. Most have never practiced a martial art, and many will only train with us for a single term. If I can only be with them for such a short time, I want them to take at least one solid skill with them.
I can hardly go wrong emphasizing a good Ueshiro Shorin-Ryu punch. So much of the power, structure, and spirit of our karate flows directly from honing this single technique.
It begins with a tight fist — tuck the fingers tight, lock them down with the thumb and pinky, and squeeze, leaving no air in the fist. When teaching new students, I finish this tutorial with a visualization: imagine you have a handful of peanut butter, and when you squeeze your fist tight, the peanut butter should come out from between your first two fingers: this is our striking surface! (Note: no gaps in the fingers! The idea is to squeeze so the pressure is behind the first two fingers, supporting the striking surface.)
Next is target placement. In a live fight, we should aim for the best target we can find in the moment. But in training and in basics, we aim for the most accessible target we know of: the solar plexus. Aim for a target the size of a dime in the center of the body, and slope the arm gently downward from the shoulder — so a drop of water would slowly roll down from shoulder to fist — and strike right below the base of the sternum. A well-placed shot can spasm the diaphragm and momentarily stop an opponent’s breath, giving us time to alter or escape a bad situation.
Next we practice snap! Delay the rotation of the fist as long as possible. When hitting a live target, the fist would begin to rotate at the moment of impact, and continue its rotation as it penetrates through the target. When practicing our basics or performing kata, turning the hand at the last second keeps the elbow grazing the ribs — eliminating “chicken wings” — which hides the attack and ensures the fist comes straight from the pocket, maximizing speed and power.
We have all practiced many punches, but it is easy to “zone out” when we are practicing something for the zillionth time. This week, practice with renewed intention. Pick one element to refine: keeping the hiki-te (pulling hand) high and tight, powering the strike from the hip, practicing your structure on the makiwara, and always remembering to STEP FIRST! (Even when the feet aren’t moving, we “step first” by rooting down into our foundation.)
As we all get ready to celebrate Hanshi’s birthday, let’s stay focused on the foundations he teaches us that make our Ueshiro Shorin Ryu Karate so strong.
Domo arigato to Hanshi for keeping us grounded in our core principles; to the Kyoshi for preserving our traditions and wisdom; to the Sensei for spreading these lessons far and wide; and to all deshi for your devotion to the art — especially the white belts, who are the future of Ueshiro Shorin Ryu Karate.
Sempai David Huyck, Ni Dan
Shihan, Ueshiro Carleton Karate Dojo
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Focused Practice Tips
Pick one tip to focus on at a time. Work it for a session, for a week, or for the next few months!
- Mindset & Projecting Confidence: We never start a fight. Our karate training has been most effective if we can avoid receiving or throwing a punch in the first place. Practice seeing. Practice projecting awareness and confidence. The mirror is an excellent tool.
- Fist & Surface: Squeeze all air out of the fist; lock the thumb tight over the first two knuckles. Keep the wrist straight, aligning the bones of the hand with the bones of the forearm.
- Targeting: Aim for the solar plexus with a slight downward slope from the shoulder. Practice on the makiwara, or use a striking pad with a training partner.
- Posture & Stacking: Maintain ears back over shoulders and shoulders over hips; imagine lifting your head from your crown, and let your spine hang down from the base of your skull. Keep the shoulders back and down. Don’t reach!
- Footwork & Timing: STEP FIRST — and save the hip. Once your foundation is set, drive the power of the strike from the hip.
- Throw, Don’t Place: Relax (release the tension!) between moves to generate whip-like snap. Don’t muscle it! We don’t “place” a punch; we “throw” a punch!
- Late Rotation: Turn the fist at the moment of impact to generate maximum acceleration through the target.
- Tuck the Elbows: Keep elbows tight to your sides — feel them rub against your gi. No chicken wings!
- Drive with the Hiki-Te: Pull the non-striking hand high and deep into the pocket (feel the hammer fist against the ribs), and drive the elbow back at the same speed as the punch.
- Conditioning: Practice with the makiwara for targeting, and for bone and impact conditioning. Knuckle push-ups should both train the striking surface of your fist, and follow the same path as your punch, coming straight from the pocket.
And a bonus tip from Kyoshi Reymond:
- Fluidity: Once you start, you move — you accelerate — without pause to the target. Master Nagamine writes, “each movement in kata… must be done simultaneously, just as sunshine streams across a room when the door is opened.” The fist needs to be deep in the pocket and one must avoid a “winding up” move backward before moving forward. When the situation is presented, the fist is propelled straight forward, accelerating continuously as it travels to the target.
