For this assignment, we were first asked to choose a new karate student that trains fairly regularly, and exhibits the motivation and desire to learn. We were then tasked with identifying a specific technique that the student needed assistance with, and work with that student to implement a specific course of action to help correct and refine that technique.
Background information:
The student I chose was Dale Jones, currently 8th Kyu. Dale is 38 years old and has been training in karate for approximately 8 months. An amateur hockey player since the age of 2, Dale is no stranger to hard training and sweat and he started his karate training in very good physical condition. During the ages of 16-23 he trained in hockey 5-10 times a week during the regular season and for the last 9 years he has consistently trained/played 2-3 times per week.
Dale in 1984
Technique deficiency:
The technique that we decided to address was Dale’s kokutsu dachi. Dale has a tendency to collapse his knees inward while in zenkutsu, kokutsu, and kiba dachi’s, all outward tension stances, and this tendency is most visible during kokutsu dachi, particularly the rear knee. I have been working with Dale prior to this assignment, helping him learn and refine his kata (Heian Nidan) for a recent kyu test and it was during this time that I first noticed his problem with outward tension stances. Being a hockey fan myself and watching hundreds of games but never playing myself, I could only make an educated guess at the reason for his habits. Hockey players have a natural tendency toward inward tension stances, especially when they are about to make or receive a hit on the ice, which happens very frequently during the course of a game.
Dale in 1975 – Notice the position of the knees
Hockey players also generate their speed from angling their knees inward and pushing off using the inside edge of the blade on their skates. It is also important to note that the ankles are taped solid to avoid sprains and breaks and there is no flex in them whatsoever. I talked with Dale about my assumptions and he confirmed that decades of playing hockey have patterned in a natural tendency for inward tension stances and karate training has been his first experience with outward tension stances of any kind. In his own words “on the ice, if my knees are out, I’m dead”. When the time comes for Dale to begin learning advanced inward tension stances like sanchin dachi and hangetsu dachi, I believe that he will adapt to them more easily than most because of his understanding of proper tension, balance and center of gravity.
Course of action:
At this point, we had identified a technique that we wanted to work on, and more importantly, we had identified the reason behind the deficiency. For some people, they may have trouble with a particular technique due to injury or some other physical limitation, but for Dale it was simply muscle memory working against him. I didn’t want him to “unlearn” the feeling of inward tension stances since he’ll continue to use them while playing hockey and he’ll certainly need the skill set as he becomes a more advanced karate-ka. He simply needed specific drills to develop the correct feel for his outward tension stances. We started with static kiba dachi, pressing the knees out, toes straight ahead, tanden tucked, back straight. I gave him a tip that helped me with kiba dachi and described it as trying to press into and grip the floor with the outside edges of the feet which helped the knees press out into the proper position. Dale would then hold this position for 1-2 minutes at a time and practiced this after class in addition to his supplemental kata training, as well as at home. We then moved to having Dale move from kiba dachi to kiba dachi, focusing on keeping the knees out until very little adjustment, if any, was needed in between movements. Most recently, Dale has begun to drill shifting into kokutsu dachi from kiba dachi by rotating one foot outward, perpendicular to the other foot and shifting from 50-50 weight distribution to 70-30 while focusing on not collapsing the knee of the rear leg. As before, Dale is holding this position for 1-2 minutes at a time before shifting to the other side.
In the last month or so, Dale’s kokutsu dachi has definitely improved and he has a much deeper understanding of outward tension stances.
Dale Jones – Kokutsu Dachi
A quick note regarding general instruction for kokutsu dachi:
The drills and exercises that Dale has been training were tailored for his specific situation and are in addition to his regular instruction. Most beginning students start karate with no tendency towards either inward or outward stances as they are both completely new concepts to them. Instead, the focus should be on developing muscle tone and flexibility in muscle groups that are seldom used by non karate-ka. Besides drilling kokutsu dachi and kiba dachi, abductor exercises such as training the lift for a roundhouse kick, band training, and ballet (plie) squats, are all extremely useful in helping to develop the muscle tone and strength necessary to perform outward tension stances correctly. For Shotokan practitioners, this process provides a good strong foundation from which the karate-ka can more begin to learn and incorporate more advanced techniques, including inward tension stances that would otherwise be almost impossible to perform correctly without the natural progression that consistent training of kihon provides.
Continued training:
We have just started to work on Dale’s movement from kokutsu dachi to kokutsu dachi, moving both forward and backward. Ankle flexibility is definitely an issue as Dale has a tendency to “roll” his rear foot as he’s moving as if he were wearing his hockey skates and so he has been drilling the transition slowly, to help build the proper muscle memory and strength and we plan on increasing the speed as fewer and fewer adjustments are made.
I have no doubt that Dale will continue to improve at a rapid pace. He loves to train and is eager to improve and learn new techniques. He remains enthusiastic about karate and his willingness to train after class and at home, coupled with an excellent attitude toward the critique of his training will make him an excellent karate-ka and a great example to his peers.
Luis Santana
Triangle’s Best Karate
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