Notes: (1) It's hard to put body movements into words. Reading through this isn't going to be a substitute for actually being shown. But if you find any of this difficult to follow, drop me a note, and I'll attempt to express more clearly. (2) I've listed below what I think are the main bunkai (applications) for the moves, other than the obvious bunkai. But, really, the kata are full of possible interpretations. After all, at least on my reading, the kata are not a sequence of techniques, but are a sequence of useful moves: one hears stories about martial artists "of old" who could apply the one move in a hundred different ways. It's always up to the practitioner to take the movements and to use them as efficiently, as viciously and as imaginatively as possible. And if your base style is strong enough, it should equip you either to take any technique you like that's used in other styles, or to refute them. (3) The traditional attitude in fact is not to tell the students the bunkai, or only occasionally to mention a bunkai. Part of the point is that the student is meant to struggle, so you keep practising the movements and transitions, and keep visualising your opponent, and keep thinking about it, and eventually an application will come to you, and by that time it will be second nature and the move will be ingrained. It's not a process that has an endpoint -- masters talk about always looking for better interpretations, and Chojun Miyagi famously talked about "hidden bunkai", which presumably refers either to more complex uses to which you can put the moves, or to knowledge of weak parts in the body. (3) Note that this is the kata according to me -- I might be right about some things, but I'm almost certainly wrong in others. Any mistakes are due to me.
A Naha Te kata from Kancho Wong. All Goju kata all start with a block, but
this kata starts with a strike.
| Count | Movement | Comments |
| 1 | Advance with right foot. Right hand chudan tsuki. Kiai on the strike. | Open from yoi as per normal. Sanchin stance throughout this kata. Speed of this kata? Make each movement powerful and fast (when you punch, really demonstrate your strength). But take your time between each movement -- don't rush. Bunkai of this first movement include a stop hit and a hit into a punch or kick. How to make a kiai? Use whatever noise you like really. Chojun Miyagi told Meitoku Yagi to make a sound like "ee-eye-eeee"; it tenses your stomach muscles as you strike. |
| 2 | Turn around. Right foot forward. Gedan uke with right hand. | Each time, before you turn, look first. Whenever you change direction, use the opportunity to generate more power for whichever move you're doing next -- if you're about to block, prepare your hands beforehand, and use your waist as you turn. The movement of the gedan uke can be converted to a strike in some circumstances. |
| 3 | Advance with left foot. Left hand chudan tsuki. | In the kata, all these punches are very square, but in practice you can, of course, do whatever you like -- you can step to the side. You can add a block to go together with the punch, etc. |
| 4 | Step to your left with left foot. Right hand shuto to temple. | In practice, the shuto can be performed simultaneously with a block, or the movement can
itself be used as a block. A more advanced bunkai is to shuto their fist as they punch, but obviously you need to be very accurate. Kaicho once broke Sensei Wong's hand by doing this. Make sure your thumb is tucked in for any of these open hand techniques. Don't hit anyone on the temple unless you really mean it. When you practise shuto, aim past their head, so that the force carries through. Make sure your stance is still sanchin. There's an art to proper foot placement. The Okinawans have a term for it (can't remember off-hand). |
| 5 | Advance with right foot. Left hand open-hand strike (horizontal nukite) to neck. | When performing the kata, just strike out straight to the neck. In bunkai, the strike to the neck can be performed with a slight curve of the arm as you punch out -- you can aim for the gap below the adam's apple. |
| 6 | Turn around. Right foot forward. Left hand shuto to temple. | |
| 7 | Advance with left foot. Right hand open-hand strike (horizontal nukite) to neck. | |
| 8 | Step to left with left foot. Left hand age uke. | The movement of the age uke can be converted to a strike in some circumstances. |
| 9 | Advance with right foot. Right hand two-finger gouge to eyes. | Basic gouge. There are others. |
| 10 | Turn around. Right foot forward. Right hand age uke. | For any of these blocks, prepare your hands before you turn. Block using the strength of both arms, one balancing the other -- don't just use one arm. |
| 11 | Advance with left foot. Left hand two-finger gouge to eyes. | Close as per normal. |
Geki sai ich and ni were developed by Chojun Miyagi in the 1940s as demonstration
kata and to fill the gap in ability between sanchin and saifa. They incorporate
techniques from Shuri Te.
