A surprise defence of the double hip
Introduction I have an idea that this article is going to surprise some folks. Or, given my declaration at the end of last year that I was over "polemic writing", maybe it won't... Anyway, over the past few years, my thoughts on the issue of the " double hip " have changed subtly - but significantly - and I thought I'd elaborate on them. My views have changed not because I've altered my own way of practising martial arts (and karate in particular), but because I've come to understand better how and why others do so. (I probably always understood this - but chose to write in my typically polemic style.) Yes, I've railed against the emphasis on "koshi" - hip use in kata very strongly. Why? It seemed to me that it had become quite popular to practise this kata with a hip pre-load on every movement . Those who didn't do so (eg. JKA shotokan) were derided as lacking understanding or knowledge of the "true essence"