I am physically unable to relax my upper body during kata. Should I give up Karate altogether?

[Wing Woo Gar]

What you are doing then is taking a martial drill and turning it into a strength training drill, which is not the same thing even though strength is typically an asset in martial training.

As a martial drill, there is more to three-star blocking than just swinging the arms. There is the engagement of the lower body, using the legs and feet to drive the torso into a rotation, which is what gives power to the swinging arms. But the arms and shoulders themselves should be quite relaxed. Not floppy like Gumby, but relaxed while strong. Using the exercise specifically to build arm and shoulder strength separates the movement from the work that should be done by the legs and torso. It undermines the very purpose of the exercise. On some level it can still be effective, but is unlikely to ever reach its true potential, and you will always be simply working harder to get there and you will miss the process of understanding the efficiency that the underlying method is meant to build, which should be foundational to the entire system, not just the exercise of three-star blocking.

If this all sounds foreign to you, I will say that in my opinion, the instruction found in a lot of schools tends to skip over these details because the teachers do not understand it or at least lack a systematic methodology for teaching it and helping their students develop that understanding. At some point in their lineage and transmission, that particular understanding was lacking and did not get adequately passed to the next generation. Once the knowledge gap has formed, it is very unlikely that people will simply figure it out for themselves without a good teacher who can step in and help them understand it.

Your comment about then doing punches as fast as you can further highlights the issue. I have never seen you train and I don’t know your teacher so cannot directly comment on how you are doing things. But the comment makes me suspect that there are foundational issues you are missing. The point isn’t to throw punches as fast as you can as an exercise. That same work that should be done by the legs and torso that I mentioned above, should be engaged in throwing punches as well. Speed comes later. First, you need to develop the foundation, understand the role that the legs and torso play when you throw a technique, which is something that the three-star drill is meant to emphasize and reinforce. Throw punches with that full-body connection, develop solid technique that is powerful without being tense and without “muscling” it. Later you can develop speed.

Well described, I wholeheartedly agree with this approach.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

Yes sir, your comments are appropriate from the question I asked I can see I have a long way to go in asking questions intelligently in regards to the martial arts thank you for that! And in the beginning stage it is not at all recommended to use weights till one finds the flow and really have the drill down as you have said and using weights you are correct it can hurt the flow of the drill as your arms are tensed up automatically if used to much and to often. If I may ask again what style of the arts uses the three star block? As I can then read and study about it. Thank you.

Remember these maxims; the bottom moves the top, the back moves the front, the inside moves the outside, the weighted side moves the unweighted side, the breath rides the motion.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

Three-star block is common in many of the southern Chinese long-arm systems like Hung Ga, Choy Lay Fut, Tibetan White Crane, I suspect Jow Ga as well. It is a two-person drill used to condition the forearms for impact, as well as full-body connection.

Here is an example: https://m.facebook.com/OmahaKungFu/...ge-and-working-on-three-of-/1155535127989505/

This Hung Gar guy in the video can move. He is really quite entertaining. Have you seen his renaming series? Hilarious.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

Thank you sir! Love the way the hips,body,legs,feet rotate together to produce power!! And a very good way to condition the forearms for impact!!! Way back when in 1993 my dojo had a Chinese wooden dummy that I used to do the same, train by myself which gives me the idea I can train using my door frames to do the same. Thank you!!

We do it while moving the horse also.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

And the way you described the the three arm block and what it does is what I meant when I said what does it mean.

Last, but not least is “feel your bunghole on top of your head!” I know it sounds like a joke but it isn’t. My Sigung James Wing Woo used to say it.

 

[Buka]

Next time one of these types of threads includes "or should I give up Karate altogether?"

We should all just say yes just for ships and giggles.

 

[Darren]

Last, but not least is “feel your bunghole on top of your head!” I know it sounds like a joke but it isn’t. My Sigung James Wing Woo used to say it.

Getting hit in that spot does not feel very good!!!!!

 

[Darren]

We do it while moving the horse also.

Having the mildest form of cerebral palsy there is I use the horse stance to strengthen my legs while doing my upper body training plus have very bad health inner ear problems. Use my technique’s to work on my lower leg strength.

 

[Darren]

One n

Next time one of these types of threads includes "or should I give up Karate altogether?"

We should all just say yes just for ships and giggle

One does never knows what that person has been through!! It could be taken as a negative and that person has to dig there self out of a hole for the rest of there days!!! Is this what this place is about???

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

One n

One does never knows what that person has been through!! It could be taken as a negative and that person has to dig there self out of a hole for the rest of there days!!! Is this what this place is about???

He was just joking. Buka is gentle and highly respected.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

Getting hit in that spot does not feel very good!!!!!

It means lift the insides like a kegel exercise.

