Step Sparring:
A Relic of the Past
Kihon kumite has been around for decades but it’s probably time for us to move on
By ANDY ALLEN
Shotokan karate syllabi make use of various types of step sparring. You’re probably familiar with it: the attacker steps back in a low block and announces the attack. Meanwhile, the defender waits in a ready position known as shizentai; hands held low with feet shoulder width apart (hardly a sensible posture when you know there is danger). The attacker launches a stepping punch or kick from a ridiculously far distance. They may just step once or multiple times. We call this ippon, sanbon or gohon kumite depending on the number of steps taken by the attacker. This form of kihon kumite has been around for decades but it’s probably time for us to move on. I realize this is heresy for the ‘traditionalists’ out there but I believe that it only serves to develop bad habits.
I am a firm believer that functionality must be paramount in the martial arts. Choki Motobu once said, “Nothing is more harmful to the world than a martial art that is not effective in actual self-defense.” That may be a stretch. It certainly takes a back seat to racial profiling, gender inequality, and poverty but in my mind but it certainly holds true in the martial arts world.
At the center of my research, teaching and practice, practicality is the primary focus. For the purpose of becoming competent in the area of self-defense we practice defending against habitual acts of physical violence (HAPV theory is the work of practical karate pioneer Patrick McCarthy). This includes haymaker punches, pushes and shoves, and various types of grabs. We utilize numerous techniques many of which come from kata that include throws, chokes, joint locks, ground fighting, and of course percussive impact. If training methodologies do not develop transferable skills for self protection then I don’t see it as having a lot of value.
Let’s examine the problems with step sparring whether it be one, three or five steps. Note that It’s not the pre-arranged nature of step starring that I have issue with. I utilize pre-arranged or choreograph drills all the time in my teaching as they are absolutely essential for ingraining appropriate responses to violence. My issue with step sparring is the nature of the attack and defense as well as the the robotic nature of the movements. So I guess that’s pretty much all of it. For reference, watch the clip below.
Distance
The distance between the attacker and defender in kihon kumite is unrealistic. Civilian violence happens at close range. Note that civilian violence is not the same as fighting. Fighters in a ring and thugs on the street utilize different tactics and motives. No thug intent on mugging you wants to give away their intentions from four feet away.
Some might argue that keeping an enemy at a distance is a smart tactic. I would agree, especially when that person is far stronger or when there are multiple opponents. This is also true for most karate practitioners as we are generally better strikers than we are grapplers. My counter to that is we cannot be so arrogant to think this is a fool-proof strategy. The environment may not allow for creating distance and statistically, many altercations end up in clinch range or worse, on the ground. For karate instructors to claim to teach karate for self defense but ignore the grappling skill set is nothing short of irresponsible.
The Attacks
I have never seen a stepping punch used in a mugging or a street fight. Maybe a lunging hook, but not a straight punch. Another problem is the timing of the foot and hand movements. If done “correctly”, the punch and the stepping foot needs to finish at the same time. If you have ever taught beginner students, you no doubt have seen them try to finish their punch before their stepping foot lands. This is a natural motion as it allows one to strike the target sooner. Any claims that this results in a loss of power are false. It is simply a misapplication of a basic technique found in kata.
Recently, I taught the heian shodan bunkai sequence shown below to my beginner students. At this point in their training, they had not yet practiced sanbon kumite. I taught them to step to close distance as they punched. For this application, you are within grappling range immediately after your strike lands. A week later, I was teaching sanbon kumite which is a requirement for their 8th kyu test. I chuckled to myself somewhat smugly as I watched all the students finish their oi zuki attacks long before their step finished. They were doing it ‘wrong’ but none-the-less it made me happy.
I have taught this technique to black belts who have not had experience outside a 3K syllabus. They almost always struggle with this altered timing of the punching hand and the stepping foot. They end up leaning back as their step finishes so they have enough room to land their punch. This is a ‘training scar’; a bad habit that is the result of too much kihon kumite.
