10-27-07 Student Evaluation

Instructor Certification Course
Oct. 27, 2007
Student Evaluation

Wendy Mach


The assignment for this month is to pick a student and observe him while training in order to choose a technique that could be improved. Write an evaluation of the student’s technique as performed during class. Then for the next three weeks work with the student to improve the technique. Perform a final evaluation of the student’s technique, and describe what you did as an instructor to achieve the improvement.


Student: Nathan Kimball

Technique: Counter attack after blocking

Initial Evaluation: I observed on Oct. 26th that when participating in Ippon Kumite, Nathan would usually counter each attack with a striking technique. This technique would not be considered to be a finishing technique (A technique that has man stopping power).

I intend to work with Nathan instructing him to perform counter attacks such as punches that would be more of a finishing technique. Also I intend to assist him with adding more hip rotation to techniques thus adding more total body mass commitment to each technique.




I started working with Nathan on Nov. 5th explaining the objectives for improving his counter techniques. I had him perform various drills and explained the purpose for each one. The drills have been written down and given to Nathan to perform each day as time permits.

Evaluation after first training: Nathan clearly understands the objectives for this assignment, and the reasoning behind these objectives. He is a dedicated student very willing to fully participate in order to improve his karate performance. I noticed that while performing the drills, the range of motion of his front-facing hip rotation is fairly limited. We will continue to revise drills in order to improve flexibility and range-of-motion in this area.


I worked with Nathan on Nov. 9th reviewing the first week’s drills and demonstrating the explaining the second week’s drills. Nathan has been practicing as often as his schedule permits, and was eager for new drills to practice.


I worked with Nathan on Nov. 16th observing him perform various techniques that incorporated hip rotation. In just these last two weeks he has shown good improvement; though, maximum hip rotation is not incorporated consistently into every technique yet. This will improve with time and practice. In Nathan’s left zenkutsu-dachi, his right hip is a bit stiffer than his other side and does not flow as smoothly. This will also improve with practice. I demonstrated new drills for week three and had Nathan perform them so that he understood how to perform each one properly and understood the training objective for each drill. I still have to write them down, and will give them to Nathan at the next class. Nathan continues to be enthusiastic and actually asked me for the new drills before I had a chance to mention them to him. If only all students could be this motivated to improve!


I worked with Nathan on Nov. 26th for a final evaluation. I had him perform Ippon Kumite with a partner and was impressed with the amount of improvement in his counter attacks. When stepping back into left zenkutsu-dachi, the hip rotation was good. Nathan had more hip rotation in hanmi on this side than I have ever seen from him before. There was good range-of-motion moving from hanmi to front facing; though, the hip was not consistently active in every technique. Sometimes the hip movement was still passive, but it has improved since the last evaluation. Nathan’s hip movement was still a little stiff on this side. It could flow more smoothly from one technique to the next. His stances were solid, and the expansion of the rear leg during gyaku-zuki was good.

I noticed that when Nathan attacked with his left oi-zuki, he was still leading with his upper body a little bit, though not as much as previously. This was not part of this assignment, but I still mentioned it to Nathan. When stepping back into right zenkutsu-dachi, the hip rotation during blocking and countering was consistent, but there was less range-of-motion than with the other side. This had also improved since the last evaluation. Nathan’s hip movement was also smoother on this side moving from one technique to the next. Again his stances were solid, and he was driving forward from his rear leg during gyaku-zuki.

Overall there was noticeable improvement in blocking and countering techniques. Stances were solid with an active hip facilitating the delivery of techniques and adding more body mass into the target. Nathan’s counter attacks were no longer being performed by his upper body only. Now the entire trunk was actively involved in most techniques.

Instructor Certification Course
Oct. 27, 2007
Student Evaluation – Drills Week 1

Wendy Mach


Following is a set of drills to be performed daily. The objectives of these drills are to develop techniques that will flow from the floor up through the body, out through the appropriate weapon, and into the target. These drills will also improve the flexibility of the hips and develop dynamic hip rotation when performing techniques. Always warm up the hips, legs, and ankles before performing these drills.

Drill 1 – From a fighting stance, compress the rear leg and push forward from the back heel (straighten the rear leg) propelling the body forward. Immediately step up into fighting stance. This should be a step and not a slide or drag. Make sure that you are pushing forward and not lifting the body. The hips should remain level with the floor throughout the drill. Perform the drill at least 20 times on each side. Objective – Move the body forward from the legs and not the upper body.

