Practicing at Home

KARATE PRACTICE AT HOME

NOTE:  the same safety recommendations your instructors give you in class apply here as well.  Warm up and cool down properly (using the exercises and stretches you do in class). Be careful, don’t overdo.  In tight spaces be sure you have room to move your arms and legs without running into anything.  Don’t practice partnerwork with anyone who does not have the proper experience to work with you.  Parents should be present while children are practicing.

Here are some practice suggestions.  Feel free to build your own routine (safely!).  Contact us through our website tkasudo.com with questions.  Now… get to work!

-Basics

  -practice slow kicks (front, round, side kicks): lift leg with knee bent, extend kick and

hold for 5 seconds, retract to bent position, put it down

            -practice stances ( kima, chongul, fugul): get into low stance, correct any mistakes,

                        hold for at least 30 seconds (repetitions and holding for longer will increase

                        the benefits)

            -if you have space, practice some of the basic motion moves we do in class; make up

                        some of your own combinations; be sure to practice using all 3 stances and

                        using both hand and kicking techniques

-Forms (warm up first):

            -after your warm up, start your forms practice sessions by reviewing through your lower

belt forms

-be sure your feet are pointing the right way in your stances; be sure your back leg is

straight in chongul stances and bent in fugul stances; be sure your back is straight in kima stances

            -work on getting more power in your techniques by throwing techniques a little faster and

harder and by using hip twist to snap body power into your hand techniques-be

careful not to over extend elbows and knees

            -keep your hands tight (tight fists, fingers together in sudos and chops, etc.)

            -more speed and intensity (focus your eyes on a “target”, have an aggressive look on your

                        face, imagine your are actually defending against someone)-be careful not to run

into anything if you are working in a space that is small for the form you are doing

            -practice fixing the comments you get in class about your forms

-One-step sparring (warm up first):

            -you can practice without a partner

            -make sure every block and strike you do is strong enough and accurate  enough to do

real damage if it had to

            -be sure you understand what position your whole body should be in to do the throw and

                        know what each body part should do to make the throw work (what do your legs

                        and feet do, what about your hips?  hands?)

            -follow-ups for take-down techniques:  have a hand strike as well as a foot strike after

every technique but use a variety so all your takedowns don’t have the same

follow-ups

            -follow-ups need to be strong and on-target; don’t bend at the waist—bend your knees

                         and bend at the hip joint to get closer to your target.  You could use pillows or a

gym bag filled with clothes to be a target on the ground to practice follow ups.  Be sure you do not strike through the target and actually hit the ground and be sure the target you use is approved by parent, spouse, etc. J

            -hit horizontal and vertical targets straight on rather than at an angle; an example of a

horizontal target is the front of the face of someone who is lying on their back; a vertical target would be the side of their face

            -practice fixing the comments you get in class for each technique as well as practicing the

                        points above and the order in which you want to do your techniques

-Jujitsu (warm up first):

            -you can practice without a partner

            -for white, orange, yellow, and red belt jujitsu—review through the steps for each of the

following: front, side, and back chokes, front double wrist grab, bear hug, front single wrist grab and rear double wrist grab

-in advanced jujitsu, footwork is even more important than what you do with your hands

                        for many techniques—be sure you know what your feet are supposed to do all the

                        way through each technique.  Where your feet go determines where your hips

                        (and rest of your body) go which determines where your partner goes

            -every step you take should move your partner in some way (take him off balance)

            -for each technique, understand what it is about that movement that takes the partner

                        off balance and then to the ground and be sure to perform the technique that

                        way every time you practice it

            -follow-ups: follow same advice as for one-step follow-ups except that since jujitsu is

                        faster-moving, you may not have time for 2 follow-ups

-Fighting (warm up first):

            -chamber and retract kicks (bend knee all the way before kicking, bring leg back to bent

                        knee position before putting it down)-be careful not to overextend knees

            -practice being aggressive by practicing the combinations we do in class, making up and

                        practicing your own, practicing charging in with multiple techniques

            -practice footwork:  moving in quickly, moving back out quickly, moving to the side

                        quickly—remember not to cross step (one foot crossing in front of the other as

                        you move)—reach with one leg, push and follow with the other (be aware not to

drag the following foot along the floor but don’t lift it too far off the floor either)

            -deliver power in your techniques—sometimes you can practice with light techniques to

                        work on footwork or learn to move through some combinations, but always bring

                        the power back up so you understand how to move and do combinations while

                        trying to put your full power into techniques

            -keep your hands up in fighting guard even while practicing

Remember:  warm up and stretch before you work out and stretch, cool down, and breat at the end.