Novice Video

 

This video is of a novice in karate.  He has only taken a few lessons before this video.

Expert Video

 

Defensive Stance

To get into a defensive stance, start in anatomical position (normal standing position). Hyperextend (place in back) your dominant foot (in my case, the right foot) back about a foot. Rotate (turn) your body towards your dominant side (right).  To complete your defensive stance, flex (bend) your elbows and fingers (make a fist) completely, bringing your hands up by your face. Pronate (turn) your wrists 90 degrees inward so that your palms are facing each other.  I normally like to have my thumbs tightly secure under my four other fingers so I cannot jam my thumb when I throw any kind of punch. Your arms should be parallel to each other and perpendicular to the floor.

Turn

The cross punch is thrown with the back hand (dominant hand).  The first step to having a powerful cross punch is rotating (turning) the hips.  From your defensive stance, rotate (turn) hips to the target (or in this case the front of the room).   Your back heel should come up off the ground, leaving only your ball of foot and toes touching the ground.

The Punch Itself

There are a few aspects to throwing a great cross punch.  First, extending your arm all the way out.  Second, pronating your hand 90 degrees at the last second before you hit your target.  What I mean by this is to have your hand out like your are about to drop something.

The Retraction

After you have thrown the punch, you cannot just stand there with your arm out, you have to come back to your defensive stance. Simply bring your fist back to your face, turn your hips back and let your foot drop back down fully to the floor.