
        <div class="field field-name-comment-body field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>Since we don't know which techniques are practiced as kihon in your system or syllabus, could you be a little more specific as to which techniques you are referring to?</p>

<p>By the way, another thread on this forum dicusses <a href="https://iainabernethy.com/content/inner-block-kata" rel="nofollow">where the out-to-in-uke might come from</a> in kihon or kumite forms. Maybe it is of interest to you as well.
&nbsp;</p></div></div></div>      

Marc


        <div class="field field-name-comment-body field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>If you've trained Shotokan and Shito-ryu, then I'm guessing your kihon blocks aren't that different from mine (I'm a Kyokushin stylist). I sympathize with what you're thinking - I went through a period (about when I got my shodan) when I questioned the value of kihon, but now I'm a born-again believer. Say you're talking about the four most basic "blocks" in karate - jodan uke, chudan soto- and uchi-uke and gedan barai. It's true that the "classic" applications that you're taught as a beginner are of limited practical use. But look into the movements in more depth and you find that every one of them - exactly as taught in kihon - begins with a breakhold leading into a forearm, elbow&nbsp;or hammer-fist strike with a single move. Soto uke, uchi uke and gedan barai can also lead into an arm bar. There's a jodan uke variation Mas Oyama taught that (like the opening move of Pinan/Heian nidan) can lead into a shoulder-lock takedown and you can also apply a similar move from uchi uke. At a recent seminar with Iain, he demonstrated that soto uke (again, exactly as we practise it in kihon), has an application as a neck takedown&nbsp;with an&nbsp;elbow strike follow-through. Hanshi Steve Arneil in the UK teaches that uchi uke, in its complete, classic form with no modification whatsoever is a very fast, effective way to break out of a double wrist grab. Together with what I've learned from Iain, I&nbsp;now&nbsp;know the move also offers the option of striking to your opponent's neck with your forearm, or applying a shoulder lock or arm bar ... There's really a ton of stuff in there - and the good news is that you're&nbsp;in the right place&nbsp;to learn about it. The great thing is that when you learn these techniques and start to apply them, they feel completely natural because you've already done the move hundreds of thousands of times in your kihon practice - you just didn't fully understand it. Wax on, wax off ...</p></div></div></div>      

Andrzej J


        <div class="field field-name-comment-body field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p></p><blockquote class="quote-msg quote-nest-1 odd"><div class="quote-author"><em class="placeholder">css1971</em> wrote: </div>This has been bugging me for a long time, basically since I found I couldn't use any of the uke techniques as advertised. Partly from my Shotokan days, but the shito-ryu clubs I trained at also made use of exactly the same kihon techniques, obviously in a more constrained style. Someone, somewhere has at some point come up with a list of techniques pulled from the katas and turned them into "basics". Why these techniques? and did they have any experience of how you use them? I have a feeling they didn't. </blockquote><p></p>

<p>It bugs me a lot too! It’s going to the subject of the next podcast so this is very timely.</p>

<p></p><blockquote class="quote-msg quote-nest-1 odd"><div class="quote-author"><em class="placeholder">css1971</em> wrote: </div>The various ukes as trained in kihon appear to have little or no correlation to their use in kata. </blockquote><p></p>

<p>I would go further and say that much of today’s kihon is made up of random combinations of motions that could never be applied in that sequence.</p>

<p></p><blockquote class="quote-msg quote-nest-1 odd"><div class="quote-author"><em class="placeholder">css1971</em> wrote: </div>Do you practice kihon? A set of fundamental techniques? If so what and why?</blockquote><p></p>

<p>I do. As the podcast will make clear, I am a great believer in Kihon and it worries me that some people are abandoning the practise. A lack of good kihon, and the associated practise, results in a failure to develop the high level of body awareness that high level function requires.</p>

<p>That said, the Kihon we do practise should be directly applicable, and we should not overdo it such that Kihon practise is given disproportionate practise time. Thirty minutes of a ninety session devoted to inapplicable sequences is not good!</p>

<p>It all comes down to what we define as Kihon, and how we practise it. It can be invaluable or pointless depending upon those two factors.</p>

<p>Taking individual techniques and sequences from the kata in order to refine them and work on pure awareness of one’s own body and body mechanics can be a very useful practise. However, that should be part of a wider training regimen that has the same sequences practised with a partner and a resisting opponent.</p>