Drill 2 – Perform Drill 1 adding hip rotation. Compress the rear leg and turn the hips into full hanmi position. As you push forward from the rear leg, snap the hips forward into full front-facing position. Make sure that the hips stay level with the floor throughout the drill. Perform the drill at least 20 times on each side. Objective – Make karate techniques bottom heavy. Use leg compression and hip rotation to move the body and initiate techniques. Practice compression and expansion of the lower body.

Drill 3 – A stationary drill performed in zenkutsu-dachi. Perform age-uke with full hanmi, snapping the hip into position. Perform gyaku-zuki snapping the hip into full front-facing position. Perform the drill at least 20 times on each side. Objective – Full rotation of the hips dynamically snapping them into position during each technique. The hips should initiate the upper body technique and not follow it.

Drill 4 – From natural stance, drop your weight, step back with the right foot while keeping the hips in front-facing position, then as the right heel is being placed onto the floor, snap the hips into full hanmi position. Return to natural stance. Begin this drill slowly until the sequencing becomes familiar, then begin to speed up. Slowly increase speed until the drill can be performed as one continuous movement. Perform the drill at least 20 times at full speed on each side. Objective – Practice stepping backward and dynamically rotating the hips as the rear foot finishes the stance.

Drill 5 – Perform Drill 4 keeping the arms in front of the body in an on-guard position. As the hips snap into hanmi, the opposite arm should automatically perform ude-uke. If the arm does not fully block to the opposite side of the body, the hips need to be rotated farther to the rear. Perform the drill at least 20 times on each side. Objective – Notice how the upper body reacts to the movements of the lower body. Use this information to coordinate relaxed upper body movement with lower body movement.

Drill 6 – Perform Drill 5 adding forward hip rotation and arm techniques. Once it has become natural to step back and snap the hips into hanmi position, add ude-uke to complete the technique. Make sure to bring the opposite fist back to a fully cocked hiki-te position. Next perform gyaku-zuki by pushing the rear heel into the floor, straightening the rear leg, and snapping the hips into full front-facing position. Return to natural stance. When performing gyaku-zuki the feeling should be that the lower body is performing the technique and not just the arm. The power of the punch comes from the rear leg pushing into the floor up through the leg and torso, out of the shoulder, arm, and fist and into the target. Perform the drill at least 20 times on each side. Objective – Develop dynamic hip rotation in each technique. Develop techniques that are initiated by the lower body. Incorporate maximum body mass into each technique.

Instructor Certification Course
Oct. 27, 2007
Student Evaluation – Drills Week 2

Wendy Mach


Following is a set of drills to be performed daily. The objectives of these drills are to develop techniques that will flow from the floor up through the body, out through the appropriate weapon, and into the target. These drills will also improve the flexibility of the hips and develop dynamic hip rotation when performing techniques. Always warm up the hips, legs, and ankles before performing these drills.

Drill 1 – This drill adds gyaku-zuki to drills 1 & 2 from week 1. From a fighting stance, compress the rear leg and turn the hips into full hanmi position. As you push forward from the rear leg, perform gyaku-zuki snapping the hips forward into full front-facing position. Make sure to keep the same feeling of the legs propelling the body forward and not the upper body. Make sure that the hips remain level with the floor throughout the drill. Perform the drill at least 20 times on each side. Objective – Practice compression and expansion of the body while performing karate techniques. Coordinate the upper and lower body movements, so that everything stops at the imaginary moment of impact with the target.

Drill 2 - A stationary drill performed in zenkutsu-dachi. Perform age-uke with full hanmi, snapping the hip into position. Place your hand on your rear hip and physically push the hip farther back for 3 counts. Release your hand and perform gyaku-zuki snapping the hip into full front-facing position. Place your hand on the same hip and physically push the hip forward for 3 counts. Release your hand and repeat the drill. Perform the drill 10 times on each side. Objective – Improve flexibility and add range of motion of the hip region.

Drill 3 – Perform drill 3 from week 1. Then perform the drill using ude-uke and gyaku-zuki, then gedan-barai and gyaku-zuki. Objective – Burn in fully rotating the hips while performing karate techniques.

