Introduction to Martial Arts

Family Martial Arts

Black Belt Schools

 

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 Introduction to Martial Arts

 

1. Bow

At Family Martial Arts, one of the ways we show Respect is by bowing when we enter the school, again when we enter the training room, and also when asked to by an Instructor. Stand tall, feet together and hands by your sides, and bow, always keeping your eyes forward. When we bow, we say the word ‘Respect’.

2. Instructors

Always refer to Instructors as ‘Sir’ for a male Instructor, or ‘Miss’ for a female Instructor. This is another way of showing Respect.

3. Attention Stance

When called to attention, stand tall with your feet together and hands by your sides, and say the words ‘Concentration Sir/Miss’. This is to show that you are focussed and ready for your lesson.

4. Ready Position

When called to ready position, stand with your feet at shoulder width apart and parallel, hands held out in front of your waist with closed fists. Say the words ‘Focus Sir/Miss’. This shows that you are paying full attention and ready to perform the next technique.

5. Guard Up Stance

When the Instructor gives the command to Guard Up, move your right foot back onto the ball of foot and pull your hands up to cover your lower face, keeping elbows in whilst shouting out ‘Kia’ (this is a way of showing confidence). Keep eyes forward.

 

Section Two: Basic Techniques

1. Jab/Cross:

From Guard Up stance, push out your lead hand (the one over the leg you have in front), with a closed fist, this is a Jab. To perform a Cross, push out the other hand (the one over your back leg). Punches should be in line with your nose, and you should always hold one hand at guard whilst performing a punch.

2. Front Kick

From Guard Up stance, pull your knee up as high as you can, keeping the foot tucked in. This is called the ‘chamber’ position. From the chamber position, push your foot out in front, using the ball of the foot to strike. This is a basic Front Kick.

3. High Block

To perform a High Block, first cross your arms in front of your chest; this is the chamber position. From the chamber position, push one arm above your head, at an angle (like a ‘roof’ over your head!), using the side of the forearm to block. This is a basic High Block. The other hand pulls back to the hip by your belt.

4. Low Block

As with the High Block, you first cross your arms in front of your chest and then this time the arm that is blocking now moves downwards and outwards finishing with a slight bend in the arm. The position of the arm will finish so the fist is inline with the inside of the knee and the other back to the hip again.

5. Switch

This is performed by simultaneously skipping the front and rear feet to pass each other and end up in the same stance but opposite leg forward. Usually performed whilst in the Guard Up Stance.

6. Sitting Stance

To perform this stance the command will be to either move the left or right foot outwards from a ready stance so the feet end up parallel, two shoulder widths apart.

The back should remain straight and upward and the knees bent outwards to the side.

This stance is some times referred to as a horse stance because of how it looks.

7. Hook/Uppercut:

From Guard Up stance, bring your hand across in a hooking motion, keeping the arm parallel to the floor. This is a Hook punch. To perform an uppercut, dip your knees slightly and then drive upwards through the knees and hips whilst driving a punch upwards with the palm facing in.

Add these to the basic straight Jab/Cross and you have a fundamental boxing combination!

8. Walking Stance

Walking Stance should be two shoulder widths long and one shoulder width wide. Body weight is evenly distributed (50/50) through both legs. Both the feet should point forwards.

9. L Stance

An L Stance is one and a half shoulder widths long, and has no width. The heels should be in line, with the front foot pointing forwards and the back foot pointing off at a right angle. Seventy percent of body weight is on the back leg, and both legs are bent, the back one more so.

10. Turning Kick

This kick is also known as a Roundhouse in some Martial Arts. To perform it correctly, you need to chamber the kicking leg and pivot on the ball of the supporting foot, letting the kick go as your hips swing round and bring the leg in front of you.

11. Crescent Kick

A Crescent kick can either move in towards your centre line (an Inwards Crescent), or out away from your centre line (an Outwards Crescent). Either way, the foot should be pointing up, so you strike with either the blade or instep. The leg chambers and then straightens out and swings across either in or out.

12. Middle Block

To perform this block, chamber (cross) the arms in front of you, then place the fist out at shoulder height, arm bent at a 45 degree angle so that the elbow points to the floor. If the fist faces in, the block is an Inner Forearm block. If the fist faces out, the block is an Outer Forearm block.

13. Low/Middle/High Punches

In Sitting Stance, you may be instructed to perform straight punches at different height levels; low level is in line with your belt knot, middle is in line with your solar plexus, and high is at eye level. This not only works the arms and shoulders but helps improve coordination.

In Sitting Stance, you will also learn to perform Low, Middle and High blocks after each other to develop co-ordination and hand timing.