Nasty elbows continued

"The title is "Explosive Uechi-ryu" and the moderator is Arthur Rabesa. Art will be exploring the power contained in Uechi-ryu that is not appreciated by the average practitioner. Make no mistake - this forum is for the serious martial artist and I wholeheartedly recommend it for anyone who really wants to tap his or her explosive power potential.

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Bill Bauknecht
Posts: 189
Joined: Tue Nov 10, 1998 6:01 am
Location: Falmouth, Ma.

Nasty elbows continued

Post by Bill Bauknecht »

The thrusting elbow strike is devastating. It's like getting hit with the narrow end of a pole. Many kata forms and two person sets contain this move. To hit with power with this particular strike calls for the same awareness as all of the other strikes. However, this one has some draw backs. If the line of attack is not straight, the blow will glance off the impact area.
If the shoulder is too far forward, it might result in shoulder injury. So let's take this one by the numbers.

The most important thing to remember here is to stay in a compacted position all the way to impact. Do not over extend the elbow but simply carry your power position into the target.
The setup in photo #18 appears to be the same as the previous elbow strike. The one big difference being the route of the right hand. Instead of snapping to your sternum area, it snaps up beside your temple. The striking elbow coordinates an inward movement at the same time.
While all this is going on; the back, shoulder and trunk muscle groups are torquing down and slightly inward as in #18A. Impact takes place with an upward ripping effect. The continuation of the torque must take place for the stopping result you seek.
In #18B you can see the drive of the back, shoulder and trunk's torquing action. Notice the alignment of the striking elbow and the forward leg. This foundation is very important here for maximum power upon impact.

In number 18C a closer look at the alignment is shown. Notice the compacted position of the shoulder and it's relationship to the hand. Also, the exact hitting surface of the elbow is the elbow itself and not the forearm. In order to get the ripping action of the strike you really must practice the mechanics involved.

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PHOTOS #19,19 19B:
If you've watched enough action shows you've seen this rear elbo strike plenty of times. It's not as easy as it appears on TV. The strength and leverage of the rear attack is plenty evident here. Driving the elbow back will only make the attacker mad. The strike must be exploded into the egg shell section of the target with all the large muscle groups firing at once. Once again, lets take it by the numbers In #19, the initial power of the attack is felt. The downward action of the back and trunk are evident already. By just being in their natural position, the elbow is ready to fire.
In #19A, the outside hand will snap onto the targets hand with the coordinated torquing of the back and trunk. The inside hip, in this case the left hip, will roll quickly inward with the hard inward drive of the forward
knee. This snapping coordinated action will clear out your hips to allow the strike to explode unobstructed.

In 19B, the tight upward movement of the elbow aided by the hard pulling of your grasping hand, will send the strike home. You want to hold fast with the non striking hand in order to keep the target close when the elbow
explodes. You use the target's body to explode the elbow in. The worse thing you can do in this situation is to attempt to pull away. Why give him more strength? Use him to gain the muscle torque needed for the stopping blow.

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PHOTOS #20, 20A, 20B, 20C, 20D, 20E:
The elbow strike can come from just about anywhere in tight realistic situations. The power of the strike will always come from the large muscle groups torquing into the strike. The many angles and deliveries are interesting though. Don't think the elbow strike is only for the body or head target. This little beauty can explode at anytime and remove anything that's in its path.
Ever punched or kicked into an elbow during your training? Of course you have. Feels good doesn't it? So I don't have to convince anyone of the elbow's effectiveness. What I can do is show you a few little things about the elbow that might interest you.
The elbow is the quickest section of your arm that can react to an oncoming punch or kick. I've seen many punches and kicks get in simply because the blocking arm didn't react fast enough. The attack might have been picked up in time but the block was just too slow.
Photos 20- 20E gives you little idea of wading into an attack with the elbows snapping back and forth. As always, photos can't do justice to the quick snapping movements of these elbows. These work very well on kicks coming into the body.

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Next week,,more elbow distruction.
Art
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