2022-10-12

2022-10-12, Wednesday

Teaching my regular classes at the Ross Farnsworth - East Valley YMCA.

“Bend your knee!” I sometimes think this should be the unofficial motto of Shotokan. It came up several times last night, but two are worth mentioning.

First, when stepping forward to do almost any technique, several students were pulling their front foot back before stepping forward with their rear foot. One hundred percent of the time, this was because their front knee wasn’t over their front toes when they began the movement. In this situation, you’ve got two choices: bend your knee forward over your toes or pull the foot back underneath the knee. There’s no doubt which one is easier, but pulling the foot back robs you of both time and distance. It’s better to begin with the knee where it’s supposed to be anyway.

Second, when executing the 270° turn in Taikyoku Shodan (or any pivot for that matter), it’s important to have your center of gravity over your pivot point. In the case of the “long” turns in Taikyoku Shodan, that means the front knee must be bent deeply over the big toe, or there will be a tendency to fall “backwards” during the turn. Again, you can either start with your knee bent, take the time to bend it when you begin the turn, or fall on your behind when you lose your balance during the turn. The choice seems clear to me.