Hip position in Kyokushin kata

[shortyafter]

Hi there,

I currently live in Spain where I began practicing Shotokan - back home in the USA I practice Kyokushin during the summer months when I visit my family. I've been doing Shotokan regularly for about 8 months now and my instructor places a big emphasis on hip position - hanmi / shomen. Other Shotokan practicioners I have seen also seem to do the same.

It's been about a year since I've been in the Kyokushin dojo, but I will be returning next month for a bit. I don't remember the instructor saying anything about hanmi / shomen - at most the instruction was "make your stance wide enough so you can use your hip".

My thought was that, in Shotokan the differing hip positions are more exaggerated but as I watch videos of Kyokushin kata I'm not sure - it looks like they are doing something similar to hanmi / shomen.

Could anyone offer perspective on this? What are the correct hip positions in Kyokushin kata, and how, if at all, do they differ from in Shotokan? Thanks!

[Wastelander]

Some people choose to name everything, while others choose the more vague "like this" approach. Shotokan is notorious for having very specific names for every technique/posture and variant of a technique/posture. Kyokushin, or at least your Kyokushin sensei, may not have the same approach. In Shorin-Ryu, we use the "like this" approach a lot--meaning, "move like this," "stand like this," turn like this," etc. More instructions than names.

[shortyafter]

Some people choose to name everything, while others choose the more vague "like this" approach. Shotokan is notorious for having very specific names for every technique/posture and variant of a technique/posture. Kyokushin, or at least your Kyokushin sensei, may not have the same approach. In Shorin-Ryu, we use the "like this" approach a lot--meaning, "move like this," "stand like this," turn like this," etc. More instructions than names.

Good insight, thanks! My Kyokushin sensei is top notch (he trained in Japan) so he definitely knows what he's talking about. I was just surprised that my Shotokan instructor was so adamant about it yet I had heard nothing in the Kyokushin dojo. Your insight has cleared the reason for that up. Apart from that you seem to be right - we do tend to have a name for just about everything, haha.

About the hip thing - in the Shotokan dojo it seems beyond just the name the hip positions themselves are highly exaggerated. My doubt is whether or not they are so exaggerated in Kyokushin. Either way, the practice I've gotten using my hip is good for my karate in any form and I will ask my Senpai's for clarification when I return to the Kyokushin dojo.

Thanks again and I welcome any more insight on the topic.