Training video critique

Firstly, thank you and good on you for posting vids of yourself training. Not being well-versed in competition stuff, I'll leave all comments on that well alone.

One thing I noticed (mostly in the second video and in the kata vid) is that your core seems to become disengaged between techniques, so that you have to momentarily re-engage before delivering the technique, making it slightly slower overall.

With the kata video, the pinan shodan I know is from a different shorin (Higa Yuchoku) lineage so there will be stylistic variation. What I did note there was a disconnect between the legs, hips and the hands, and that the upper hand tended to not be in a position to be useful in the very first section of the kata (as I understand it, it acts as a guarding/deflecting hand while the lead hand executes a simultaneous attack) - although your bunkai for that may be dictating its position. Also, are your jodan-ukes meant to be scooping, or should they be more direct/forward?

Good luck with the tournament!

 

I was going to say what I think others already have--that is, don't bounce so much. Stay as grounded as you can, this doesn't mean a deep stance, just not bouncing. Constant forward and grounded pressure wins the race.

Bouncing causes a host of issues, to name a few, it can give away your fighting rhythm/movement in advance (and even put you into too rhythmic a pattern), it creates openings for your attacker, and it lessens your own ability to deliver power.

I would also stay away from the spin kicks, they take more time and expose your back and give up your root.

Good luck!

 

For your roundhouse kicks, try to point the foot on the ground directly behind you. Kinda making a right angle with your right foot (given you're kicking with the right foot). Though, you might want to loosen up your hips by stretching. This will drive your hip into the mix and also when aiming, think of a roundhouse like a slap. You point your elbow and when you extend your arm to backhand, your hand will only go as far as where that elbow is pointed, same thing with your leg, you point you knee at your target, and that's where it will connect. I personally like to point my knee past my target so that I can picture myself driving my kick through them.

For punching, have you ever seen when boxers throw a straight punch and they pivot their back foot? That can help drive your hips and shoulders into your punch and deliver a bit more power. It will cause you to make your stance a little deeper, opening you up to head kicks much easier. Bouncing is alright in a sport karate, point fighting match, where speed and NOT power is important. In this style of tournament, you won't want to bounce because you expend way to much energy and also because, you need power.

 

As it has been said, in Kyokushin we don't bounce constantly, we are much more grounded.

Practice your poker face, so your opponents don't realise you are tired, that their hits are getting through, etc.

Train techniques and spar with a friend, and tell him to lightly slap you in the face when you drop your guard, it will remind you to keep the guard up.

Use combos.

 

Oh and if you are really "training" for this comp I'd get a round timer and do bag-work for the same rounds as you will have to fight (maybe add a minute just to be sure).
Rather than just blatting it for 40 seconds or until you get tired.
Set yourself 2 minutes, start feeling things out, build up the power, finish the last 30 strong and the last 10 at full pelt. Like you would aim to do for realz.

 

A couple of these things Re stylistic differences. The jodan uke for example is not scooping in this kata for shorin ryu shidokan. And in the beginning, the upper arm isn't there to block, but for follow up techniques.

 

I've done this a bit actually il see if I can get a video of me on my hanging bag taking into account some of these tips. That way I will be able to deliver full force punches and kicks to it.

 

You should visit a local boxing/mt club too and feel what it's like to spar with more contact, will help acclimating you to the tournament.

Ps not sure why the post came with a cheeky blue winky smiley.

 

First off, props for posting up Grass hopper. We all have things we need to work on and video is probably one of the most honest ways we can assess ourselves, and combined with outside critique it is a great idea for anyone wanting to look at their strengths and weaknesses.

Since you are interested in knockdown fighting, I'll try to help with what I can in regards to that aspect. I apologize if some of this is repetitive, I started this and then stopped halfway through so a lot of people have posted since these videos.

Training Video 1 -
I'd like to see you slow down some and work some good combinations and footwork rather than just blitz the bag. You look over at the camera once too so I think you were more concerned about putting on a show (hey, we're all guilty of that from time to time). Work on the retraction of your punch - when the other hand punches the non-punching hand should be back to guard the face. If you punch and leave it on target while punching with the other hand, you leave yourself wide open for head kicks. I'd like to see a lot more power out of the roundhouse kicks too, but I think you'll find it a pain to keep setting up the bag so you might want a hanging bag for those. Keeping your hands up is also important. Your footwork isn't too bad and you move fairly well so that's a plus. The only thing you need to be cautious about is too much bouncing and your opponent can learn your rhythm and slam you when you're up in the air and off-balanced, scoring an easy knockdown.

