I’ve seen a lot of descriptions on how to do a simple Karate lunge punch, and, I hate to say it, but they are all in error. Thus, they fall into the same old, same old trap of muscle building bushwah. This is quite silly because the first movement you learn in the martial arts is usually a good, old karate punch, it is one of the first counts of karate kata heian-one.

Before we start rocking and rolling, I should probably clear up what the word matrix means. Matrixing means to analyze and handle force and direction, it is concerned with the physics of the art. A correctly matrixed punch, as you will see after reading this article, is the stuff of legends.

To properly matrix a karate lunge punch you must understand that the body is a motor, and that a motor must be connected to the ground. Thus, the question is…what leg are you standing on…and what leg does the work. When constructing a good motor one must always begin from the ground.

So, it doesn’t matter if you are doing shito ryu kata, goju ryu kata, or whatever, you start from a position with one leg forward. You are going to step forward with the other leg, and punch with the same side hand as you are stepping with. Looks simple, but let’s examine what you should be doing, and let’s assume that you are starting with the left leg forward for the sake of this article.

Push with the right leg, then, as your right leg passes your left leg, push with your left leg. Do you understand? There are two pushes involved with this action. This is something that nobody has ever mentioned in any of the descriptions that I have read.

This means that you should not start with the back (right) leg stiff and straight, you must start with it slightly bent. And, it means you must be aware of when one leg is passing the other, and give both legs, in turn, the command to push. And, here is the crucial point, you must sink your weight down the front leg.

When it comes to martial moves this is actually quite a bit more tricky than most people suspect. The fact that it is one of the first karate moves you will ever do puts it as a basic building block for all martial arts techniques, and if you don’t have the simple complexities down, your martial arts are going to be suffering. To understand the rest of the punch you need only understand one thing: keep the shoulders aligned with the hips, move the foot and the hand together, and search for liquid smoothness when doing.

Now, whether you are practicing traditional karate as a simple coordination drill for kumite karate, or whether you are practicing the highest shodan kata for testing, your success depends on one thing: awareness. When you drill the front punch, and every other karate technique you have ever learned, from every karate kata you know, you must analyze and handle your body and movements so that every thing works in unison, like a well oiled…motor. Awareness, that is what is at the soul of matrixing, and that is what is going to give you the strongest, hardest karate lunge punch ever devised.

Whether you want to matrix individual moves, or whole arts, you can pick up a free ebook at Monster Martial Arts. w

Tags: Self Defence