Sensei Cieplik is working on having us move from the hips not the shoulders.  This is a harder task then it sounds but I think I am starting to finally improve at doing it.

Use the hips….

Sensei had us do this drill a few weeks in a row now and it is becoming one of my favorites.  We start in a front stance, do a rear leg front snap kick, turn 90 degrees, using the hips, and then we step back into front stance by putting the kicking leg behind us.

The next drill one that we worked on in the past but I never realized I should have been doing this every time I turn.  We started in a front stance, we then pull the back foot up to just behind the front foot, then turn on heel of front foot and move into a cat stance, from there, we push forward into front stance.  We did the same drill but we added a downward block at the end.  The idea is to not use the upper body and shoulders to turn, instead bring the legs closer together to turn using the hips and also block the groin at the same time.  It certainly does keep the upper body from leaning when turning.

Next, we did a drill moving forward from front stance to cat stance, slide the front leg back into a front stance and do a downward block.  Sensei had us do the downward with a slapping motion to have us use less tension when doing the downward block.

We followed up with front snap kick and front punch then front snap kick with sanbon zuki.

The next was another one that I really like.  We start in a high front stance with our left leg forward and our left hand palm facing down.  From there we knee strike our palm with back leg twice then front snap kick when knee touches hand on third move.  I need to add this drill to my outside training drills.  It really opens up the hips.

We finished up with kata.  Heian 1 through Heian 5, Tekki Shodan, Jion and Bassai Dai.

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There is not a lot to type about as far as the techniques that we did with Sensei Cieplik today but there was a very important theme to this Karate class in relation to stance training.

Ten-no kata….

Sensei has us start out with the normal warm up and the we moved into some ten-no kata. Ten-no kata is a group of basic movements that form a simple kata. For example, we stepped forward with our left leg and did a front punch, we then moved back to ready and then stepped forward with our right leg. Back to ready again and then we stepped back with our left leg forward and then back to ready and once more, we stepped back with our right leg forward and executed the technique. Front punches can be replaced with pretty much any other attack or block since the pattern is easy to follow once you get used to it.

Squeeze the floor….

Sensei had us spend a lot of time working on our stances and the idea of squeezing the floor before moving forward or backward. For example, when moving forward, the idea is to pull with your front leg and use your back leg to keep you from moving. This creates what Sensei calls dynamic tension. With the tension, the rear leg moves forward at blinding speed once it’s released. I compare this a engaging the parking break on a front wheel drive car while stepping on the accelerator then releasing the parking break. All this power is just waiting to go and once released it launches the car forward.

Focusing on the dynamic leg tension, the arms kind of just go. I wasn’t really paying any attention to my hand techniques but they seemed to fly out without having any mind focusing on them. The only downside to this training is that it’s very painful and intense. If my hips had a mouth, I would have to censor what they were saying to me after few sets.

We finished up class doing kata while squeezing the floor on the punches and blocks in each movement of Heian Shodan. Give this a try and see what a difference it makes in your Karate movements. I remember being told to do this before but this was the first time that I remember spending most of a class working on this specific concept. Good stuff!

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I keep saying how much Sensei Cieplik shares with us each week and today was another excellent example.

Many kicks….

We started with stationary knee strike and front snap kick. Then moving forward with front snap kick, Moving forward with knee strike and front snap kick. Moving forward with front leg toe tag and rear leg front snap kick. Front leg kick higher and rear leg front snap kick. Front snap kick with front punch. Moving forward roundhouse kick. Front leg roundhouse followed up with rear leg roundhouse. We finished up kicks with roundhouse and reverse punch.

Basics….

Moving forward and back with downward block, then inward block. Next, moving forward with front punch but (picture your best, smoothest moving forward with front punch three times in your head and then do the move) – you have just done the move four times even if you only physically did it once. I asked Sensei, after class, if he sees himself doing the movements or through his own eyes when picturing it in his mind and said to Imagine that you are watching yourself do the movements as a spectator.

Next came moving forward and back with triple punch, moving forward and back with rising, downward and inward blocks with reverse punch. Then, moving forward with reverse punch.

We also did some back stance drills with knife hand block and then the same with front snap kick and spear hand. Sensei said to throw the kick from the floor and not to pull the kicking leg before throwing it.

Partner up….

We got a partner and did a front leg roundhouse kick from a toe to toe stance. Sensei wanted us to do it back and forth. The idea was to kick from close distance using the front foot to stop the attacker from moving in.

Next, we did a drill where one partner threw a head high punch, the other partner, moved just off center to the side, blocked to redirect the punch and then pulled them into a counter punch. The idea was to use their attack and momentum against them.

Slow down and have better form…

Sensei said something before we started doing our kata, He said “slow down the kata and have better form.” He wasn’t saying to slow down the movements but to finish a movement before doing the next. That’s that way I understood it.

When doing the last four moves of Heian Shodan, point first then do the move. After the second kiai, the first knife hand after kiai, turn around into a cat stance and point to the direction of the attacker and move into the stance and do the move. Sensei watches the draw hand on this move very closely.

We did Heian 2 through Heian 5, Tekki Shodan and Bassai Dai. The more experienced black belts did Gojushiho Sho and Empi. I really need to learn those katas so I can do them in class.

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