1. Start from your little finger and bend the fingers in half, one finger at a time. 2. Once the fingers are folded in half, start from the little fingers and roll the fingers, one at a time into a full karate fist, make sure the thumbs are tight and in position, as in the video. 3. If you look at your closed fist with the palm towards you, try to get the fist so you cannot see your finger nails. 4. Keep the wrists straight when seiken is formed. 5. Pull the finger knuckles in towards the palm as much as possible.
There are other types of karate fist, but Seiken or fore-fist, is the first fist we practice in Shotokan karate.
Within our Dojo, this shotokan kicking combination is first practiced at brown belt and is then used at every examination, up to black belt.
Starting from a left side fighting stance.
1. Front kick (mae geri)with the right leg, then a short step forward with the right leg. 2. Side thrust kick (yoko geri kekomi) with the left leg, then a short step forward with the left leg. 3. Round house kick (mawashi geri) with the right leg, then a short step forward with the right leg. 4. Spining back kick (ushiro geri) with the left leg, then stepping forward with the left leg and finishing in a left side fighting stance.
Throughout this kicking combination, try an keep kamae, try not to let your arms wave around as you kick. Keep the kicks flowing, rather than kicking in a robotic fashion.
All these shotokan techniques should be practiced slowly first, then once you are confident in the technique, timing and rhythm of the combination, you can practice at full speed and power.
Shotokan Karate Training Videos Target Exercise Using Oi Zuki Technique
The sooner a karateka understands distance (ma-ai), the better. This is a very simple but effective distance and target exercise.
From kamae step and attack oi zuki in zenkutsudachi. The basic principles apply, keep low, use the driving leg, keep the back straight, shoulders down, keep kamae, but stay relaxed throughout the technique.
As you can see in the video, I change target from the chin to the throat, be very careful with this, but it is a good way to quickly change the target area.
Four kicks on the spot. A really good exercise for balance and strengthening the supporting leg.
Within our Dojo, this shotokan kicking combination is first practiced at brown belt and is then used at every examination, up to black belt.
Starting from a left side fighting stance and kicking with the right leg.
1. Front kick (mae geri). 2. Side thrust kick (yoko geri kekomi). 3. Back kick (ushiro geri) 4. Round house kick (mawashi geri) with the right leg, then a short step forward with the right leg.
Throughout this kicking combination, try an keep kamae, try not to let your arms wave around as you kick. Keep the kicks flowing, rather than kicking in a robotic fashion. Push the hips into the kick, rather than just using the leg.
All these shotokan techniques should be practiced slowly first, then once you are confident in the technique, timing and rhythm of the combination, you can practice at full speed and power.
Here’s a good focus pads exercise, using single strikes and some basic footwork. Video at the bottom of this page.
My Sensei always used to say to me, hit hard, fast and accurately! We practice a striking art, so karateka should be good at striking. I always try and encourage karateka to hit things with intent to do harm. With the focus pads, kick shields, punch bag, etc, the karateka when practicing at speed should try and destroy whatever they hit! Ossu Linden
Striking karateka starts from left fighting stance.
Strike the first pad with a right teisho uchi (palm heel strike), drive from the right leg
Pull the left leg back, then drive in with the right leg and strike with a left teisho uchi (palm heel strike).
Step back with the right leg, then drive in with the left leg and strike with a right heito uchi (ridge hand strike).
Pull the left leg back, then drive in with the right leg and strike with a right shuto uchi (knife hand strike).
Immediately follow the shuto uchi with a left heito uchi (ridge hand strike).
Step back with the right leg, then drive in with the left leg and strike with a left shuto uchi (knife hand strike).
Immediately follow the shuto uchi with a right gyaku zuki (reverse punch).
Pull the left leg back, then drive in with the right leg and strike with a left gyaku zuki (reverse punch).
Step back with the right leg, then drive in with the left leg and strike with a left uraken uchi (back fist strike), immediately followed by a right tettsui uchi (bottom fist strike).
Pull the left leg back, then drive in with the right leg and strike with a right uraken uchi (back fist strike), immediately followed by a right tettsui uchi (bottom fist strike).
Here is a good shotokan karate training combination, comprising of basic strikes from shizentai or yoi dachi (natural stance). In this exercise Marcus is using the basic shotokan karate moves, chokuu zuki (straight punch), teisho uchi (palm heel strike), heito uchi (ridge hand strike), shuto uchi (knife hand strike), tettsui uchi (bottom fist strike) and uraken uchi (back fist strike).
Tips 1. Always try and use your legs and hips when striking. 2. Try and keep relaxed in between the strikes. 3. Have an explosive start at the beginning. 4. Make sure you have a strong hikite (pulling arm). 5. This is a good coordination exercise also, so ensure your hikite is in a good fist when pulled back after the open handed strikes. 6. Breathe naturally 7. Heito uchi (ridge hand strike) can be a large circular motion or a more direct strike with a sharp circular movement just in the final 15% of the strike (as Marcus shows in the video)
Shotokan Karate Techniques Order 1. With the right arm, punch chokuu zuki (straight punch), immediately pull the right arm back to the left side of the chest or neck after the punch, then strike uraken uchi (back fist strike) with the right arm. 2. Repeat on the opposite side and make sure the body stays square for the completion of the punch, then rotate the body and hips for the uraken uchi. 3. Next, strike teisho uchi (palm heel strike), with the right arm, immediately pull the right arm back to the left side of the chest or neck after the punch, then strike tettsui uchi (bottom fist strike) with the right arm. 4. Repeat on the opposite side and make sure the body stays square for the completion of the palm heel strike, then rotate the body and hips for the tettsui uchi. 5. Next, strike nukite (spear hand), with the right arm, immediately pull the right arm back to the left side of the chest or neck after the punch, then strike shuto uchi (knife hand strike) with the right arm. 6. Repeat on the opposite side and make sure the body stays square for the completion of the spear hand strike, then rotate the body and hips for the shuto uchi. 7. Next, strike heito uchi (ridge hand strike), with the right arm. 8. Finally, strike heito uchi (ridge hand strike), with the left arm.
This video is a section, taken from one of our shotokan karate training lesson plans, which are for Sensei to use at their own Dojo.
Here is a kumite exercise working on simultaneous block and counter strikes with a fast strike immediately after the block and a take down on the fourth combination. The attacker punches with a left kizami zuki (jab punch), the defender blocks and strikes simultaneously, soto uke (outsideblock) and gyaku zuki (reverse punch). The blocking hand can be closed or open. As soon as the reverse punch lands, immediately use the blocking arm to Strike uraken uchi (back fist strike) to the side of the neck or jaw. The second combination has the same attack kizami zuki (jab punch), followed by the same defence outside forearm block reverse punch. This time the blocking arm immediately strikes tettsui (bottom fist), the third combination is exactly the same with kizami zuki (jab punch) and a simultaneous block and counter punch. But this time the blocking arm strikes with shuto uchi (knife hand strike).
On the fourth and final combination the attacker attacks gyaku zuki jodan (reverse punch to the head), the Defender blocks uchi uke (inside block) with a left open hand or closed fist and counter at the same time with heito uchi (ridge hand strike) with the right hand.
When Marcus performs these combinations fast, he adds a guillotine choke after the back fist, bottom fist and knife hand strike. Then on the fourth combination he executes a takedown, try and use the left leg strongly along with the left blocking arm, which slams into the top of the opponents chest of throat, at the same time kick the left leg back. This is a really good combination, working on speed striking and simultaneous block counters.