<p>All other sequences utilised in Kihon (i.e. not individual motions or kata sequences) should not be random exercises, but motions that have an “as is” application.</p>

<p>As an example, from my training in Wado I inherited set sequences such as:</p>

<p>Zenshinshite-jodan – Renzuki-chudan – Maegeri-chudan – Mawashigeri-chudan – Ushirogeri-chudan –Uraken-uchi-jodan</p>

<p>This is very common combination in Wado linework. For those not familiar with the Japanese, it is essentially:</p>

<p>Step through head punch – middle level reverse punch – front kick off the back leg – roundhouse kick off the back leg – put the foot down in front, turn and deliver back kick with the other leg – spin and deliver a back fist to the head.</p>

<p>The huge problem is that there is no way that combination is applicable! There is no conceivable way you could ever use that “as is” against an opponent. So what I did was dump them and replace them with combinations that are directly applicable. For example:</p>

<p>jab – cross - step reverse punch - step reverse punch - neck grab &amp; rear knee - drop back, double rear round elbow strike</p>

<p>The result is that we gain the benefits of line work and kihon training, but what we are training has a functional use.</p>

<p>There are loads of those combinations, which we do as both kihon, partner drills and pad drills. Together they combine to give “an education in movement” such that higher grades no longer practise specific set pieces, but also any combinations I deem fit to give them.</p>

<p>More to come in the podcast, but in brief summation:</p>

<p>1 – Kihon is vitally important if high level function is to be achieved</p>

<p>2 – The type of Kihon practised must have direct combative function and must not be a random combination of un-linked motions.</p>

<p>3 – To maximise value, Kihon should not be overly emphasised to the detriment of other forms for practise.</p>

<p>4 – Kihon needs to be a working part of a wider training paradigm and not an end in itself (i.e. many karateka just do Kihon to get good at Kihon).</p>

<p>All the best,</p>

<p>Iain</p></div></div></div>      

Iain Abernethy


        <div class="field field-name-comment-body field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>Aw, man! I have been working on an article about this, only to find out that Iain is going to beat me to it! Well, great minds think alike, right? :P</p>

<p>Honestly, I'm in complete agreement with Iain's points. We still do train kihon uke-waza the "modern traditional way" at my dojo, but we don't usually spend very much time on it--maybe 10 minutes at a time, and not in every class. We spend more time training them in ways they can actually be applied. There is a specific way I like to bridge the gap between the "modern traditional way" and the more practical approach, which uses a simple concept found in many kata, from Taikyoku and Gekisai to Pinan and Kusanku, just to name a few. I've been planning to record video of it for a while, so I'll try and get that done soon.</p></div></div></div>      

Wastelander


        <div class="field field-name-comment-body field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p></p><blockquote class="quote-msg quote-nest-1 odd"><div class="quote-author"><em class="placeholder">Marc</em> wrote: </div>Since we don't know which techniques are practiced as kihon in your system or syllabus, could you be a little more specific as to which techniques you are referring to?</blockquote><p></p>

<p>They were the various age, uchi, soto, morote, shuto ukes, gedan barai, plus kicks and punches in different combinations. I'm not sure the specifics matter really. Basically they were wrong, and damned well practiced until I could do them perfectly.</p>

<p>I'm aware of lots of the applications of the various uke, but doing the kihon doesn't put them in the context for use.</p>

<p>I don't currently practice kihon in that way any more. Like kata, kihon is something which is for solo practice as opposed to paired practice but you have to be very sure of the importance of the method before singling it out as a fundamental technique to be practiced in preference to the others.</p></div></div></div>      

css1971


        <div class="field field-name-comment-body field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>This is exactly the kind of thing I teach in my Kickboxing class. It certainly has value, just not for pragmatism. Again with the concept of context and also again we see the impact of the "sportification" of Karate</p></div></div></div>      


        <div class="field field-name-comment-body field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p></p><blockquote class="quote-msg quote-nest-1 odd"><div class="quote-author"><em class="placeholder">css1971</em> wrote: </div> They were the various age, uchi, soto, morote, shuto ukes, gedan barai, plus kicks and punches in different combinations. I'm not sure the specifics matter really. Basically they were wrong, and damned well practiced until I could do them perfectly. </blockquote><p></p>

