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What is Full Contact Karate?
Osu!
Osu means patience, respect, yes, okay, hello and appreciation. In order to develop a strong body and strong spirit, it is necessary to undergo rigorous training. This is demanding and difficult because you push yourself to what you believe to be your limit and you want to stop, to give up. When you reach this point you must fight yourself and your weaknesses and you must win. To do this you must learn to persevere, but, above all, you must learn to be patient. This is Osu.
The reason you subject yourself to hard training is because you care about yourself, and to care about yourself is to respect yourself. This self-respect evolves and expands to become respect for your instructor and fellow students. When you enter the Dojo, you bow and say, "Osu"! This means you respect your Dojo and the time you spend training there. This feeling of respect is Osu.
During training you push yourself as hard as possible because you respect yourself. When you finish your practice you bow to your instructor and fellow students and say "Osu"! Then as you leave the Dojo you stop at the door, bow and say "Osu"! once more. You do this out of appreciation. This feeling of appreciation is Osu.
Thus, Osu is a very important word in FULL CONTACT KARATE because it signifies patience, respect and appreciation. This is why we always use the word Osu, to remind ourselves of these indispensable qualities.
Kihon (Basic techniques)
In Karate the starting point is Basics called Kihon, and the final goal is Free Fighting called Kumite. If you try to define Karate, you could say it is using all your body (hands, elbows, legs, knees, feet, etc.) in concert with your mind and spirit to protect yourself, your family, your country. Selfdefense is not only physical. A strong mind and character backed up by a strong body can be a great defense at times. Hard training in Karate can give you this.
The basic techniques we use today did not come about by accident. They were developed in ancient times by Martial Arts Masters who had carefully examined the possibilities of human body movement, observed animal movements and chose the most suitable ones to copy. Only after years of intensive training, pushing themselves to the absolute limits of human endurance, living lives of austerity and hardship with much sweat and blood did they attain a level of excellenceenabling them to organize basic techniques into smooth efficient patterns which could be best utilized for a particular purpose.
In order to develop yourself in Karate you must learn to know your body: you must be able to recognize your weakness as well as your strong points, i.e. whether you have a strong right hand, a weak left leg, good or bad coordination, a tight or limber body, etc. If you understand yourself in such a way, you can learn Karate faster and easier by choosing techniques and movements which fit your body most suitably.
Basic techniques are roughly divided into hand techniques and foot techniques. In order to learn any hand or foot techniques you must practice it over and over again. And then practice it some more. Most people in the modern world think they can learn with only their head. They do not have the desire, determination, perseverance or patience to push themselves physically. They merely think about a technique and practice it several times and think they know it. This is the easy way; and this is the wrong way. You can never master any technique by this method. You must practice one technique repeatedly until it fits your body. This requires great patience and perseverance and it is a hard way to go, but only by pushing your body this way, by fighting yourself and your weaknesses can you develop the courage and self-confidence necessary to use Karate effectively. This courage and self-confidence can also be used in daily life, in business, human relations, etc. The only way to acquire this self-confidence and courage is to push yourself, work hard and sweat.
Mokuso (Mok-So)
Meditation
In our lives, so much is happening every day that we can be overwhelmed by stress from work, school, family, and friends. Because of the many demands on our time, it is often hard for the mind to focus. Meditation (mokuso) can be a refreshment to the mind. Practicing meditation will make our judgment less hurried, give us time to find ourselves. Mokuso teaches us how to clear away all the distractions from our minds and allows us to unite mind and body, to concentrate totally on our training.
An essential element in mokuso is our breathing (kokyu). The proper method is to inhale slowly, all the way down deep to our center (tanden), and then to exhale slowly. Slow in - slow out. With correct breathing, our minds can reach a level of peace. This is why we begin and end our trainings with mokuso.
Even when you are not in class, mokuso can relax and refresh you. You will discover that you are better able to deal with problems.
