These notes provide some general advice on ways to improve your kihon (karate basics). However many of the methods and tips described below will help improve all areas of your karate, including kata and kumite.

For more specific tips on improving your kata or kumite see the 'Kata Tips' and ' Kumite Tips' pages. All three of these pages combined will help improve your karate in general.

BALANCE

Any karate technique performed while off balance will be a weak technique. If you are off balance while performing a technique, when the technique makes contact with another object (bag or opponent) you will not be able to transfer the power of the technique into the object. Instead the power of the technique will be transferred (at least partially) back into you and force you even further of balance. In other words, the power of the technique will actually work against you if you are off balance. Balance is especially important for kicking when you are supported by only one leg. In order to improve your balance, practice techniques slowly (as it is harder to maintain good balance when kicking slowly) and try to ensure that you always bring the kicking leg back to the body (in order to regain balance) before putting the kicking foot on the ground. Once this is mastered try to repeat the kick several/many times before putting the foot back on the ground.

KIME (MUSCLE TENSION)

Kime is essentially muscle tension and is a very important aspect in the power of karate. Karate techniques are fast techniques which start with relaxed muscles (see FULL SPEED AND POWER below). However, if the muscles remain relaxed when contact is made with another object, the joints or weak parts of your body (wrists, ankles, knees, waist etc) will buckle under the force, and the technique will probably hurt you more the object (or opponent) you have contacted! For this reason it is necessary to tense all your muscles (body, arms, legs etc) just at the last instant of each technique. In this way all the joints become strong and locked together and so that any contact with another object has the power (weight) of your whole body behind the technique. This along with a good stance (balance) provides the power of karate techniques.

BREATHING

Breathing is important for 2 reasons. Firstly proper breathing prevents you from becoming exhausted very quickly, but more importantly is part of generating kime (see KIME above). Nearly all karate techniques (excluding a few exceptions in kata) breath in (through the nose) at the start of the technique and out (through the mouth) at the end of the technique. The breathing out should be in the form of a sharp exhalation, which tenses all the muscles around the abdomen therefore generating the main part of kime.

FULL SPEED AND POWER

After the initial 6 months of training, many of the basic techniques should be 'second nature' and therefore be relatively easy to perform. Any techniques which are known well (and are not being learnt using slower movements or being broken down in sections) should be carried out full speed and power. Speed is obtained by remaining relaxed for the majority of a technique (tense muscles move more slowly than relaxed muscles) and power results from using full muscle tension (kime) for only the last split second of a technique. Although more tiring, this use of full speed and power will improve your fitness, strength and more importantly the speed and power of your karate. If you do not put the effort into using full power your karate techniques will not improve and you will get used to performing a lazier, slower, less powerful form of karate (but see DON'T RUSH below).

DON'T RUSH

Although you should use full speed and power for each technique, this really does mean FOR EACH TECHNIQUE ONLY. Full speed does not imply that you should rush through a whole sequence of techniques (or a kata) at full speed, as this only leads to incorrect, unfinished or weak techniques, little or no kime (muscle tension), very poor stances, lack of balance, etc etc… It is important to do each individual technique well (full speed and power) but only when this technique is completely finished should you continue with the next individual technique (again full speed and power).

HIPS

Like many other sports (including football, tennis and golf) karate uses the power of the hips. Karate techniques performed without the hips are much less powerful, than those that use the hips correctly. The hips can be thought of as a hammer, which finish a technique with a final 'bang' or push. For example when punching reverse punch with the right arm, the right hip is initially pulled back (ready to push forward). The right arm starts the punch and moves forward (the right hip remains pulled back). Only when the arm has complete 90% of the punch does the right hip start to move and push forward, to provide extra force to the last 10% of the punch. Without use of the hips, techniques are only as strong as the arm or leg alone, and you do not use the additional and greater power of the body!

STANCES

One of the characteristics of Shotokan style of karate is the use of long and low stances. Therefore long and low stances should be used in all your karate. Note, in Shotokan karate the freestyle stance is only shorter than the normal front stance by the length of your own foot.

CONSTANT HEIGHT

It is important to keep your stances low and maintain the same height when stepping, turning or changing stance. As Shotokan stances tend to be low stances, it can be tempting to rise up and down when moving and turning, but this is not the correct form. Maintaining the same height improves the appearance of your karate, helps to develop a constantly good technique but also has the practical advantage of disguising any forward motion (eg an attack). It is much easier for an opponent to notice a change in height, than a change in distance (where your silhouette does not change).