<p>Yeah, I know the like. I learned a similar selection of techniques and combinations as dictated by grading syllabus.</p>

<p>I think practicing them until you can do them perfectly is exactly the point of kihon. You learn <em>how</em> to do the moves. See the discussion of <a href="https://iainabernethy.com/content/power-generation" rel="nofollow">double hip movement for power generation</a> as an example of what you could work on in your kihon training.</p>

<p>If you train for playing tennis, it makes sense to practice your service technique 200 times in a row without an opponent. This way you can bing it to perfection. Even though tennis is a game for two.</p>

<p>In what way do you think the kihon you learned "were wrong"?</p>

<p></p><blockquote class="quote-msg quote-nest-1 odd"><div class="quote-author"><em class="placeholder">css1971</em> wrote: </div> I'm aware of lots of the applications of the various uke, but doing the kihon doesn't put them in the context for use. </blockquote><p></p>

<p>True, kihon does not put the uke-techniques in context of an attack, since you do your kihon without a partner. (Although in my view partner training can also be training basics - call it partner kihon.) But you can use your mind to provide context by visualisation, just as you would do when practicing your kata. Anyway, the point of kihon is, I think, to focus on body mechanics, power generation, trajectories, stability, and so on.</p>

<p></p><blockquote class="quote-msg quote-nest-1 odd"><div class="quote-author"><em class="placeholder">css1971</em> wrote: </div> I don't currently practice kihon in that way any more. Like kata, kihon is something which is for solo practice as opposed to paired practice </blockquote><p></p>

<p>When you say "solo practice as opposed to paired practice" I agree if we talk about line work. (Although in judo you would always do your kihon with a partner as far as my experience goes, except for breakfalls.) To me <em>one</em> difference between kata practice an kihon practice is that I can use kata practice to remind myself of the techniques, tactics and applications when I practice alone. But I think I should have some knowledge about what I'm doing and how kata codifies applications and principles. Kihon, on the other hand, makes most sense if I have an instructor who will watch and correct the details of how I move. Of course, if I know of any issues I should improve on, I can go and do my kihon by myself, but I'd like my instructor to have an eye on it from time to time.</p>

<p></p><blockquote class="quote-msg quote-nest-1 odd"><div class="quote-author"><em class="placeholder">css1971</em> wrote: </div> but you have to be very sure of the importance of the method before singling it out as a fundamental technique to be practiced in preference to the others. </blockquote><p></p>

<p>I agree. It makes sense to ask which, why and what for. At least your instructor should be able to answer those questions if you dare to ask.</p>

<p>Since it always good to ask the master, let's see what Funakoshi has to say about kihon. This is from Karate-Do Kyohan:</p>

<blockquote>
<p>Before practicing the kata, learn well how to stand and how to kick. In order to move freely within the kata, one should practice, as part of the regular basic training (kihon), those techniques and stances that occur most frequently in the kata. […] There is, of course, no objection to practicing in addition other techniques found in the kata.</p>
</blockquote>

<blockquote>
<p>one should alternate series of left and right sides while practicing, working across the practice area.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Kihon techniques which Funakoshi describes as examples are:</p>

<ol>
	<li>Kibadachi choku zuki, standing in place</li>
	<li>Zenkutsudachi gedan barai, stepping forward and backwards</li>
	<li>Zenkutsudachi gyaku zuki, stepping forward and backwards</li>
	<li>Zenkutsudachi oi zuki, stepping forward (naturally)</li>
	<li>Kokutsudachi shuto uke, stepping forward and backwards</li>
	<li>Zenkutsudachi age uke,&nbsp;stepping forward and backwards</li>
</ol>

<p>Personally I think kihon is a good thing to include in your training. Of course, as has been said above, it should work with the overall context of everything else you do or try to acomplish.</p>

<p>



&nbsp;</p></div></div></div>      


        <div class="field field-name-comment-body field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p></p><blockquote class="quote-msg quote-nest-1 odd"><div class="quote-author"><em class="placeholder">css1971</em> wrote: </div><p></p>

