Karate Punch

By Fred P Nichols

There are many different ways to strike with the elbow down to the hand, to be exact about 24 different strikes. Basically there are two ways to strike with the hand - open hand and clinched fist. Open hand strikes are effective striking vital areas and pressure points. As well, the open hand strikes allow the arm to relax more making it suitable for multiple hand combination and increased speed.

There are many different types of strikes in the martial arts. By far the most effective and powerful strike is the Karate punch. In the Karate punch the clinched fist is used. The clinched fist tenses the muscles of the arm more than the open hand strikes. The punch is thrust into the target area and as contact is made the wrist rotates. This is called the corkscrew action. The added corkscrew action at the end of the Karate punch tenses the muscles of the arm even more. This is the natural tension of the arm.

For a little experiment make a fist with the palm facing up and the arm extended. Place the hand of the other arm on the bicep of the extended arm. Now twist the wrist of the extended arm so the palm is facing down similar to the Karate punch. You should feel the bicep of the extended arm tense. This is the body's natural focus.

Twisting motion of the wrist is such that the strike makes contact when the palm of the hand has turned 90° from the up position. As the first two knuckles make contact with the intended target. The hand continues to rotate with the corkscrew action until the palm faces down and the strike drives through and into the target.

Timing of the Karate punch:

1. Start with a good stance.
2. Drive off the rear leg by pushing to drive the hip towards the intended target.
3. Shoulder starts moving with the hip.
4. Start the punch movement. Keeping the elbow directly behind the fist
5. As the arm moves forward approximately half way to the target rotate the fist sideways so the palm is facing left or right depending on the arm you are punching with.
6. Continue the corkscrew action as soon as the two knuckles make contact driving through the target.

There are many aspects to the Karate punch. But one of the most important aspects is that the moving parts of the body work in unison. The hips, shoulders, arms, and feet are placed in motion and need to work together. When done correctly a majority of your body mass will be behind the Karate Punch, generating a very powerful punch. Other aspects of the punch to consider:

• Impact point (Distance to target)
• Focus and Eye direction
• Breathing
• Thrusting the Karate punch
• Position of the Feet
• Wrist Location
• Relaxation and Tension of the clinched Fist
• Location of elbow relative to the Fist

Another important aspect is breathing. Exhale through the mouth all the way through the execution of the Karate punching technique. To get the air out you are going to have to exhale forcefully because of how fast the technique will be. And the technique must be fast! A loud yell will help in forcing the air out. This is called a Kiai. The kiai function is to force the air out, startle your opponent, direct focus energy, and give you a burst of energy.

The striking area of the hand is the first two knuckles of the hand. These are the knuckles of the index and middle fingers at the base of the hand. The wrist is straight with the first two knuckles leading.

It is very important to keep the wrist straight while making contact with the intended target. If you strike with a bent wrist you will seriously injure the wrist possibly breaking it. Also, at contact make sure the fist is firmly clinched or serious injury will occur to the hand.

Keep your elbow behind the fist at impact. This generates more power into the strike. If the elbow is too far away from the hip and extended out to the side, the shoulder can be injured. The hip rotating puts a lot of power into the impact of the punch. With the hip forward and shoulder jammed the shoulder joint is put into an awkward position. Also, a lot of power or force is directed away from the target area.

Get all the help you need with learning expert Karate techniques. Get a FREE 10 Part Secrets of Karate minicourse. Get started today learning expert Karate techniques from author and master Karate Instructor Fred Nichols who has been teaching Karate to students for over 38 years. Learn the true meaning of Karate and become proficient in the martial arts at: http://www.okinawanryu.com

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See more karate tips at www.bestmartialartsource.com.

The Way of the Warrior - Martial Arts and Fighting Styles From Around the World by Chris Crudelli

By Alain Burrese

The first thing that stands out with Chris Crudelli's new book "The Way of the Warrior: Martial Arts and Fighting Styles From Around the World" is the stunning photographs throughout the entire volume of this coffee table sized visual smorgasbord of martial arts from around the world. It is fascinating to browse and marvel at the wonderful pictures that fill almost every page of this oversized 360 page tomb of martial art information and splendor.

