Terminology

Karate-(Ka'ra'-tae): Empty Hand
Do: The Way
Dojo: "The place or the way" (The Karate school or training facility.
Osu(oos): To show respect; or attitude toward your opponent
Kiai: A yell that is done to put more power into a technique.
Hara: The center of the body. This is where Ki is contained.
Rei: Bow
Shomen ni rei: Bow the front (showing the Dojo respect)
Sensei ne rei: Bow to the Sensei, (showing respect for Sensei). Whether he is there in body or spirit.
Sensei: Shinan, teacher or master instructor.
Shodan: 1st degree black belt instructor.
Nidan: 2nd degree black belt instructor.
Sandan: 3rd degree black belt instructor.
Hei: The equivalent of "yes" or "ok".
Hajime: To begin or start.
Yame: To stop or end.
Seiza : Seated position, legs tucked under buttocks, back completely straight.
Moksuo: Meditation, to calm ones mind before and after training.
Bunkai: Application of Kata, to simulate real life kumite.
Kata: A series of techniques in a set pattern to simulate kumite or sparring.

Shotokan Katas

Belt Ranking / Required Katas

White...................: None

Tips.....................: Taikyoku Shodan.....-First Cause

Blue.....................: Heian Shodan..........-First Peaceful Mind

Blue Tips..............: Heian Nidan...........-Second Peaceful Mind

Green...................: Heian Sandan.........-Third Peaceful Mind

Green Tips............: Heian Yodan..........-Fourth Peaceful Mind

Purple...................: Heian Godan..........-Fifth Peaceful Mind

Purple Tips............: Tekki Shodan........-Horseback Riding

Brown 3rd Kyu.......: Bassai-dai............-Penetrating the Fortress

Brown 2nd Kyu.......: Empi...................-Flying Swallow

Brown 1st Kyu........: Kanku-dai...........-Sky viewing

Black 1st Dan..........: Jutte...................-Ten Hands

Japanese Counting

Ichi...........1

Ni.............2

San..........3

Shi...........4

Go...........5

Roku........6

Sichi.........7

Hachi........8

Ku............9

Ju...........10

Black Belt Katas

Jion......................Proper name

Kanku-sho...........Lesser kanku

Bassa-sho............Lesser Bassai

Gankau.................Crane on a rock

Sochin..................Immovable or rooted

Unsu....................Hands in the clouds

Chinte..................Strange hands

Hangetsu.............Crescent or half moon

Gojushiho-dai......54 movements

Gojushiho-sho.....Lesser Gojushiho

Ji'in......................Temple grounds

Nijushiho.............24 movements

Meikyo................Polished mirror

Tekki nidan.........Second horse riding

Tekki sandan......Third horse riding

Wankan...............Proper name

Karate-Do Fundamentals

KARATE
A literal translation of two Japanese characters, "Kara Te" means "empty hand." Another interpretation of "Te" is a skill or an art. As it was transmitted from China, "Kara" is sometimes written "Tang" so that it was called "China Hand" or "China Art." Karate is "Toshu Kuken no Gihoh" -- methods of self-defense, the art and science self-defense using feet and hands without having any weapons.

SENPAI - KOHAI
Any person who began the practice of karate-do before you is called your "Senpai," and any person who began the study of karate after you is called your "Kohai," in this lineal discipline the senpai has great responsibility toward his kohai, and should set an excellent example. He should provide guidance and glow with kindness. Traditionally, your senpai remains your senpai for life, regardless of rank. In my personal opinion, this system does not make sense. The senpai should be person who achieves a higher ranking, rather than the one who started first.

BUDO
The Japanese characters "Bu" -"Do" means "martial art"- "way." Breaking down the character "Bu," we find two meanings: one is "lsakai" (fighting) and the other is "Tomeru" (cease). Taken together, they mean "to stop fighting." The character "Do" means "way," and is meant to indicate a life-passage to accomplish a goal, the perfecting of human life. In this sense, "do" can be likened to the creation of the universe. Thus, the concept of "Budo" means a guide to a way of stopping fighting, or the way of peace.