<p>Do you practice kihon?</p>

<p></p></blockquote><p></p>

<p>Yes, because I need a way to study and practice my speed, stability and power. Using Shotokan's deep stance and large movement for me is a way to put my technicue under a microscope an analyze which parts of it are sub-optimal. Its brutally honest and unforgiving if one part of your body is phoning it it, kihon WILL point it out. Practicing and fixing kihon is a way to get 100% of the power available from this aging and fragile body of mine to any technicue I'm performing <img alt="smiley" src="https://assets.iainabernethy.com/images/b08ed0c0-f9c0-4bef-9790-40595cef05ce3b8f5f8f-160e-4cfe-86df-9f80c97c55b7.jpg" title="smiley"></p>

<p>Power generated for zuki can easily be translated for nukite, or push. Soto uchi's mechanics works for shuto. But the ability to perform instinctively and instantly is dependent on the perfection and repetition of kihon.</p></div></div></div>      

Creidiki


        <div class="field field-name-comment-body field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>All of this can be avoided by practicing a single kata or maybe just a couple of kata. All the technqiues for an entire system are there. You don't need to take extra time out to practice "kihon" and you don't need to take up space in your brain with extra junk.</p>

<p>Most of your time becomes finding out how you can use the techniques and ingraining them deeper each time you practice instead of trying to decipher a bunch of junk that you don't need in the first place.</p>

<p>Seisan all the way baby, or hangetsu for the Piney people. <img alt="wink" src="https://assets.iainabernethy.com/images/c865e0c8-49b2-4be9-9fc4-65f9efb272d2737b3a4c-b1dd-45da-ab91-fac23962cc0a.jpg" title="wink"></p></div></div></div>      

OnlySeisan


        <div class="field field-name-comment-body field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p></p><blockquote class="quote-msg quote-nest-1 odd"><div class="quote-author"><em class="placeholder">OnlySeisan</em> wrote: </div><p></p>

<p>All of this can be avoided by practicing a single kata or maybe just a couple of kata. All the technqiues for an entire system are there. You don't need to take extra time out to practice "kihon" and you don't need to take up space in your brain with extra junk.</p>

<p></p></blockquote><p></p>

<p>I agree that you don't need extra kihon that's not in your kata if that kata is what you practice. It may be beneficial however to have some more things in your arsenal than just what your kata offers. But then you would not train those only as kihon but also their application. It would be like extending your kata by a few steps of additional techniques.</p>

<p>Of course there are some techniques that were introduced to karate through sports kumite or for other reasons, which do not occour in the inherited katas (as far as I know): Mawashi-Geri, Ushiro-Geri, <a href="https://iainabernethy.com/content/inner-block-kata" rel="nofollow">Soto-Uke (from out to in)</a> for example. Whether you'd want to include them in your training simply depends on whether you see any value in them or not.</p>

<p>What i do not agree with is that kihon is something completely separate from kata. To me kihon means to place emphasis in training on the details of specific moves from the kata. So it's not "extra junk" but an important part of kata training. Whether you do that as line work (many repetitions) or as part of a kata sequence does not really matter. If you want many repetitions and still go through the kata sequence, you could just repeat the move "in place" many times before moving on to the next in the sequence. Even partner drills can be considered kihon (=basics) if you pick a single application principle and repeat it until it works perfectly (like applying a rear naked choke or grabbing the hand perfectly for a wrist lock or aiming for and actually hitting a specific target).</p>

<p>Funakoshi writes (18th precept): "Kata is the ideal. A real fight is a special case." Following that precept I think that kihon is the way to get my technique as close as possible to that ideal.</p></div></div></div>      


        <div class="field field-name-comment-body field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>It's interesting that you automatically assumed that I only practice kata in it's intended order. <img alt="wink" src="https://assets.iainabernethy.com/images/c865e0c8-49b2-4be9-9fc4-65f9efb272d2737b3a4c-b1dd-45da-ab91-fac23962cc0a.jpg" title="wink"></p>

<p>Kata, as I practice it, is a complete integrated fighting system. All the movements work together toward common strategic goals. In my case, disrupt, unbalance and throw violently. While it could be beneficial for me to learn some extra techniques from another kata it would be unlikely that they would blend and work together so seamlessly within the kata I practice. Kind of like practicing the A blues scale on guitar and throwing in a part of the E scale and expecting it to sound good.</p>

