Pain in the arm

[Shotokan-kez]

On monday we were concentrating on combinations for our grading in august. We did Kizami-Tsuki, Oi-Tsuki, Gyaku-Tsuki. On doing the first (kizami) i got a terrible shooting pain from my elbow to my shoulder. It lasted a few seconds then went away, but because it happened i couldn't execute the whole combination properly let alone with power. This seems to be happening a lot and it's effecting my karate which is so annoying because i just want to do well.

Can anyone shed any light on why i'm getting this pain when i punch hard with this arm, it hurts and it's getting me down.

Kez xx

[MizuRyu]

Where in your arm? Inside, front, back, outside? What depth?

[bushido_man96]

If you are locking your elbow, you may have hyperextended it. You'll just have to rest it, and perhaps ice it.

[Shui Tora]

Could be locking your elbow (like Bushido said) and then as you are returning to do oi-tuski, you could be trying do unlock too quickly... (Got me? )

Either that or you are not relaxing when doing the techniques... I find i do better if I'm relaxed then all tensed up...

[Shotokan-kez]

Thanks yeah that seems to make sense. The pain in my elbow happens when my arm is outstretched immediatly after executing the punch. Thinking on though, i have been getting pain in that elbow for a while, when my arm has been bent for a while my elbow hurts when i stretch it out again. Somebody suggested i may have a condition called 'tennis elbow'.

[Jiffy]

The most common cause of this is definately locking the elbow. The joint is not designed to lock at high speed. This hyper-extends the joint and also puts great stress on the tendons.

Also, make sure you are rotating the punch. This is not done just for power, but also protects the joint and tendons in the arm.

[Shotokan-kez]

So how do i stop the elbow locking when i'm doing fast punching combinations? My sensei is always saying that although it's fast but you must complete the moves properly.

[Sohan]

So how do i stop the elbow locking when i'm doing fast punching combinations? My sensei is always saying that although it's fast but you must complete the moves properly.

Just don't fully extend the punch. Pull it slightly before full extension with a tight/relax feel upon extension. This takes practice, but it's how I do all my punches, and I still execute with significant power. No elbow or wrist pain that I can remember in my training.

With respect,

Sohan

[Shotokan-kez]

Thanks Sohan i will start practising that.

Kez x

[TigerDude]

Since basically every muscle in your upper & lower arm inserts near the elbow, it could be an awful lot of things. There are bands that help some types of tendonitis heal (I've used them before), but you really someone who understands physiology well (dr., sports trainer, ...) to tell you exactly what is hurting & how to help it.

Sohan's reco is how I was taught to practice punch also. We rotate out punches as well, but it doesn't make inherent sense to me that it would help your elbow.