KATA
The kata are formal performances against imaginary opponents using defensive and offensive tactics which are based on basic techniques ("kihon"). To practice kata, the student must first learn the correct sequences. Next, the student must understand the meaning of each move. Following that, he should grasp the relative strength and softness of the moves. Only then can the student incorporate the arts of karate-do into jiyu-kumite (free sparring). In addition, the artists should achieve "ku no michi," the way of karate, "chowa no michi," the way of harmony, and "wa no michi," the way of peace.

The Japanese character for "kata" is written in two different kanji as follow: The kata-form presents form of die-cast which cannot be reshaped; once cast, it is considered lifeless. Another kata-shape depicts a shape that is flexible, and can be reshaped against any situation, so that this character of kata has life. It is of the utmost importance that kata must have life while it is being performed.

ZENSHIN. TSUSHIN, AND ZANSHIN
These are three forms, or states, of mental awareness. Zenshin refers to the period right before an attack is launched. It means that you are in position to do something to your opponent(s), and so you should be alert and mindful. Tsushin occurs during the attack itself. It means that you should maintain your alertness while proceeding in your attack or defense against your opponent(s). Zanshin occurs at the moment of completion of the action; after completion of your procedure against the target - whether successful or not - you should remain alert and aware. Although zanshin is the most commonly-known form of awareness, all three states are important in karate-do.

MA Al
Ma ai is thought of as both space-distance and time-distance. Space-distance refers to a correct judgment of the distance for an attack to reach a target. Without proper spacing, there can be no execution of the attack. Time-distance is another important factor in successfully attacking a target. If timing is off, there can be no execution of any kind. Thus, it is vital for karate-do practitioners to study "ma" and "ai", the space-distance and the time-distance, in order to be able to deliver correct techniques. Do not mistake "ma ai" as meaning space-distance only, which is a common misunderstanding in the martial arts world. "Ma" in Japanese refers to "space-distance" while "ai" refers to "time-distance" or timing. Thus, "ma al" refers to proper judgment concerning both spacing and timing.

SEN AND GO
"Sen" means to take advantage of your opponent's initial movements by interpreting them as a signal to attack, and launching an attack. "Go" means to allow your opponent to get in the first move, but to block it or get out of the way, and then execute a counter-attack to the target. There are three elements of scoring an execution: "sente," means that, without any movement by your opponent, you deliver a scoring technique. Secondly, there is "sen no sen," meaning that, right after you notice your opponent's move, you execute your own technique, before his is able to be completed. "Go sen no sen" means allowing your opponent to exercise his technique before you, so that you can block his execution and then score with a counter-attack.

KARATE WA REI NI HAJIMARI REI NI OWARU
The literal translation of this phrase is "Karate begins with courtesy and ends with courtesy." This does not mean bowing at the beginning of practice and bowing again at the end. The teaching came from the first of Funakoshi Gichin's "Twenty Dojo Kun (tenets]." In karate-do training, there are many things, far beyond technique itself, which must be achieved in order to reach the ultimate goal. Through the hardness of training, in both physical and mental aspects, karate-do practitioners must conquer the mind, technique, and body in order to build character (shin, gi, and tai), and promote respect for others with courtesy. These qualities are the essence of karate-do training.

KARATE NI SENTE NASHI
This teaching came from Funakoshi Gichin's second tenet that there is no first attack in karate. In its most fundamental meaning, karate-do means never to attack someone. It is only meant to defend yourself against an assailant's abnormal behavior. As you will notice, all kata begin with "uke" -a block, which is a defense against attack. For this reason, it is forbidden to use karate-do techniques to launch a first attack. Abusing one's karate-do skills will make him unhappy for life.

HISTORY OF PINAN KATA
In 1908, the restorer Itosu Anko (1830-1915) designed karate-do as part of a physical education course in schools for the purpose of building character. At that time, there were no fundamental, fairly simple kata for pupils in middle schools, so Itosu Anko chose a complicated kata, called "Kushanku" (Kanku), and revised it by breaking it down into five separate kata. Itosu Anko thus created pinan (heian) kata shodan (1) through godan (5).

