2024-09-11
Teaching my regular classes at the Ross Farnsworth - East Valley YMCA.
Like the broken record I am, tonight I spent more time discussing the proper way to turn and then block in kata. TLDR: Do not execute a “turning block.” Instead, turn and then block. In other words, you must keep your legs together through the turn, only stepping forward once the turn is complete. Why? I’m glad you asked. 😉
First, it’s just basics: Ask any beginner to show you the “halfway point” of a normal stepping-forward downward block, and they’ll stand, feet together, with the blocking hand up next to the opposite ear. But then ask them to stop halfway through the 270° counterclockwise turn eafter the first kiai in Heian Shodan and you’re likely to see something completely different. That’s because they’re not treating them like they’re the same technique. The only difference is the 270° turn between the first and second halves of the block.
I explain it like this: You know what the halfway point of a downward block should look like, so if I film you doing that turn at 1000 frames/second and never see that halfway point, you’re not doing the block right.
Second, the timing supports the block: When you step forward into a downward block, the blocking arm begins moving down and forward at the same time your hip starts moving forward, so the hand is there to intercept the attack before you step right into it. But if you skip the halfway point, and your hip is already moving towards the attack before the blocking hand ever starts moving, you’re very likely to run right into the attack before your block gets there.
Third, it’s consistent with karate’s “philosophy”: Niju kun #19 tells us not to forget the “extension and contraction of the body.” Both are necessary. You can’t expand without contraction and vice versa. Therefore, if you begin from the punch before the turn (expanded) and end with the downward block after the turn (also expanded) there must be a contraction between the two or there’ll have been no opportunity to generate power.
