Korean Karate. Sihak H. Cho

mental and physical discipline, can be adjusted to some degree for different ages, sizes, and professions. Karate, as its history shows, is expected to change and grow without remaining in a pure form. As each nation develops and adds to a particular phase of karate to make it most suitable to its community, as each school develops certain special techniques of its own, and as each master prefers certain movements, the techniques of karate will continue to change but its essential principles and traditional philosophy will form the framework upon which the modifications will rest.

      Part II Calisthenics and Stances

      5 Calisthenics

      Calisthenics are related to karate moves, as they are body-conditioning exercises, and body conditioning is one of the most important functions of karate training. The karate function of body conditioning is achieved through intensive training of various moves, which require the maneuvering of most parts of the body. Calisthenics themselves can also be body conditioning if they are performed in such a manner that the exercise is greater than a simple warming-up. As in any other sport, karate trainees are advised to do calisthenics in order to loosen up muscles and joints before and after performing the strenuous karate moves. In addition to exercises to loosen up such joints as the wrist, elbow, and ankle, along with many other ways of general calisthenics, some typical karate calisthenics will be briefly explained.

      • Neck Exercise

      Slowly move your head back and forth, turn it side to side or all the way around in a circular motion, or press it down sideway toward the shoulder. These exercises will relax one from tension and serve as both neck and head exercises.

      • Shoulder Exercise

      Raise your arms all the way up pressing backward while stretching the front part of your body. Then continue the exercise by dropping your arms downward, pressing them backward, or you may first place both arms in an X-position in front of your body and then raise them in a circular motion in order to exercise your chest and shoulder muscles.

      • Back and Forth Exercise

      Do not bend your knees while moving your upper body back and forth. This provides back and stomach exercise and usually relaxes you. Avoid pressing too much.

      • Side Exercise

      This exercise is for the side of your body. Do not bend your knees or hip joint. Bend only the side part of your upper body.

      • Twisting Exercise

      This exercise is to avoid muscle strain while twisting your body in training. Keep your feet firmly on the floor, twisting your body slowly from your knees to the shoulders. Twist your upper body from left to right and right to left, placing your arms at a low, middle, and high level. You may circle around, relaxing the midsection of your body and knee area while twisting. The twisting exercise for the knees will avoid any possible strain on your supporting knee while kicking.

      Once you loosen up the entire upper body, you may try a sudden and forceful twisting.

      • Hip Exercise

      Exercise hip joint by moving the hip back and forth, then side to side, and then all the way around in a circular motion.

      • Knee Exercise

      Slowly squat down and stand up, maintaining both feet flat on the floor and upper body upright. The wider the distance between your two feet, the harder it is to squat down. This provides exercise for the thigh muscles and hip joints.

      • Leg-Stretching Exercise

      For front kick, stretch out one leg at a time, pointing the toes up and for side kick, pointing the outer edge of the foot up. While stretching, keep the supporting foot flat on the floor. You may stretch both legs at the same time by doing the "split" when you become good enough.

      • Push-Up Exercise

      In general, push-ups are very good exercise for conditioning the body. You may do it with one hand or two, on the palm-heels or first two knuckles, or even on the finger tips. You may do your push-ups fast or slowly. Make sure the entire body moves in a straight line when you press up and down.

      • Loosening-Up Exercise

      If preferred, two trainees can get together and help each other in loosening up the upper body. This type of exercise is good before and after training. Avoid any sudden pulling which might cause a strain.

      6 Stances (Chwa Seh)

      • Natural Stance (Cha-yun Seh)

      Any stance which feels natural to the average person is a natural stance. It is a relaxed posture with the upper body straight and shoulders natural.

      The position in the front line (picture above) is the standard natural stance. Both legs are usually straight within the body line, feet about shoulder width apart, and arms extended slightly forward.

      • Horseback-Riding Stance (Kee-mah Seh)

      This stance is used for a finishing blow in full power as it provides a very strong base for attacks as well as blocks. Since this is a static stance, one cannot easily move away from or into his opponent using it. This stance is, however, important as a training stance that provides strong balance.

      Step sideward with your left foot about twice the standard natural stance width, both feet exactly on a line and hold them stationary. Bend your knees outward and sink down as if mounted on a horse. The hips should be pushed to the rear with your upper body straight, and centered in the middle of both legs. Head and eyes face straight ahead. The chest is open and shoulders relaxed while all muscles on the legs through the hips remain tense. Both feet stay flat on the floor parallel to each