Secrets of Shotokan Karate. Robin L. Rielly

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      Figures 5 through 6A demonstrate the body’s forward movement. In the beginning position (Fig. 5), the upper body is naturally upright and the feet shoulders’ width apart. As the model steps forward, the hips move first, followed by the upper and then the lower leg. Any other sequence of movement would be awkward. The principle to be understood here is that the hip must move first, and the upper body must be in its natural erect position.

      When one is stepping in a new direction, the head turns in that direction as one looks to see where one is going (Figs. 7-8). The hips then rotate in that direction (Fig. 9), and the upper leg, lower leg, and foot follow (Fig. 10).

      A natural body position is usually the beginning point for basic drills and katas. As demonstrated in Figure 11, the feet are about the same width apart as the shoulders, and the inside of the knee is directly above the inside edge of the foot. It follows then that in the basic stances this positioning should also be the case. In Figure 12 a stick is used to demonstrate the line between the inner knee and the inner edge of the foot. In the front stance (Fig. 13), the line should remain vertical.

      As the body moves forward in the front stance, the feet begin and end shoulder width apart. In order to follow natural movement, the hips move first (Figs. 14-15). This is also the case with the front kick (Fig. 16). The hips move forward first, the upper leg and knee are raised, and the foot is snapped forward to perform the kick (Figs. 16-17).

      Note that in performing multiple kicks hip movement must also be in the direction of the kick. Figures 18 and 19 show the front kick, with the hips facing forward. The performance of the side kick (Figs. 20-21) gains power when the hip is thrust in the direction of the kick. The back thrust-kick (Figs. 22-24) requires that the hip position be maintained in order to execute the kick properly.

      When an opponent approaches from the side, it is necessary to face the hips in that direction in order to kick at him. In this case the roundhouse kick is used after the hips are turned in the direction of the opponent (Figs. 25-28).

      Balance and Stability

      Common sense would dictate that balance is an essential ingredient in any successful athletic movement, and particularly relevant in combat situations. An examination of some of the factors affecting balance is therefore necessary.

      The body at rest adopts what we refer to as a natural position, that is a position in which the feet are spaced approximately shoulder width apart, with the weight of the body distributed evenly on them. It follows, then, that whenever possible, karate stances should follow this principle. Depicted in Figure 29 is the front stance. Note that the feet are placed approximately shoulder width apart for balance; failure to do so will affect the performer’s balance. In Figure 30 the feet in the front stance are in line and the body is difficult to balance, since the base of support is narrowed. It should also be noted that the upper body is held erect, and the hips in their normal position are in line with the rest of the body.

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