Tension & Spring – Ashihara Karate International – Kaicho Hoosain Narker Sabaki Fighting Karate
Tension and spring
Tension involves bending all joints as well as contracting muscle. It is only by releasing this tension at the moment of impact that power is generated. Spring describes the movement from contraction to release. The relative strength of the spring determines power and speed. In the Ashihara fighting stance, the front leg is so positioned that the point of the toe and the knee are in a straight line. The ankle angle is 60 to 80 degrees. It is this angle that generates explosive power.
This is only one example, but in Ashihara Karate basic training, we pay special attention to creating the most effective use of spring in technique
.Tension and Spring in the punch
A – Hip Twist
B – Tension in the Elbow
C – Tension in the Arm
B – Explosive spring in the elbow
D – Twist in the shoulders
E – Screwing action of the fist (A to E all happen at once)
F – The power of the punch results from a combination of the twisting action with the spine as pivot, the shift in the centre of gravity and the explosive release of tension, all which is concentrated in the fist