<p>If you focus on the principles that make your techniques work you can adapt them spontaneously and creatively to create an infinite number of techniques. They just don't have names. <img alt="smiley" src="https://assets.iainabernethy.com/images/c244be35-4190-44e1-8942-896d5067b9ed22d9f2ae-2e0e-4cca-bbd5-e13da8f1caac.jpg" title="smiley"></p></div></div></div>      


        <div class="field field-name-comment-body field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>I am something of a heretic on this subject as I find that basic uke techniques tend to work fine as deflections. However whatever you think they are for is pretty irrelevant in terms of air kihon practice as the sole purpose of doing this is to practice and learn correct movement. </p>

<p> So while combat applicability is important, if you make kihon a smaller part of your training, then I don't think it matters too much what you do so long as you do it correctly and that it tests your coordination and balance. </p>

<p>Applicability is for partner work, which I think should the be the lion's share of training. Note, I'm not against applicable kihon and I agree that going from air work to bag to partner with the same techniques is better, just not essential. </p></div></div></div>      

DaveB


        <div class="field field-name-comment-body field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>To use a parallel:</p>

<p>I practice <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SRA-shooting" rel="nofollow">SRA-shooting</a> i.e. practical shooting for reservists. On a rainy afternoon I may tape a paper with a big black dot to the wall and do a basic drill 20 repetitions is plenty:</p>

<ul>
	<li>Unholster weapon</li>
	<li>Bring&nbsp; weapon sights to target while assuming shooting position</li>
	<li>Holster the weapon</li>
</ul>

<p>Whole time the weapon is unloaded and I do not even put my finger on the trigger. It develops and enhances basic motoric function and forms the basis of everything I do in the shooting range.</p></div></div></div>      


        <div class="field field-name-comment-body field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>I've been through the pinans and taken them apart start to finish recently, there are some methods which come up repeatedly and would seem to be suitable for additional emphasis as kihon.</p>

<p>related receives (rotate &amp; lock): soto/uchi-uke (inside -&gt; out) and morote-uke, shuto-uke, oi-tsuki and gyaku-tsuki</p>

<p>grab and pull (unbalancing &amp; takedown): gedan-barai, oi-tsuki and gyaku-tsuki</p>

<p>strikes (forearm smashes): mawashi-empi, shuto-uke and age-uke</p>

<p>My problem with kihon has always been lack of context. When you practice (for example) oi-tsuki on it's own in many contemporary karate schools it often becomes a lunge punch with fairly limited applicability. When you investigate it in the context of the kata&nbsp; it very often becomes a lunge grab instead with the following pull being the primary use. While the kamae might be basically identical oi-tsuki, the emphasis of the muscles involved with punching are entirely different than the ones involved with grab and pull. So for me solo practice of kihon on it's own is of limited use especially where the intent of the movement isn't explicitly known. The intent of the movement has to be included in practice and preferably with a partner's body mass involved as well. So I'll be practicing kihon but, mostly paired practice <em>with</em> intent.</p></div></div></div>      


        <div class="field field-name-comment-body field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p></p><blockquote class="quote-msg quote-nest-1 odd"><div class="quote-author"><em class="placeholder">css1971</em> wrote: </div><p></p>

<p>My problem with kihon has always been lack of context. When you practice (for example) oi-tsuki on it's own in many contemporary karate schools it often becomes a lunge punch with fairly limited applicability. When you investigate it in the context of the kata&nbsp; it very often becomes a lunge grab instead with the following pull being the primary use. While the kamae might be basically identical oi-tsuki, the emphasis of the muscles involved with punching are entirely different than the ones involved with grab and pull. So for me solo practice of kihon on it's own is of limited use especially where the intent of the movement isn't explicitly known. The intent of the movement has to be included in practice and preferably with a partner's body mass involved as well. So I'll be practicing kihon but, mostly paired practice <em>with</em> intent.</p>

<p></p></blockquote><p></p>

<p>I see your point. This is where combinations of techniques come in. So if you think an oi-zuki is inherently linked to the next technique in the kata, then practice that combination as kihon.</p>

<p>If you would like to add a bit of something to grab, you could have a partner hold up a folded belt in front of you that you can grab with your oi-zuki to practice grabbing.</p>

