KU Quick Tips - Building Power from the Ground Up

In this KU Quick Tip, I look at the sequence of activation through the body when generating power. Starting at the floor and working up through the legs, hips, shoulders, and into the impact tool, we want to foster a fluid wave in the body from the ground up, culminating in the transfer of energy to the target.

Consider how the muscles of the legs work in conjunction to drive hips forward, thus starting the initial rotation:
Calf contraction to extend the foot drives the knee forward;
Quadriceps contraction to extend the lower leg at the knee straightens the leg and propels the hip;
Glute contraction extends the upper leg at the hip ensuring that the direction of motion of the hip is forward and not up.

Now with the hip being driven forward, that energy is connected to the upper body through the core:
A rotation in the core provides supplemental energy at the start of the motion to bring the hip forward;
Now here is the tricky part that may require some thought and sensory visualization, the action in the core responsible for pulling the hip forward is the opposite rotation to what is required to pull the same side shoulder forward. AND that same action will tend to cause the hip to move backwards again. This is often called a counter rotation and is essential to the delivery of the technique. However, it should not result in the hip moving backward. Here again, the role of the legs is key. At first the legs start the motion by propelling the hip forward, but at that point they serve to anchor the hip, holding it forward while the counter action in the core takes over to drive the shoulders forward. All of that energy to drive the shoulders forward must not be lost, even partially, in a backward rotation of the hips, so the legs are critical here. At this point, practitioners typically have no trouble maintaining the quadriceps involvement, but often neglect the push from the glutes and/or calf.

As the rotation of the upper body is taking place, the shoulder is moved into a forward position, the arm is extended, and then the impact tool is tensed and prepared.

We have, then, the legs propelling the hip forward (aided by the core), the core propelling the upper body into the rotation, and the shoulder and arm extension against the base of the upper body.

Looking at it the other way around, the impact tool is supported by the arm, which is supported by the forward extension of the shoulder to direct force back into the upper body rather than tending to push the shoulder joint out of place behind the torso. The upper body is supported from a backwards rotation by the action in the core. That action in the core pulls on the hips as its base and relies on the hips being anchored by the push from the legs. The legs in turn are supported through extension into the floor. All the way from the hand to the foot, the force is aligned through every supporting body part to the floor.

Cody Stewart is a martial arts instructor of Koryu Uchinadi Kenpo Jutsu under Hanshi Patrick McCarthy. KU is a style of karate that utilizes impacting, clinch, throws, chokes, joint locks, and groundwork within a traditional Japanese budo framework. Emphasis is on civil self defense against habitual acts of physical violence (HAPV) and how all of the defensive themes are embodied in kata movements.