Kette Junzuki

[shep]

I've noticed some people (from other clubs) when performing Kette Junzuki/Gyakuzuki after the kick suspend their kicking leg in the chamber position for a second before placing it down and punching. There was a guy next to me on the Manchester course doing it and we had a visitor at our club last night doing it. It looks a bit disjointed and a complete lack of flow to me but I was wondering if anyone else does it and if they do whats the reasononing behind it?

shep

[karateman7]

I'm glad you brought this up.

A senior student told me that I was doing this. He said getting the foot down for the strike is just as important.

I think I developed this habit because my teacher went over keeping your balance during a kick (turning foot, being relaxed, and extending with the hip). So I became so focused on kicking and bring my leg back to show I was keeping balanced and leg chambered. Then there was the part about keeping your momentum forward by not letting the kick plop down before the junzuki.

Seems like this made me look clunky and I was scolded for doing it at my level.

[Tim49]

I think there's a whole lot of stuff relating to how you deploy your energy in the transition between the kick and the punch. Too difficult to explain in this medium, better in the Dojo.

I think it is possible for some people to misunderstand the description their Sensei gives them about how it is supposed to happen and to overcook things, maybe that's what you observed Shep. Difficult to say without being there.

Tim

[JTR]

Not sure if this fits but I have seen this problem from younger students who hold the leg for a second once it as retracted to show they have retracted it. Many of which suffered from dropping the leg once the kick has extended so were told to hold it. This does correct the dropping problem but the down side is they continue to train it and it becomes habit forming.

Jeffrey

[Gary]

As I understand it, "kette" (in this respect) is a compounding of the words "Keri" to kick and "te" hand - together = to kick/punch as a combination.

What you do at the end of the kick depends on what you have planned next.

A more fluid transition between kick and punch adds inertia to the punch.

Personally, I have an aversion to holding kicks (ie re-chambering the leg after the kick for an elongated period) [edit] unless it is necessary for what you want to do next.

Gary

[shep]

Following on from my original post my take on it is that your most vulnerable with only one leg on the ground. So you want to minimise this period a far as possible. KK7 is about attacking while ukimi is in this position, so it kind of contradicts what Kihon Kumite teaches. IMO

shep

[Gusei21]

I agree with Tim.
That pause was probably there for a reason but since I did not see it I cannot comment.
There are several factors that must be in play
1) Kette junzuki is a study of energy transfer. So how you use your body will always be a work in progress.
2) You must have the ability to kick and go forward...or kick and go back...or kick and go to the side. So if you just kick then punch and allow your forward momentum from the kick to take you straight into the punch then that is very unmartial, unwado and certainly not what Otsuka Sensei taught.
The punch is a choice. It is not a predetermined movement. You don't want to roll from one movement to the next whether it be in kata or kihon.
So because this is always a work in progress sometimes we play with the chamber. Sometimes we don't. But we are doing something always...under the surface.

Go ask your teacher....

[shep]

Hi Bob

I can certainly understand what you saying there. But I still cant get my head around keeping the leg in a suspended state while thinking what to do next. I remember Shimura sensei informed the guy next to me "smooth movement - no stopping"
I can understamd it as a balance thing for beginners. Just a thought

a puzzled shep

[wadoka]

You guys have it easy. Try going from Takamizawa sensei's approach to Shiomitsu sensei's approach.

One way was to hold and the other is more flowing, but I heard more common things being said than so called differences.

For those that know, I see both of them doing K1 as part of the process even though it might not be said!

[oneya]

You guys have it easy. Try going from Takamizawa sensei's approach to Shiomitsu sensei's approach.

One way was to hold and the other is more flowing, but I heard more common things being said than so called differences.

For those that know, I see both of them doing K1 as part of the process even though it might not be said!

You're right Gordon, kette junzuki is a process - a study piece - not an event, it is a process which in turn is part of the process of wado which in turn is part of the process of life for those that practice the wado ryu. As Bob says, it is a work in progress. The question of Takamizawa and Shiomitsu's differences are just where they are in the process of their study.

Gary, Kette is the 'te form' of the verb keru (kick) which describes the ongoing (kicking) process while it is ongoing.

oneya