Gyaku Zuki

Gyaku Zuki or reverse punch is one of the first moves you will learn in karate. It is performed as part of kihon or basic technique during every class as well as appearing in kata and being of great use in sparring. It is also one of the most frustrating moves known to karate. This is because it looks easy, but nothing could be further from the truth. After a year of practice I still cannot do this basic technique well. I'm at the stage where it looks ok, but against an obstacle it has no real impact and this is because I'm not doing it correctly. It's more obvious for me since I don't have a huge amount of strength. My technique performed by a large bloke would probably be effective enough, but that really isn't the point, big or small, strong or weak you need to aspire to perfect technique even if you could defeat your opponent by simply falling on them. The underlying philosophy of karate is that a single technique is all that you need to defeat your opponent. This is not the philosophy of other martial arts and hence effective technique is of over riding importance in karate.

Gyaku Zuki like other moves, uses every part of the body, not just the arm. Not only must the back foot push off, driving the back hip forward which is the basis of the power behind the punching arm, but 5 other components beyond this add to the overall power. Firstly, a combination of tension in the lower half of the body with relaxation in the upper part. The former gives a firm stance from which to begin the generation of power while the latter allows speed. The muscles of the shoulder, neck and scapula must be relaxed so that the arm can be whipped forward without resistance. Second, rotational torque. Starting from the back foot and carried through the hip and abdominal muscles and rotational movement begins that precedes the punch landing and throws it out from the body. Simultaneously the leading hand pulls back sharply to just above belt level as an additional rotational force. Third, aim just beyond the target. Forth, speed. The faster you get, the greater the impact. Lastly, focus. For beginners focus is just thinking about all of the above, but for those who can do all that automatically and whose gi cracks in an attempt to keep up with speeding limbs, focus can add power by tapping our ability to enhance our own strength in times of emergency. Some advanced practitioners can do this at will, in the same way that some people with practice can alter their heart rate consciously. Of course, I've forgotten the most important thing - practice!