Karate Archives - Arjan Hura, MD

20 Lessons I Learned From 20 Years of Karate

By Arjan Hura on November 1, 2018 Karate

This month marks the passing of my twentieth year of training in Shotokan karate. The following is a short and far from all-encompassing collection of thoughts that surfaced as I reminisced over this past year on where I am now relative to when I started training at the age of 7. Hopefully this will be of some aid to anyone early in their training years or looking for guidance. Feel free to share your thoughts as well! 1. Train hard, train often. A favorite refrain of my late Sensei is to “train hard and train often”. If you truly want…

Power Through Softness

By Arjan Hura on August 1, 2017 Karate

The concept of generating power through softness in martial arts is nothing new, but it is something that I personally feel is under-emphasized and not practiced enough in Shotokan karate. I am reminded of this concept from time to time when I notice students tensing up and stopping their techniques short of the end of the full range of motion, often in an effort to feel like they are generating power by making kime. Those who have trained for several years have probably witnessed karate-ka who are so intent on making kime that they prematurely arrest their punches, or pull them…

Three Variations On Hand & Foot Timing

By Arjan Hura on July 1, 2017 Karate

After learning how to make a proper fist and how to punch from shizentai (natural posture/stance), one of the first techniques beginners usually learn to execute while moving forward in zenkutsu-dachi (front stance) is oi-zuki (straight punch). Coordinating ipsilateral movement of the upper and lower limbs is not something that comes naturally to most, as human gait invokes alternating the swing of the upper limbs with the contralateral leg when walking or running. Thus, although one of the earliest sequences in motion learned in karate, coordinating a punch with the same side of the body as the front leg is paradoxically…

50 Kata Day

By Arjan Hura on May 1, 2017 Karate

The first time I experienced a “50 Kata Day” was when I was training with the OSU Shotokan Karate Club at The Ohio State University. I found the special training to be a fun challenge and it is now something I implement on an annual basis in both my personal training and when teaching. Format Complete the same kata 50 times within a time period of 2 hours. The majority of the repetitions of the kata should be focused on something different (breathing, speed, sequences, rhythm, direction, turns, spirit, etc.). Choose whatever kata you are currently working on but make sure…

Heel Down vs. Heel Up: The Case For Both Dorsiflexion & Plantarflexion

By Arjan Hura on March 1, 2017 Karate

View Spanish translation. There are several topics of debate in martial arts that are perennially propagated and vociferously introduced to each new generation of practitioners, one of the most infamous of which is the apparent dilemma of whether the heel should be kept flush with the floor or allowed to rise up when moving or executing a technique. In this article, we examine the anatomy and functional application behind both dorsiflexion (heel down) and plantarflexion (heel up) in karate, to show that superiority of one to the other is context and intent dependent, and that each has its strengths and…

The Anatomy Of Karate Hand Techniques

By Arjan Hura on January 1, 2017 Karate

The standard fist or seiken is one of the simplest, most recognized, and universally employed techniques in martial arts and fighting. There are many different variations on making a fist in both positioning of the hand and the striking surface. Although the act of making a fist may be simple, injuries can be incurred by those not well-versed in the anatomical structures of the hand or unaware of each variation’s formation and applications. One of the primitive reflexes in newborns is the palmar grasp reflex, in which placing a finger or object into a baby’s palm elicits the baby making…

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