Unsu Jump!

[Shotokan Student]

Anyone have tips on how to make the big jump in Unsu proper?

I am having trouble getting my legs up high to make the jump look nice. I can do the 360 but I look like a frog.

[pers]

Hard to tell without seeing what you do , it is not easy to get it right ,that is why it is such an advanced kata but my tip would be perhaps you need to jump a bit higher to give yourself more time to complete the move .

Does this sound appropriate ?

[Shinta]

Working on it for hundreds of times... It worked for me

Well, just start by trying to do it and land standing up - start on kokutsu-dashi and land on zenkutsu-dashi don't worry about the kick in the begining, just try to keep yourself in the air as long as possible. Keep on doing this until you start feeling like you really spend some time in the air and don't have to rotate as fast. This is because when you add the kick, your angular momentum increases and you will rotate slower. then you just have to rotate as fast as you can and you will still feel the same way as without the kick. (hope this made sense)

Then focus on the landing, once again you can just forget the kick for now. Just jump and land as you should land (can't really describe it shortly). Then just add the kick and you have it

Lastly, practice really a lot and frequently. I find it difficult to keep up with the quality previously achieved if I don't practice at least 2 times a week...

Hope this helps!

[Shotokan Student]

Thank you so much! I'll look up those terms you used for positions as I don't know them yet, but that's really something I can work with. Trying to do it all at once hasn't made me any better, so I like the idea of splitting it up into steps. I've been at it only a week and am upset about how little progress I am making, but you're right, gotta do it over and over and over.

Thanks to both of you for the advice

[bushido_man96]

When you jump, make sure to tuck your legs up underneath you. Its kind of like a high-knees position, with both knees tucked up. Practice doing this by just jumping straight up, bursting as high as you can, and tucking your legs. Then land. Rinse and repeat. This is a very plyometric, explosive exercise, so if you do them in 3 sets of 10 one day, wait another day before you do them again.

[sensei8]

Whoa! The Unsu jump! This jump has been both a wonderful thing to practice, as well as to perform. Very exciting Kata, yet one of the most challenging for those new to Unsu.

Due to one bad and old knee, I no longer perform this Kata, whether in the Dojo or demonstrations. Why? Because it hurts to much to jump/leap, land, and then get up. For testing, I'd do it, but, man, I'd rather hit myself in the head with a sledgehammer.

What drills I did to reach the needed height, for both the turn and the kick, is I jumped over a stack of folded mats, one for the height, but also to cushion the land when I missed, I did and so will you, achieving the height.

Once I achieved the height, then I worked on the crescent kick while in the air, and thus keeping my posture proper. I still had the stack of mats during each and every phase to ensure proper height.

Once the kick is achieved with the proper height and posture, all I had to do was land in the prone position. Easier than it sounds because nobody in the world can fly/float in the air, and there's alot to do in this movement alone. Don't rush the leap, turn, and kick! It'll counter the goal in which you're trying to achieve...not falling down and go boo boo.

Bushido-man96 is dead on when he suggests the the knees are tightly tucked. This is true through the leap and turn into the crescent kick. Posture will be key in allowing one to reach out with the left hand to smack with the crescent kick.

Keys:

>Height

>Posture

>Knees tucked

>Tight/fast turn at the apex of the jump into turning into the crescent kick

Hopefully, this will help you. Oh, BTW, I do a step spinning Outside Crescent Kick, instead of the traditional jump crescent kick in Unsu. It's the best I can do at my age with my poor old knee.

[Shinta]

Thank you so much! I'll look up those terms you used for positions as I don't know them yet, but that's really something I can work with.

It kind of makes me wonder... You're training Unsu without knowing something I learnt on my first training? Uhmmm...

[Shotokan-kez]

Don't talk to me about the Unsu jump I can't do it either! Took me long enough to get the Enpi jump right

[Killer Miller]

I guess I'm curious why you are doing Unsu at this stage of the game. It's a very advanced kata and only a few, even the best, can do it right (Unsu in general that is).

The Unsu jump may look like a simple jump, but it actually involves a lot of technique taught in the Kihon basics. If you have not learned good Kihon basics, you are not going to grasp the proper use and execution of the jump.

Key Points of the jump:

- Body centered.

- Whole body going up using lower diaphragm.

- Good contraction from the lower diaphragm to contract and bring the knees high up in the air.

- The above is key to the turning 360 on a center axis in the process and landing back in the same place when coming down.

The above may sound simple - but it actually requires A LOT OF KIHON training to achieve this. This is why you typically don't see lower than Black Belt doing this Kata.

- Killer Miller -

[mizu]

When you jump, make sure to tuck your legs up underneath you. Its kind of like a high-knees position, with both knees tucked up. Practice doing this by just jumping straight up, bursting as high as you can, and tucking your legs. Then land. Rinse and repeat. This is a very plyometric, explosive exercise, so if you do them in 3 sets of 10 one day, wait another day before you do them again.

QFT. Tuck your knees up - that's the key!