The word "pinan" can be broken down as follows. The first character, "pin" ("hei"), means flat and easy, while the second kanji, "an," expresses easy and comfortable. Thus, the kata called "pinan" are easy, comfortable, and fundamental kata.

SENTE, SEN SEN NO SEN AND GO SEN NO SEN
These terms refer to one of the teachings of "Ku no ri" (karate-do principles), especially in "jiyu-kumite" (free sparring). There are three scoring tactics in jiyu-kumite. The first, "sente," means that, without any movement by your opponent, you deliver a scoring technique, often by maneuvering the opponent to within striking range. The second, "sen sen no sen" (sen no sen), is to sense, through awareness, an opponent's move, before he makes it, and execute an attack before his initiative, known as "now," can be launched. This is a good exercise for developing perceptive speed and reaction speed. By improving these speeds, you can overcome your opponent. The third, "go sen no sen," means to allow an opponent's attacks to be launched, but to block them with "nagasu" or "inasu" skills and counter-attacks. In these scoring tactics, the karate-do practitioner should not forget "ten gi," "ten i," and "ten tai" techniques of wado-kai ku no ri (the principles of Wado-kai karate-do). Refer to the definitions of "sen" and "go," as well as "zenshin," "tsushin," and "zanshin" teachings.

SHOTOKAN
Shotokan-Ryu was established by Funakoshi Gichin (1868-1957), the father of modern karate-do. "Shoto" is his pen name as a Japanese calligraphy artist; "Kan" literally means a mansion -- in this case, a place for training in discipline. In 1 922, he came to Japan by invitation of the Ministry of Education to demonstrate an Okinawan martial art at Ochanomizu Budo Festival in Tokyo. After that, he stayed in Tokyo to expand karate in mainland Japan, supported strongly by both Kano Jigoro, a Judo master, and Nakayama Hakudo, one of the greatest Kendo practitioners. (One reason why Funakoshi was chosen for this task was because the Okinawan government wanted an intellectual who could exhibit his native defensive art to the Japanese martial artists as well as to the public. Funakoshi was a school teacher who was thus chosen for his intellectual skills rather than for his technical excellence.) Funakoshi Gichin stayed at "Meisho-Juku," the Okinawan dormitory in the Kanto region of Tokyo, and taught his art of karate-do. During that time, there were many martial arts practitioners seeking to learn this newly introduced foreign martial art, including Hironori Ohtsuka, the founder of Wado-ryu, Yasuhiro Konishi, the founder of Shindo Jinen-Ryu, Ryobu-kai, and, later, lsao Ubata, Masatoshi Nakayama, as well as others. In 1938, Funakoshi Gichin registered his art as Shotokan-Ryu" at the Butoku-kai in Kyoto. Later, Shotokan split into two groups. One group is the Japan Karate Association (J.K.A.) headed by Masatoshi Nakayama. The other group is Shotokan Karate, headed by lsao Obata. Recently, further divisions are occurring within Shotokan.

Mushin (No-Mindedness)
The teaching of "mu" (empty, or none) and "shin" (mind) stresses the ability to clear the mind of anything that may have happened in life. However, this state cannot be achieved by trying to be fearless, because the harder one tries to grasp no-mindedness, the more it will slip away from him. A person trying to force fearlessness will in all probability discover just the opposite: Deep inside, he will experience greater fear. The more he desires to be fearless, the less fearless he is. Less is truly more. In Zen doctrine, this is expressed in the following way: One does not look at an object in order to see it. Instead, he allows the object to gaze at him. One should clear the mind completely and allow the object to reflect itself back to him. The lesson is that, by looking gently instead of intensely, one can see more. The karate-do practitioner will note that the more intensely he looks at his opponent, the less he will be able to see him, or to anticipate his motions. To see the opponent thoroughly, you must see him as his entire existence.

Looking at the opponent this way, the practitioner should empty his mind of all thought, stand strongly, and become aware of the opponent's eyes. In this state of no-mindedness, the practitioner will become completely aware of every action the opponent can make before he makes it, and the practitioner's body will respond with instant reflexes.

