Multiple hip actions

Where the situation really starts to become complicated, is when you want to move forwards or backwards, whilst blocking or striking, and it’s here that only many, many years of diligent, intelligent, karate training will help. Remember, practice does NOT make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.

Think of a stepping reverse punch. When you step forwards your punching-side hip travels backwards as you complete the step, but then has to travel in the opposite direction as you land. It’s called the double hip-twist. You start by turning your back hip sharply forwards to initiate the step, and allow it to naturally carry on forwards with the step, until the opposite hip is back at an angle of 45 degrees (or whatever). Just at the very last second, just before you deliver the reverse punch with the left hand, you turn the rear hip forwards again to add body weight. It takes some doing and thinking about.

However, the concept of a double hip twist goes much further. In line drills, when we punch, we leave the hand extended at its target distance, but in a real combat situation, that’s a terrible thing to do. In the first instance, it makes our arm easy to grab. Secondly, it means that the arm is not ready to strike again. But perhaps the most important reason not to leave the arm extended is that it greatly reduces the power of your strike.

Whenever you hit something, the force of your blow leaves your hand and travels through that object like a wave. When it has travelled as far as it can, it bounces back. If your arm is still in contact, then that wave travels back into your body (in some cases, literally bouncing you off the target). Sensei Steve Rowe reckons that you need to take your arm out of contact within 1/10 of a second to maximise the damage to the target, and avoid feedback.

There are a number of things that you can do to achieve this: the first is simply to relax your arm the instant after you make contact. This makes the arm flop just a little bit, and draws the fist back. The other way is with a triple hip twist!

As before, your hip moves forwards to maximise your mass, slightly extending beyond square to create torque in your spine. Then the moment after you strike, you relax the tension in your spine, which draws your hand out of contact with the target.

If you hit the target hard enough to drive the victim backwards, this can also move them out of contact with your hand or foot. It is also suggested that if your body is very rigid, the feedback does not have detrimental effects to you. Whilst this is true, because the rebounding force simply travels through your body and is dissipated into the floor, I would suggest that you want all of your destructive energy to stay inside the opponent, so better to take your arm out of contact!