The Defense
Like the offensive arsenal in step sparring, the defensive tactics are flawed as they are too far removed from reality. In some Shotokan organizations, prior to stepping back and blocking, a large chambering movement is used as a ‘set up’. This serves no functional purpose for techniques such as age uke (rising block). In fact, this extra motion will result in you getting punched in the face when you are trying defend against someone not playing the kihon kumite ‘game’. Too often, ‘traditionalists’ will claim that the large movements are for beginners and that more advanced students need to shorten the movements. That begs the question, why teach beginners something that doesn’t work only to make them change later on? This only seems to happen in traditional martial arts such as karate or Tae Kwon Do. You won’t find this backward pedagogy in a Muay Thai, boxing, judo or jiu jutsu class. They are more concerned about what works and they teach effective techniques to their beginner students.
In the short clip below, I demonstrate a more practical method for using age uke as a block. The ‘chamber’ is the block and the ‘rising’ arm allows you to bridge into a counter technique.
Hikite
In sanbon kumite, a strong hikite is encouraged when punching and blocking. The hikite is sold as a means to make one’s hand techniques stronger. It is a fact that there is no scientific evidence that supports this myth. Contrary to popular belief, It does not allow your torso to rotate for more power. The experiment in the video below refutes this claim. The hikite actually causes the torso to rotate backwards!
Talk to any pragmatic karateka and they will likely agree that the hikite is not meant to generate power. The true purpose of hikite, or the “pulling hand”, has more to do with seizing limbs and pulling an enemy off-balance. This is a controversial topic and warrants a separate discussion. Iain Abernethy explains the true roll of hikite below.
Overcompliance
There is nothing wrong with two-person drills that use compliance. I see it as an essential layer of training so long as resistance and pressure testing are also used as part of our regular practice. I have practiced partner-compliant drills in muay thai, jiu jutsu and judo. That said, I find the various types of step sparring overly compliant. The attacker steps forward with an oi zuki and freezes as the other participant has his way. Perhaps the counter attack is a single technique but often the counter attack is two, three or even four movements as the attacker stays frozen in a deep front stance. Check out the example below.
Shizentai
In kihon kumite, the defender starts in shizentai, a ‘ready’ position with the hands held low at the waist. The theory is that it teaches the practitioner to defend themselves from a natural position. After all, walking around with your guard up is a sign of paranoia, right? To a point, this makes sense. It would be far more practical, however, to start from a ‘hands up, palms forward’ position. In a confrontation, this signals your potential enemy that you don’t want trouble yet puts you in a position to react quickly.
In this video, I briefly discuss the role of the ‘hands up, palms forward’ position. It signals that I don’t want trouble but yet prepares me to respond. Though unrelated to this posting, you can watch the full nijushiho video here.
Stepping Back
Kihon kumite often involves stepping back in a straight line when defending. Tactically, this flawed and dangerous outside a competitive environment. When we are not on the dojo floor, we cannot be certain of the environment that is out of sight. There are curbs, railings, beer bottles and other obstacles that we cannot see. Stepping to the side or forward should always be a priority.
A Better Approach
I don’t think we need to completely throw out the concept of ippon kumite. As I mentioned before, there is nothing wrong with practicing compliant drills as part of your training regime. Instead of practicing defending against oi zuki (stepping punch), why not replace it with a haymaker punch? It would be a lot more practical.
I have no issue with how people choose to train. If they are happy doing kihon kumite for a workout and to train with spirit then that works! What I have issue with is false claims. Miyamoto Musashi, the famous swordsman and author of The Book of Five Rings said that we will fight the way we train. Step sparring is far removed from reality based training and is simply not in the best interest of our students who want to learn to defend themselves. Many karateka don’t take well to criticism of their art and often default to ‘tradition’ as justification for perpetuating flawed training methodologies. Some will claim that ippon and sanbon kumite once helped them defend themselves. I suppose that it’s better than no training at all but it is undeniably far from optimal.
Happy training!
Andy Allen
Check out my YouTube post on step sparring…