Fodoh Shin (Untrembling Mind)
A literal translation of "fudoh" (untremble) and "shin" (mind) explains that the mind is unmovable and firm. The mind should be stable and calm even if the body itself is trembling with fear. Despite whatever physical circumstances are occurring, the karate-do practitioner's mental attitude should remain "windless," which is to say utterly calm and smooth, like the surface of a lake when there is no wind. Such a state of mind is called "boundless." It is unstirred by any external happenings.

This is not to say that the boundless mind is not prepared to counter aggression. Like the perfectly still surface of a lake, the mind should always reflect its surroundings, in order to defend itself against external threat. In a calm state, a prepared mind may react against any assault with the speed and power of a lightning bolt.

Mulu Shin (Non-Settled Mind)
The lesson of "mu" (none), "ju" (live, or settled), and "shin " (mind) is that the mind should not be fixed or static, that is, it should be flexible according to any circumstances. For example, if you attack a snake's neck, he counter-attacks with his tail. If you assault his tail, he opposes with his neck. If you assault the snake in the middle of his body, he counter-attacks with both his neck and his tail. In the same way, the karate-do practitioner should

In conclusion, I would like to ask all karate-do practitioners to think about how you can apply these concepts into your daily karate-do practice, as well as in your everyday fife. This is the challenge assigned to you, which you must solve.

Nagpsu, Inasu, and Now
The root of the word "nagasu" is "nagare," which means "to float." Think of the way the water in a river or stream floats straight ahead, regardless of obstacles in its path. Applying this concept to karate-do techniques, if an opponent delivers a punch to you, what do you do? One thing you might do is to block the punch. Whatever you do, the important thing is how you react to the obstruction of his attack. Do you react against it, or flow with it? The wise thing is to float with the attack instead of reacting against it, also using "ashi sabaki," or good foot work.

"Inasu" denotes "kawasu" in modern Japanese and means "get away" with body shifting. When your opponent launches at attack against you, you can "get away" by changing your place ("ten i") or position ("ten tai") by using "ashi sabaki" in conjunction with "te sabaki," or good hand technique, and "koshi kin," or proper hip rotation. This all adds up to "tai sabaki."

"Now" means perceiving your opponent's movement early, and then converting it to your advantage. If you can read your opponent's movement before he is able to execute it, you can attack him first, and score. This technique requires speed, finesse, and agility, and is the most important tactic of karate-do principles.

W.U.K.O., W.K.F, and I.A.K.F
The World Union of Karate-do Organizations (W.U.K.O.) was born in 1970, thus placing all karate-do groups in the world under one umbrella. The reason for this was because there were new karate-do movements forming outside Japan, in Europe and in North America, and it became necessary to unify them, particularly in advance of a world karate-do tournament which was planned for Europe in 1970. In 1969, the Japanese agreed to hold the first world karate-do tournament in Tokyo, in 1970; 33 nations participated, and together they declared the formation of the W.U.K.O. They also agreed to hold a world tournament every other year.

The second world tournament was held in Paris in 1972. There, official rules and regulations were formally adopted, and W.U.K.O. officials were chosen. The first elected chairman was Sasagawa Ryoichi, who was also a F.A.J.K.O. and J.K.F. chairman, and W.U.K.O. headquarters were placed in Tokyo. Today, there are many regional karate-do organizations around the world, including European, Northern European, Pan American, Pan Asian, Middle Eastern, and Australian, etc.

The International Association of Karate-do Foundations (l.A.K.F.) was organized by Hidetaka Nishiyama in Los Angeles, a member of the J.K.A. At one point, this organization was the largest in the U.S. and ted karate circles in this country. Among its group of leading instructors were Teruyuki Okazaki of Philadelphia, Masataka Mon of New York, Takayuki Mikami of Louisiana, Vutaka Yaguchi of Colorado, and Koyama of Arizona.

The U.S. Wado-kai together with Hidetaka Nishiyama held a U.S.-Japan Karate-do tournament at Wintertand, San Francisco, in 1965, and another at the Cow Palace, also in San Francisco, in 1968, in conjunction with the Olympic Games, held in Mexico City. Wado-kai demonstrations were also held with the founder of Wado-kai, Ohtsuka Hironon, in San Francisco, San Diego, and Mexico City, with the participation of Nakayama Seibin (J.K.A.), Iwata Manzo (Shito-ryu), and Eiichi Eriguchi (Wado-kai). Today, Nishiyama heads the (l.A.K.F.), whose power is comparable to that of the W.K.F.

