Friday, July 31, 2009

A Karate Strike is the Hardest Strike!

By Al Case

A karate strike is the hardest strike in the world because of this little thing called focus. Focus is an action which makes the whole greater than the sum of the parts, and it is the point at which all your energy comes together. Focus concentrates all energy into one moment , which maximizes the efforts of the human being.

Unfortunately, many martial arts schools have gotten away from teaching students how to properly focus. Many karate schools would rather have the student strike the bag, rather than taking the time to focus. Nothing wrong with hitting the bag, of course, but it develops resistance which can slow a strike down.

Proper focus occurs in the fist, and...it does not. This contradicting statement means that the strike must be generated from the whole body. It must start from the ground, swell through the body, and emerge into the fist.

Proper body alignment is necessary at the point of impact. The bones and muscles and other body parts must be lined up between the feet and the target in a way which develops maximum efficiency. This doesn't mean a straight line, necessarily, but it does mean choosing that arrangement of the body which gives best transmission of energy.

One of the things that people don't understand, and which is crucial to the art of karate, is the concept of emptiness. The body must be relaxed, but not to the point of limp, so that energy can travel through it. When the energy travels through the emptiness it can summate in the sudden snap, closure, of a fist.

One moves the body without mass, then snaps just the fist, and then one is empty of energy. The snapping fist should actually make a popping sound in the air. The idea is to snap the fist so that it closes inside the body of the enemy.

It is a universal law that two objects cannot occupy the same space. Yes, one could thrust forward and knock the enemy's body backward violently. Snapping the fist in proper focus, however, causes a shock wave to be exploded within the enemy's body, and the result is massive revulsion, and the enemy dropping like a rock.

Proper focus invalidates the enemies body when you place it in the space of his body. What it is really all about is invalidating the enemy when he comes at you, you see. Practice your focus, remembering these points, and you will be able to invalidate the very molecules of an enemy's body.

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