Center Line in Karate

[Sho-ju]

When I first started karate 15 years ago I was always told that all my blocks must drive up your center. It sounds like I misunderstood the WC center line idea. We are always making sure our center is protected and blocked at all time.

[delta1]

Sho-ju, you are correct that your blocks are one way to both protect your center line and control your opponents. Even upward or outward blocks clear your center as they deliver and return. A block can also close his center by driving his arm across his body, or open it by moving the arm out. One way WC differs from karate is that your blocks sometimes violate their idea of centerline. Immagine a pane of glass set on end, one edge running from your nose to your navel. Put up your guard and notice that neither hand can cross through thi glass. If you do violate this immaginary plane (inward blocks are a prime offender), you've crossed your own center line. A good WCer will immediately take advantage of this any number of ways to cross you up, tieing up both your weapons while attacking with constant forward pressure.

 

Stances, stance changes, footwork and position also address centerline control. For example, a simple sidestep can put you in a position where all your weapons face your opponent while momentarily placing him so that his weapons on one side are not in play. His center line is facing away in this example. Here again is a big difference in WC and karate. Their stances are designed to keep all four weapons (limbs) toward you and in play. Most karate stances take more of an angle to the opponent, effectively leaving one side and its weapons to the rear. You need a stance change to bring those weapons into play.

 

Different styles have other ways of addressing center line control. AK's dimensional zone theories and control are a natural extension to WC center line theory. FMA's tend to leave their center more open and depend on footwork to control the central line between the two fighters. (Expl: there are three centerlines in a fight- yours, your opponents, and a central line running between your and your opponents center line. Control the central line and you control the fight.) Styles like Taiji yield their center line while allowing, and usually helping, you to over commit yours. It's a good thing to know how your style addresses this concept, as well as how your opponent does it.

[Drunken Monkey]

we call the third centre-line you mention, the 'central-plane'.

 

it is this that is more important because it is the direct line between you and your opponent.

 

as long as you are facing his centre and are operating along the central plane you are effectively, 'on target'.

 

your aim is then to prevent him from facing your centre-line

 

hence

 

preventing him from operating along the 'central-plane' (i.e he is not 'on target')

[JerryLove]

your aim is then to prevent him from facing your centre-line hence preventing him from operating along the 'central-plane' (i.e he is not 'on target')

... in some arts. Other arts will gladly give him the central-plane in order to manipulate him. Taiji, Systema, Akido, and Tjikunling come to mind. Many will also specialize in moving it very rapidly (bagua comes screaming ot mind)

[Drunken Monkey]

well i am simplifying it somewhat (in terms of wing chun).

 

remember the first saying of wing chun, 'receive what comes'....

 

it kinda depends on what you are comfortable doing.

 

i am happy to let guys aim for my centre cos i'm confident that i can defend it.

 

it's just slightly easier for us (and for some people) to not let them have it in the first place.

 

or we let them work along it then 'steal' the centre when we need to.

 

after all, it doesn't matter too much unless they are about to hit you.

[cymry]

The rising block in karate is "deflecting" (perhaps not an appropriate word for karate blocks LOL) an attack outwards, away from the centerline.

 

BTW, the dan tien is called the hara in Japanese.