Punching thin air

[Highler]

As i know nothing about other styles please don't think i'm saying they're no good, just looking for more info. And please correct me if i'm wrong!

 

Sensei was telling me all about the impact pads we use in shukokai and how no other styles use these. Years ago he practiced shotokan and showed me all the wide stances and how they would 'march' up and down the dojo punching the air as hard as they could and never actually hit a target like a bag or impact pad. He says he thought his punches were really good but when he was introduced to the impact pads in shukokai and started hitting them he was very surprised how his punches weren't as good as he thought.

 

Like i say i've never practiced anything else and don't have much MA knowledge so i'm not trying to lecture you on how or what you should practice, just looking for opinions of punching thin air and do you really think it is beneficial?

 

Thanks

[delta1]

'Punching air' is bennificial in some ways. You can work on technique and ingrain memory. You can concentrate on different aspects of your technique. But like everything else, you need to ballance your training. You need to hit things to understand hitting. You need to hit moving things to understand hiting moving targets. And, every once in a while, you need to hit someone who is trying to hit you to understand fighting.

 

I don't know what your instructor was talking about when he said you are the only ones who hit pads. But, I've worked out with several different systems, and they all hit pads. Most also take great pleasure in hitting each other!

[gheinisch]

In my opinion punching air has it's place in allowing you to work on your technique and form but doesn't replace hitting pads or a heavy bag. If you punch air and air alone you will be surprised the time you have to hit something with substance with any power. If your lucky a sprained wrist will be all that you get. Punching bags is totally different than air and actually hitting a body is different than the bags. All should be practiced to some extent.

[ramymensa]

I don't know what Shotokan your instructor did, but we hit impact pads and heavy bag too. The fact he had a bad instruction in early days doesn't mean Shotokan is bad

[AngelaG]

I don't know what Shotokan your instructor did, but we hit impact pads and heavy bag too. The fact he had a bad instruction in early days doesn't mean Shotokan is bad

 

100% agreement!

 

I hate it when instructors try to make their classes seem better by dissing other styles. Especially when the insults aren't even based in reality.

 

I do shotokan. We hit air and we hit pads. Both are important aspects in training.

[P.A.L]

I have seen many Shotokan dojos use traditional Makiwara , I should say i've never seen a karate dojo without pad,bag,makiwara or some sort of hitting target. We use makiwara which is a flat wood ,wraped by rope or leather for punches and a round wooden post for kicking and shutos, a small makiwara close to the floor for toe kicks, and corn buckets for Nukite and still our main target is thin air. We also march up and down the dojo to practice kihon katas(at least I do).

[aefibird]

We train with 'air' techniques in my dojo - one of the reasons is in order to allow beginners and lower-grade students the chance to practice them and remember them.

 

We also train with and use bags, pads and makiwara on a regular basis.

[Drunken Monkey]

as my kick-boxing instructor says to the kids who want to punch the pads and bag straight away.

 

"all in good time..."

[Ted T.]

I've solved this problem---

 

I only punch thick air.

 

[Proskater]

Well, isnt that shadow boxing?

 

But the thing is, that when you do that, it feels a lot different from hiting a real person, or even a heavy bag.