Training Video 2 -
It's important to keep at least one hand up to protect your face too when kicking. You need to rotate on that supporting foot too. Watch Kenji Midori to see what I mean. Again, slow down and check your form as you go. There are days when I'll do 100 round kicks per leg on the heavy bag and do as Simon says after each one, just to try to work on technique.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uj2cQhxy6sY"]Kyokushin karate speed kick tutorial - YouTube[/ame]

Training Video 3 -
Your roundhouse kicks seem almost as if they're coming up at an angle. If you're working middle kicks you want them relatively parallel to the floor - if they're low kicks, a slight to moderate downward angle depending on your preference. Pivoting on your foot will help here too - you need impact with your roundhouse kicks and it seems like you're kicking at the end of your power, rather than right at the sweet spot. El Guapo shows this well too.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mq_LoRoi1i0"]Bas Rutten Kicking Techniques www ckotrainer. com - YouTube[/ame]

To go off of what ap Oweyn said, some great advice given to me a long time ago that I still like is to think of your knee as the sights on a rifle. Whatever you aim that knee at is where your kick will land at full extension. To ruin someone's outer thigh, aim your knee towards their inner thigh or so. To hit their liver and make them have a not so fun day anymore, get your knee past their centerline or more. To ring their bell and drop them with a head kick, get the knee to at least their other ear or so. All my opinion naturally, but it's helped me.

Regarding the rear hand going back - it all depends on your preferences. I like to swing back the arm on the same side of the kick as to me it adds a significant amount of power. When I step with my lead foot to the outside to set up for the kick, I do a movement similar to an upper block with my right arm to guard my head temporarily, then when releasing the kick I try to time the swing of the arm with the kick together. Again, just personal preference though.

And... just to piggyback off of what Mitch wrote, here's some good info by Gary too on the importance of having strong techniques:

http://www.kyokushin4life.com/forums/showpost.php?p=77488&postcount=1

In a nutshell, if your strikes don't hurt your opponent, you will actually weaken yourself mentally/spiritually while strengthening them in kind. If your strikes are hurting your opponent, it weakens them and strengthens you. Knockdown fighting is all about spirit - take their spirit and they will doubt themselves and then they will fall.

 

Thanks kuma, this is all excellent advice! Il post more videos when I get the chance while keeping these things in mind.

 

Cool , it's always hard to comment on someone's kata from a different style/school. The reason I asked about the jodan ukes was that it looked to me like they were scooping (especially the second one), but it must have been the angle of the video.

 

can't watch the vids yet, but here's a tip for roundhouse kicks: work on your roundhouse knee. the kicj is just a knee strike where you slam your leg or foot into the target at the end

 

Just a stylistic question. As you can see in my video during the part where you kick, punch, step and such back. Do you twist with the blocks? I saw a video of shorin ryu once that didn't and I'm curious if that is a shidokan thing.

 

We do twist. While I'm goju, my instructor's instructor also trained with Yuchoku Higa for several decades, so we have a number of shorin kata and principles we train as well. And Higa's style of shorin is typified by its use of the hips.

I don't currently have access/space to tape myself, but you can see a slow-speed example of the kata as we do it here: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XShLyeVCWO4"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XShLyeVCWO4[/ame]

And it's very, very different in feeling and execution to the shotokan version I first learned 20 years ago - when I watch your video, the version you do looks like a combination of the version I first did and the version I know now.

 

That is very different. What jumps out most is the shuto blocks, in shidokan we bring them down instead of horizontally. Interesting though, I always enjoy the nuances of different kata. And Pinan shodan is a personal favorite!

 

Although you look better than me I do have some pointers, stop hopping so much and keep torqueing your hips during punching, cause you should know since you do a hard style, some of the guys at that tournament your goingto compete at are tough tough tough, your gonna have to put your ass in it son, hitem hard.

 

Try the butterfly stretch, sit on the ground touch the soles of your feet together and lean forward while pulling your knees to the ground. Also you have some mad skills son lols, seriously your well on your way to a Black Belt. The crecent your throwing is a strong looking kick to the head for you, but your round house needs work, give yourself plenty of therapy time on that kick and it will develope. I do notice you have a nice little angular cut on that midsection round house and plenty of power as well, that will hurt someone, if I were you that would be in my fight plan, you throw that kick and youll geet some respect for it. Again quit hopping unless your doing it as a switch stance move or to move in or out of range fast. Sit down on those punches, and why notthrow some Hooks?

 

I'm a huge fan of hooks (a fellow trainee of mine thinks I gave him a mild concussion with a lead hook to the head during our black belt exam) but only really to the head. And right now I'm focusing my training on a knockdown tournament that's coming up that doesn't allow punches to the head. And thanks for the compliments!

 

Your welcome, and dont be unwilling to work the close range body hook, you look more than strong enough to make that a one of your tools, try it at close range and dont twist your hand palm down when it lands keep it palm faceing you. But Im influenced by boxing, because the next thing I would tell ya is upper cut and hooking uppercut, but you cant land head shots in the contest your prepping for. Id like to see the elbow in your bag work to, your reverse punch to the body looks well practiced although a little strung out. Lets see a more stable base(less bounceing) a combination of attack angles and ranges with the hands and feet (more close range,more hooks, more elbows more knees) and lets bring those punches back faster, Im looking at your vid again and Im worried your getting stuckout there with both hands straight out in front of you, which is an awkward position to block or defend from.