residentrenzo
Member
The only way to overcome fear is through it, not around it.
Posts: 83
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Post by residentrenzo on Aug 9, 2014 8:55:16 GMT -5
Hello -
Been quite a while since my last post.
Well, still training and enjoying it, even though this year has been a little crappy due to my meniscus injury. Thanks to medical care and physical therapy I can manage, more or less.
Well, moving on to post topic:
I'm noticing people in dojos are a little bit influenced by kicking skills. A mate casually said to me "you can't kick high, so you've got nothing" so after hearing that I wondered, "what are my best weapons to bring in a sparring session"?
In short words, I consider myself an infighter, who can punch hard and withstand some punishment until a well-placed counter stops me on my track. But kicking's not my forte. Especially fancy kicks like ushiro mawashi geri, tobi geri and all those circular movement kicks. And also I tire fast when I'm inside trading blows.
Personally I believe a well-placed mae geri in the stomach and/or hook to the ribs is far more effective but anyway... I was wondering if despite being 45 I can still gain flexibility to kick effectively above waist?
Peace!
-Renzo.
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Post by kyokanrik on Aug 9, 2014 9:33:27 GMT -5
Well-placed mae-geri, hook to the ribs/liver - sounds good to me too.
I wouldn't place too much on what your dojo mate said about "having nothing".
Regarding flexibility after 40+, it is possible, but just be careful.
There are others on this forum who are very knowledgeable on that topic and I am eager to hear what they have to say about that as well..
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Post by MMX on Aug 9, 2014 10:52:10 GMT -5
Anyone who thinks that does not have the experience or cred to back that up. Sure high kicks are a nice skill but it is not the be all end all of knockdown. Work on the strong basics and as far as flexibility I recommend Dynamic Stretching. You have to do it almost daily though and it is a slow process much like training. Good luck! OSU!
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GJEC
Member
LOUGHBOROUGH ENSHIN
Posts: 3,218
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Post by GJEC on Aug 9, 2014 12:16:07 GMT -5
Hello - Been quite a while since my last post. Well, still training and enjoying it, even though this year has been a little crappy due to my meniscus injury. Thanks to medical care and physical therapy I can manage, more or less. Well, moving on to post topic: I'm noticing people in dojos are a little bit influenced by kicking skills. A mate casually said to me "you can't kick high, so you've got nothing" so after hearing that I wondered, "what are my best weapons to bring in a sparring session"? In short words, I consider myself an infighter, who can punch hard and withstand some punishment until a well-placed counter stops me on my track. But kicking's not my forte. Especially fancy kicks like ushiro mawashi geri, tobi geri and all those circular movement kicks. And also I tire fast when I'm inside trading blows. Personally I believe a well-placed mae geri in the stomach and/or hook to the ribs is far more effective but anyway... I was wondering if despite being 45 I can still gain flexibility to kick effectively above waist? Peace! -Renzo. Hi Renzo Sounds bizarre but sometimes the very act of trying to kick high causes tension and tightens everything up. I posted some simple tips earlier on Monty's training log. Above all, keep relaxed. Power and speed can be added in later ... Gary |
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Post by powerof0ne on Aug 9, 2014 16:46:54 GMT -5
Due to my permanent condition with pretty bad arthritis in my lower back, hips and pelvis my high kicks are gradually becoming a thing of the past. I can still high kick but lets just say I don't do it often.
Before I got into knockdown karate I was fortunate to be around those that had very good gyaku tsuki/reverse punches...I remember one would compete in the senior division in WKF black belt division and I swear just about everything he did was to set up for this just about perfect gyaku tsuki which was textbook perfect but also had a lot of power. I've had that image burned into my memory and had the opportunity to spar with him at a few tournaments during warm ups and was amazed at how much he had his speed, footwork, timing, countering and everything down so perfect for his gyaku tsuki. I hope 20+ years later that this Man is still practicing karate and if he is, I have no doubt his gyaku tsuki is beautiful.
"Perfect" the kihon...I never that a jodan geri of any type was kihon but maybe that's just me.
Osu!
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Post by yokozuna on Aug 19, 2014 15:05:23 GMT -5
I'm over 45 and have only been practicing Kyokushin for just over 3 years. I started out as flexible as the Michelin Man. Last night I snuck in a Jodan Soto Geri (light sparring session) which made my partner take a step back and change his approach. Keep working at it and it barring any injury or medical reason you can't, the kicks will get up there......slowly. Until then gedan kicks can be your bread and butter. Just keep training.
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Post by meguro on Aug 20, 2014 5:31:46 GMT -5
Almost everybody can kick low, so what other skills or attributes can you bring to the fight? Tactics (fight sense), speed, mobility, aggression, stamina, power? Say you have none of the above, do you quit or try to acquire what is necessary? High kicks aren't all that necessary, as long as you understand position, and have speed and stamina, at least these will keep you from getting your block knocked off. You say you like to fight inside, but often get winded. That's a recipe for getting knocked down. If you can't kick high because of injury, work on your stamina, foot speed and position. If it's old age and general inflexibility, get in line with the rest of us. We are all fighting against time, and all have to stretch and work on joint mobility.  personally, high kicks are worth the extra effort. If you can kick high from inside, it's a very tough angle to block. Shorter guys with high kicks (you expect it from taller fighters) often catch me by surprise.  |
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Post by powerof0ne on Aug 23, 2014 22:20:42 GMT -5
I used to be a head/neck kicker and relied on my kicks so much that I neglected my hands a lot. I was never anything like Nicholas Pettas with my kicks but those that trained with me knew me as a heavy kicker. Since it's not practical for me to kick as much these days my hands have became stronger over the last 5-6 years which has more than surprised people that remember sparring the "old me." I'm not saying I was bad with my hands at all but I definitely preferred kicking but today I would say it's about 60-70 percent hands and the rest is kicks/knees.
