Technique of the Week (March 22nd, 2009)

From Sensei Emiliano Mazlen, Shihan
Boston Chinatown Ueshiro Shorin-Ryu Karate Club

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Onegai-shimasu Hanshi, Kyoshi, Sensei and Fellow Deshi,

The details of the cover positions in our blocks are important to their effectiveness. It may well be that the cover position is what will block or take the force of an attack and that the movement of the arms from the cover position to the final position in the blocks will act to break the attacking limb and/or to sweep it away (opening the attacker to our counter attack).

In the middle area and low blocks, it is critical, among other things, for the solar plexus to be protected. In the middle block cover position, both elbows should be in by the solar plexus, forming a V-like position. A common error is for the elbows to be flexed out, forming an X-like position and leaving the solar plexus unprotected. In the low block cover position, the elbow of the high arm (which will sweep downward to complete the block) should protect the solar plexus. It is a common error for the high arm to be too high, leaving the solar plexus vulnerable.

It is also important to keep energy flowing through the cover position, rather than locking the arms immediately into the full cover position. Critical targets should be covered quickly, but the arms should only hit the maximum points in the cover positions just as we complete our step so that we can at that moment bring in the hip and let the arms fly towards the final positions in the blocks.

Domo arigato gozaimasu to all.

Emiliano Mazlen, Shihan

Boston Chinatown Ueshiro Shorin-Ryu Karate Clu