It Never Gets Easier
You Just Get Better
Your guide to practising your skills to master your belt
“Once a kata has been learned, it must be practiced repeatedly until it can be applied in an emergency, for knowledge of just the sequence of a form in Karate is useless.”
– Gichin Funakoshi
KIHON
General Terms
Chudan — Middle body
Dojo — Training hall
Dojo Kun — Dojo code
Gedan — Lower body
Gi — Karate suit
Hajime — Start/Begin
Hidari — Left
Jodan — Head
Kamae-te — Move to ready position
Karate-do — Empty handed way
Kata — Formal exercises
Kiai — Martial shout
Kihon — Basic techniques
Kime — Focus
Kohai — Junior student
Kumite — Sparring
Mawatte — Turn
Migi — Right
Mokuso — Meditate
Naote — Relax
Obi — Belt
Oss — Respectful greeting or acknowledgment of understanding of a command
Rei — Bow
Seiza — Kneel
Sempai — Senior student
Sensei — Instructor
Shihan — Master
Tai sabaki — Body shifting
Yame — Finish/Stop
Yoi — Ready
Yori ashi — foot shifting
Zanshin — Martial state of mind or awareness
Dachi — Stances
Heiko dachi — Natural stance
Musubi dachi — Informal stance
Kiba dachi — Straddle stance
Kokutsu dachi — Back stance
Heisoku dachi — Feet together stance
Zenkutsu dachi — Front stance
Shiko dachi — Open leg / Sumo stance
Uke — Blocks
Gedan barai — Downward block
Soto uke — Outside block
Shuto uke — Knife hand block
Nagashi uke — Sweeping block
Empi uke — Elbow block
Morote uke — Augmented block
Age uke – Rising block
Uchi uke — Inside block
Tate shuto uke — Vertical knife hand block
Haishu uke — Back hand block
Juji uke — X block
Kakewake — Wege block
Tsuki — Punches
Kara/Choku tsuki — Straight punch
Kizami tsuki — Front hand punch
Kagi tsuki — Hook punch
Sanbon tsuki — Three punch combination
Oi tsuki — Stepping punch
Gyaku tsuki — Reverse punch
Ren tsuki — Two punch combination
Uchi — Strikes
Age empi uchi — Rising elbow strike
Mawashi empi uchi — Round elbow strike
Tate empi uchi — Downward elbow strike
Uraken uchi — Back fist strike
Nukite uchi — Spear hand strike
Haito uchi — Ridge hand strike
Yoko empi uchi — Side elbow strike
Ushiro empi uchi — Reverse elbow strike
Shuto uchi — Knife hand strike
Tetsui uchi — Hammer fist strike
Teisho uchi — Palm heel strike
Geri — Kicks
Mae geri — Front kick
Yoko geri kekomi — Side thrust kick
Ushiro geri — Back kick
Ren geri — Kicking combinations, stepping between kicks
Yoko geri keage — Side snap kick
Mawashi geri – Roundhouse kick
Hiza geri — Knee kick
Nidan geri — Two kicks with same leg without step between
Kumite — Sparring
Sanbon kumite — Three step sparring
Kihon ippon kumite — Basic one-step sparring
Kaishi ippon kumite — Reaction sparring
Gohon kumite — Five step sparring
Jiyu ippon kumite — Semi-free style sparring
Jiyu kumite — Free style sparring
