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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

Galway Shotokan Karate Club

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

Galway Shotokan Karate Club

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

Galway Shotokan Karate Club

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

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