jobo
Grandmaster
well it was squating and punching, kneeling is more complex again, fine if you find yourself in a kneeling position, but it would be very silly to go from standing to kneeling deliberately, he may have friends, sort of thing.Kneeling down and punch and standing up is faster for me than to do a kick on the ground.
Kicking someone in the ribs is a different motion than the kicks I'm taught on standing opponents. It involves bringing the leg back to generate the power. If I were to kick someone in the ribs like I kick someone in a standing position there would be no momentum at all going into the kick. Then they could grab my leg and trip me over.
The same applies to a kick down into the face. We do use some of those, but we much more often teach the kneeling punch, because it can be very easy for someone to trip you from the prone position. The kneeling stance is a much more stable platform to strike down from.
A downward kick also lacks the ability to generate power from the ground. Of course, the same argument could be made for a downward punch, but it's easier to put your shoulder into a downward punch than your hip into a downward kick.
Many of our techniques on a downed attacker also occur after a take-down. In many of those we end up knelt down and still have hold of them. A kick wouldn't work from that position. If we're standing, we're usually holding onto the wrist, and would prefer to break the wrist or elbow than kick to the ribs.
Basically, my "weak argument" is that I prefer a more stable platform where I still have hold of them and am less likely to be tripped.
yes that kick isn't used in ma, the argument is it should be,
we have an on going debate about my kicking techneque, which is more football, ( soccer) than karate, it has its limitations barefooted, but works a treat with a pair of doc martins on. Which is far more likely on a trip to the pub