Volume 17 Issue 1
Spring 2021

Training Together … Apart: Isshin-ryu Virtual Training

The Benefits of Karate

With the quarantine continuing, I wanted to reach out and provide some resources for anyone wishing to continue practicing their Karate. It’s important to keep practicing and striving to improve on what you have learned.  It’s also a great physical exercise which hopefully everyone is remembering to do daily.

I’m attaching an excerpt from our book to help those of you working on your basics. It has detailed pictures of each technique so you that you can double check yourself and make sure that you are doing each move correctly.

Practice is good no matter how long you have to contribute, doing just a few basics is good, doing more is better.  But if you have time for a 20-30 break, I’d recommend you start with a warmup.  Here’s a sample one to follow. (Note, this is targeted at younger people, if you know how to warm up, choose appropriate exercises for yourself)

Warmup – 5 minutes

1. 1 minute jumping jacks 15 second rest
2. 1 minute hopping up and down (30 seconds per foot) 15 second rest
3. 1 minute jumping jacks 15 second rest
4. 1 minute hopping up and down (30 seconds per foot) 15 second rest

Stretching – 5 minutes

1. 1 minute -> Trunk / Neck / Ankle rotations
2. 1 minute -> Toe touches
3. 1 Minute -> Sitting butterfly stretch (bottoms of feet touching)
4. 1 Minutes -> Left Leg Hamstring stretch (Extend leg, reach down for ball of foot)
5. 1 Minutes -> Left Leg Hamstring stretch (Extend leg, reach down for ball of foot)

Once you are warmed up, practice your upper body basics and kicks.  Try to do an even number on each side of your body.  Always remember to do something fun, break falls, rolls, or random kicks and punches. Finish every workout with something you enjoy and is active.

If you are looking for more Isshinryu resources, our book is of course available on Amazon, just search for Essential Isshinryu by Mike Fenton and Trevor Warren and you can’t miss it.

Basics and Kicks (with full pictures) here