Extending elbow when punching

[David Miller]

Hello everyone,

This question has been in my head the moment I started practicing Karate, is that when we do a straight punch in Katas like Seisan, Sanseru, and other Katas, do we have to fully and I mean fully extend our elbow or should we stop halfway through the punch, because once I decided to do one of those Sensei Morio Higaonna punch (really impactful punch) with full elbow extension..lets just say it didn't end really well. My elbow felt like it was de attaching itself for 3 seconds, but then I also tried to not fully extend my elbow, that did not work really well and the punch looked extremely awful. So yea basically should we fully extend our elbows or not? Thanks.

[sensei8]

Style variances will differ through methodologies and ideologies in what you're asking.

In Shindokan, we do NOT fully extend our elbows whatsoever. Just near full extension but not fully extended. Why?? We believe that any full extension will hyper-extend the elbow, therefore, injuring the elbow.

[singularity6]

Style variances will differ through methodologies and ideologies in what you're asking.

In Shindokan, we do NOT fully extend our elbows whatsoever. Just near full extension but not fully extended. Why?? We believe that any full extension will hyper-extend the elbow, therefore, injuring the elbow.

I think that your school's thoughts are fairly universal.

[GojuRyu Bahrain]

Hello everyone,

This question has been in my head the moment I started practicing Karate, is that when we do a straight punch in Katas like Seisan, Sanseru, and other Katas, do we have to fully and I mean fully extend our elbow or should we stop halfway through the punch.....So yea basically should we fully extend our elbows or not? Thanks.

Hi David,

In Goju Ryu (I assume you practice Goju Ryu based on your reference to Higaonna) we do most definitely not fully extend the arm. As Sensei8 wrote, this will damage your elbow joint, if not on the first punch then on the ten-thousandth for sure..

Briefly (because there is a lot more to consider than can be covered in one post), the Goju Ryu seiken zuki should be performed with a locked shoulder and the elbow facing down (as much as possible). The target is being hit with the first two knuckles (index and middle finger knuckles). Proper alignment of the extended arm is achieved by imagining a straight line from 1- these knuckles through 2- the center of your wrist through 3- the center of your elbow to 4- the center of your shoulder joint. Having the elbow facing down, instead of facing to the side, should make hyper-extension of the elbow nearly impossible, and builds a solid defensive structure that protects the weak sides of the torso as well as your elbows (from breaking through counters as well as from self inflicted injury). Chris Wilders Book "The way of Sanchin Kata" covers the topic in fabulous detail.

Execution of the punch is done in such a manner that the knuckles penetrate through the target; about an inch is budgeted in the striking range - hence the distance is relatively short compared to, say, a Shotokan Zuki.

Hope this helps.

[David Miller]

Thanks for the reply everyone and for the articles. What about other karate styles like Shotokan, because now referring to sensei Kanazawa Hirokazu, he looks like he fully extends his arms and elbows when he punches. What do you guys think about Sensei Kanazawa's punches when it comes to arm/elbow extension?

[Wastelander]

Thanks for the reply everyone and for the articles. What about other karate styles like Shotokan, because now referring to sensei Kanazawa Hirokazu, he looks like he fully extends his arms and elbows when he punches. What do you guys think about Sensei Kanazawa's punches when it comes to arm/elbow extension?

I'm in complete agreement that you should never "fully extend" or "lock" any of the joints in your body while executing a technique. I've noticed that when people pose for photos of punches, they tend to lock the arm out, for what that's worth. I will point out that it is very difficult to tell how "fully extended" someone's arm is while they are wearing a gi, especially if they have very accurate motor control, and stop their arm just short of full extension.

[MatsuShinshii]

Although many encourage you to snap out your strikes when practicing so you get that snappy popping sound (like this translates to power) you should never come to full extension when striking in the air. Over time you will wear out your joints and will pay for it dearly later in life.

[sensei8]

Style variances will differ through methodologies and ideologies in what you're asking.

In Shindokan, we do NOT fully extend our elbows whatsoever. Just near full extension but not fully extended. Why?? We believe that any full extension will hyper-extend the elbow, therefore, injuring the elbow.

I think that your school's thoughts are fairly universal.

Yes!! I was just speaking from my experiences, and not from an assumption outside of Shindokan.

[OneKickWonder]

In my style we are taught to fully extend.

That advice is great. If you want to have chronic joint pain after a few years.

My advice would be, never fully lock out. Quite apart from the stress that puts on your joints, it leaves you vulnerable. If your opponent catches a fully locked out arm or leg, you're basically asking for your knee or elbow to be forcibly hyperextended.

[MatsuShinshii]

In my style we are taught to fully extend.

That advice is great. If you want to have chronic joint pain after a few years.

My advice would be, never fully lock out. Quite apart from the stress that puts on your joints, it leaves you vulnerable. If your opponent catches a fully locked out arm or leg, you're basically asking for your knee or elbow to be forcibly hyperextended.

Good points.