Using the Katana

[quote]Stronghold wrote:
Hanley wrote:
Stronghold wrote:
Hanley wrote:
I’d agree with everything David said above except for point 3. Surprisingly leaving a belt off made it much harder for me to touch in my Katana. It would bind up really badly without a belt and create a crease right on the chest place so it was effectively double ply in that area.

What I did was to put a belt on, stick my arms in front of me straight out and lift them up so that my elbows were about at ear level, and THEN close my belt. It pulls the collar up high, but prevents the shirt from creasing up.

Other than that, the only big thing for me in the Katana is that you need to aim lower than you think you do. I’m not saying go to your belly button, but I’ve always found the groove to be quite specific, and if I touch too high by even an inch or two the bar still jumps off my chest but stalls at lockout.

I wouldn’t bother cutting the back either. It won’t make it easier to touch or jack. The soft back and the scooped collar make the shirt really easy to adjust. Just get someone to stand on a bench and pull the back of the shirt up while someone in the front yanks the collar down hard and then tugs the bottom of the shirt before closing your belt and you’ll be all set.

Thanks Hanley…I usually pull down towards the bottom of my sternum and the shirt tends to want to pull me further down once I get around 2 board range. Im guessing this is where the “bubble” is in this shirt and I need to pull it down to touch lower from the get-go? I guess working my arch up higher will help this too…

Sounds about right!! When I get to a 2 board it tends to try and kick back towards my face (so it’s a possibility that you’re in the right area and just need to keep working/add more weight). How hard are you fighting to touch it?? You have to resist the temptation to just press as soon as you hit resistance.

As for the scratchiness (sp??), cut the size label out of the back. That usually irritates me too!

The heaviest Iv taken it to a two board is with 365…and once I fought that down, it felt like the shirt threw it came up like an opener weight. Im going to be back in it again tomorrow so I will see if I can get video or something of it. Once I get to just above 3 board height, I struggle pretty hard to keep getting it down. Going to try a thinner belt tomorrow too and see if that helps with getting my arch up higher.[/quote]

Be careful though, the Katana is a good “board shirt” as well, so don’t let it instill a false sense of confidence. Opener speed at a 2 board is one thing, opener speed off the chest is another.

[quote]Hanley wrote:
I think I remember Wendler saying that starting with your elbows out and then tucking them actually locks a shirt up more. Not sure on that tho.
[/quote]

Actually, tucking the elbows helps release tension in the chest plate.

When the elbows are out and your head is down, the chest plate is is going to tighten quicker.

If you tuck your elbows and lower the bar toward your belly, and at the last few inches, raise your head off the bench, you’ll actually take tension away from the chest plate which will make touching weights a bit easier in a really jacked shirt.

Pressing the bar, you want to do the exact opposite…head down and flare the elbows. This will maximize tension in the chest plate again and will give you more assistance from the shirt.

Planning on doing some low board presses tonight, Ill see if I can get a video and post it up here for you guys to see what Im doing.

No videos tonight, but I did try using a thinner, cloth belt and it made a world of difference in my arch. I think thats a big part of why Iv been having so much trouble staying in the groove down towards 2 board height…my arch isn’t high enough. Im going to keep working it up as high as I can since I got a 15 lb PR off of the 2 board tonight.

[quote]Stronghold wrote:
No videos tonight, but I did try using a thinner, cloth belt and it made a world of difference in my arch. [/quote]

Most of my training partners, and myself, use regular belts like you wear on pants. Doesn’t affect your arch at all, I can’t arch for crap with a power belt.

[quote] Matt wrote:
Stronghold wrote:
No videos tonight, but I did try using a thinner, cloth belt and it made a world of difference in my arch.

Most of my training partners, and myself, use regular belts like you wear on pants. Doesn’t affect your arch at all, I can’t arch for crap with a power belt.[/quote]

Thats exactly what I used…my belt was actually from American Eagle, haha.

A friend suggested trying a more slanted metal militia style bar path opposed to the Westside, straight line bar path that my training partners all use. Ill give that a try next time Im in the shirt, although, I think I naturally throw the bar back to some degree anyways.

Bumping this for progress…

Pressed 390 off of a 1 board tonight fairly easily.

This shirt is still a complete whore, especially as I have gotten a little bigger recently. Pretty sure its going to try to kill me in the next couple of months if I continue using it.

Just keep sitting in the groove. The last inch is a killer, and expect a few 5-10 second waits for it to get down!

[quote]smokotime wrote:
Just keep sitting in the groove. The last inch is a killer, and expect a few 5-10 second waits for it to get down![/quote]

Ain’t that the truth!!

Check this out, you can clearly see where the shirt binds up and how it has to be fought down;

SH, what width grip do you have? I took mine out recently and it made a BIG difference in making it easier to touch.

[quote]Hanley wrote:
smokotime wrote:
Just keep sitting in the groove. The last inch is a killer, and expect a few 5-10 second waits for it to get down!

Ain’t that the truth!!

Check this out, you can clearly see where the shirt binds up and how it has to be fought down;

SH, what width grip do you have? I took mine out recently and it made a BIG difference in making it easier to touch. [/quote]

Damn, that went right down without hardly any fighting at all. Glad you finally got it working for ya. 500 soon?