Drill 4 – Perform drill 6 from week 1. Then perform the drill using age-uke and gyaku-zuki, then gedan-barai and gyaku-zuki. Objective – Burn in fully rotating the hips while moving and performing karate techniques.

Drill 5 – From natural stance, drop your weight, step back with the right foot (keeping the leg slightly compressed) while keeping the hips in front-facing position, then as the right heel is being placed on the floor, snap the hips into full hanmi position, and instantaneously push off with the heel propelling the body forward. Take a full step forward. The heel of the foot should barely touch the floor, and immediately push off again. Return to natural stance. Perform the drill at least 20 times at full speed on each side. Objective – Practice using the compression from one technique to immediately initiate the next technique.

Instructor Certification Course
Oct. 27, 2007
Student Evaluation – Drills Week 3


Wendy Mach

Following is a set of drills to be performed daily. The objectives of these drills are to develop techniques that will flow from the floor up through the body, out through the appropriate weapon, and into the target. These drills will also improve the flexibility of the hips and develop dynamic hip rotation when performing techniques. Always warm up the hips, legs, and ankles before performing these drills.

Drill 1 – Perform drill 3 from week 2. Objective – Burn maximum hip rotation during techniques into muscle memory.

Drill 2 – Practice Ippon Kumite with a partner as often as possible. Perform jodan-zuki and chudan-zuki. Objective – Practice the timing of your techniques with an opponent’s movement. Practice keeping the appropriate distance from an opponent.


Additional drills if time permits:

Drill 1 – Perform drill 5 from week 2. Objective – Practice using the end of one technique to initiate the next technique, so that they flow together. Burn in the instantaneous reaction.

Drill 2 – Perform drill 1 adding mae-geri. Continue the hip action from stepping forward to lift the knee and fire off mae-geri. Objective – develop dynamic, active hip action and reaction to make techniques flow together.

Drill 3 – Perform drill 1 adding mawashi-geri. Continue the hip action from the stepping forward to lift the leg to the side and twist the body around before firing off the kick. Objective – Develop dynamic, active hip action and reaction to make techniques flow together.

Drill 4 – Put it all together! Step back age-uke, step forward mawashi-geri, uraken, gyaku-zuki. Perform each technique with dynamic hip rotation letting one technique flow into the next. Objective – Demonstrate the identifying traits of Shotokan karate.

Instructor Certification Course
Oct. 27, 2007
Student Evaluation – Final Report


Wendy Mach

The initial goal of this assignment was to assist a student in improving a technique, but I wanted to go further than just improving one technique. I wanted to dig deeper and modify a specific component of a technique that was general to all techniques and would ultimately improve the student’s overall karate performance. Since I had chosen a more advanced student (above Nidan) who was motivated to work toward improving his karate proficiency, my individual goals were realistic. If I was working with a lower level beginning student, the drills and goals that I devised would not have been appropriate, and would have been more frustrating and less beneficial to the student.

Once the specific student was chosen, the first thing that I had to do was evaluate where the student was in his personal karate development. Then I could begin to develop drills specifically for this student to develop the appropriate muscles groups, the coordination between muscle groups, the appropriate mental focus, the appropriate timing when working with a partner, etc., so that the student had specific drills and activities that would lead him toward reaching his ultimate goal. These drills and activities had to have measurable or visible results so that an examiner who had observed that student before this assignment started, could then observe the student again after the assignment had finished and would notice a difference. The examiner should be able to identify the specific goals attained.

The disadvantage of working with a student who has been training for years, is that each of his techniques has already been burned into his muscle memory. He doesn’t have to think about how to perform gyaku-zuki, his body just does it. So since I was working with Nathan Kimball who had been training for a while, we needed to concentrate a little more on retraining his body to perform counter attacks, and specifically gyaku-zuki, so that it became a decisive, finishing technique that incorporated his entire body, mind, and spirit.

To ask a student to make this degree of change in a technique in only three weeks would be unrealistic. Ideally I would like to have had at least three months for this assignment. This would have been a more realistic time period to be able to develop the appropriate muscle groups, to coordinate the various areas of the body that perform the technique, and especially to burn the technique into muscle memory. Many of us can mentally understand the basic concepts underling Shotokan karate, but being able to make your individual body “perform” the way that you mentally visualize a technique can be very difficult. And that is why we spend years training day after day trying to make our bodies do what our mind tells them to do.