<p>If you would like to add a bit of something to pull on, you and your partner could hold a resistance band between you while you do your follow-up technique, to practice the pulling.</p>

<p>The word "<a href="http://tangorin.com/general/基本" rel="nofollow">kihon&nbsp;基本</a>" means "foundation; basis". Walking up and down the dojo with single techniques is just one way of refining technique. There's many other ways of building fundamental skills. Be creative!</p></div></div></div>      


        <div class="field field-name-comment-body field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>As a Shotokan guy you know I love me some kihon lol. In all seriousness I think Iain hits the nail on the head we use kihon as exercise not taking into acount how to use them. I have to say we have been looking at this more and more in my club, trying to build kihon drills that do more than just make us sweat. Example we have a kihon drill that sets as a pillar of our 5th kyu-shodan test, it begins simple with a stepping in soto-uke in zenkutsudachi moving to a yoko empi in kibadachi. adding on to the set an ura ken &nbsp;with the same arm that had just empi'ed (is that a word ya think lol) in kiba dachiand finally with a gyaku-tsuki in rotating the feet to zenkutsu dchi. simple and the difficulty lies in making each techniqe uniqe from the other so the exaimer can clearly see all the movments. Well we decided to give it a try as a real combo and it oddly enought works like a charm with a little playing</p></div></div></div>      

KenKarate


        <div class="field field-name-comment-body field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>I also have struggled with this question of how "kihon practice" fits in with practical karate practice. My experience in my style (Matsubayashi) has been that kihon is mainly about proper form, speed, and power (as expressed within and through the formal movements). I think that is important, but only as far as it goes.</p>

<p>In my own solo training, I enhance my kihon training by doing a set purely for form, speed, and power of a given technique, let's say high block. Then, I will do a set in which I modify the movements a bit to practice that same movement as a practical self-defense tactic, say lapel grab defense and strike to the throat (or a basic choke using the forearm). I do the same with my solo kata training: perform the kata for pure form, speed, and power. Then, perform the kata in which I visualize and focus cognitively upon the self-defense applications as I execute the movements in the kata. I will also adjust the timing and rhythm to fit the bunkai sequences (as I see them). I find this style of solo training makes the "kihon" practice much more meaningful and practical.</p>

<p>Now that I run my own small club, I teach the basics and kihon in this way. I will first teach the formal movements as per my style. Then, I will explain one practical application of that movement. Then, I will have them practice is as pad drills and in partner drills. We will do a few sets up and down the floor, and I model the movements and also walk around and make corrections. This practice is always followed by pad work or partner work using that kihon movement. I want to emphasize to students that there is always a practical application for everything we are doing. From day one, I get them in that mindset.</p>

<p>So, I would say that, yes, I practice and teach "kihon" but not in the original way I was taught it. I've modified it to make the practice more practical. If that is no longer "kihon" technically speaking, then so be it. I still call it kihon, though. LOL.</p>

<p>Here is some video of me teaching and drilling some applications for the high-block motion to beginners:</p>

<p><iframe frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rbtw5kczjkY?rel=0" width="640"></iframe></p>

<p>Best,</p>

<p>David</p>
</div></div></div>      

dhogsette


        <div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>This has been bugging me for a long time, basically since I found I couldn't use any of the uke techniques as advertised. Partly from my Shotokan days, but the shito-ryu clubs I trained at also made use of exactly the same kihon techniques, obviously in a more constrained style. Someone, somewhere has at some point come up with a list of techniques pulled from the katas and turned them into "basics". Why these techniques? and did they have any experience of how you use them? I have a feeling they didn't.</p>

<p>In kata they are just movements. Kamae - postures. There's no direct intent associated with them. It's like the difference between the word thrust, and the word punch. Thrust simply describes a motion. Punch gives specific intent. Tsuki obviously means thrust, not punch. We have projected our own intent on to the movements.</p>

<p>The punches and kicks as kihon... ok fine. Punching and kicking are basic and fairly useful. The various ukes as trained in kihon appear to have little or no correlation to their use in kata. i.e. in kata the movement is unrelated to punching of any kind.</p>

<p>Do you practice kihon? A set of fundamental techniques? If so what and why?</p></div></div></div>      

This has been bugging me for a long time, basically since I found I couldn't use any of the uke techniques as advertised....