[quote]Steel Nation wrote:
Hanley wrote:
smokotime wrote:
Just keep sitting in the groove. The last inch is a killer, and expect a few 5-10 second waits for it to get down!

Ain’t that the truth!!

Check this out, you can clearly see where the shirt binds up and how it has to be fought down;

SH, what width grip do you have? I took mine out recently and it made a BIG difference in making it easier to touch.

Damn, that went right down without hardly any fighting at all. Glad you finally got it working for ya. 500 soon?[/quote]

Haha it’s taken a long time to get there. Managed to touch 200 this week too!!

500 will hopefully go later in the year. Gunning for 215kg/475lb this time around. Still haven’t really done any work with the shirt jacked so I’m hoping it just works when I pull the collar down at the comp!!

[quote]Hanley wrote:
smokotime wrote:
Just keep sitting in the groove. The last inch is a killer, and expect a few 5-10 second waits for it to get down!

Ain’t that the truth!!

Check this out, you can clearly see where the shirt binds up and how it has to be fought down;

SH, what width grip do you have? I took mine out recently and it made a BIG difference in making it easier to touch. [/quote]

I’m pm’ing you a video of a set from about a month ago. Its got my name on the thing so I don’t really want to post it in the open forums. Thought I sent it to you a while ago but I’ve been having troubles with my PM’s.

I grip the bar with middle or index fingers on the rings normally.

[quote]Stronghold wrote:
Hanley wrote:
smokotime wrote:
Just keep sitting in the groove. The last inch is a killer, and expect a few 5-10 second waits for it to get down!

Ain’t that the truth!!

Check this out, you can clearly see where the shirt binds up and how it has to be fought down;

SH, what width grip do you have? I took mine out recently and it made a BIG difference in making it easier to touch.

I’m pm’ing you a video of a set from about a month ago. Its got my name on the thing so I don’t really want to post it in the open forums. Thought I sent it to you a while ago but I’ve been having troubles with my PM’s.

I grip the bar with middle or index fingers on the rings normally.[/quote]

Got it!! You’ve some stroke…

[quote]Hanley wrote:
Stronghold wrote:
Hanley wrote:
smokotime wrote:
Just keep sitting in the groove. The last inch is a killer, and expect a few 5-10 second waits for it to get down!

Ain’t that the truth!!

Check this out, you can clearly see where the shirt binds up and how it has to be fought down;

SH, what width grip do you have? I took mine out recently and it made a BIG difference in making it easier to touch.

I’m pm’ing you a video of a set from about a month ago. Its got my name on the thing so I don’t really want to post it in the open forums. Thought I sent it to you a while ago but I’ve been having troubles with my PM’s.

I grip the bar with middle or index fingers on the rings normally.

Got it!! You’ve some stroke…[/quote]

What do you mean? Stroke is long?

Bump for the fact that I had trouble last nght touching to my chest. I was down to about a half a board, and it dumped. Any new pointers in using a Super Katana?

I’ve transitioned 100% to the Super Katana for my shirted work for about 3 months now. If you’re dumping or having extreme trouble touching, pull the neck up as much as possible (it’ll feel like it’s choking you), make sure the armpits are seated properly, and pull the sleeves up so they’re as far away from the elbow as you can get them.

Once that’s done, just make sure you keep your elbows “ahead” of the bar while lowering; that is make sure your elbows are nearer to your hips than the bar is. This’ll stop you dumping it when it locks up, and help prevent you shrugging your shoulders up and taking tension out of the shirt to touch. Really fight to hold the position. The shirt will hit a brick wall and almost stop, you’ll basically have to flex your back while holding the same body position to try to get it down.

The collar position drastically changes how much you need to touch, and you’ll know if you’re using the shirt properly if it locks up completely at 1 board or below height; the bar will come to a complete stop while all you’re doing is trying to hold it in the right path. Effectively it’ll feel like the shirt is deloading all the weight.

[quote]detazathoth wrote:
Bump for the fact that I had trouble last nght touching to my chest. I was down to about a half a board, and it dumped. Any new pointers in using a Super Katana?[/quote]

+1 to smokotime

The ABSOLUTE key imo with the katana is never, EVER try to force a touch by letting the bar drift towards your feet. If that happens and your wrists get ahead of your elbows you’re screwed. I’ve lost way too many benches that way.

For what it’s worth, that’s a meet video of me in my super katana. I don’t really have any advice other than to tuck the shit out of your elbows. Then tuck some more, and touch low.

Also, lift your head off the bench (if your fed allows it) and watch that fucking bar. I, for one, find it easier to touch where I want it to touch if I’m looking at it, rather than just bringing the bar down by feel. Also, bringing my head up off the bench allows me to “roll” my shoulder [girdle?] forward to touch my belly.

This next thought is just my own theory, but I think it sounds right in my head… If your shirt is binding up (mine doesn’t, still need to get bigger) and you ‘roll’ forward, when you bring your head back down to the bench, it will give you a little bit more pop.

That said, pretty much all of our lifters watch the bar when they’re bringing it down, so you might want to try that, too.

Hanley, I have no idea how you touch that high with that shirt! hahah… I feel like I’m watching a bodybuilder do presses.

Also, being really fat helps.

Ryan,

I’m not really touching that high… I think my arch just makes it looks so - Bench - 175kg x1 - YouTube

The head tip’s a good one.

What would you guys do different?