This magnificent visual guide to the martial arts is divided into seven sections, with each section focusing on the indigenous and imported styles synonymous with a particular geographical region. These sections include: India and South Asia; China and East Asia; Southeast Asia and Oceania; Japan and Okinawa; Europe; Africa, Middle East and Central Asia; and finally The Americas. In these seven sections there are descriptions of more than 300 fighting styles. Included are the obvious well known martial arts such as Judo, Karate, Taekwondo, and Aikido. But also included are little know obscure arts like Aki Kiti, Ba Ji Quan, Mizongyi, Taekyon, Banshay, and many others. The book is truly a fascinating look at more martial art styles than most people ever realized existed. Pictures range from ancient drawings, old photographs, and modern photos of stunning displays of martial prowess with fascinating backdrops. There are action shots from competitions and martial art demonstrations as well as those from training sessions and ancient training halls and temples. I can't stress enough what a visual feast this book is for the martial art enthusiast.

The text includes descriptions of the various fighting styles as well as notes on key players in the arts history as well as modern masters. The book illustrates key weapons the various styles are known for and describes the main principles and theories behind the styles. Obviously, due to how the book is organized, the country and culture of each style is also provided. These descriptions are brief, but make for a very interesting overview of the arts to accompany the great photographs.

Scattered among the descriptions and colorful pictures are quotes that capture the spirit of the various arts and warriors who devised them and helped shape the styles into not only methods of fighting but for many a way of life. I was glad to see one of my favorite quotes from Karate Master Gichin Funakoshi, "The ultimate goal of karate lies not in victory or defeat but in the perfection of the character of its participants."

This book is truly a work of art and a wealth of information. It could easily take a place on the coffee table of any martial artist, or a professional lobby or school front for anyone who practices the arts. And it is definitely a marvelous addition to any martial art library. I sincerely thank Chris Crudelli for putting such a book together. I highly recommend this for all martial artists and those who follow the warrior's path.

Alain Burrese, J.D. is a mediator/attorney with Bennett Law Office P.C. and an author/speaker through his own company Burrese Enterprises Inc. He writes and speaks about a variety of topics focusing on the business areas of negotiation and success principles as well as self-defense and safety topics. He is the author of Hard-Won Wisdom From the School of Hard Knocks, several instructional dvds, and numerous articles. You can find out more about Alain Burrese at his websites http://www.burrese.com or http://www.bennettlawofficepc.com

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For more information and articles on Martial Arts Karate, see www.bestmartialartsource.com.

Martial Art Karate

by Fred P. Nichols

There are many different styles of martial arts and by far the most popular is the martial art Karate. What sets the martial art Karate apart from the rest is how and why it was developed. It developed out the basic necessity of survival by peaceful people and became a way of life. Karate became a formalized martial art that developed in Okinawa as a way of defending a culture against armed warriors.

The martial art Karate in its purest form is an art of weaponless self-defense. It is comprised of punches, kicks, and strikes executed in circular or linear thrusting and striking motions. Combining these techniques with proper breathing and body position, forming animal like stances, Karate becomes a self-defense system worthy of defending against an armed or unarmed assailant or assailants.

With roots dating back to China, Karate emerged as a martial art capable of withstanding any adversarial challenge. Many of the techniques and self-defense philosophies within the Okinawan fighting systems came from the original form of Shaolin Kung Fu. The people of Okinawa did make minor changes to concentrate on power that would focus on inflicting injuries to opponents wearing armor.

Since Karate develops around the strengths of a practitioner some techniques were modified from original Kung Fu techniques to adapt to the physique of the Okinawan people and terrain of Okinawa.

Most martial arts have many essential aspects that make up the respective systems. Karate maintains the nine original essential aspects brought from China. Not many Karate practitioners know about these aspects nor do they practice all of them. The nine aspects of Karate are:

• Breathing
• Striking Vital Areas
• Pressure Points
• Joint Locks
• Grappling
• Pain Control
• Throwing and Sweeping
• Choking
• Counters to all the above aspects

Through Okinawan Kata (forms) and drilling of basic techniques these aspects are practiced and perfected. Within the Okinawan kata most of theses techniques are hidden movements. With some techniques just too dangerous to practice on another human being some of these nine essential aspects have been neglected, put aside, or just forgotten. Most Karate practitioners only concentrate on two or three of these.

The uniqueness of the martial art Karate is the powerful strikes a practitioner can deliver to an adversary. Through countless hours of training Karate practitioners develop physical and mental strengths that seem super human in nature.

A benefit from practicing the martial art Karate is that it builds extremely strong bodies. A practitioner not only develops strength in the body, but the mind as well. This keeps the Karate practitioner young and healthy.

