pers

Glad to read your post and I agree with you .

It should become more effective ,and ofcourse everything becomes easier with practice.

Look into Heian sandan for the first shotokan throw .

Upon reading that, I suppose there is a differences between a 'movement', and telegraphing your intended technique. can you be more specific ?

If throwing the kick as a lone technique you will definately telegraph your kick. Thus being why it follows your hand combination. If this kick follows the right cross as I mentioned in my post your have natural set your shoulder foward and not telegraphed your kick. You feet shoulders and hips all have to move with this kick. ." throwing a kick as a lone technique should not necessarily telegraph your kick if it is done well . it is how you lift your leg and direct it to the target out of the vision of opponent until is too late for him to see it before it hits the target. the way we were taught shoulders are relaxed and actualy away from the kicking leg . as if you are doing a right leg roundhouse kick ,your right shoulder should actualy be held back to help with balance and to release the hip more into the direction of the kick .to do this correctly one must utilise his hands , in this example the right hand helps keeping the right shoulder back .

And also the target! It’s a balancing act I guess. All to do with good technique - being able to deliver as much Kinetic energy (using the correct force) as quickly as possible, whilst not putting yourself in a position where you are vulnerable to being hit. Movement is key. You guys may be closer to each other's ideas than you realize. We could talk about it all day, but if we actually got together and could "see" what each is saying, you might be pretty close together. Or, it could be the opposite, I guess. However, there is often something lost in the translation. No, although I think you are on the right lines. Its called Tai-sabaki or body management. Tai-sabaki is body evasion in shotokan . In advance level it is performed in a combined evasion and strike ,probably the highest level . tai-sabaki is evading an attack by shifting the body swiftly out of way of the incoming attack and in a position of advantage to strike a counter . as with anything else it is up to the skill of the individual . but the fundamentals remain constant , it doesn't matter if you are going to punch or front kick or side kick or round kick or if you are trying to evade an incoming kick or punch , they all initiate or should from the ground thorough the ball of the foot in whatever stance you are in . it is how one transmit and channel that energy with speed and fluidity that could end with a desired outcome.

What a excellent explanation .

what a good thread with some useful advice . I read an article some years ago by Enoeda Sensei "hitting a brick wall ". and how we come across that many times in our training and the key is as others said here to " keep at it " and " never give up " and conquer the wall even if you have to do it brick by brick !

Power initiates from the floor (good stance ) through the hips and towards the target , performing the technique correctly with fluidity and speed accumulates power .

There is a great new book called "born fighter " by Dave Hazard . I highly recommend it ,you can check it out on amazon and youtube .

You are better off to concentrate on perfecting Heian katas ,that will serve you well when you want to test for shodan . Nijushiho is a great kata and extremely difficult to perform and to understand .

True ,but that goes with everything in life . And I agree that shodan is learning the alphabet ,Even at shodan you must be able to make short sentences but as you progress you should be able to make longer and more complex ones and hopefully when you become a master should be able to write an article !

I have been hit bare fisted and bare footed many times ! mostly in the dojo ...

I got the bug after seeing Bruce Lee films but it took another 10 years before I finally took up karate .self defence and being able to defend myself if needed was the main factor , later on I learned about other values and benefits that martial arts have . I voted other as none of the choices applied to me .

I disagree. When you reach black belt level, or that level which you are considered proficient in the basic fundamentals of your particular system, then that is the time that you are really learning "IMHO". I have progressed so much since that time that I can't begin to describe it since getting my BB back in 1978. My reflexes are faster, timing is better, understanding of what I'm doing is phonomenally better, speed and smoothness of my techniques is better...in general, reaching black belt is just the beginning of understanding what your art is all about. Did you know that as a martial artist, you don't reach your peak until your mid-60's? It's true. I agree , reaching black belt is just a beginning and improvement in understanding and applying martial arts can go on to mid -60s .

Exactly , should know them by heart , and also quality of performance .

Speed is more important than being short or tall IMO . It is about how one can best adopt and learn martial arts according to his/her own body type . many masters of martial arts are small in stature but it doesnt effect their abilities.

Try looking into applications of Gojushiho katas , you may find what you looking for .

Did you train with him ?

Have you tried Brighton shotokan dojo ? Go to brighton shotokan karate site which is part of Academy of shotokan karate for times and venue .

Good kicks ,your kekomi was performed very well . where in sussex do you train ?

this is the real shotokan , thanks for sharing it with everyone ..

Rule #1 when using a roundhouse kick with the instep...don't kick a hard target with it! I agree . We use the ball of the foot in shotokan ,

I agree with you , it is very effective and less risky .

I prefare to use the ball of the foot ,but once a long time ago I got dragged into a fight I had no choice but to tuk-in . After softening my opponent with a couple of punches and as I saw him bending a bit I went for a roundhouse with the ball of my foot heading for his temple I realized the guy is in no way of defending against it so I changed it to instep , he was knocked out but I also broke the bone on top of my foot ! very painful .. ! looking back I still think I did the right thing not to hit him with the ball of the foot as I could have done a lot more damage than just knocking him out !