 

[Buka]

One n

One does never knows what that person has been through!! It could be taken as a negative and that person has to dig there self out of a hole for the rest of there days!!! Is this what this place is about???

No, it’s just me, not the place.

Martial Arts isn’t for everyone, it’s a tough racket.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

Martial Arts isn’t for everyone, it’s a tough racket.

Agree with you 100%.

A: Dear master! Being thrown on the ground is so painful. Should I give up the throwing art?
B: May be the throwing art is not for you. Why don't you try different MA system?

 

[Flying Crane]

I have to agree with the previous couple of posts. That is sometimes the issue that does not get discussed because our society wants to make everyone feel included. Part of that drive is to support a business model where nobody wants to turn down a client/revenue source. So suggesting that “this just might not be for you” is kinda seen as a dirty word.

The truth of the matter is, everyone ought to be welcome to give it a try. But it requires a hell of a lot of really hard work, on an ongoing basis and no end in sight. The road never ends, you don’t reach a finish line. No single style is the best for everyone, so people are welcome to try something else and see if it is a better fit for them. No single teacher is the best for everyone, so people are welcome to try a different teacher either within the same system or in a different one. And of course different people have different reasons for training, and they can search for a school that helps them meet their needs.

But at the end of the day, martial arts isn’t for everyone. Not everyone wants to put in the hard work. Not everyone’s body can tolerate that strain, not everyone’s mental constitution will tolerate it. Some people simply ought to do something else. But they need to figure that out for themselves.

 

[isshinryuronin]

Martial Arts isn’t for everyone, it’s a tough racket.

While this is true for many endeavors, MA is definitely one of the tougher ones. Not only is mental dedication required, but it's physically demanding as well. Add to that the risk of injury and willingness to accept some pain along the way, you have an activity that's not for everyone. Especially, there's little or no monetary pay-off. There is also the time commitment - for some, a lifetime. It's an activity that challenges you on several levels. The plus side is that it's an activity that benefits you on many levels. It's a life game changer for sure.

EDIT: Just saw Flying Crane's post preceding mine (don't know how I missed it). Many of the same ideas. It seems the older, experience vets are of a like mind. We've been there, done that, and are still doing it. And appreciate what we do all the more.

 

[Darren]

Very sorry

He was just joking. Buka is gentle and highly respected.

Very sorry then! Just know how it feels to be made fun of!

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

I have to agree with the previous couple of posts. That is sometimes the issue that does not get discussed because our society wants to make everyone feel included. Part of that drive is to support a business model where nobody wants to turn down a client/revenue source. So suggesting that “this just might not be for you” is kinda seen as a dirty word.

The truth of the matter is, everyone ought to be welcome to give it a try. But it requires a hell of a lot of really hard work, on an ongoing basis and no end in sight. The road never ends, you don’t reach a finish line. No single style is the best for everyone, so people are welcome to try something else and see if it is a better fit for them. No single teacher is the best for everyone, so people are welcome to try a different teacher either within the same system or in a different one. And of course different people have different reasons for training, and they can search for a school that helps them meet their needs.

But at the end of the day, martial arts isn’t for everyone. Not everyone wants to put in the hard work. Not everyone’s body can tolerate that strain, not everyone’s mental constitution will tolerate it. Some people simply ought to do something else. But they need to figure that out for themselves.

Man, you said it brother! Absolutely true. My Sifu would go farther, “Are you going to quit? Then just quit and get it over with!” Unfortunately for everyone, we can’t all be the president or astronauts. Fortunately for me, I did not grow up with participation trophies.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

Very sorry

Very sorry then! Just know how it feels to be made fun of!

No need for apology, I’m somehow sure that @Buka can take it. It’s hard to read the feeling behind text in here. We have all been in arguments only to find out that we misread the intent of the post. It’s all good.

 

[Darren]

Man, you said it brother! Absolutely true. My Sifu would go farther, “Are you going to quit? Then just quit and get it over with!” Unfortunately for everyone, we can’t all be the president or astronauts. Fortunately for me, I did not grow up with participation trophies.

I would say if you can’t train in 68 degree temperature and don’t sweat like it’s Noah’s flood then you not working hard enough and it’s not for you, the place I train at now is not air conditioned just a bunch of fans blowing hot air around training in at least 100 degree temperature if your not willing to train in that kind of heat then ya just wasting your time! Take care of a 24/7 special needs son so have to get up at 4:45am to make it to class at 9:00am. But I love training, the only hard part about it is getting started!!

 

[Darren]

No need for apology, I’m somehow sure that @Buka can take it. It’s hard to read the feeling behind text in here. We have all been in arguments only to find out that we misread the intent of the post. It’s all good.

Thank you sir.