Five Karate Freestyle Concepts that Win Every Fight!

December 20, 2009 by Al Case
Filed under Fitness

Freestyle, whether it is the brute force of the Mixed Martial Arts ring, or the well guided darts of classical karate, is a staple of martial arts training. A black belt is not a black belt, after all, unless he can use techniques of freestyle to reduce the mugger. Even in the MMA, a good base of classical karate freestyle goes a long way towards helping a fighter adapt to usable ring concepts.

That all said, I should caution the reader that one should be well versed in form if he wishes to make the following techniques work. I know many people have put form aside in these modern times, but form teaches control of the body, and of the mind, on an intimate level. And while the purpose of freestyle is to destroy somebody, it is of a much higher level to control them.

The first thing one must understand is how to set up the fight. This is the structural postion one takes when facing another fighter. The idea is to understand and adjust the structure of the body so that one has max traction with the feet, proper angle of the leg and therefore pushing muscles, and the correct turn of the hip so that max weight can be moved with minimum effort.

Another thing that should be done is focus the eyes on the opponents eyes. Simply, you cannot fight what you cannot face. Don\’t look at the chest, or unfocus the eyes, look at the eyes and know that you are looking at the windows to a mans soul, and therefore will be able to see the instant of thought, if not the whole thought, of what the intended technique is going to be.

Lift the arms and point them towards the opponents shoulders. Your opponent will have to go through your arms if he wishes to close with you, and that means he no longer has a straight line. If he goes around your arms, that gives you the straight line advantage.

If you wish to make your attacker entirely predictable, spread the hands slightly and give him access, or tighten them slightly so he will have to go around. You may give up a slight advantage, but now you know exactly what he will do. Knowing what an opponent is going to do before he does it is the majority of the game.

Balance the body so that he doesn\’t know if the attack is going to come from high or low or right or left. Turning the shoulders so he won\’t know which side you will attack with makes you unpredictable. Not letting the opponent know which foot you are standing on, and which is going to be used for kicking is a tremendous advantage

Now, admitted, the techniques and strategy I have presented here are of the quick twitch samurai variety. Still, whether you are facing Matt Hughes in the UFC, or the rival school in a friendly square off, or the rabid home invader, these techniques will hold true, and will open the door to further exploration and awareness. Whether you are fighting in the ring or on the street, whether you are practicing a traditional karate method, like shotokan, or a more modern method like Kenpo, or even a rare version of Shaolin or Wudan, these tactics will train you to win the fight.

Al Case has taught martial arts for over 40+ years. He has written for the magazines since 1981, is the originator of Matrixing Technology, and has written the ultimate work on making a punch that will knock out your opponent every single time.