The World Karate-do Federation (W.K.F.) was established in 1993, in order to bring W.U.K.O., I.A.K.F., and other organizations into one group. Its goal was to bring karate-do into the Olympic Games, but there is much red tape to clear. One major obstacle is that there is no one, clear sport in international karate-do. Thus, all forms of karate-do must unite into a single entity.

The W.K.F. is now a member of the International Olympic Committee, one step toward including karate-do as an Olympic martial art, as judo has already become.

Offensive/Defensive Strategies

Stance

Stance must not exceed 50/50 weight distribution.
Front and rear feet should range from straight forward to a 45 degrees.
Angle of hip and knees should not exceed 45 degrees.
Angle of stance should be straight forward to 45 degrees.
Angle of foot should be straight to 45 degrees as well, weight should always be on the ball of the feet, never flat footed.
At point of impact weight distribution should remain either 50/50 or 70/30.
At point of impact knee should should be directly over the front toes.
Arms

Arm pits should not be exposed, any exposure of the arm pit would lead to exposure of the rib cage. (vital scoring area) Head, elbow, shoulder, and front knee should all point forward along a straight line. Head position, lead hand, should cover area between head and shoulder. (fluctuating) Rear hand positioning should fluctuate between rear shoulder and torso to be able to cover target area.

Offensive Posture

Weight should be between 50/50, power should come from rear leg, small of back, shoulder, and hip rotation.
Always recover to 50/50 weight distribution, anything more leads to slow recovery for next technique.
Defensive Posture

Hips should drop in to grounded position. Weight distribution can vary from 50/50 to 70/30 depending upon counter technique.
Generally for a lead leg, 70% of the weight will adjust to the back leg.
For rear hand or rear leg counter weight distribution should remain 50/50.
Fist, wrist, , elbow, and shoulders all carry a straight line.
Fist tension should be minimal in order to generate power through speed and snap.
Lead elbow to rib cage should measure no more than 2 fits, no less than 1 fist.
Fingers positioning including thumb should always be in a close position
Arms always should lead the body.
Body leaning before arms or hands is a major telegraph
Any hesitation between techniques is not a combination and becomes a basic.

Leg Work

The body bouncing up and down creates an easily timed telegraph.
The hips and legs propelling forward or back also creates an easy telegraph.
Foot should not lead (only in the case of initiating with a kick)
Hips should not initiate movement. Length of distance should be two body lengths.
*In most cases, to avoid telegraph, hand initiates technique and body follows.
An opponent can get countered in the process of swishing stance. Very bad habit to have.

Avoidance Abilities

1. Side step with lead, adjusting with rear leg to 50/50, simultaneously executing counter.

2. Side step with rear leg to inside of opponents guard simultaneous executing counter.

3. Center shifting can be effective against limited opponents, side stepping is much more effective.

4. Back shifting only when shifting one step back and then executing counter, anything more than one step can lead to opponent over powering or running down.

5. Weight distribution when avoiding should be 50/50 or when side stepping to the inside or the outside.

6. Time laps between avoidance and counter should almost simultaneous.

7. Countering when moving backward is only effective when both feet are planted while executing counter. Anything more than one step is taking a risk of being over powered. Countering while moving backwards most times is ineffective and powerless. Side stepping and countering tends to be more effective.

8. Too much time between advantage and fallow up usually leads to being countered first. This should be done almost simultaneously.

9. Reading an attack should should be done focusing on your opponent mid-section (hip and torso). Focusing on the feet or eyes is incorrect, because a smart opponent will fake or break rhythm with eyes or feet. This element of surprise can lead to your opponent effectively closing distance against you.

10. Avoidance where none is needed usually is a wasted movement and can tell your opponent what type of fighter you are.... side stepper, back peddler, counter puncher, counter kicker, etc...

11. Avoidance when should have initiated attack usually is an indication of inexperience or not wanting to engage-or a defenseless attitude.

