How to gain power for kata....

[bushido_man96]

Maybe working on actually hitting something would help. Probably not using a makiwara at this stage but if you are feeling yourself creating an impact on a pad your power may improve.

This is really good advise, I think. Its important to develop a feel for making impact on things, like bags and mitts, or the makiwara, if you have access to one. Hitting things affects you a lot differently than hitting nothing. I think you would see some power development through some bag work.

Good call, DWx!

As my high school's theatre director always said, "Practice like you are the worst; perform like you are the best."

That's excellent! Great advise.

[ShoriKid]

I'm going to second Tallgeese here. You can have all of the muscle and speed you want, without the focus and mindset, it's not going to come across as a powerful kata. Exicute each technique like your in a fight and it's the last thing you get to do.

Now, I'm not saying don't train your body with basics like resistance training, pad work and improving speed and timing. But, if your blasting each movement at 100% and your mind is on the fighting application of each movement, the difference will be there.

[Killer Miller]

Breathing timing is very important. Take one movement at a time, and work on the breathing timing - using correct technique of course... The slower you breathe, the slower you will move. The faster you breathe, the faster you will move. The second by product of breathing is the contraction of all body muscles, thus speed and power is naturally generated.

- Killer -

[the beast]

Try doing your katas as if you are actually fighting an opponent, this should make you do your strikes/ blocks more powerful. Really focus on striking the opponent, but don't sacrifice technique for power you need to find a happy medium.

This is also a great workout. I do all my katas this way and believe me it leaves you winded .

[white owl]

Try doing your katas as if you are actually fighting an opponent, this should make you do your strikes/ blocks more powerful. Really focus on striking the opponent, but don't sacrifice technique for power you need to find a happy medium.

This is also a great workout. I do all my katas this way and believe me it leaves you winded .

Yes!! this is very important! It will also help you not to go through the motions.

I like to break up my kata's in to parts exespecialy if I'm weak with a part of a kata and I will work it. That seems to help me into making it stronger.

[Wa-No-Michi]

I dropped in a one word response earlier as I had to shoot out the door to go and teach, but as JAKEHE3078 has acknowledged; power in kata manifests its self through the realisation of Kime.

Kime - literally means to channel power into a focused point. (Ki = energy, me = eye).

The principle being that at the point of impact (be that punch, block or kick) your body should strong, ie your muscles are braced for impact (tension) for the short period of time it takes the technique to travel through the target.

The key to making your techniques powerful is honing the timing on your kime. Remaining totally relaxed through as much of the technique as possible, then adding a snap of muscle tension at the end of the technique (squeezing that dough out of your fist at the point of impact).

It is said that the more you master karate, the smaller (but sharper) your kime becomes.

As others have mentioned a good way to embed this is through striking a static object

With a boxers punch bag, it is very tempting to slug at the bag and over push punches.

A makiwawra (or similar) on the other hand, is more about delivering good timing and correct bio-mechanical structure). But Makiwara training should be done under supervision to start with, so be careful about this.

But you don't always need to hit something to develop good Kime. As Joe said you should ask your instructor, he / she is passing comment about your lack of power, you should ask him for tips on how to improve it.

Edited January 16, 2009 by Wa-No-Michi

[Giorgos]

Every kata, has a scenario behind,hidden or not..Follow it as your life depends from that fight..Imagine your strikes or your blocks be real. Your (imaginary) opponent is always better than you,so you must give everything you got in order to survive...

If you think that way the power will come naturally

[SlowHands]

have you tried adding a little more "snap" to the rotation of your hips?

[joesteph]

have you tried adding a little more "snap" to the rotation of your hips?

In the forms I perform at my level, there are a number of punches, for example, in which I've been instructed to have the non-punching hand extended forward to where I'm punching, the hand in the form of a fist, and then, when punching, pull back the non-punching hand as fast as the punching one while throwing my hip into it. It's not an exaggerated hip movement; I like SlowHands' reference to "a little more 'snap' to the rotation."

Some postings have referred to breathing. I've had to learn to let that air out, to expel it when striking, and I can feel the greater power.

[Wa-No-Michi]

have you tried adding a little more "snap" to the rotation of your hips?

In the forms I perform at my level, there are a number of punches, for example, in which I've been instructed to have the non-punching hand extended forward to where I'm punching, the hand in the form of a fist, and then, when punching, pull back the non-punching hand as fast as the punching one while throwing my hip into it. It's not an exaggerated hip movement; I like SlowHands' reference to "a little more 'snap' to the rotation."

Some postings have referred to breathing. I've had to learn to let that air out, to expel it when striking, and I can feel the greater power.

Hi Joe,

The "pull back" of the non punching hand is referred to as "Hiki-Te" in Japanese karate. Hike=elbow, Te=hand, to focus the fact that you pull your elbow back sharply, and your hand will follow.

Be careful though, not to over egg this in combination with the hip rotation thing.

Often students mis-understand the importance and Hike-Te and think that it exists in order to facilitate a rotation of the hips around the spine. It doesn't and anyway, from a bio mechanical structure we should not be training to generate power through rotation of the hips in this way. Its not correct.

Breathing?, well some styles emphasis this more than others (Naha-Te based styles), whilst others tend to shy away from it and prefer their breathing patterns to be more natural.