Like most other martial artists, all Karate-ka (Karate practitioners) eventually reach a point when they want to develop more striking power while doing geri (kicks / knees), empi (elbow strikes), tsuki (punches)..etc.
Here is what I think is the most common mistake Karate-ka make while trying to develop their striking power; They only focus on one of the following:
#1: Practicing more Kihon (fundamentals like “Choku tsuki”[repeated punches]).
2#: Practicing on the Makiwara.
3#: Practicing on a heavy bag.
4#: Weight lifting.
As you probably guessed, none of these 4 methods alone can help you reach the goal. The answer lies in the combination of all 4. The order in which you tackle these items is also very important to achieve your goal faster.
Practicing Kata and Kihon can help you build core/hip power, as well as proper body movement / muscle coordination over time. However, hitting without a target does not make your muscle work in the exact same way as when you practice on a physical target.
Choku Tsuki
This is why, once you have reasonably absorbed the basic motion of the punch, elbow strike, or kick, you should work on the Makiwara. This will improve the precision of each strike and trajectory, and force you to have a perfect position in your technique (Proper fist closing, wrist/knuckles alignment, ankle/toes positioning, etc).
You can then take it to the heavy bag without risking injuring yourself while hitting harder. You are now ready to develop your striking power with the feel of a solid target.
At this point, you can also start specific muscle weight lifting, which combined with heavy bag regular workout, will make you develop striking power even faster.
Beware of soft punching bags. They are ok for beginners to give them a feel of a target, but I definitely recommend switching them for a harder bag as soon as possible. The soft bags can give you an unrealistic sensation of power, while bad hand or foot positioning will stay unnoticed, thus never corrected.
If you’ve been practicing Karate for many years and never hit a Makiwara, nor a heavy bag, your Karate is definitely missing a key self-defense component. You definitely don’t want to find out you have little to no striking power while punching someone in a real fight (Should you get in a situation where you have no choice but to fight back).
If you want to develop your striking power – You now know what to do - It’s up to you to make it happen!
Toronto, Alpha - KarateBoost blog
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