A slightly more technical session tonight than usual. We focused on how to make strong powerful techniques - there were two key points.
The first point was showing how we use the floor. If I push a wall standing on one leg, I'm in a weak position and I fall backwards. If I make a front stance facing the wall when I push, I transfer greater force onto the wall because my rear leg is pushing against the floor. We use our whole bodies to generate power but it starts from the floor.
The second part is speed. We generate speed through relaxation. When we lift a heavy object, we don't do it quickly because we are tensed. If we want to lift a piece of paper in the air, then we can lift it quickly by relaxing. Of course, if we hit something when relaxed we'll hurt ourselves, so we tense at the end and then relax immediately after. This near-instantaneous tension and relaxation at the end of a technique when we make contact with something is called kime.
We practiced these two points by performing reverse punch (gyaku zuki) on the spot utilising hip rotation to generate power. We then moved on to hitting the strike shield.
We then continued to practice kihon kata. I can see a big improvement this week - well done! We'll continue to practice it until you have it memorised. We then finished off with practicing front stance, strengthening our legs by holding deep front stances for 30s. Bend your front knee!