| Count | Movement | Comments |
| 1 | Turn left. Move right foot to touch left foot, then pull it back into a sanchin stance (your left foot is forward). Block age uke with left hand. | Open as per normal. Look left before you block left. Use your waist on the age uke, and use one hand to balance the other. Generally, sanchin stance in Goju kata unless otherwise noted. |
| 2 | Step forward with right foot, and chudan tsuki with right hand. | Work both arms. Pull the blocking hand back hard as you punch. |
| 3 | Step back with right foot into kiba dachi, and block gedan barai with left hand. | Work both arms. Use the punching arm to help your blocking arm. If possible, slide the right foot when you step back. Don't block gedan barai with a straight arm -- make sure it's bent slightly. Gedan barai leads with the elbow, and then the forearm follows -- it's sort of a whiplash movement. Kiba dachi stance is probably of limited use in a real fight, though one possible application of a gedan barai + kiba dachi is to catch the opponent's kick on your leg, and break it against your leg. I personally find the main use of a kiba dachi stance is "body armour": constant sitting in the stance develops your muscles so that, for instance, you can take a mae washi geri to the thigh. |
| 4 | Turn right and block age uke with right arm. Your left foot meanwhile, should move forward to touch the right foot, then pull back into a sanchin stance (your right foot is forward). | Look before you block, and use your waist on the age uke. Right foot shouldn't have to move. |
| 5 | Advance with left foot, punch with left hand. | |
| 6 | Step your left foot back into kiba dachi, and block gedan barai with right hand. | The sequence of moves is quite practical. Someone punches you, then you block, then it's your turn to punch them, and you punch them chudan, because that's the obvious opening. They block, and then it's their turn to punch or kick you, but this time you step back, to free your hand from their block if necessary and to create time to think about what's happening and reassess. |
| 7 | From kiba dachi, step forward with left foot into sanchin (touch left foot to right foot, then advance). Block chudan ude uke with left hand. | Look before you block. Use the right hand to balance the left hand as you block. The goju chudan block is practised in a circular movement, and as a deflection, not as a hit. The wrist hooks in to pull the opponent off balance. |
8 | Advance with right foot. Block chudan ude uke with right hand. |
| 9 | Kick mae geri keage with left foot and kiai. Land with left foot forward in zengutsu. Hiji ate with left arm into their chest, pulling the right hand back to chamber, then, still with the left arm, backfist to face, then backfist to groin. Then punch chudan tsuki with right arm and kiai again. | As you kick mae geri, change the hands into normal fighting position. After you kick keage, pause just a little bit. If you're too hasty with kicking then landing on the kicking foot, it's very easy to sweep you -- all your weight is on that foot.The elbow strike has an upwards motion, but it should have horizontal force into the person's chest (chudan hiji ate). Also, turn your fist so that the palm of the fist is facing the side of your head -- palm should not be facing downwards. The lower backfist can be used instead as a gedan/chudan block. In bunkai, the hiji ate can strike into solar plexus or under chin. The lower backfist can also be used as a horizontal hammer strike. In zengutsu stance, the torso should be upright, feet should be about shoulder width apart, front leg should be bent till knee is on level with toes, back leg should be just a little bent, and the stance shouldn't be so long that you can't easily get up again. The feet should be as parallel as possible -- not an L or a T shape if you can help it. What's wrong with L or T shapes? -- Well, it's true that the target area is smaller; in Western fencing, there's even a term for it -- "feathering", or something like that. But being side on means you can only power things with your waist from one direction, and it's also supposed to expose your groin more than normal (Sensei Sakamoto, talking about cat stance, once said at a seminar something like, "If you open your legs, you go to heaven"). |
| 10 | Open your right fist and pull it to your left shoulder; at the same time, pull your right foot to touch your left shin below the knee, and turn so that your body is facing towards your left. Your eyes, however, should be looking towards the back. Then, strike reverse shuto with right hand and simultaneously stamp hard with right foot. You should now be in heiko dachi. | The basic bunkai of this move is to sweep their leg (when you bring your right leg
