Please Help: Speed, Balance and the Jumps in Kata

[Narges]

Hi all

Right now I could do with some help. I've been training in Shotokan Karate for 3 and a half years and I recieved my purple belt 6 months ago. Most young martial artists like to get their black belt in the shortest time possible, but I don't. I want to be able to keep my balance properly when I get my brown belt. I'm also quite slow. I want to increase my speed and agility considerably. Another problem that I have is with the jumps in Enpi and Kanku Sho. I need to perform the jump much better than I am doing at the present time. I think the muscles in my legs are quite weak.

I really need some advice from you guys. Please share any tips that you think might be helpful. Thanks in advance.

 

[bluewaveschool]

Having a personal trainer put together a program for you is the absolute best solution. Now, you mentioned that you are young, so the cost of a personal trainer is likely out of your reach. However, most YMCAs have fitness trainers on staff, they can be a great help in getting you going the right direction as far as building muscles the right way. They may not know the first thing about Shotokan, but they know how the body works. After that, its the work you put into the gym that matters.

 

[Grenadier]

Another problem that I have is with the jumps in Enpi and Kanku Sho. I need to perform the jump much better than I am doing at the present time. I think the muscles in my legs are quite weak.

When doing the 360 degree counter-clockwise jump in kata Enpi, what helps is to bend your knees before the jump, to get more of a spring. Also, if you kick up your heels (think of it as kicking your own buttocks), you'll get the appearance of a greater vertical height at the apex of your jump.

In kata Kanku-Sho, the key to getting more height, again, is to bend your left knee before making the actual 360 degree jump. Do it at the same time as you're doing the crescent kick. If you get good momentum using the crescent kick, then you can simply focus on springing higher in the air with your left leg.

When you get to the more advanced kata, such as Unsu, where you do a 540 degree jump / spin / double kick, bending that left knee is even more critical.

In the meantime, you can go to the gym, and do all sorts of exercises to increase your leg strength, such as squats. Just make sure not to over-do it; while the muscles can certainly get stronger, the ligaments don't. As the others have stated, talk to the trainers.


On another note...

A purple belt ranking is typically anywhere from 6th to 4th kyu. At that level, I'm a bit surprised that your sensei would have you performing the katas Enpi and Kanku Sho, since Enpi is usually taught at the more advanced brown belt levels or even at the shodan level, while Kanku Sho is usually taught even later than that.

 

[Narges]

Thank you both. I do squats regularly and I have tried the gym at some point, but right now I hardly have the time with my exams coming up. I do feel that it's necessary though. Does it help with speed and balance too?

And yes, in our dojo we're all quite ahead of our ranks. It's good in a way and bad in another

 

[Grenadier]

Thank you both. I do squats regularly and I have tried the gym at some point, but right now I hardly have the time with my exams coming up. I do feel that it's necessary though. Does it help with speed and balance too?

Lower body strength is always helpful. This way, you end up using more of the lower body, and less of the upper body. As a result, the entire body is used more efficiently, and with less wasted energy.

It will certainly help with your balance, since it's easier to control your balance from the foundation, rather than from the top. Think of it as a wobbly, unbalanced table that has weak legs. While you could certainly compensate for things by adding more weight at the top of the table on one side, it's better to simply strengthen the base (the legs).

In addition to this, the more you train bare-footed, the more those foot muscles increase in strength, which also helps in giving you a much better sense of balance.

And yes, in our dojo we're all quite ahead of our ranks. It's good in a way and bad in another

Just curious, that's all. If your sensei can generate finished products that are as good as anyone else's, then he's got his own, solid method that works for him.

I still can remember at my second Shotokan school, where there was a green belt who was trying to copy a certain black belt's 540 degree jump in Unsu, only to end up planting himself face-first, into the floor...