2026-02-23

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

Last night we talked about the additive nature of vectors and how they work together to produce power in karate technique. After all, there’s no magic in karate, it’s just physics and biomechanics. If you can throw a ball at 30 mph and run at 15 mph, then you can get the ball moving at 35 mph by throwing it while you’re running. Similarly, if you can punch at 30 mph and step forward at 5 mph, then you can get your punch moving at 35 mph by coordinating your punch with your step. The speed provided by both components of the motion is additive. Most students learn this within the first month of training.

Kicking follows the same principle, but with more additive components. The step is one, but the kick is composed of several others, not just one. When you kick, you use your hip flexors to move the knee up and forward. At the same time, you use your quads to extend your leg. But there should also slight “pendulum” action that moves the lower part of the pelvis forward. It’s not much, but every little bit helps, and this posterior pelvic tilt also allows a higher kick than if the pelvis were kept neutral.