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Power and Impact

Would you believe it’s been a full two years since our first podcast! Thanks to everyone for your continued support of them! This month we are discussing the basics of power generation and the use of impact equipment. Being able to strike hard is without a doubt the most important skill needed for the combative side of self-protection. Karate is an art based on the “one blow, one kill” concept and hence power generation, and the use of impact equipment, should be central to what we do. It would be fair to say, however, that this is generally not the case. This podcast covers some of the reasons why much of modern karate has lost its way with regards to power and impact; as well as covering what we need to do to put things right.

The podcast starts with a look at the basic concepts of power generation. This includes the key principles of bodyweight, hip movement, timing and torque. An understanding of these principles is vital if you wish to have fight stopping power in your strikes. We look at these principles in relation to basic karate punches, kata and free-flowing strikes. The second part of the podcast looks at impact equipment such as makiwara, focus mitts, punch bags and kick-shields. The use, benefits and limitations of each piece of equipment are discussed.

This podcast is also accompanied by a short video clip showing myself and Peter Lakin demonstrating a pad-work drill under the supervision of Peter Consterdine. The reason for including this clip is to demonstrate some of the ideas discussed in the podcast and to show how focus mitts can be used to develop the power and accuracy of free-flowing combinations. The clip is taken from “Peter Consterdine’s Training Day Seminar” DVD; which was filmed late last year and is available from PeterConsterdine.com.

This month I also try (unsuccessfully) something a little bit different! I hope you enjoy the podcast and video clip and I’ll be back with more next month!

All the best,

Iain

Power and Impact
Iain Abernethy