Latissimus dorsi - where the magic is.

The "basic principles" are the techniques for generating power in hard-style karate.
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Latissimus dorsi - where the magic is.

Postby HanshiClayton » Sat May 07, 2011 7:34 am

I draw your attention to the latissimus dorsi muscles of the back. There is something very special about them. They are the only muscles in the body that directly connect the arm bones (humerus) to the pelvis. I bet you didn't realize that the arms were directly connected to the hips, but there it is.
Image
Figure based on http://www.dartmouth.edu/~humananatomy/figures/chapter_8/8-4.HTM.

Here's a description of the latissimus dorsi muscle from Answers.com:
It has its origins on the lower six thoracic vertebrae and all lumbar vertebra, the posterior sacrum, the iliac crest, and the lower three or four ribs. Insertions are on the inter-tubercular groove of the humerus. The lats primary actions about the shoulders are extension, adduction, and medial rotation. The lats play an important part in bringing the arm down in a power stroke, as in striking a blow, swimming the front crawl, and rowing. (Emphasis added. BDC)


Why is this important? Hard-style karate (shuri-te) from Matsumura and Itosu is based on a revolutionary shift from upper-body muscle to lower-body muscle. Matsumura abandoned the weight-lifting habits of Chinese/Naha styles and substituted low stances and leg development. Leg muscles are much more powerful than arm muscles. The only problem is getting the leg power up to the arms so it can be applied. This is where the latissimus dorsi muscles come it.

I have often been admonished to put my elbow in the "right spot" while blocking, which is about one fist away from the ribs and inside the outline of the body. In this "chamber" spot, the arm becomes almost immovable for techniques like downblock, inside and outside block, and knife-hand block. It is also used in wedge block, hook punch, and various other techniques. We lock the arm down and then use the hips to block. (How many times have you heard your instructor say, "Block with your hips!")

In the "chambered" position, the latissimus dorsi muscle of the blocking arm is powerfully contracted, pulling the arm and shoulder down in a tight connection to the pelvis. This locks the arm/shoulder into a tight, almost rigid, relationship to the hips. Leg power (hip rotation, hip vibration) is transmitted directly to the arm, making it very strong for blocking and striking.

Similarly, I've been trained to use hiki-te, pullback hand, with nearly every hand technique. This contracts the opposite latissimus dorsi muscle, rigidly locking both shoulders down in a tight connection to the hips.

It is no coincidence that elbow position is critical to moving hip power to the arms. No wonder the sensei emphasize it so relentlessly!

As a side note, it has come to my attention that jujutsu techniques seem stronger when the two hands are not held at the same level. When applying an arm bar, for instance, the technique seems weak when both hands are up at the level of the shoulders. Pull his wrist down by lowering your hand, however, and the technique becomes strong. Why? Because lowering your hand chambers your elbow and gives you the arm-to-hip connection. This lets you use your leg muscles to set the arm bar, instead of trying to do it all with your arms.

Build up your lats. If you are making an effort to do powerful hiki-te, this muscle-building will happen anyway. Karate demands it.
Bruce D. Clayton, Ph.D.
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Re: Latissimus dorsi - where the magic is.

Postby Tsukiyomi001 » Thu May 19, 2011 3:33 am

Very informative, might as well be revealing.

When I'm doing Wushu, my teacher emphasizes very strongly on the position of the elbows too.

Now, we finally have a scientific explanation.
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Re: Latissimus dorsi - where the magic is.

Postby HanshiClayton » Sat Jul 28, 2012 6:35 am

This is an addendum to the Latissimus dorsi article.

A long time ago I spent a week at Gunsite, the Arizona ranch of Lt. Col. Jeff Cooper. I took his class, API 250, basic combat pistol. In a week the colonel made me deadly with a handgun.

Karate takes your whole life to master, but with expert instruction you can master a .45 autopistol in six days. (Make a decision.)

Cooper is the person behind the Weaver Stance for pistol shooting. That's the two-handed stance you see in all the TV shows. Before Cooper, the TV heroes (and cops, military, etc.,) all fired pistols one-handed, usually with the arm extended in a straight line.

Cooper taught us to use two hands, and most important, to keep our elbows tightly locked down next to our ribs. Sound familiar? It's the latissimus dorsi muscles again. With your elbows locked down, the pistol is rock-solid in shooting position. Then all you have to worry about is trigger control and you're done.

A lot of people who should know better use the isosceles shooting position, which is two-handed (good) but with the elbows disconnected from the hips (bad). I have looked them over from every angle, and I regretfully remark that there are a lot of "experts" out there who really don't have a clue.
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Re: Latissimus dorsi - where the magic is.

Postby colinwee » Tue Dec 04, 2012 11:26 pm

KyoshiClayton wrote:A lot of people who should know better use the isosceles shooting position, which is two-handed (good) but with the elbows disconnected from the hips (bad).


This seems related to the discussions of the power of a boxer's punch v the reverse snap punch. There are practitioners who prance around and look like they're doing some form of kick boxing. You see a lot of mid to long range kicks and then boxing type punches. These punches while good tactically for reach and angle of entry, don't transmit body mass as effectively as the karate reverse snap punch driven with hip vibration. Strikes driven with hip vibration/rotation and landing with the mass of the body behind it depend on the latissimus dorsi to 'lock' the striking weapon to the body - which means the body moves more effectively as one unit and supports the striking tool. While of course I would be happy landing any strike on an opponent, if my life depended on it, I would seek to hit the opponent somewhere on his body that can't move too quickly away, where he can't see very well, and which wouldn't break my hand if I were striking it with bare knuckles.
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Colin Wee is the Principal of Joong Do Kwan in Western Australia, and a Board Member of AMAHOF Inc. Colin has recently published Breaking Through: The Secrets of Bassai Dai Kata. He has practiced three systems in three countries for four decades.
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Re: Latissimus dorsi - where the magic is.

Postby HanshiClayton » Thu Feb 14, 2013 1:34 pm

Lats benefit from any exercise that resists moving the elbow down to the hip.

Chin-ups where you touch the bar to the back of your neck, for instance.
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