10th Kyū – Yellow Belt

Making a Fist

ken	拳	fist
seiken	正拳	regular fist

To make a fist correctly, start with a flat hand.  Curl the tips of the fingers down until they touch the palm at the base of the fingers. Fold the thumb in until the side of the thumb pushes against the second bone of the index finger. Squeeze tightly, pushing towards the center with the thumb from one side and the little finger from the other. 

The area of contact is made up of the first and second knuckles of the fist.  These two knuckles should be aligned with the bones of the forearm for support.  Your fist will appear to be turned out a little.  The back of your hand and the top of the forearm should make a flat surface.

The Basic Punch

A karate punch begins with your fist, palm up, at armpit height.  It is executed by thrusting the fist forward, palm up.  At the point of contact with your imaginary opponent the fist turn palm down.  This adds a snap for better penetration. 

Use your hips and shoulders to extend reach and add power.  While speed is necessary for maximum power, do not increase speed until your punching technique is correct.

The Target for Kihon Zuki

The target for kihon zuki is the top of the breast bone just above where the ribs come together. Imagine an opponent of your own height.  If a mirror is available, look in the mirror and see yourself as your opponent. 

The Stance for Kihon Zuki

When you are given the command to begin Kihon Zuki you should step into a stance about twice shoulder width. Be sure to step out with your left foot and back with your left foot.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Punching a bag with an incorrectly formed fist can cause injury to your hand or wrist.
• Contact only with your seiken knuckles.  Never contact with the knuckles of the ring finger or little finger.  These knuckles cannot be aligned well enough with the forearm to prevent injury.
• Make sure that you do not cock your wrist up or down.  Either of these will allow your wrist to bend at contact, possibly causing damage to your wrist or hand.
• Turning your fist over too soon will result in a push rather than a punch.  The fist should turn over at the point of contact.  Contact does not take place at the full extension of the arm, but rather when the arm is about two-thirds extended.
• Remember to make both arms work together in a push/pull motion. 
• Never lean forward to add reach.  This will throw you off balance and leave your face vulnerable to attack. 
• Don’t keep your hips squared up. Think about using the whole side of your body to punch.  
• If your knees are too straight you will not be able to rotate the hips.

geri	拳	kick
shomen geri	正面 蹴り	front kick
mae geri	前 蹴り	front kick

While there are other types of kicks, you first learn to kick straight in front of you using the ball of the foot. Not surprisingly, this is called the front kick.

First, as you raise the knee the toes should be drawn up and the ankle bent. As the foot strikes out, the ball of the foot stretches forward.  Do not lock the knee of your supporting leg. It must remain flexible for balance and reach.

Pull the foot back immediately after the kick reaches full extension and lower the leg.

Where do I kick?

The target of the front kick is the midsection of a person of your own height.

The Stance for Kihon Geri

Your feet should be parallel and about shoulder-width apart. 

 Common Mistakes to Avoid

In an effort to kick higher you may be tempted to allow your heel to come up off floor, essentially standing on your tiptoes.  Don’t.  Remember that you will be kicking a solid object.  Your kick will need a stable base from which to deliver power.   For greater height, raise your knee high and close to the chest before kicking out.

If your foot seems to flip up as you kick out you need to concentrate on raising the foot with the ankle bent in preparation for the kick.  Otherwise you are in danger of kicking with the top of your foot, fine for a soft target but hazardous to the small bones of the foot if you happen to collide with a knee or shin. 

Don’t forget to extend your foot so only the ball of the foot contacts.  This is easiest to test by kicking a bag.  If you watch carefully in the mirror as you kick you should see only the ball of the foot rather than the whole sole of your foot.

If you fail to snap your foot back after the kick your foot will appear to drop to the floor, leaving you in an awkward stance.  This can also happen if your kick is too slow or if you leave the foot extended too long before pulling it back.  The foot must be snapped back to prevent it from being trapped by your opponent’s block.  You will also be in a stable position for your next technique.

If you find that you rock from side to side as you kick your stance may be too wide. 

If you find that you lean backward as you kick your supporting leg may be too straight.  A flexed leg gives you better balance and allows the hips to move with the kick for extension and power.

You must block an attacker before responding with a kick or punch. Effective blocking is vital, but sadly difficult to learn.

kōsa	交叉	crossing
uke	受け	block

Learning Kōsa Uke

The Kōburyū basic block is called kōsa uke, meaning “crossing block.” The hands work together to move the attacker’s arm aside. Like the two-handed backhand of tennis, this adds power to the block.

To begin to learn kōsa uke the block is divided into steps. As you progress, the steps will become a smooth movement.

1. Push the opponent’s arm away with one hand
2. The opposite hand drops into a sweep across
   
   At this point your arms have made a cross (X) with the push hand high and the sweeping hand lower.
   