12. Avoidance repertoire should consist of the following: Side stepping to the outside of guard, or the inside, parrying the technique and countering, slipping a technique and getting on the inside successfully with out getting counter, counter simultaneously while opponent is attacking. Side stepping, slipping, parrying are usually more effective than back stepping.

Neck / Head Areas

1. Neck leading body is a telegraph.

2. Too much facial stress before initiating movement leads to a telegraph.

3. Inability to hold head/chin in alignment leads to poor focus of the techniques usually leads to technique slipping off or missing.

4. Question is unclear. Blinking can be a telegraph, this can lead to a technique missing or slipping off, can be a sign of fear, all of this leads to a weak technique.

5. Head when executing a technique should not turn, head shoulder remain straight forward chin angled slightly downward or level being protected by the lead shoulder when executing counter or attack.

6. Jaw should be locked in by a proper molded mouth piece in order to avoid any injury. Mouth should never be open. Teeth should not be clenched tightly or relaxed. Athlete should be breathing in through the nose and exhaling through the mouth.

7. Avoidance of a technique should not be done with the head movement in proper defense. Body shifting is more effective.

Combination of Techniques:

1. One technique should flow into the next without hesitation or telegraph. For example: a letter without a word.

2. There should be no set repertoire of combinations. A skilled fighter should have many combinations, however when engaging in a kumite match a competitor will usually use their 3 or 4 most effective ones. A competitor with a set number repertoire is very limited and predictable.

3. Question is unclear.

4. The ability to change a combination, attack after one is initiated is very important. The fighter must be able to read that the initiated attack will be ineffective and adjust to change midstream to a more effective one. This shows versatility. This is imperative for success and must almost be done simultaneously.

5. One or two hip movements for two techniques may vary due to the techniques being executed. Anything more than that will be wasted movement or a telegraph for the next technique.

6. A fighter cannot close distance while stationary, therefore, a combination cannot be delivered to an opponent while stationary, unless it is a defensive move.

7. The first part of a combination should always be done as a valid attack or with intention.

8. Time lapse between a foot sweep and counter will allow your opponent to counter you. A sweep and counter should be explosive and show no time lapse between moves. The same applies for a kick and counter.

9. This is almost the same, an unsuccessful sweep should be followed up immediately with a technique. If this is not done, one takes a good chance of being countered.

10. One should not be mentally finished with an attack until they hear the referee's command of "Yame". The intention should be go through your opponent.

11. Desired result of a combination may vary: it could be to off balance an opponent, to successfully complete an intended combination, to score a point, to counter, to charge or run down. A desire to maliciously hurt or injure an opponent shows a weakness and lack of control of emotion. A smart fighter will out skill an opponent who cannot control emotions.

a) The purpose of unbalancing an opponent is a distract while successfully executing a combination.

b) A combination attack should have opponent focused on first technique and unaware of the second and third technique to come.

c) "Running down" opponent is usually an attempt or bombard opponent with techniques in an attempt to catch up on points or successfully closing distance against an opponent with a defenseless attitude.

Transition

1. Back leg to center, center placement to finish is a poor transitional concept of closing distance. A better more effective way to close distance is lead foot to initiate movement back leg driving forward to continue the closing distance from point A to B, continuing from point C to D and so on. To close distance as stated in the question will prove to limit an athlete's transition also making the transition slow and allowing one to be countered very easily.

2. Transition balance should remain 50/50. Anything more or less will slow down transition and execution.

3. Repertoire of transition should not be limited to just forward,just back, to left, or to the right. A fighter should be able to move in transition when appropriate at any given situation. If not then one is very limited and predictable and easily off balanced.

4. Crossing feet in a transition stage is incorrect, rising up and down, transition in the air, transition on one foot.

a) Lifting up prior to transition is a telegraph and readable.

b) Shifting to correct balance prior to transition is a telegraph and indication of initiating attack.

c) Legs not centered through transition will limit the distance and the speed and flow of closing distance. Recovery to correct stance after transition must be done in order to set up for the next technique.

d) Combinations limited by transitional error will limit the length of closing distance, will limit what can be delivered off the lead side, and the rear side. This will also enable successful defense and offense and also recovery.