While performing these tasks, make sure that the front hip and knee are not moving with the opposite hip/knee. The front knee should remain facing forward at all times. As an example think of your front hip and knee as the frame and hinges of a door, and the opposite hip/knee as the door itself. When you open or close a door, you don't normally move the frame. Only after years of repeating the above movements should one venture to block unaided by the opposite hand, but at no time should one stop being square in the half-way position. The only change is that you don't pause as you perform it. Give yourself a reason for pointing by applying the pointing hand as a pre-block deflection hand, or just use it to keep the right distance between you and your opponent.

One of my methods of teaching comes from something that happened some years ago, when I was asked to help a brown belt to achieve his dream, to become a black belt. Now, you have to know that the person in question had two main problems: one, he was born with muscle dystrophy; two, he had brittle bone disease. Having started Karate in the early seventies at the infamous Blackfriars Dojo (Christchurch/John Marshall hall) the birthplace of many fine Karate-Ka/instructors, he had attempted many times to pass SHODAN (first degree black belt) but failed, and now he was in front of me, asking me to help him. I couldn't let him down. The left side of his body had no power whatsoever, and his right side wasn't much better either.

So I had to study a system to improve his techniques and general standard (his knowledge was very good) so, since his left side wasn't able to perform, I asked him to tie his belt around it, and to use only his right one (like he didn't have the left arm at all). From that time on everyone in the class had to perform Katas keeping one arm behind his/her back (left one sometimes and then right one) and Graham K. (that was his name) had to teach them the five Heian Katas plus Tekki-Shodan and Bassai-Dai. By doing this he was building confidence and learning to cope with his disabilities. When the time came for him to take his grading, he was fortunate enough to be judged by Andy Sherry Sensei, and he had to fight Frank Brennan the then KUGB Grand-Champion. But all our hard work paid-off and Graham was awarded Shodan. But we also achieved a better understanding of Katas and basics, and use the very same system today in our clubs (Sasori; Seishin; Fukuoka and Harbour) in order to improve the left and right side of the body, but above all, as I mentioned before, to improve our Hiki-te, by concentrating on one hand/arm at a time. Try performing Kihon-Kata with one hand tied behind your back and you will understand what I mean.

I think that we get too used to performing Katas with both arms working simultaneously, and it is a shock to the system when we try Kata with one arm only. Keep on training diligently with this method and you will improve your overall performance in Kata and Kihon.  Give it a go and let me know what you think about it. Another training tip is to perform Kata starting from the right side rather then from the left (as you would normally). Or using only arms and facing a partner, so one perform the Kata the proper way and the partner performs it in reverse. But above all -  KEEP ON TRAINING --  OSS