Karate Speed & Agility Training

In karate, not only must your body be in good physical condition, but your mind must also be attuned to your surroundings and receptive to movement to react quickly with your body. Many different exercises can increase speed and agility in karate. Two simple exercises are the focus: the mitts exercise, which requires minimal gear, and the magazine-drop exercise, which can be done at home without the use of any karate-specific gear.

Things You'll Need

  • Partner
  • Focus mitts
  • Protective gloves
  • Magazine
  • Duct tape
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Instructions

  1. Mitts Exercise

    • 1

      Put on protective gloves, and have a partner put on cushioned focus mitts. Have the partner stand slightly closer than an arm's length away and hold up the focus mitts about shoulder length apart in front of him.

    • 2

      Practice a variety of hand-strike combinations on the focus mitts from a standstill for the first part of the exercise.

    • 3

      Incorporate movement as you go along. Your partner can now start moving around slightly as you move so the exercise becomes more three-dimensional. Your partner should reposition the mitts after each set of strikes. Practice different types of strikes such as jabs, crosses, hooks, punches, forearm and elbow strikes and uppercuts.

    • 4

      Increase speed as you and your partner move around each other, and vary the type of strikes. This exercise tends to wind down after a few minutes. The goal of this exercise is to let go of preconceptions of where the mitts will be placed and to act quickly on what is in front of you instead.

    Magazine-Drop Exercise

    • 5

      Tape (with duct tape) around the four edges of a magazine at least a quarter-inch thick--but no thicker, because it will fall too fast for this exercise.

    • 6

      Punch, if you can, the magazine as a partner drops it for you slightly closer than an arm's length away. This develops faster hand strikes on a moving object.

    • 7

      Trade positions with your partner in both exercises to give each person an opportunity to work on these skills.