Prevention of Long term injury to joints

[Eye of the Tiger]

"Prior to A.A. 1900, Karate development was a slow, gradual process which had spanned centuries. This all changed with the research and teachings of Funakoshi Sensei and the acceptance of Karate in Japan following his demonstration in Kyoto in 1915.

 

With the exception of several hundred G.I.s after World War II had finished, virtually all the students of Karate where oriental - more accurately, they where Japanese. The fact that they where shorter and more squat than their Western counterparts resulted in a difference in the mechanics of the techniques of punching, kicking, striking and blocking. This difference was not understood immediately by the Japanese instructors who brought Karate to the West.

 

Consequently, the long-limbed Westeners allowed their punches and kicks to terminate only when the arm or leg would not travel any further. Of course, we now know that "locking out" a punch or kick will aggrovate the joint; so much so that it will eventuallly become arthritic. The arm or leg must be be stopped just short of its maximum travel by utilising the appropiate muscles to focus or "kime".

 

At present, there is no known cure for oseoarthritis, which affects the joints of many elderly people. Regular exercise through Karate training will help combat this affliction. Incorrect Karate training may hasten its approach. This point cannot be made to strongly."

 

Of the four MAs I have done I have never been told about this. I always lock out my leg and arm when I kick and punch, stopping it just short seems weird to have your arm bent. Could someone care to explain.

 

Thanks in advance

[CTpizzaboy]

Hyperextending your arm or leg is not a good feeling. Try hitting something solid like a heavy bag or an opponent and you'll figure out quick why not to competely straighten out the limbs.

[Eye of the Tiger]

I just realized that I used kime after my arm would finish lock out. Now I use kime just before maximal trqavel and I can feel it doesn't lock out, that it stop by the smallest millometer.

[KickChick]

It is a common practice in most hard style martial arts to fully extend the leg in a snapping motion while executing front kicks. This causes a couple of problems. The first being that it will eventually wear out the knee joint. It may even cause an immediate hyperextension of the knee. The other problem is that it will generally pull the hamstring. This can be very painful and will also keep you from training.

 

First rule. When your foot leaves the ground it pushes. You will want to pull your kicks but really they must be pushed. Concentrate on using your calf muscle as your foot leaves the ground. Your toes should give a final push also. This will tuck the lower leg in nice and tight which will allow the kick to snap out on execution.

 

Second. The knee must continue to rise throughout the kick. If the knee stops it will hyperextend, causing problems. If the knee were to straighten completely as the kick rises, this is called ballistic motion. It pulls against the hamstring and could cause injury. However if the knee continues to rise throughout the motion of the kick and never goes more than 3/4 extension, the knee and hamstring will not be in jeopordy. The other benefit is that to keep the knee rising you must use the supporting leg. The supporting leg must be slightly bent to allow the hips to rock into the kick. This will focus on the thigh and calf muscle of the supporting leg.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Yes I just found that problem where I cant really KIME or focus my kicks as I can with my arms. I have been taught to keep the other leg bent while kicking, but when we break down the kick you first bring up the knee and keeping it steady you then extend your leg out and then snap it back, which is a snap kick. Is it possible to focus your kicks as with your arms?

[LeaF]

Yes I believe it is possible to focus on your kicks. When I kick I really try to focus on some of the smaller aspects of the kick. Like what my foot is doing and whether my toes are flexed back or pointing down. These smaller details can make an huge difference. For instance if you are doing a front kick (mae geri) depending where you kick will determine what part of the foot you strike with. If it is a kick to the groin you would want to kick with the top of your foot, but when the same kick is done to the solarplexis the ball of your foot is a much better part to use. So all I can really suggest is to focus on every aspect of your kick and be able to adept them to the situations the present themselves

[Eye of the Tiger]

Your very wise LeaF and thanks. I'l try that, but once I flick it out its quite hard to control the KIME unless I completely bend my leg, but I just found that concentrating on the foot is a good way to focus my kicks. Also did your sensai give you any instruction on useing KIME on your kicks?

[SaiFightsMS]

Practice kicks in slow motion working extra careful on the technique. Do this working both with the air and into a bag. Notice that when you actually kick something the leg is not fully extended at the moment of contact or their is no force behind it.

[Eye of the Tiger]

I see, you have to punch air like you would punch a resistance.

 

This is so important let it is so neglected this should be told to anyone performing in any 'Hard' style martial art that involves not only punching but kicking. I have never been told to kick like that have you? I only found out through a book, if I didn't I could still be causing my self serious harm. Why isn't this point made to strongly?

 

So to recap on Kicking:

 

you must push of not pull.

 

do not raise the knee then snap the leg out, you must continually raise the knee as the leg snaps out.

 

Do not snap out the leg all the way only 3/4 of the way.

 

And one more thing, should you kime your kicks.

 

And just to recap on my question why isn't this point made to strongly. Millions of people could be doing nothing more than harming them selves. I will see it that I bring this to my 2 Sensais to make it aware to everyone at my club about this. Action must be taken.

[KickChick]

This is so important let it is so neglected this should be told to anyone performing in any 'Hard' style martial art that involves not only punching but kicking. I have never been told to kick like that have you? I only found out through a book, if I didn't I could still be causing my self serious harm. Why isn't this point made to strongly

 

...since Day 1 of my training it has been explained over and over again ... the "correct" way to execute "the kick" in order to avoid hyperextension of the joints. ... tensing of the antagonist muscles to protect against hyperextension.

 

What I find most difficult when I went back to TKD after a couple months hiatus while teaching fitness kickboxing solely .... is that I found I didn't contract those muscles as much in TKD class kicks because I exeuted kicks routinely to a wavemaster in my classes ... never doing "air" kicks. When I started doing kicks up and down the floor in TKD class I noticed since I was used to the resistance of the bag to "stop" my kick I was neglecting to use the contraction of the antagonist muscles http://starnet.esc20.net/anatomy/muscles.htm and at times did feel a pang of pain on occasion. You need to push the kick but you also need to know when to pull it back ...