"We are what we Experience not what we Learn"

By Tony Terranova

Written for Shotokan Karate Magazine Website: www.shotokanmag.com

We all have a unique relationship with our training, which is based on our beliefs. I take no credit for the contents of this article; I am only sharing my own experiences on the subject of training with focus pads, kick shields, heavy bags, Thai pads (& other equipment). Experts such as Geoff Thompson, Peter Constardine, Rick Young, Master Sken (& many others) have provided considerable information on this subject therefore the credit belongs to them.

Should Functional Techniques be our primary goal in training?

Recently a student attended one of my classes introducing himself as a kick boxer (no problem I respect all martial artists). He then went into a load of psychobabble about how karate training was not really for him, he did not believe in the deep stances & the light snappy techniques. Stating he was only accustomed to hard training using focus pads, bags & kick shields etc. with the emphasis being on reality training for full contact, I offered no reply but to say he was welcome to train with us.

I chose not to tell him that I trained regularly with such equipment together with our senior instructors Ross Young (3rd Dan) & Martyn Chapman (2nd Dan), both are in the FSBKUI international squad. But I did wonder why he'd developed this belief system about karate & decided we would do focus pad & kick shield drills for the 2-hour class.

For the first drill each student had to execute 8 mawashigeri kicks with each leg at full speed & power driven into a 5-inch thick curved kick shield. The 1st set would consist of 16 kicks & subsequent sets would consist of 4 reps of the 16-kick routine (64 kicks). The 1st 4 (of the 8) kicks were delivered to a shield held over the thigh & knee with the kick driving inwards & downwards into the thigh (just above the kneecap). The 2nd 4 (of the 8) kicks were delivered to a shield, which was bent over into a U shape & tightly tucked into the shield holder's side (waistline). This kick drives inwards & upwards into the floating rib & the side of the waist.

The drill is used to develop low & mid level round house kicks, which do not snap back upon impact but transfer the strikers body mass into the pad for maximum impact (Force = Mass x Acceleration). The training is both aerobic & anaerobic & is designed to build muscle memory & program the nervous system to deliver effective kicks. Aesthetically pleasing kicks have no value here as the experience is unforgiving, the shield holder can easily calibrate the kickers power.

I did a light demonstration of the techniques & held the shield for our new member, who was 1st in line - we had 3 demolition lines (I placed him in mine). He kicked but the power was mediocre (I know kick boxers that can kick through the shield & you'd feel the impact, he wasn't one of them). After he completed his 1st set I asked him to hold the shield for me. My low kick rocked & cranked his leg over, my mid level kick drove through the pad (acknowledged by his body language). He was surprised (given that he was 6'2" & I'm 5'9" & several stones lighter) & asked how the power is generated. I replied "you can't fire a missile out of a canoe".

My point being low stances (which are part of Shotokan training) can help to develop a strong base (but we do not necessarily adopt them for sparring). I was attempting to change his belief system about karate with this experience (this was not about my kicking power, I would not be so arrogant as to consider myself an expert martial artist). To his credit he trained hard the rest of the lesson & showed respect for our drills.

Does training with equipment speed up the learning process?

Full contact martial arts such as, boxing, Muay Thai, UFC, K1, kick boxing & (other forms) use focus pads, bags, kick shields etc. to develop functional techniques. One could then argue that it makes logical sense for the Shotokan practitioner to spend a greater amount of time training with such equipment. My experience is that teaching someone to strike pads results in the development of functional techniques in a shorter space of time than when training without equipment.

Striking a target (that does not require you to pull to back upon impact) allows the bodies natural guidance system to develop accuracy & self-regulation on the effectiveness of a technique. Less damage is done to your joints as they are not subjected to the ligament separation evident when striking thin air (and you do not damage your training partner who has to go to work the next day). Other benefits include, confidence is rapidly built, it provides students with immediate visible goals and striking objects can be very therapeutic in releasing a lot of stress (ask my wife, she always feels better after hitting me).

Is there value in customising your equipment training to suit your style?

I returned to martial arts training in 2002 (after a 10-year break) and was fortunate to find a local club with Shotokan instructors and an accommodating association (the FSBKUI). The only problem being that I was accustomed to regular training with equipment & it was not part of the clubs syllabus (at that time).

Our instructors Ross & Martyn agreed to compromise & train with me on a regular basis but at my converted double garage, (which has all the necessary equipment). Initially I had to deprogram them to train with focus pads & bags. Within the last 12-months we have done numerous drills & combinations. We have however ensured that the drills are not only generic in form (i.e. similar to established boxing or Muay Thai drills) but also customised to be synergistic with Shotokan practice.

Example Drill

Using 2 large thick Muay Thai pads the full length of the forearms (which have a hold handle and double straps tied to the holders arms), one of our practice combinations is, sotouke, jodan uraken and chudan mawashigeri.

1. The pad holder horizontally extends the right arm out at solar plexus level, the left hand is extended at a 30 degree angle (upwards) at jodan level (pads are shoulder width apart).
2. The striker steps forward and does sotouke with his right arm onto the pad holders right arm
3. He is then perfectly positioned to do uraken jodan with the back of the same hand onto the holders left arm pad
4. The striker then steps back during which time the holder has moved sideways into a low stance holding the pads tightly together at a 45 degree angle (upwards)
5. The striker then delivers a mawashigeri jodan kick to the pads
6. This drill is done with speed and power with all 3 techniques combined (no pauses in between techniques). The impact on the pads is full contact (no snap) and multiple sets are done to exhaustion using both sides of the body.

What are your reasons for training?

I travel the world with my work & have to visit many dangerous places. Therefore time is a very precious commodity and I need to develop functional techniques in short intensive training sessions that are self-calibrated during the training (I need to experience the effectiveness not just learn the technique). I find that training with equipment satisfies this need. I do respect that everyone has their own views, the truth is where you find it (& is sometimes defined by our reasons for training and beliefs).

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