Karate: Sanbon Kumite Part 1

Sanbon Kumite is an important part of karate training. On the one hand, you have a chance to apply the real techniques against the real attacks. On the other, the attack is short enough, so you (especially if you are a beginner) are not loosing it completely. San means ''three'' in Japanese, so we are going to do three steps. There is a sequence that you are expected to follow every time, though. It is a kind of etiquette in karate. First, you bow. Then you do a step back with the gedan barai. From this position, the technique itself begins. Note that the sequence described is for an attacker. The defending person should bow, but he will not do anything else until you start your attack.

At the end of the three steps, the defending person does a counter-attack. For example, let's consider one of the most common sequences. The format is: technique done by the first person response by the second person;

Chudan ou Tsuki-Uchi Uke
Chudan ou Tsuki-Uchi Uke
Chudan ou Tsuki-Uchi Uke
Chudan Tsuki

Here's a tip for you. Each time an attacker does tsuki, he steps forward; so every time, it is done with a different hand. Finally, the defending person blocks the third tsuki and counter-attacks with the chudan tsuki WITHOUT stepping forward. Then both people pull their front foot back to the fudo dachi (more or less) and bow. After that, they are ready for the next sequence. Usually, the person that was attacking earlier becomes the defending one, and vice versa.

Jodan (Chudan) Tsuki - Uchi (Jodan) Uke -
Jodan (Chudan) Tsuki

During the block, your hand comes in direct contact with your opponent's hand. Use this opportunity. Let's say you just did Hidari (left) uchi uke. If you did it properly, your fist is turned with the palm towards you. Turn your hand counter-clockwise, so that your palm is now on top of your opponent's wrist. Grab the wrist and do the tsuki punch with the other hand.

Here are some important reminders.First, you can do the uchi uke in two different ways. First, you can 'help' the opponent's hand to slightly deviate from its trajectory. Second, (and most often used in Kyokushin) which is actually a brutal attack, hit your opponent's hand with all your might and hopefully break it. But that's just a metaphor, of course; because your opponent's hand still 'flies' to the side far from you afterwards and makes it hard for you to grab it.

Some people would grab their opponent's hand and then pull it in their armpit, as if they are doing the reverse for a classical tsuki. This is wrong, as your hand alone is simply not strong enough. Instead, do not bend your elbow at all. Keep your hand relative to your body, exactly where it was when it met the opponent's hand. Then TURN YOUR BODY INSTEAD. You need to turn your shoulders to do the tsuki. Use the power that comes from your hips, the most powerful part of your body. But to do that, again, do not bend your elbow. Do not, in other words, bring the opponent's wrist to your central line where the leverage is shorter.