Kicks

We work on 5 basic kicks in beginner karate.....the front kick, the 1/2 round, the round, the side kick and the back kick.

All but the back kick have 2 chambers, which are utilized for more power in the kick.

Front Kick

From guard stance
Square up your hips to the front
Use the back leg (beginners)
2 chambers
Weapon is the ball of your foot

1/2 Round Kick

Use lead leg from guard stance
2 chambers
Keep knee horizontal
Weapon is the top of your foot (or toes if you have on heavy shoes)

Round Kick

Use back leg from guard stance
Don't forget to pivot that front foot to avoid ankle pressure (injury)
Keep knee horizontal (same kick as 1/2 round, just from rear leg)
Same two chambers as 1/2 round kick
Weapon is the top of your foot

Side Kick

Use lead leg from guard stance
2 chambers (first chamber points back with hip pointed at attacker)
Weapon is the heel

Back Kick

Use the rear leg from guard position
Look back over opposite shoulder to look at attacker
No chambers
Weapon is the heel

With these 5 kicks, you will be able to protect yourself in most self defense encounters.  The side and back kick are generally considered the strongest and the 1/2 round and front the quickest.  With practice, all of the kicks can become lethal and fast!

Sensei Chris Feldt
Samurai Karate Studio
Columbia, SC 29229
803-462-9425
samuraikaratestudio@gmail.com

Basic Elbows

On often over-looked tool in our self defense arsenal is our elbows.  This is a very powerful joint in our arm and the bone is relatively strong and can inflict a powerful blow.

In beginner karate, we focus on 6 basis elbow techniques that cover a wide range of self defense situations.


Elbow # 1

This is a lateral strike with the attacker generally in front of you.  You strike with inside of the elbow as you post up with the back of your hand on your chest.

Elbow # 2

This is for the attacker who is right behind you.  You flick your hand out and drive your elbow straight back.

Elbow # 3

This is for the attacker that is in front of you as you move the elbow up vertical as you attempt to make contact with the tip of the elbow under the attackers chin.  This is also a great covering technique, especially someone trying to hit you on the head with round house type punches or even worse, maybe a hard object like a stick.

Elbow # 4

We use the tip of our elbow and drive vertically straight down.  We often use a principle called "drop heavy" where you jump down into the strike.  This increases the energy when exacting your blow.

Elbow # 5

You point your elbow in a horizontal position and slide to your side as the tip of your elbow strikes the attacker.

Elbow # 6

This is the elbow where you stand like you are preparing to throw a football, and you drop heavy in a circular motion downward.  This is typically an elbow that might go to the back of an attackers head who is bending over.

Obviously, I am just briefly describing the elbows here as simply as possible.  We covered them in much more detail in class.  The idea is to remind you of the techniques enough to jog your memory and practice them on your own or in class.

Elbows are a great "inside" tool to use when defending yourself in close to your attacker.  They can unleash a mean strike and take quite a bit of abuse.

Sensei Chris Feldt
Samurai Karate Studio
Columbia, SC 29229
803-462-9425
samuraikaratestudio@gmail.com

Wrist Releases

Wrist grabs are commonly used when the attacker wants to control their victim; prevent them from escaping and/or to deliver punches or kicks to the victim.

Our first option is to always remain as alert as possible and avoid being grabbed in the first place.

But, in the event you do get grabbed, there are 3 basic principles I use to escape.  Eventually, you will learn how to use these principles and apply them to nearly any kind of wrist grab situation, whether multiple attackers, grabbing from the front or from the back.

For purposes of this discussion, assume someone grabs your wrist like in the photo above (just the way we practiced in class).  First thing you want to think about is to protect your head and be ready to deflect a strike.  Next, flex your fist so that it is nice and strong.  This will make your wrist nice and firm and strong, which will help break the grip.

In wrist grab releases, we always counterattack and focus on the thumb of the attacker, which is the weakest point in the grab.

Principle # 1

Tighten the grip, drop your elbow down and slightly forward, as you bring your wrist back towards your head.  Point your thumb up and pretend you are saying to yourself "I am defending me".  Just be careful not to poke yourself in the eye or chest as you bring that thumb back to your body.

Beginners often make the mistake of pulling their wrist (arm) away.....this does not weaken the grip of the thumb.  You need to drop the elbow and bring the wrist back towards you.

Principle # 2

Just like the original "Karate Kid" movie, where the main characters spends hours waxing Miyagi's cars, you want to think of "wax off".  You want to create a circle motion from the inside to the outside.  If necessary, you can even step to the outside of your attacker to make the circle stronger.

Principle # 3

The opposite of principle 2, we are going to circle from the outside to the inside.  This is actually, the strongest of the 3 releases and may be the best option to use if you have a much bigger or stronger attacker than victim.  This technique puts the most pressure on the attackers wrist and if they don't let go, there is a possibility you can injure their wrist.