Modern day Karate has evolved into a mixture of many martial arts. Traditionally, there were only two types of kicks - the back kick and the front kick. Today you find just about every type of kick within Karate, which more than likely was influenced by sport Karate. Karate was never intended to be a sport, but only for use in life or death confrontations.

Sport Karate evolved as a way for practitioners to test their skills against other martial artists. The first karate tournaments awarded points for a kill strike or blow. Today points are awarded for tagging the opponent, and in many cases these techniques in sport Karate lack power.

Understand one thing about the martial art Karate, the techniques practiced and if executed properly can deliver tremendous power making it an effective self-defense system for anybody regardless of their size and gender.

Get all the help you need with learning expert Karate techniques. Get a FREE 10 Part Secrets of Karate minicourse. Get started today learning expert Karate techniques from author and master Karate Instructor Fred Nichols who has been teaching Karate to students for over 38 years. Learn the true meaning of Karate and become proficient in the martial arts at: http://www.okinawanryu.com

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There's No First Strike In Karate: (Really?)

Gichin Funakoshi is generally regarded as the Father of Modern Karate.

Among his contributions is a list of 20 core beliefs that every karateka should subscribe to.

At the very top is this one: “There is no first strike in karate.”

The idea is that karate is about self-defense, primarily, and only secondarily is it a fighting art.

Funakoshi didn’t want to spawn generations of bullies. I think it is right to say he wanted to sire gentle men and women, people of refinement; in a word, civilized folks, and not just more barbarians.

Before unleashing fury and destructiveness a person must be sure it is the right thing to do, that he isn’t making a mistake, and that he has exhausted better ways of reducing conflict.

But what if you KNOW someone is coming for you or your family or your nation? What, then?

Can you strike, peremptorily?

Funakoshi is silent about this, at least from the reading of him that I’ve done so far.

But a story comes to mind.

I was exhausted one late afternoon after having flown to Houston, probably for the 40th time in as many weeks, so by the time I reached the rent a car counter at the outskirts of the airport, I was in a terrible mood.

They didn’t have the make and model I had reserved, a convertible as I recall, and being used to getting everything I wanted on the road, I blew a gasket.

The manager felt I was being verbally abusive, and I told him, more or less, when I needed his opinion I’d give it to him.

He asked me to step outside to “Settle this" with him, and I recall saying something to the effect that “I’d be delighted.”

I hadn’t been in a fistfight since high school, and I was probably 25% more massive than this guy, so his “choosing me off” was almost comedic.

We stood face to face, with about two feet separating us, and I could tell he was waiting for me to make the first move.

But I came to my senses after having weighed the idea of defending a lawsuit or worse, a criminal charge in court.

Also, I heard a little voice inside say, “Don’t make the first move!” and I heeded it.

Anyway, I think I grumbled, “This isn’t worth it,” and he told me to never darken their doorstep again.

Many moons later, after studying karate, I learned about Funakoshi’s aphorism: There is no first strike in karate.

And a few things came to mind:

(1) I was pleased I de-escalated and walked away. It’s one of the only ways to “win” a fight.

(2) I always wondered if this guy had karate training, and he was forbearing because of Funakoshi’s philosophy.

(3) I did act rudely, and things hit a flash point because of me.

In any case, I lived to “not fight” again, and so did he, presumably.

Fighting should always be the last resort, and only when we have no other choice. And as far as that question I raised above, I think we should be so attuned to our potential enemies that we can see the stirrings of hostility in them before they ever become an overt threat to us.

By doing so, we can avoid difficulties before they become unavoidable.

Moreover, we should always be aware of how we’re coming across, and restrain ourselves and struggle to be polite, especially when we’re convinced we have the right to act otherwise.

Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone® and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service, and the audio program, “The Law of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable,” published by Nightingale-Conant. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC's Annenberg School, a Loyola lawyer, and an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations from Santa Monica to South Africa. He holds the rank of Shodan, 1st Degree Black Belt in Kenpo Karate. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com.

For information about coaching, consulting, training, books, videos and audios, please go to: http://www.customersatisfaction.com. For more Martial Arts / Karate Articles visit http://www.bestmartialartsource.com/newsletters.

Three Martial Arts Moves You Absolutely Need to Know!

by Steve Gib

So what are some of the best kept secrets in terms of martial arts moves? I will explore and show you some great moves and tips to get the most from your martial arts training and make you an even better, stronger and faster fighter!

Martial arts moves #1 - The groin kick. You can use as many various ways as inflicting damage to the groin as possible, and it is not limited to the kick. You can grab, pull, twist, punch, elbow, stomp, even bite. It's a sensitive area on the male body and doing anything to injure it will work.

