Shorin Ryu Karate Academy
An excellent solo-training activity is to alternate between strength training and kihon (kicks and hand strikes) on the heavy bag. You can set up an interval timer and do circuits, switching back and forth between a rep of a strength exercise and then a rep on the heavy bag. This video demonstrates some basic kicking
Every traditional karate system has some form of “kihon” training, or practice of basic techniques. These kihon are the building blocks of kata, and you can easily train them in solo drills. Sometimes, practitioners do not see the practical application of these kihon, and some have even abandoned kihon practice. In this video, we explore
Bunkai drills should be practiced with training partners; however, there are situations when we may need to solo train our bunkai drills. Recall that in some ways, kata are a form of stylized shadow boxing, and we can take segments of kata and shadow box practical applications of those sequences. We can also work these
In one sense, kata are highly stylized shadow boxing drills in which several combative principles and corresponding techniques illustrating the application of these principles have been compiled and arranged into a sequence intended for solo training. We can isolate segments from kata and then shadow box specific applications of those segments in ways that more
Ideally, we should be working our kata bunkai/application drills with partners, so that we can pressure test our applications with partners who exhibit varying degrees of compliance. However, many of us are still sheltered in place, and this video can help us to create solo-practice drills to develop, experiment with, and practice our kata/kihon bunkai
Kihon training, or working your basics, is an important element in traditional karate. Sometimes, however, classical kihon training can seem impractical, or the combinations do not seem to apply clearly to a practical self-defense context. It is important that we develop kihon combinations that can be used against an enemy. Ideally, we should practice the
Solo training is an important part of our martial arts training. In this video, I explain one way to work the classic low block, reverse punch kihon (basic technique) combination in the traditional way and then on the heavy bag. I’m applying the low block to clear limbs away from my target, setting up the
The lapel grab is a common attack in which the enemy tries to control your body and position so as to strike you more easily and accurately. Ideally, you want to keep the enemy from grabbing your lapel and striking your head/face; however, sometimes you will be grabbed. This bunkai drill from Pinan Nidan/Heian Shodan
High blocks in kata are often interpreted as blocking a technique aimed at the head; however, such an application is unlikely, given that the high block is just too slow (two movements) to block a punch to the head (one movement). In this video, we explore a possible application of the high block as a