When practicing these releases, use a soft grip at first in order to become comfortable with the techniques and not get your wrist all raw from someone holding too tight.  As you become more experienced with it, then add power to the grab.

Sensei Chris Feldt
Samurai karate Studio
Columbia, SC 29229
803-462-9425

Redirecting and Entering

The concept of redirecting and entering is a simple one, yet more difficult to execute.  The idea is not to let the person threatening you grab you or make contact with a punch.

Shoulder Grab

The classic movement we covered in class is the two arm shoulder grab.  This is when the attacker moves in and grabs you by the shoulders.  This is dangerous because they now have control of you and can inflict harm via striking or kicking.

The idea behind redirecting is simply to bring your arms up in an outside blocking motion, making contact with your fists or forearms on your attackers mid forearms. You strike hard enough, so that the arms move outward, thus staying away from your shoulders.

Entering, you can pull down on the attackers arms and move in for a knee strike.

A Punch

As the attacker starts to throw a punch at you, use your feet to pivot to the side while you are slapping at the punching hand.  (More advanced is to use an inside block and hammer the attacker forearm.)

Maintain contact with the punch hand pushing it across the front of the attackers body.

Entering, move forward as you keep pressure on the arm and kick to the knees or strike to the head of the attacker.

The concept of redirecting and entering is a very core principle that can be used in many different attacking situations.  We just covered a couple in class that you can use as a beginner.

What If You Panic?

It is very common for beginner students to struggle with the timing of techniques in the beginning.  It takes a lot of repetition and practice, before your body will start to act more instinctively.

If you are attacked on the street (and you can't escape) and you forgot what to do with regards to redirecting and entering; just throw your hands up to cover your head and move into the attackers chest.  The attacker will usually miss the punch to your head and you will be close enough to strike or elbow to the head.

Sensei Chris Feldt
Samurai Karate Studio
Columbia, SC 29229
803-462-9425
samuraikaratestudio@gmail.com

The 4 Arts of The Samurai

The Samurai were great warriors that lived hundreds of years ago.  While their primary responsibility was to serve their lord, even if it meant making the ultimate sacrifice, they would not hesitate to do that.  After all, honor was a key character trait of the Samurai and giving your life in the service of your lord was a "good" death.

For all the fighting skills these men and women possessed, most people don't realize how well educated the Samurai were.

The 4 Arts of the Samurai

The Samurai studied poetry, music, art and self defense.  From an early age, Samurai boys spent much of their day in class, studying the humanities as well as the sciences.  They were typically well versed in religion and philosophy; as well as in math and history.

Aside from their combat training and schooling, another revealing characteristic about the Samurai was their focus on family.  The family was the center of their life and they would do anything to promote it as well as protect it.

While I admire the Samurai for their legendary fighting skills, I am equally impressed with their desire for education and you can better understand why they were admired and feared throughout the land.


Sensei Chris Feldt
Samurai Karate Studio
Columbia, SC 29229
803-462-9425
samuraikaratestudio@gmail.com

The Legacy of Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs recently left us, falling victim to Cancer after battling this horrid disease for several years!

 

Even though he passed away at the relative young age of 56, he had radically changed the world we lived in.  The Apple computer, the Ipod, the Ipad and the Iphone; just a few among the over 200 products he developed.

 

He created a special company devoted to creating movies for children called Pixer and spun out many classic stories, the first being Toy Story.  Today, Pixer is the largest animated film studio in the world.

 

Below is a video of Steve Jobs addressing a graduating class at Stanford University.  Intensely private, Steve Jobs almost never talked about himself, however, during this commencement address he talked about his own life and offered great advice to the graduates.

 

It gives you insight into the man, his passion and his life.

 

 

 

We will miss you Mr. Jobs!



Thank you for your vision of the world!

Sensei Chris Feldt
Samurai Karate Studio
Columbia, SC 29229
803-462-9425

One Day!

 

There is so much conflict in the world!  

From the Middle East to Afghanistan to Iraq.

From the Arab Spring which has resulted in regime change and the loss of thousands of lives.

From the economic crisis in America and Europe, with the near collapse of our banking system, that is slowly reaching into Asia.

From the Tea Party rally's to the Wall Street demonstrations.

From the high unemployment rate with millions without a job, to a growing homeless population.

 

The left is attacking the right and vice-versa.

 

Washington has mastered the art of the "blame game" with neither party accepting responsibility for what is going on.

 

One Day!

 

I am confident that one day, we will be part of a kinder, gentler world, because of the work we are doing!  As school owners, we have audience to a large sphere of influence if we make the most of it.  

 

Our curriculum touches on all things human -- strong and vibrant as well as frail and compassionate.  

We have the power to CHANGE the world; one student, one parent, one community at a time!

 

One Day!

 

  

 

This blog post is a part of The Ultimate Black Belt Test (ultimateblackbelttest.com), an undertaking of The 100 (the100.us), and a part of Samurai Karate Studio (samuraikaratestudio.net).