The Karate Fist (Seiken)
One of the first principles of Karate is making a strong fist and directing your entire body force into the impact zone of that fist. Many students are attracted to the study of Karate by seeing photographs and movies of advanced techniques. These showy kicks and fancy leaps my look impressive in a demonstration, but they are of little value in a real life fight.
The most important point in Karate training is the practice of making a strong fist. Ancient teachers of martial arts considered the fist to be the single most important elemant of basic training. It seems simple to make a fist and show strong knuckles, but it actually requires a great deal of practice to achieve the correct form. Once learned, the student can feel the power that resides in his hand, wrist and arm.
Training and Practice
You may want to practice making a fist even when you are not in class. It is not necessary to practice this technique all the time, bit with a little effort every day, soon your form and strength will improve.
The Knockout Punch
The purpose of this training is to develop the power for a knockout punch. If you have a good technique and timing, but your fist is weak, you cannot do real damage to your opponent. You also run the risk of hurting your hand or arm. With good timing, technique, and a strong fist, you can throw the knockout punch.
To make a fist, curl the little finger into the palm, followed by the next finger and the next. When all four fingers are curled into the palm, close the thumb over the fingers. Squeeze the little finger and the thumb together to make a powerful fist. After you've made a fist, relax, then squeeze all fingers together to make it one power fist.
After you have practiced making your fist, you will need to learn to control your arm. Many people tend to tighten not only the fist, but the shoulder as well. However, this tightness will make you awkward, causing you to move stiffly and lose your balance. Stiff movement, poor balance, and improper breathing technique all interfere with good fighting technique. During your training, you will learn to relax your shoulders while making a tight fist. Eventuallyyou will learn how o move all the parts of your body in harmony.
Osu!
Osu means patience, respect, yes, okay, hello and appreciation. In order to develop a strong body and strong spirit, it is necessary to undergo rigorous training. This is demanding and difficult because you push yourself to what you believe to be your limit and you want to stop, to give up. When you reach this point you must fight yourself and your weaknesses and you must win. To do this you must learn to persevere, but, above all, you must learn to be patient. This is Osu.
The reason you subject yourself to hard training is because you care about yourself, and to care about yourself is to respect yourself. This self-respect evolves and expands to become respect for your instructor and fellow students. When you enter the Dojo, you bow and say, "Osu"! This means you respect your Dojo and the time you spend training there. This feeling of respect is Osu.
During training you push yourself as hard as possible because you respect yourself. When you finish your practice you bow to your instructor and fellow students and say "Osu"! Then as you leave the Dojo you stop at the door, bow and say "Osu"! once more. You do this out of appreciation. This feeling of appreciation is Osu.
Thus, Osu is a very important word in FULL CONTACT KARATE because it signifies patience, respect and appreciation. This is why we always use the word Osu, to remind ourselves of these indispensable qualities.
Kihon (Basic techniques)
In Karate the starting point is Basics called Kihon, and the final goal is Free Fighting called Kumite. If you try to define Karate, you could say it is using all your body (hands, elbows, legs, knees, feet, etc.) in concert with your mind and spirit to protect yourself, your family, your country. Selfdefense is not only physical. A strong mind and character backed up by a strong body can be a great defense at times. Hard training in Karate can give you this.
The basic techniques we use today did not come about by accident. They were developed in ancient times by Martial Arts Masters who had carefully examined the possibilities of human body movement, observed animal movements and chose the most suitable ones to copy. Only after years of intensive training, pushing themselves to the absolute limits of human endurance, living lives of austerity and hardship with much sweat and blood did they attain a level of excellenceenabling them to organize basic techniques into smooth efficient patterns which could be best utilized for a particular purpose.
In order to develop yourself in Karate you must learn to know your body: you must be able to recognize your weakness as well as your strong points, i.e. whether you have a strong right hand, a weak left leg, good or bad coordination, a tight or limber body, etc. If you understand yourself in such a way, you can learn Karate faster and easier by choosing techniques and movements which fit your body most suitably.