to your left, the movement should be hard and fast), then to knock them over with the shuto
to the neck. The sweep movement, if you extend it, can also be used to block a mae
geri keage with your shin. The
stamp can be used after avoiding a sweep to your leg. When you ready the right arm to shuto, move your left fist under your right arm, and use the left to balance the right as you strike. You'll find that practising the reverse shuto develops different muscles. |
| 11 | Step forward (ie, south from starting position) with left foot into sanchin stance. Block chudan ude uke with left hand. | |
| 12 | Repeat the step 9 sequence, except with opposite hands (you start with a right instead of a left mae geri keage, etc). Two kiai here also. | Usually there's a slight pause before any kiai technique. You should concentrate your strength on the kiai strike, and make the strike count. |
| 13 | Repeat the step 10 sequence, except opposite (you shuto with the left hand, etc). | |
| 14 | In one smooth motion: 1. Pivot your body to face 45 degrees (from the very first position, this is 45 degrees to the right). At the same time, bring your left foot together with right foot, turn your left shuto hand into a palm on top, and bring the elbow close to your body, and put your right fist under your left arm. 2. Pull your left arm back into chamber position, closing the hand into a fist, and simultaneously step back with your left leg into zengutsu dachi. 3. Bring your right hand in a circular movement to your right waist, still a fist, palm facing upwards. 4. Turn your left hand at chamber position so that the palm of the fist is facing downwards. 5. Double punch, left hand towards neck, right hand towards groin. |
Bunkai for this sequence include: blocking and catching with left hand, then pulling
them into your punch; catching with left hand, then breaking with right; blocking with
right hand and double-punching; catching one hand, then
the other hand, and breaking their arms against each other, then double-punching. Some more
notes on possible bunkai are listed below for the similar movement in sanchin. The double punch is performed with medium tension -- not as hard as sanchin. |
| 15 | Bring left foot to right foot, pivot your body 45 degrees to the left, execute the same sequence with opposite hands (ie your right hand swings out into the open hand position, then you step back with right foot, etc). | Look before you move. |
| 16 | Keeping your body in the same position, aimed 45 degrees to the left, pull your double punch in, then punch to the front. | Look before you punch. Bring your right foot to your left foot when you close. |
The fundamental Goju training kata, also practised in other styles that come from Naha Te. It has many different variations, but generally it conditions you to perform the basic movements of the Goju system, trains strength, stamina, breath control and focus, and is believed to promote health with deep breathing. "Sanchin" means "three battles", and there are a number of interpretations over what "three battles" means. For more comments on sanchin, type "sanchin goju" into any search engine, though obviously the descriptions you find will probably vary slightly from the Meibukan version. Feel free to ask me if you're unsure about any of the Japanese terminology you meet.
Stance: Feet are about shoulder width apart, and you can adjust this slightly if you're tall. One foot is in front of the other. The heel of the front foot is in line with the toe of the back foot. The back foot is straight, and the front foot turns inwards forty-five degrees. Toes then grip the ground hard (on a wooden floor, you'll hear it). When you move forward, rotate the front foot on the ball of the foot so that the foot is straight, and slide your back foot to touch your front foot, then into position. Knees are bent in slightly till on level with toes, but otherwise it's a natural stance (you don't need to bend knees into each other -- you can protect against a rising kick simply by tensing your thighs together). Clench your butt -- imagine you're holding a coin in there. Make sure your back is straight. -- Bunkai of the stance? Basically, it's a good close-quarters stance to work from; it's solid, balanced, affords you a degree of protection, feels your way across the ground, is difficult to sweep, and puts your waist in position to power your strikes (to notice the difference, try twisting your waist back with feet perfectly parallel). If you're good, you can move quickly while staying in the stance, but otherwise it's a stance you settle into. It's also a training stance: you'll find it develops the muscles of your calves and thighs.
