Shotokan Karate

Karate has long been synonymous with martial arts. Developed in Japan in the early 20th century, the word “Karate” originates from the Japanese terms “kara” (empty) and “te” (hand), literally meaning “empty hand”. It is a striking art, that predominantly uses punches, kicks, blocks, and strikes, among various other techniques. Shotokan is the most widely recognized style of karate, and is considered a traditional form of the art. At our dojo (training place), we predominantly follow the style of Shotokan karate pioneered by Sensei Nishiyama.

Practice of Shotokan karate is typically broken into three parts: kihon (basics), kata (forms), and kumite (sparring). A good karateka (practitioner of karate) has to master all the three aspects of training, and at our dojo we spend our time focusing equally on all of them.

Kihon

Kihon is the practice of basic techniques that form the foundation of karate. Stances, punches, kicks, strikes, and blocks make up most of kihon.Kihon is practiced as “floor exercises”, aimed at ingraining the techniques into the muscle memory of the karateka.

Kata

Kata are choreographed, detailed patterns of movement that put together the techniques learned inkihon into a routine. Kata are practiced individually, against imaginary opponents, or in a pre-meditated fashion, as part of a team.

Kumite

Kumite refers of forms of sparring, done with a partner. Depending on the skill-level, kumite ranges from the basic pre-arranged three-step and one-step sparring, to the intermediate semi-free sparring, and the more advanced free sparring.

In addition to the three basic aspects of training, karate also requires good conditioning of the body and mind. We spend a substantial time of our classes on physical conditioning, and flexibility exercises, along with training our reflexes and mind. Everyone has their own reason for learning karate, and we try to address all aspects of karate in our classes.

Belts and Exams

Kyu (grades) in karate denotes the level of proficiency, and is indicated by the color of the belt worn by a karateka. A beginner starts off as a white belt (9th kyu), and rises through the ranks to his/her first black belt (1st dan), and further. It typically takes a beginner around 3 months to get his/her yellow belt (8th kyu). Subsequent belts – Orange (7th kyu), Green (6th kyu), Purple (5th, and 4th kyu), and Brown (3rd, 2nd, and 1st kyu) typically take a bit longer. It can take at least four years of continuous training to get the first black belt, but most likely takes longer.

We usually have belt exams towards the end of the Fall and Spring semesters. Belt exams are conducted according to the AAKF testing procedure, and are administered by guest Sensei fromJKA Dallas at our dojo.

Terminology

Following the traditional style of teaching karate, we use Japanese words for commands, stances, arm-, and leg-techniques, and even for counting numbers, during our classes. Even though they might sound strange at the beginning, they can be picked up very easily, and they only add to the experience of learning karate. The list below provides a quick guide to the various terms used in class.

Numbers

#	Japanese	Pronunciation
1	ichi	eech
2	ni	nee
3	san	sahn
4	shi	shee
5	go	goh
6	roku	rohk
7	shichi	sheech
8	hachi	hahch
9	kyuu	kyoo
10	juu	joo

General

Japanese	Pronunciation	Meaning
Kihon	kee-hohn	basic techniques
Kata	kah-tah	organized forms
Kumite	koo-mee-teh	sparring
Osu	ohss	agreement, Yes!
Kime	kee-meh	focus
Kiai	kee-aee	Yell!, focus energy
Johdan	joh-dahn	face, chin, head-level
Chuudan	choo-dahn	chest, stomach-level
Gedan	geh-dahn	groin, knees, shins-Slevel
Dojo kun	doh-joh koon	five precepts of Shotokan

Commands

Japanese	Pronunciation	Meaning
Yoi	yoy	get ready
Hajime	hah-jee-meh	begin
Yame	yah-meh	stop
Yasume	yah-su-meh	relax
Mawatte	mah-wah-teh	turn around
Rei	ray	bow
Shomen ni rei	shoh-men nee ray	bow to the front
Sensei ni rei	sen-say nee rei	bow to instructor
Otaigai ni rei	oh-tai-gai nee ray	bow to each other
Seiza	say-zah	sit

Stances

Japanese	Pronunciation	Meaning
Zenkutsu dachi	zen-koo-tsoo dah-chee	front stance
Kokutsu dachi	koh-koo-tsoo dah-chee	back stance
Kiba dachi	kee-bah dah-chee	side stance
Hachiji dachi	hah-chee-jee dah-chee	ready stance

Blocks

Japanese	Pronunciation	Meaning
Age uke	ah-geh oo-keh	rising block
Gedan barai	geh-dahn bah-raee	downward block
Soto uke	soh-toh oo-keh	outside forearm block
Uchi uke	oo-chee oo-keh	inside forearm block
Shuto uke	shoo-toh oo-keh	knifehand block

Arm techniques

Japanese	Pronunciation	Meaning
Oi zuki	oy zoo-kee	stepping punch
Gyaku zuki	gyah-koo zoo-kee	reverse punch
Kizami zuki	kee-zah-mee zoo-kee	jab
Sanbon zuki	sahn-bohn zoo-kee	triple punch
Nukite	noo-kee-teh	spearhand strike
Empi uchi	em-pee oo-chee	elbow strike
Uraken	oo-rah-ken	backfist strike
Tettsui	tet-soo-ee	hammerfist strike

Leg techniques

Japanese	Pronunciation	Meaning
Mae geri	maee geh-ree	front snap kick
Yoko keage	yoh-koh keh-ah-geh	side snap kick
Yoko kekomi	yoh-koh keh-koh-mee	side thrust kick
Kizami geri	kee-zah-mee geh-ree	front leg snap kick
Mawashi geri	mah-wah-shee geh-ree	roundhouse kick
Ushiro geri	oo-shee-roh geh-ree	back thrust kick
Nidan geri	nee-dahn geh-ree	double kick
Hiza geri	hee-zah geh-ree	knee strike