When I first talked with Nathan I had him perform Ippon Kumite repeatedly with another student. Then I explained that I wanted to work with him to develop more dynamic hip rotation, and more explosive rear leg expansion in his gyaku-zuki counter-attack. Dynamic snap in all core movements is one of the identifying traits of Shotokan karate, and for gyaku-zuki this would involve hip rotation. Mentally understanding this principle is easy, physically developing the muscle control and flexibility to perform maximum hip rotation while performing gyaku-zuki can take years. Full contraction and expansion of the muscles of the body is another identifying trait of Shotokan karate. For gyaku-zuki this includes contracting the muscles of the rear leg, and explosively expanding these muscles while performing the technique. For a technique to have maximum power, it must be performed from the ground up.

By making these changes to his technique, Nathan would be adding more “shock” into his technique from the rear foot pushing into the floor, and adding more total body mass into his technique by actively rotating his trunk into the target. Once these goals are achieved, Nathan will have a counter attack that has the explosive power of his entire body mass. This will be a decisive, finishing technique. It is this explosive power that makes Shotokan karate so special and different from other martial arts.

I developed a three week training program for Nathan that consisted of a number of drills to be performed daily (or as time permitted) for a week, then a new set of drills would be performed the next week. For each drill I physically demonstrated the drill to Nathan so that he could visually see the goal that I was aiming for. Then I explained the objective of the drill so that he mentally knew exactly what he was trying to make his body do. I then had Nathan perform the drill numerous times so that I could see that he understood the drill, and made comments and suggestions for improvements. Then it was up to Nathan to “work the drill”.

The drills were designed to isolate and train specific areas of the body to develop the muscles to perform a specific function or skill. Then succeeding drills would add other areas of the body that would perform other functions simultaneously, so that Nathan could work on coordinating these separate areas together. This provided Nathan with a step ladder to climb in order to reach his goal. Each step was clearly defined and easily obtainable with a little diligent practice.

During the three week training period, I observed his Ippon Kumite performance various times and evaluated the visual degree of improvement in his technique. I talked to Nathan about what I noticed that he was doing better, and what still needed to be improved or made more consistent. Then I would design the next week’s drills to address the areas that needed more work.

By the end of the three weeks of diligent practice, Nathan has made considerable improvement in his gyaku-zuki counter attack. Were the performance goals of this assignment fully met? No, not completely. Given only a few weeks to work with, Nathan has improved, but these improvements are not consistent yet. Not every technique has maximum hip rotation, and the degree of rotation into front facing zenkutsu-dachi could still be developed more. The most important achievement is that Nathan has made a positive start toward improving all of his karate techniques. Many of his techniques are still performed by muscle memory, so Nathan will have to retrain each one to include more dynamic hip movement and more explosive rear leg expansion where appropriate. This is simply a matter of time, practice, and mental attention to detail. I have no doubt that Nathan will be able to improve all of his karate techniques in the near future.

Instructor Certification Course
Dec. 7, 2007Student Evaluation Summary for Sensei Wendy Mach
Nathan Kimball

Sensei requested an evaluation of the last few weeks during which I was given numerous drills to improve my movement and dynamics through my hips and legs. One month was given to come up with a specific movement I needed to improve on, within the month multiple drill were given to me to complete along with personal instruction from Sensei Mach. I found these all the drills very helpful but overwhelming to realistically practice in the time I could commit, I concentrated more on the initial drills from week one. With this I incorporated additional drills as I could, working with Sensei Mach on a weekly basis. Sensei Mach is knowledgeable and is very dedicated to karate and our Dojo; this evaluation put in focus what will make me a better practitioner and instructor. The goals for this assignment were clear; I need to move through my core then with my upper body. I feel I have improved within the last few weeks and my understanding of compression and contraction with moving through the trunk has greatly increased. Leaning forward into my movement will be difficult to break but working through this assignment and adding it to my personal training will help me overcome my obstacles.

I think this was a good assignment but more training time together would get more accomplished, the drills really need to be burned into my body and doing these over and over will cause this to happen. Thank you very much for all your help and I look forward to a bright future.