The Circle and The Point
The illustrations on this page show the nine circles that make up the movement in the horizontal and vertical planes. To better understand these circles and points and how to use them when practicing karate techniques please read my book entitled, the "Karate Instructors Guide To The Circle And Point". The book explains in detail the physics of karate, but more importantly, the book was written so that all karate instructors can understand the forces used in karate and how to teach these forces to their students. The book covers momentum, kinetic energy, and the science of impacts. The book is a must read if you want to master the advanced karate techniques and kata.
The above illustration shows all nine of the circles that compose the movements in both the vertical and horizontal planes. Notice the kanku in the center.
The above illustration shows the twelve points where movement begins or ends on a circle. It also shows the center point (center of gravity).
Schematic of the momentum vector of a right front punch (seiken tsuki). Note that the center of the circle is the center of the body and the upward pointing arrow is the right shoulder. The other vector is pointed at the center of the opponent's body (point of impact).
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