Karate: Combinations (Rendeoku Vasa) Part 1

If you have done the previous exercises with conviction, you must now be ready to learn the combination techniques. Here they are:

Soto Uke -Gedan Barai -Giaku Tsuki

The soto uke brings your body in a position which makes it possible to switch to gedan barai easily. Both blocks are done with the same hand. Just keep in mind that your body must add power to the soto uke by turning from the outside to the inside. And then as the hand is doing gedan barai, the shoulders and the hips are moving from the inside to the outside and your position is getting slightly lower, so that the second block is also getting additional power.

The third technique (the tsuki) is not really a part of the combination. But it is important to realize that life does not end after the gedan barai. Be ready to switch to technique number three, four, and so on.

Chudan Mae Geri - Giaku Tsuki

When mae geri is performed (by you), the natural reaction of your opponent is to move back slightly. His balance as  well as his 'fighting spirit' is not very strong at that moment, so you would like to continue to attack him. It is important to remember that the punch should touch the target at the same moment that your foot touches the ground; so that the following two events happen simultaneously: your fist penetrating the target and your body sinking into a new position.

As mentioned earlier, the technique is NOT a sequence, but rather a whole act. Your 'emotional contents' should be on your fist from the very first moment. It is not really a requirement, as there is no such thing as a predetermined combination during the real fight. But it is very useful exercise. Focus on the second punch; and make sure the mae geri is just an intermediate step and, at the same time, a complete and powerful kick. The two requirements above are actually contradicting each other; but only when you are stable to do it, then you can say that you have mastered the technique.

The point is in making it flow and in shutting down logical thinking. That is somewhat saying something like ''turn your foot, bring the knee to the chest, oh, I forgot about the fist, and where is the knee now?..." The internal dialog is not fast enough, so keep it shut.