Hip Movements

[SirKicksAlot]

Ok, this is going to be hard to describe so bear with me. I learned from Soo Bahk Do that when I am stepping forward into a technique like low block or high block, I first turn my hips in that direction to generate power and end the movement with shoulders basically square. Studying with a Shotokan friend, he was saying how the hip gets first turned into the technique but then snaps back to create a whip to the low or high block and it ends with the blocking arm's shoulder more forward with the other shoulder back. So are these just 2 very different movements or did the early Korean martial artists not fully understand this hip whip movement?

 

[Badhabits]

This is another one you're going to find a bunch of different ways of being done. I'm not a fan of pre loading the hip like you described. Unless the hip "pre loads" naturally - like it's already there because of a preceding movement. Not loaded just to do it. That fraction of a second pre loading can get you hit. What you'll find is that basic forward or back hip rotation is sort of a foundation, there are more advanced ways of moving the hips that build on this. There's a place and time for both. Some styles do both, you just start out learning one or the other first.

 

[Prince_Alarming]

I was told at a karate seminar about this, where you move the hips first to create torque. The technique we used was a slap. It has its uses- if you have plenty of time and your opponent gives you an opportunity, simply beach slapping your opponent can be a fight ender, as the Turks proved in the first world war.

 

[Badhabits]

I was told at a karate seminar about this, where you move the hips first to create torque. The technique we used was a slap. It has its uses- if you have plenty of time and your opponent gives you an opportunity, simply beach slapping your opponent can be a fight ender, as the Turks proved in the first world war.

Man I got knocked silly by a power slap once. Definitely a useful technique!

 

[Gyakuto]

I wonder if you’re talking about the three ways of accelerating a punch/block? You can twist you hips into a block (like an outer block), you can twist your hips in the opposite direction to the block (Newton’s third law: every action has an opposite and equal reaction) or you can wave/crumple the body forwards (hammer fist) like a volleyball player spiking a ball.

 

[Badhabits]

Betting hes just talking about the basic hips/body turning in the same vs opposite direction as the block. It's more about strategy than actually powering the block. I've been taught and train both, it's pretty common. Example with high block would be rotating the body same direction as the block, and in the same movement throwing a punch. It's all one flowing movement with everything going in the same direction. The block and following punch are both powered by the same rotation of the body. Vs- Hips turn in opposite direction as the block, then reverse direction to power the punch after the block. So the block and punch are each powered by separate turns of the body. They're both good, just good for different things. I'll turn my hips away from the block as more of an evasive movement, whereas turning hips with the block allows you to aggressively turn your opponent, press into them etc. .
But when you add other footwork and body shifting to all that it gets more complex. My experience with shotokan was they teach turning the hips away at first, later on you learn to turn the hips with the block. IMO turning the hips away is probably easier for beginners since you're in effect moving away from the attack rather than into it.

 

[isshinryuronin]

Drawing the hips back I think is similar to chambering a punch. Beginners start everything with big motions to learn the biomechanics and then over time use less and less chambering, eventually being able to produce good power with minimum motion. Being rather advanced I'm able to do this but still practice chambering the hips occasionally in some kata to reinforce the biomechanical lessons.

 

[drop bear]

Ok, this is going to be hard to describe so bear with me. I learned from Soo Bahk Do that when I am stepping forward into a technique like low block or high block, I first turn my hips in that direction to generate power and end the movement with shoulders basically square. Studying with a Shotokan friend, he was saying how the hip gets first turned into the technique but then snaps back to create a whip to the low or high block and it ends with the blocking arm's shoulder more forward with the other shoulder back. So are these just 2 very different movements or did the early Korean martial artists not fully understand this hip whip movement?

Ok. No idea what that is.

But with blocking. Ultimately you are creating a frame. So your arm hip alignment should end up where you are mechanically strangest.

Which you could probably test by laying on the ground and supporting your weight with that lower block.

 

[Buka]

We used to practice two slaps in particular.
What we called a Dope slap and what we called a Japanese slap. Both worked very well.

The advantage over a punch was purely for selfish purposes. You usually got to see that certain expression on their face before their motor skills went south. Or the lack of facial expression when they puppet bounced.

We loved slaps and trained them as much as everything else.

 

[Badhabits]

I wonder if you’re talking about the three ways of accelerating a punch/block? You can twist you hips into a block (like an outer block), you can twist your hips in the opposite direction to the block (Newton’s third law: every action has an opposite and equal reaction) or you can wave/crumple the body forwards (hammer fist) like a volleyball player spiking a ball.

Your third option listed- I was taught this initially as a breathing exercise. Strikes were added later on to my surprise. I think initially learning just the body part of it as its own thing was a good way of teaching it. But until strikes were added it seemed like just another weird breathing exercise.

 

[_Simon_]

Yeah already been said by others really, so my previous style we reverse-rotated blocks (except our "soto/uchi" uke out-to-in block, that went with the body), I guess the main idea being to angle your body more to present less surface area for whatever is coming at you, and also to pull back the hip to launch a counter attack.

My current style we rotate our body/hips  with the block, and the benefits are to block and strike at the same time, the hips augmenting both motions.

Both have their benefits

 

[Haruhiko]

Ok, this is going to be hard to describe so bear with me. I learned from Soo Bahk Do that when I am stepping forward into a technique like low block or high block, I first turn my hips in that direction to generate power and end the movement with shoulders basically square. Studying with a Shotokan friend, he was saying how the hip gets first turned into the technique but then snaps back to create a whip to the low or high block and it ends with the blocking arm's shoulder more forward with the other shoulder back. So are these just 2 very different movements or did the early Korean martial artists not fully understand this hip whip movement?

Two different and valid, appropriate of their respective arts.

 

[Gyakuto]

Yeah already been said by others really, so my previous style we reverse-rotated blocks (except our "soto/uchi" uke out-to-in block, that went with the body), I guess the main idea being to angle your body more to present less surface area for whatever is coming at you, and also to pull back the hip to launch a counter attack.

My current style we rotate our body/hips  with the block, and the benefits are to block and strike at the same time, the hips augmenting both motions.

Both have their benefits

Wado Ryu utilises all three methods and practitioners are encouraged to use them! A back fist’s power can be augmented by rotating in the direction of travel of the fist (a spinning back fist, for example) or in the opposite direction often with a simultaneous block against a kick. Similarly with a knife hand block.