Basic techniques are roughly divided into hand techniques and foot techniques. In order to learn any hand or foot techniques you must practice it over and over again. And then practice it some more. Most people in the modern world think they can learn with only their head. They do not have the desire, determination, perseverance or patience to push themselves physically. They merely think about a technique and practice it several times and think they know it. This is the easy way; and this is the wrong way. You can never master any technique by this method. You must practice one technique repeatedly until it fits your body. This requires great patience and perseverance and it is a hard way to go, but only by pushing your body this way, by fighting yourself and your weaknesses can you develop the courage and self-confidence necessary to use Karate effectively. This courage and self-confidence can also be used in daily life, in business, human relations, etc. The only way to acquire this self-confidence and courage is to push yourself, work hard and sweat.
Mokuso (Mok-So)
Meditation
In our lives, so much is happening every day that we can be overwhelmed by stress from work, school, family, and friends. Because of the many demands on our time, it is often hard for the mind to focus. Meditation (mokuso) can be a refreshment to the mind. Practicing meditation will make our judgment less hurried, give us time to find ourselves. Mokuso teaches us how to clear away all the distractions from our minds and allows us to unite mind and body, to concentrate totally on our training.
An essential element in mokuso is our breathing (kokyu). The proper method is to inhale slowly, all the way down deep to our center (tanden), and then to exhale slowly. Slow in - slow out. With correct breathing, our minds can reach a level of peace. This is why we begin and end our trainings with mokuso.
Even when you are not in class, mokuso can relax and refresh you. You will discover that you are better able to deal with problems.
The Karate Fist (Seiken)
One of the first principles of Karate is making a strong fist and directing your entire body force into the impact zone of that fist. Many students are attracted to the study of Karate by seeing photographs and movies of advanced techniques. These showy kicks and fancy leaps my look impressive in a demonstration, but they are of little value in a real life fight.
The most important point in Karate training is the practice of making a strong fist. Ancient teachers of martial arts considered the fist to be the single most important elemant of basic training. It seems simple to make a fist and show strong knuckles, but it actually requires a great deal of practice to achieve the correct form. Once learned, the student can feel the power that resides in his hand, wrist and arm.
Training and Practice
You may want to practice making a fist even when you are not in class. It is not necessary to practice this technique all the time, bit with a little effort every day, soon your form and strength will improve.
The Knockout Punch
The purpose of this training is to develop the power for a knockout punch. If you have a good technique and timing, but your fist is weak, you cannot do real damage to your opponent. You also run the risk of hurting your hand or arm. With good timing, technique, and a strong fist, you can throw the knockout punch.
To make a fist, curl the little finger into the palm, followed by the next finger and the next. When all four fingers are curled into the palm, close the thumb over the fingers. Squeeze the little finger and the thumb together to make a powerful fist. After you've made a fist, relax, then squeeze all fingers together to make it one power fist.
After you have practiced making your fist, you will need to learn to control your arm. Many people tend to tighten not only the fist, but the shoulder as well. However, this tightness will make you awkward, causing you to move stiffly and lose your balance. Stiff movement, poor balance, and improper breathing technique all interfere with good fighting technique. During your training, you will learn to relax your shoulders while making a tight fist. Eventuallyyou will learn how o move all the parts of your body in harmony.
Dachi (Stances)
It is easy to overlook how important the healthyleg and foot are to our balance and movement. Any injury to the ankle, foot, or even toe, causes the body to readjust its way of balancing. Injured balance mechanisms are particulary critical in sports. In an athletic contest, if a foor is injured, 50
It is easy to overlook how important the healthyleg and foot are to our balance and movement. Any injury to the ankle, foot, or even toe, causes the body to readjust its way of balancing. Injured balance mechanisms are particulary critical in sports. In an athletic contest, if a foor is injured, 50
