Karate techniques and exercises for home

You can also improve your karate skills at home. In addition to regular exercises and training sessions, fitness training should not be neglected. To make the techniques easier for you, it is quite useful to do one or two exercises at home.

Depending on your level of training, it may make sense to train at home. After all, it is generally known that the brain internalizes movement sequences better if they are trained daily for 15 minutes instead of once a week for 120 minutes, even though the total time spent is shorter.

Note: Karate exercises should actually always be completed in pairs. Therefore, the exercises at home should only be a supplement to the training, but can not replace it.

1. Foot positions: For beginners, it is recommended to first learn the different foot positions. Often the correct foot position during turns and twists already causes enough difficulties without using the hands. When you are ready for the feet to blindly obey you, feel free to add the hands.
2. Learning Kata: You can practice kihon and kata at home if you have enough space. When practicing kata, just make sure you don’t change the movements for lack of space, as it will be difficult to get rid of these habits later. Although there are some karate tutorials on the Internet that explain individual techniques or complete kata, ideally you should let your trainer show and explain the techniques and movements to you beforehand.
3. Learn defense and punching techniques: It also makes sense to practice the defense techniques (foot and hand) in the training at home, so you memorize the technique even better. But make sure you have enough space, so that your TV doesn’t get kicked ;-).
4. Condition: Karate is a sport, as with any sport you have advantages with a good condition, so it does not hurt to jog a round or to sit on the bike.

Always remember: relearning an incorrectly learned technique takes the brain many times longer than learning a new technique. In the following videos, basic techniques are presented:

An advanced student, who has already passed the first belt exams, already knows some of his weaknesses and will work to compensate for them. If you have problems with a kata or a part of it, you can of course practice it at home.

1. Learning Kata: Since there are individual katas asked per belt, you will always have enough to learn here.
2. Techniques: In the individual katas there are a number of striking and defensive techniques that are not part of the basic techniques, these must be perfected.
3. Condition: as already said above, condition is an essential advantage that everyone should work on, whether beginner or professional.
4. Partner exercises: If you’ve been at this for a while, you may have already acquired some equipment (such as a training mat or punching pads) and are practicing with the help of a partner. This partner does not necessarily have to be a member of the club, because in principle anyone can hold the pads, but it helps you in the sense that a trained training partner can observe your technique and, if necessary, point out mistakes and weaknesses.

In the following videos karate katas are performed:

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At the level of a professional, that is, when reaching the last kyu degrees just before the transition to 1st dan, you probably think that the intensity of training will decrease, since the karateka will soon master everything. However, this is a complete mistake, because now that he hardly learns any new techniques, he must work all the harder to perfect those he has already learned. A Dan holder will not train at home according to any pattern, but will work specifically to optimize his karate techniques.

1. Performing Katas: The katas learned are certainly a good introduction to training and solidify what has been learned.
2. Condition: Karate professionals certainly take part in karate training several times a week, yet condition training is also useful here.
3. Practice fights: Even if it is certainly difficult due to the space, practice fights are actually the most important thing as a professional. Maybe this can be realized in the garden or in a part?

Should you belong to the Kumite competitors, it would be appropriate, of course, if you find an equal practice partner to be able to train the free fight effectively. Defeating a green belt would be a nice proof of your abilities, but will in no way prepare you sufficiently for your next competition.

But it must be said clearly: Exercises for professionals are only of limited use at home, besides fitness and katas nothing can be practiced here, where no partner (and training ground) are needed.

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In karate there are different techniques for defense, throws and striking techniques with the foot and arms. We offer a small overview of the techniques.

Stance techniques in karate	A great feature of karate is that almost every technique can be performed with different foot positions (tachi waza) called stances. You will learn these stances gradually throughout your training. Learning different techniques in different stances is a basic requirement for performing various kata. In movies, students often stand in “kiba-dachi,” with the feet at the side of the body and the tops of the feet pointing forward.
Ready Stance (Kamae)	The readiness stance (kamae) is used in training to signal to the opponent that you are ready to fight and to be ready to fight yourself. In the ready posture you should not only be physically but also mentally tense. For clarification: The frequently used posture “Jodan Kamae” is similar to the posture boxers take during the fight to protect their face.
Defense techniques	The defense techniques consist of several factors. Already through the stance, hit area of opponent’s blows is reduced. In addition, the blows are defended with feet and arms.
Leg technique in karate	Furthermore, many attacks can be executed in several ways by changing the hit area. For example, a side kick can be executed as “Yoko-Geri Kekomi” or as “Yoko-Geri Keage”. In Kekomi, the heel is used to strike and in Keage the outer edge of the foot is used to “snap”, but basically it is the same leg technique. Another peculiarity, especially in Shotokan Karate, is that almost all techniques can be used equally for attack and defense. One subdivides the techniques into different groups.
Arm techniques in karate	The largest group of karate techniques are the arm techniques (Ude-Waza). This is due to the fact that every kata is full of them and also because in a competition you have to use your arms in every second for protection. Arm techniques are divided into striking techniques, thrusting techniques and blocking techniques.
Punching and thrusting techniques with the arm	Mainly in the case of punching techniques, the individual technique is still differentiated according to the zone that is used. For example, you can hit with your fist, the edge of your hand or the back of your hand. Punching techniques, on the other hand, are usually executed straight and with the fist. Blocking techniques mainly use the fist, the edge of the hand and the forearm.
Punching and striking techniques with the leg	The next group is represented by the leg techniques (Ashi-Waza), where there are also many hit zones, ranging from the heel, to the outer edge of the foot, to the instep of the foot. Some foot techniques can be executed thrusting and striking, whereas other techniques are fixed. The special form is the foot sweep, the aim of which is to pull an opponent’s leg out from under his body.
Levers and throws	In karate there are various levers and throws, but you will learn them later in your training. Due to the specialization of karate on punches and kicks, these techniques receive almost no attention at all in the early stages.

The original purpose of these techniques was effective defense against superior attackers, which each of you will realize if you study a little about the movement sequences. Karate is known, among other things through various films, for its hard punching, blocking, kicking and pushing techniques, although in the later course of training also some throws, levers and chokeholds are learned.

Update: 2023-05-28 / Affiliate Links / Bilder von der Amazon Product Advertising API