Hips

[AngelaG]

I had an interesting debate a while back on karate Underground on hip movement. I was working on Bassai Dai at the time and was playing around with a few ideas and concepts. If I remember rightly the debate became quite heated which was quite a surprise to me, as I never envisaged that when I posted my original question.

The actual post read:
If you are doing a reverse inside block (as in heian nidan or bassai dai for example), do you throw the back hip in, or pull the front hip back? I'm experimenting with something and I'm interested in what other people use.

The one thing I hadn't predicted was that some people don't agree that there can be a push or pull at all, and in fact all hip movement is 50/50. We train that the back hip can be pushed in (as in reverse punch) or pulled back, and the same with the front hip. Sometimes this requires a shift of the foot, especially with counter-rotation, in order to ensure that the knee does not straighten out.

How do people on here see hip movement? Do you think there is the possibility to push and pull off the back hip and push and pull off the front hip, or do you think all hip movement is a 50/50 action pivoting around the spine?

If you do agree with the push/pull way, take a simple kata (such a kihon... taikyoku shodan) and tell me, do you push or pull the front/back hips to do gedan barai? Give the other way a go and see what you find. The first time I played with this it messed my head up!!

[Aefibird]

angelag said:

The first time I played with this it messed my head up!!

Argh, I see what you mean!

It was hard for me to do a gedan barai in any other way except the one I'd been used to. Because I've been training for a while and can do gedan barai "automatically", not like a beginner/lower grade then it's hard to adjust a way in which you've been trained.

I shall have to play around a bit more with the two ways.

[subzero72]

I too like to play around a bit both ways *bows*

[paulhe]

Interesting thread. I like the concept of the front hip being fixed and on a pivot, like a hinge. Therefore the movement is entirely positive with no backward (negative) motion. However, in the case of Bassai Dai and the reverse inside blocks in Heian Nidan, I actually drawer the front leg back simultaneously..

[AceRimmer]

The front hip fixed for punching sounds fine as the weight needs to move forward into the technique. For Gedan barai surely it depends whet you are doing with it?

[pasmith]

I'm with PaulHe and try to get as much positive/foward hip movement as I can in any movement. Even a hook punch with the hips pivoting round and slightly back is still "positive" as it follows the intended direction of force.
The door hinge principal is also well endorsed by Peter Consterdine and his double hip/powerslap with no negative movement at all.
That said I wouldn't really know Bassai Dai if someone did it on my head so I can't really comment.

[AngelaG]

Well you might draw a hip back if pulling on, but certainly for striking all the power would be best in a forward motion.

[AceRimmer]

Exactly, pulling someone down using Gean Barai as an armbar.....