Press Ups / Push Ups part 2

In a recent post I illustrated some push up movements. I wish to follow that up with a few notes and ideas...

Try push ups on your knuckles (if you're age 18+, but not recommended for under 16s). Only the first two knuckles should make contact with the floor. Your fists should follow the direction you are facing, i.e. if you are kneeling down with your hands in front of you then your fists are vertical and your elbows are tucked in.

Speaking of elbows...

Notice in the video how everyone had their elbows sticking out? Not a good position for punching, is it? When you do a straight punch the elbows should stay pointing to the floor, and rotate from the forearm to maintain a good structure in the arm and shoulder alignment.

Do your push ups the same way. When you bend your arms make sure the elbows are pressed in towards your sides, not sticking outwards. This is a better position for strengthing your punches. You'll notice at first that this type of push up is more difficult.

Now try small sets (2-3, increasing the numbers up to say, 10) - this time do each push up in rapid succession, as fast as you can. Have a couple of seconds rest in the ready position between sets.

Another idea is to bend your arms to lower yourself slowly then extend your arms rapidly.

Finally, have a clear goal for the exercise. Don't just do push ups to get good at push ups! Remember this is a supplementary exercise for your karate!