New Shotokan kata

[ShotokanKid]

I just learned Unsu and was wondering if someone could give me a tip on the 360 jump towards the end.

[aefibird]

My best tip - find another kata.

 

Seriously, Unsu is a very difficult kata to learn and perform well.

 

I had great trouble with it when I was first learning it and I would say that it is my weakest out of the kata that I know.

 

Practice the jump on a thick mat if you're going to be doing a lot of repetitions. Keeping practicing the jump on a hard floor will hurt your hands and feet when you are first learning it.

 

Try and keep your legs tucked in as much as possible when you are jumping and break the jumo down into it's various parts. Concentrate on getting the take-off correct, then work on the mid section with the turn and finally work on your landing. You don't even need to practice the turn when you are working on your take-off and landing. When you are confident with all three sections of the jump then try and put them all together.

 

Remember to keep your head and your vision as still as possible. Too much head movememnt will throw your jump out of sync.

 

Get your instructor or someone who knows Unsu to watch you as you do the jump turn. That way, they'll be able to give you specific advice about what you need to work on, so you can concentrate on improving in that area.

 

Good luck and good practice!

[G95champ]

The jump in Unsu is something not many can ever get down. I have stayed away from learing the kata for that reason alone lol. I would say to do the jump on mats so the landing did not kill you until you got it down anyhow which could take some time. LOL

 

Good Luck

[Omega14]

Remember to stick to the fundamentals. I have too often seen people who exaggerate the move to make it look "tacky". The only wat to nail it really is to practice. Eliminate all excess movement (such as the head movement previously mentioned), and probably you want to ensure you are doing the move at a appropriate speed (if you are too slow, you will never make the full rotation)

[Killer Miller]

With Unsu,

 

Stay centered throughout the kata or you'll get lost and wobbly. On the 360, stay centered as well and get as much height (feet up as much as possible) on the jump. You don't stay centered and not get enough height, you will land in the wrong clock position or not be in the same left/right position when you land.

 

Also, many that do Unsu try to "rush" the kata - DON'T. Just learn in properly one technique(s) at a time - then do full tempo every 2nd or 3rd time.

 

It's much better with quick and sharp technique than a fast kata.

 

- Killer -

[Mister Man]

ShotokanKid

Remebr if you are learning this from scratch, the jump can be modified slightly as a start. The initial cresent kick into your hand doesn't have to be whilst in the air, you can make this a 180 jump initially by turning and kicking at 180 degrees then jump and spin to fface the front again. The key to this jump is confidence, if you are confident you can land safely then you can gradually test yourself until you are jumping at 360 degrees.

A tip to ensure a good landing, with all jumps try and curl up in the air but with this one, only shoot your rear foot out behind you just before you land, almost as if if you didn't you would lnad on your knees. This shooting outof the leg acts as a brake that stops any rotational momentum.

Good luck!

MM

[chrisg67]

Good tip, I would also say that you can modify the start of the kick too - try starting from different stances. I learnt the jump starting from Kokutsu Dach, but now do it from Sochin Dachi. It's easier to perform from a stance where more of your weight is towards the back - you can use the weight transfer to get you moving.

[jkeeling]

I just learned Unsu and was wondering if someone could give me a tip on the 360 jump towards the end.

If you are in southern California, you are likely close to some people who could teach you this quite well. Feel free to contact me privately if you would like my thoughts on instructors in your area.

As others have already suggested, I would agree that breaking it down into its component parts is definitely something worth doing, particularly when first trying to get down a complex movement/technique. Work on the crescent kick, then the crescent kick with a spin, then how to drop and spin from there, then put them together gradually.

Remember that the movement was not originally as much of a jump as it was a spin. The jump was really added to make it more spectacular in demonstrations/tournaments.

[shogeri]

Everybody else, gave about the same information.

When performing spinning kicks it's good to break it down first.

First work on twisting your upper torso, which drives your waist. Which drives the legs.

Keep your knees together, and up in chamber when spinning.

If you have a trampoline this will help you get the spin down. I would consider it harder to use the small trampolines, but they do force you to make you spin more vertical, and less horizontal or all over the place.

You can also use a mat. Just make sure you start the jump, and finish it, over the area of the mat.

Once you get the spin down, then add the kick.

The spin doesn't have to be higher off the ground until the kick is added. And even then it should be your leg that goes up, and not just your whole body. We are only human, as we are not frogs or kangeroos.

Practice the kick on solid ground, so you know how to land on a firm surface.

[Menjo]

just a little thing too, remember to use you hips going up if it hasnt already been said.