Karate Chop
Can your friend chop a piece of wood that you can't? Did you ever imagine yourself chopping a brick in half? Following these steps and you can quickly learn this fun and famous karate move, the karate chop!
Steps
- Place the wood (or brick) on two stable chopping blocks, with the wood grain running in the same direction as the way your hand is facing to chop. Chopping with the grain makes the wood easier to break.
- Choose thin, smooth board for chopping, such as slim pine boards.
- Don't try to chop anything that is too thick or hard (3" maximum is suggested to start). A cinder block may be possible if you have been training for a few weeks and yell very loudly when making contact.
- Get into the stance. This involves either standing up, with legs shoulder-width apart or kneeling with your knees vertical from your shoulders, two feet from the chopping blocks.
- Prepare for the strike by staying calm. Freaking out will not help since the key to successful striking is the mind, you want to stay as calm as possible before you strike.
- Imagine your hand going through the wood or brick. If you can't see it happening, chances are it won't happen. This could be bad if it doesn't. Remain positive. Be one with the chopping motion.
- Put your thumb next to your pointer finger.
- Bend your fingers slightly to the left (if you are right-handed) or right, if you are left-handed.
- Lift your arm high up into the air, ready to slam down and strike.
- Shoot your hand down, thrusting farther until you break the block. Do not remove your hand from the chopping blocks immediately––your hand needs to go all the way through to make the break.
- If you don't chop it, check on how you feel. If you feel very little pain, try to improve your speed. A little extra strength is also helpful for successful karate chopping.
- The edge and heel of the hand can take quite a lot of force provided they are the parts of your hand that contact with the wood. However, as a learner, it is best to have someone mentor you or, if that is not possible, to bring down your hand gently and with repeated practice, increase the force.
- If you feel great pain, stop for the day. If any serious damage to your body has occurred, see a doctor immediately.
- Practice, practice, practice. The more you practice, the better your accuracy and ability to hit.
Tips
- If you break the wood or brick it will be less painful than if you don't. If you do not break it, the force will be concentrated in your hand and is not transferred to the ground.
- Practice some relaxation techniques to calm your mind.
- Try to aim for the point below the board, as people usually develop most of the force in their blow right before it hits.
- The karate chop is also known as the knife hand strike, the ax hand, Shuto or Tegatana.
- You should practice hitting or chopping something that is not too hard or soft everyday so that when comes to the real thing your hand won't hurt very much.
Warnings
- Do not chop anything that you obviously are not able to chop. If you are not very strong, do not try chopping boards greater than 3 inches (7.5cm), and less than 1 inch (2.5cm) of brick.
- If you are a beginning martial arts student, NEVER attempt breaks of any kind without supervision. Generally speaking, the martial arts are not a "self teaching" opportunity. Not a good time to learn by trial and error- even our teachers have teachers.
- Do not attempt thick boards of wood or anything else hard. Professional training is a must for thick and dense boards!
- Do not karate chop people for no reason. Although this may sound silly to think about, it could cause someone serious hurt or get you in trouble. Karate is self-defense, not to be used as offense against innocent others!
- Don't be afraid to seek medical assistance if you think you may have injured yourself
Things You'll Need
- Chopping blocks, (cement/cinder blocks will do fine)
- Chopping wood (usually pine boards, choose thin boards)
- Training (try joining a Martial Arts class)
- Bandages
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