Martial arts moves #2 - The eye gouge. When I did extensive training in Jeetkunedo Concepts my instructor forced us to realize that the eye gouge can be more devastating then a punch to the face. If you can shove a finger into his eye socket and cause some serious damage by all means do it. When you see a UFC fighter get eye gouged they take a 5 minute break. Obviously it works so use it!

Martial arts moves #3 - Kick to the kneecap. If you can break through an attackers kneecap you can permanently damage him, and stop the attack from progressing. using this technique you want to visualize yourself kicking through the knee joint. If you can drop a bad guy on the ground and have him squeeling in pain like a baby pig, you've just finished and won the fight!

Try to memorize and implement those three different techniques I outlined above. They are good techniques to incorporate into your training regimen.

I also recommend you download these 2 powerful free reports I have put together on street based self defense! I include many brutal techniques and information you need to know to take your martial arts training to the next level! Download your free martial arts reports right now by visiting:

http://www.selfdefensecombat.com/

If you want to find the best martial arts courses and products on the internet I recommend this site! Inside you can get military martial arts, street fighting reports, free articles and more! Download hardcore martial arts moves right now!

For more Martial Arts articles visit http://www.bestmartialartsource.com.

Some Facts & Tips About Karate Schools!

By Steve Gib

I plan on exposing some flaws and some good accurate points about the different types and styles of karate schools that are probably out there in your town or city. Not all of these dojos are created equally however.



I want to share some advice on martial arts and karate schools so you can get the best self defense training for your dollar and get accurate skills. There are a few misconceptions floating around on what makes a good school.



One myth is that the school with the most trophies doesn't mean much considering the dojo can give their students trophies or just because the student chooses to keep his trophy at the dojo doesn't mean anything compared to reality self defense.



You don't want to fall into the trap of mcdojo karate schools that limit active aggressive sparring until three belts ahead of white is silly and nonsense. You should be sure there is active sparring in the karate school you decide to look into.



Another thing you want to consider is how long the teachers have been teaching and being a blackbelt. A blackbelt karate school instructor with multiple dans on a black belt ensures that you will be learning accurately from a certified instructor.



Another active thing you can do is interviewing your soon to be karate school teacher on why he should teach you and what he has learned himself. You want a teacher that encourages active and aggressive sparring even if it's sport based!



Whatever you do make sure you make the right pick in choosing a karate school!



I have put together free reports, self defense books and martial arts advice over here: http://www.howtofightandwin.com/



You will get a treasure chest filled with real advice for taking your self defense training to a whole new level. I've fought behind prison bars and teach you what works. Be sure to download your free martial arts reports!



Get a collection of self defense tips you need to know now!

Shin-toshi – Best Kept Martial Arts Secret

By Kevin Cundick

Mickey N. Fisher founded Shin-Toshi more than 25 years ago, in 1963. This precedes Bruce Lee’s development of Jeet Kun Do by six months. Mr. Fisher began his training in karate with the Korean Art of Tae Kwon Do. He received his first degree black belt from Jhoon Rhee. Mr. Rhee awarded Mr. Fisher his black belt despite the fact that his immediate instructor objected because he personally witnessed Mr. Fisher’s skill.

Mr. Fisher was America’s first teenage black belt. He first attained a first-degree black belt from Jhoon Rhee in 1962. Mr. Fisher continued his training in martial-arts with advanced degrees in Moo Duk Kwon, Kenpo and some other styles. Mr. Fisher’s highest degree, a 9th Degree Black Belt, is in Shin-Toshi Karate and Chung Do Kwan Take Kwon Do.

Mike Burke who was and is a student of Mr. Fisher’s owns and operates the Utah Karate Institute in Northern Utah and is the second highest ranking martial artist in Shin-Toshi. He has attained the rank of 5th degree black belt. Mr. Burke has been teaching Karate for more than 20 years and oversees the International Shin-Toshi federation with Mr. Fisher.

Learn more about the Utah Karate Institute at http://www.karateshin-toshi.com. Mr. Burke is one of the best instructors for both children (approximately 8 yoa and older, ability to know left from right) and adults alike.

Kevin Cundick is a student of Shin-Toshi Karate with Mr. Mike Burke at the Utah Karate Institute. Kevin also operates and maintains the Best Martial Arts Source at http://www.bestmartialartsource.com or Shin Toshi Karate.