3. The sweeping hand comes around to meet the push hand and together they move the attack aside.
4. The sweeping hand can now grab the opponent’s arm, preventing a further attack.
5. The push hand is now free to prepare for the counterattack.

What am I blocking?

Kōsa uke can be used against attacks aimed anywhere from your head to your midsection.  However, kihon uke assumes the attack is to the top of the breast bone just above where the ribs come together. If you practice blocking at this height you can easily angle your block higher or lower.

Kihon Uke

The purpose of kihon uke is to perform many repetitions of kōsa uke. Since there is no attacker, there is no grab for controlling the opponent and no counterattack. The arms return to ready position at the end of each block. Initially kihon uke is performed with each step of kōsa uke being a separate count. As the student progresses the steps of kōsa uke can be combined until the block is one smooth move.

The Stance for Kihon Uke

Common Mistakes:

You should push with the base of the palm rather than the fingers.  Your push motion has gone too far if you can see a gap between your head and your hand at the end of the push.  The circle hand is responsible for moving the punch farther away.  It has built up momentum by using the hips and the shoulder in the circle motion just to generate the power necessary to push the punch aside. 

If you find that you slap your obi as you circle causing the ends to fly up, you are circling too close to body.  You need to reach (not lean!) forward so the circle with intercept a punch before it reaches your face.

If you can still see the four steps as you circle block then your arms are not working together.  Try to smooth out your technique so the block appears as one continuous motion.  Anywhere your motion stops you lose momentum.  Momentum is necessary for strong blocks.

Make sure the returning arm is strong and quick. The return is a block, too!

jōdan	上段	upper level	jō	upper
chūdan	中段	middle level	chū	middle
gedan	下段	lower level	ge	lower
dan	段	level
tsuki	突き	punch

gedan	下段	lower level	ge	lower
chūdan	中段	middle level	chū	middle
jōdan	上段	upper level	jō	upper
dan	段	level
sokutō	足刀	knife edge of foot
geri	蹴り	kick

tateken	縦拳	vertical fist
chūdan	中段	middle level
shō shōte	掌 掌手	palm of the hand
jōdan	上段	upper level
yoko	横	side to side
hiji	肘	elbow
uchi	打ち	strike

kakato	踵	heel
geri	蹴り	kick

ryōte	両手	both hands
uraken	裏拳	back of fist
uchi	打ち	strike

Funakoshi Gichin, known as the Father of Modern Karate, said, “karate begins and ends with courtesy.” Therefore, the first principle of Dōjō Kun is manners. When you recite Dōjō Kun you promise to be humble, respectful and courteous above all.  There are specific rules of courtesy for the dōjō that enables karate students to train with safety and discipline. The following guidelines will help you get started along the path to correct behavior in the dōjō.

Humble

The humble student is modest about their abilities and achievements. If a student believes that he or she is always right, then there is no drive to improve. A boastful or conceited student may actually make the struggling student …

Respectful

Respect is one of the most important things we teach throughout our dojo. With manners, etiquette, and a humble spirit, a student can give the very best of themselves to others, bringing honor and respect to all aspects of their lives, and, leaving them a sense of strength and pride.

Other rules demonstrate respect for the art of karate, the dōjō , the sensei, the sempai and for fellow students. We bow to the front of the dōjō when we begin an end class to show respect for the art of karate and all those who came before.

We show respect to the sensei, the sempai and our fellow students when we address them appropriately as sensei, shihan or kaichō. Head students leading the class are addressed as senpai.

Courteous

Peace

As a student’s confidence grows, the likeliness they will fall under peer pressure or do something they know they should not decreases. Knowing you do not need to fight someone to prove anything and walking away is one of the best displays of self-control.

Peace

Peace of mind, body and spirit gives a calmness to a student of the martial arts. Keeping the mind clear of troubles and jumbled thoughts helps the student to listen, learn and be aware of their surroundings.

Teamwork

Our students will learn teamwork and the importance of working together. By allowing our students to take their turn as teacher, we encourage them to pass their knowledge onto others.

Drive

With time, discipline, and experience a student’s confidence in him/her self will grow. We believe in giving students positive re-enforcement and encouragement as a way to build them up as they train. We show our students they can achieve anything they work for.

Courage

Courage in the dojo is having the determination to try despite being nervous or just plain afraid. Some students are afraid to demonstrate in front of the group. Others are afraid of failure or making mistakes. The important lesson of karate is that making mistakes is part of the learning process. A mistake is not failure unless you fail to learn from it.

All Facets of Life

The physical, mental, and spiritual growth that students enjoy as a by product of their karate training must also extend to the student’s life beyond the dōjō walls – to family, school, work and so on.

Self-improvement

Individual Achievement

Your success can serve to inspire and motivate other students, especially if achieved through hard work and accepted with humility.   While we may admire and envy the strongest, the most precise, the fastest and the best, it is the struggle to improve, the perseverance, the dedication and the hard work that inspires.