Drills

Ever growing list of drills. Contact for more details/videos of how to do and apply these.

Bounce stances

               Strength, accuracy, speed

               Quads, core, hip flexors                                                                                           

-          Hop into deep squat – hands stay out front

-          Pop up into kiba or shiko (style dependent)

-          Hold

-          Repeat

One foot hops

               Stability

               Core, ankles, knees

-          Start on one foot, lock other behind knee, in corner

-          Jump/step to other corner while switching feet

-          Hold

-          Repeat

Wall kicks 10x per side

               Strength, flexibility under pressure

               Hip flexors, quads, butt

-          Stand with one hand on the wall in front stance

-          Slowly raise outside leg into chamber

-          Extend and hold front kick (as high as possible) for 3 seconds

-          Rechamber

-          Shift to chamber for side kick

-          Slowly extend and hold side kick (as high as possible) for 3 seconds

-          Rechamber

-          Shift back to front kick chamber

-          Reset into front stance

Wall punches – arm focus

               Accuracy

               Arms, specifically elbows

-          Front stance with knee further from the wall

-          Punch with arm closest to the wall

-          Don’t hit the wall

Wall punches – leg focus

               Stability

               Knees

-          Front stance with knee closer to wall

-          Punch with back hand

-          Don’t hit the wall

Kicks over hurdles

               Accuracy, strength

               Front kicks

               Can be with partner for extra incentive

-          Set up hurdle/obstacle of sorts

-          Front kick over top focusing on knee raising

-          Don’t kick the hurdle

-          Avoid circular motion, knee does not move

Side to side kicks

               Accuracy, stability

               Quads, hip flexors, low sidekicks, neko

-          Start in neko

-          Go sideways into neko and throw low sidekick

-          Go sideways into next neko, throw sidekick

-          Repeat ad nauseum

Swinging punches

               Relaxation, connection, accuracy

               Hips, arms

-          Start in front stance with loose arms

-          Open and close hips to swing arms

-          When feeling amply loose, throw a reverse punch

-          Punch with speed and kime, hold

-          Resume swinging

-          Repeat

Legs only kata

Tandan

-          Use chito breathing form in walking stance

- Sanchin kata

Sequencing

-          Quarters, thirds, halves

-          Short problem sequences

Jumps

               Stability, accuracy

               Core, legs

-          Jump 180/360

-          One corner to next

Stance switches, fast feet, sprints

Stance shifting

               Coordination, accuracy, speed

               Hips, lower body

-          Start sideways

-          Twist in on one

-          Extend on two

-          Focus on hips and keeping head level

Jump kicks on boxes

               Stability, strength

               Quads, calves, hip flexors

-          Back foot on box

-          Jump and front kick with front foot

Wall sit kata (personal favourite)

               Focus, strength

               Quads, mind

-          Do wall sit

-          Do kata arms

-          Short rest after kata

-          Repeat for all katas

-          (super set with sprints is good)

Depth drops

               Strength, explosivity

               Legs, core

-          Start on box

-          Drop off

-          Go immediately into a sprint

-          Alternate is go immediately into a long jump

Elastic wall stances/jumps (personal favourite)

               Strength, stability, explosivity, technique

               Legs, core

-          Elastic around waist, connected to wall

-          Either:

o   Stances (fwd/bwd)

o   Long jumps

o   Sequences

-          Start with just enough tension that it is tough to move forward

-          Don’t fall

Foot strength drills

-          First connection to the floor – source of power

-          Mostly for balance/avoid gripping + floating

Basics

-          Standing

o   Single punch

o   Double punch

o   Age uke

o   Soto uke

o   Uchi uke

o   Gedan barai

o   Mae geri

o   Yoko geri (keagi, bassai kekomi)

-          Stances

o   Zenkutsu

o   Kokutsu

o   Kiba/shiko

o   Neko

-          Lines

o   Shuto uke (neko/kokutsu)

o   Mae geri (zenkutsu)

o   Oi zuki chudan (zenkutsu/kiba)

o   Blocks and gyaki zuki (zenkutsu/kiba, zenkutsu) fwd/bwd

o   Combos

o   Kata sequences

Video analysis of self and others

Pistol squats

Basic format:

• Pick a sequence/technique

• Pick something about that sequence (turning/balance/speed/power/explosion/etc)

• Pick an exercise with that something

• 2x exercise, 1x sequence/technique

• Loop it

Front kick jumps

• Stagger feet

• Plant back foot (ball of foot, not flat)

• Keep head at same height

• Kick with front foot

Push, pull, push

• For relaxation and engaging of shoulder blades

Shifting between stances

• Important to switch between all stances from all angles

• Practice forward, backward, 45, turns, all of it

• What you find in the kata is just the building blocks and not the final product of karate