I can actually do a type of Capoeira kick that is very flashy that I can still do today but only use it for those special occasions in sparring when I want to shock somebody. Anything flashy I can do, I do rarely because I know if I knew of anybody with a flashy technique I would be waiting for the opportunity to make them pay for trying to use it on me. I always expect everybody else to be like me, even if they're not a sadist like I probably sound like.
Honestly, you don't need high kicks if you have good defense, good counter skills, good kihon, and power/speed/"mushin." Most of us usually have one or the other and those of us that are at it long enough actually encounter "mushin" and the truly gifted have it happen all the time.
Osu!
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shugyo
Member
Proof Is On The Floor!!
Posts: 76
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Post by shugyo on Aug 25, 2014 10:33:50 GMT -5
There are styles of the MA that don't have the ideology of high kicks. Shindokan, the style I've trained in for 50 years this October, don't kick above the stomach, in that, we're 85% hands and 15% feet. To assume that a style has nothing to offer because they don't kick high, to me, is quite absurd and judgmental, imho!! |
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Post by noahh on Sept 12, 2014 6:53:00 GMT -5
Osu!
Hands are always going to be quicker to the reach the head than feet. I see high kicks as a nice to have not an essential. Outside the dojo environment unless you are very quick, a high kick is as much a liability as an asset, especially if your opponent is capable. Every moment you spend standing on one leg is a risk to reward equation, a head kick is a bigger risk (more hang time). Particularly in a non dojo environment with obstacles such as furniture to get dumped on or into.
In sport Karate with no head punches it is preferable to have a head option with your feet, it forces your opponent to protect their head and opens more opportunities to the body. You can actually still use this to good effect without having much of a head kick. Soto keage is in most peoples repertoire and draws the hands up pretty nicely. Even if you can't land it, it will keep your partner honest and open up some of those gaps. Other potential options for the inflexible are jodan Mae geri, and uchi haesoku geri.
As for flexibility, improved flexibility is going to increase your resilience and reduce the effort needed to perform the kicks you already have. Definitely worth putting in the time. Regular gentle warm down stretching 3 or 4 times a week will give surprisingly good results. Regular being the key.
Osu.
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Post by Ros on Sept 12, 2014 7:35:35 GMT -5
Other potential options for the inflexible are jodan Mae geri, and uchi haesoku geri. My favourite options for the inflexible are grab (for stability), kick head. Or grab shoulder, pull head down to kickable height, kick head! |
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Post by noahh on Sept 12, 2014 17:23:32 GMT -5
[/quote]My favourite options for the inflexible are grab (for stability), kick head. Or grab shoulder, pull head down to kickable height, kick head! [/quote] Osu, absolutely, assuming you are allowed to grab. |
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residentrenzo
Member
The only way to overcome fear is through it, not around it.
Posts: 83
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Post by residentrenzo on Sept 12, 2014 22:37:00 GMT -5
Nice to see so much feedback. It's not that I like to fight inside. I HAVE to do it, because: 1) I'm short (1.72m) 2) Most good fighters at Dojo are taller than me 3) I don't have very good kicks above the waist. 4) I'm still slow on my feet. So I have to go inside-outside but I'm still getting hit more than I'd like because I'm slow. Just been training for three years, don't think I have that "fighters instinct" I see on other guys. Also having a a hard time fighting girls, unless they're higher grades. I can't go with stronger strikes, and be extra careful not to hit sensitive spots. Grabs and takedowns not allowed in our sparring. |
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Post by noahh on Sept 13, 2014 2:58:19 GMT -5
1) I'm short (1.72m) 2) Most good fighters at Dojo are taller than me 3) I don't have very good kicks above the waist. 4) I'm still slow on my feet. That's quite a few challenges. I'd still encourage you to stretch regularly even just gently 15-20 mins 3 times a week. If you can tolerate dynamic stretching it will give you faster gains, can be hard on tendons and ligaments. In the mean time if high kicks aren't going to happen for you. Footwork seems a good focus, it wont make you faster but you will seem that way. There are an abundance of drills for footwork from basic to fancy. I like to focus on what I'm trying to achieve, which is move and hit, I don't do a lot of footwork drills in isolation. Instead I make a rule of incorporating a footwork movement into my ido geiko. There are six basic footwork movements 1- Shuffle *~ 2- Step *~ 3- Step up (half step)*~ 4- Skip stance ~ 5- Tuck (as for a front leg kick)*~ 6- Turn(as for a back kick)*~ * can be done both advancing or in retreat ~can be done at a variety of different angles So from those six you can derive hundreds. Anyway back to the six. Two ways I train and encourage my students to train. 1 - When making your own ido-geiko combos use at least one of the six in the combo. (later sometimes use 2 or even 3 in the combo) 2- Chose one of the six, run just the movement up and down the floor a few times. Then do the same again this time freestyle a combo around the movement, different combo each time. Don't allow yourself to always have the movement at the start or end of the combo sometimes it should be in the middle. I find this approach helps my students to really integrate footwork into their kumite. Might save you getting hit a few times. Osu! |
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residentrenzo
Member
The only way to overcome fear is through it, not around it.
Posts: 83
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Post by residentrenzo on Sept 13, 2014 3:44:29 GMT -5
Thanks! Sounds effective. Thing is, just by the names I don't understand those 6 ítems that much... "Step" means step ahead? A graphical description would be ideal but it's kinda too much work for a free piece of advice  |
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personally, high kicks are worth the extra effort. If you can kick high from inside, it's a very tough angle to block. Shorter guys with high kicks (you expect it from taller fighters) often catch me by surprise. 