Breathing: When you breathe in, breathe in hard and fast through your nose (so that the tendons on your neck are tense, but don't lift your neck or look upwards as you do so) and into your stomach (not your chest). In an emergency, there isn't time to breathe, so you take a deep breath quickly. When you breathe out, breathe out through your mouth, the breathing is noisy, you're making a noise that sounds like "haww" (so your stomach muscles are tense), and as you reach the last part of your breath, you tense your stomach muscles a little more with the sharp hiss. There is a slight pelvic thrust. This muscular tension develops the technique of locking your body on impact when you strike (the idea is that if your body is locked, you're ready to take a hit, and also you can put your entire body weight behind the strike; it hurts more to hit someone with a solid rock than with a bag of sand that weighs the same). Generally, you breathe in quickly as you pull the punches back, and breathe out slowly as you punch out. The slow breathing is a method of calming yourself down and focusing. As the hand moves from punch back to block, you both breathe in and breathe out quickly.
Muscular tension: Much of the kata is performed with the body tense, ready to take a hit. You're tensing your stomach, pectorals, arms, you're clenching your butt, you're gripping the ground, and you're low enough in your stance that your leg muscles are tense. But relax a little as you breathe in. Each time you push out with your arms, imagine that someone is holding your arm back above the elbow, or imagine that you're pushing hard at something. Make sure your arm rubs against the side of your body as you push. Don't lift the shoulder as you push. This resistance training will develop your punch.
Conditioning: Where are you going to get hit? Stomach, top of fists, both sides
of your arms, top of shoulders, upper arms, the muscles on your back under your
shoulder blades (with punch or kick), calf muscles, thighs, butt. There are also other ways the instructor
might test you: for instance, a nukite strike to the solar plexus, holding your arm
back as you push, a rising kick to the groin, or a turning kick to your upper body. The
open hand slaps downwards to the shoulders, or to the upper arms simultaneously, or to the
thighs simultaneously are meant to remind you to tense these parts. If
you're male, and you're taking the sanchin test for your black belt exam, you're expected
to do it with your shirt off.
| Movement | Comments | |
| 1 | Open with double block. Right foot slides forward. | Clear your nose before you start this kata. Open from yoi as per normal. Cross your hands as you open into the double block -- this can be used as a release technique when your opponent holds both your wrists. The speed of this movement is relaxed, not fast or slow. Breathe in as your hands rise, then breathe out and tense as your hands settle into position. Position of the hands when you block? -- Forearm and upper arm form a 90 degree angle. Elbow is a fist's distance from ribs. The forearm twists outwards, so that the tendons of the forearm are tense. The arms are pointing about 20 degrees away from the body. Make sure your pectoral muscles are tense when you block. It's important you stay focused as you perform the kata: pick a spot on the wall and give it a death stare. Fists are clenched tight -- your palms should be sweating by the time you finish the kata. Chojun Miyagi introduced the fists in this kata: originally it was open hands. In Okinawa, the kata is performed without a strict count: the teacher just says, "hajime", and everyone does it at their own speed. |
| 2 | Pull left hand back fast. Breathe in fast. Push left hand out with resistance. Breathe out slow. From the punch position, bring left hand back to blocking position. Breathe in then out quickly as you perform this movement. |
Don't lift your shoulder as you punch, and make sure your punching arm rubs against
the side of your body. Don't punch towards the center: arms should just come out straight. Remember, it's a circular outwards-in deflection, it's not a straight-to-the-side block. The block is fast, but keep your arm as tense as possible as you block. The quick breathe in and breathe out on the block: you don't have to breathe out all the way. Save some breath. |
| 3 | Straighten the right foot. Advance, touching left foot to right then bringing it in front. Keep body tense and hold your breath as you advance. | Keep your head at the same height as you advance: don't bob up and down. Slide, don't step. Grip the ground hard with your toes. Maintain the death stare focus as you're advancing. |
| 4 | Repeat step 2 with right hand. Then advance with right foot. | |
| 5 | Repeat step 2 with left hand, but don't pull the punch back into a block. From punching position, do a left hand uppercut across your body finishing under your right arm, and simultaneously turn your head to your left. Cross your right foot in front of your left foot, turn around, and block with your left hand. Your left foot should now be in front. Breathe in hard as you turn. As you turn, pull your right hand back. |
The uppercut is fast, not tensed, and no breathing is required (hold your breath). The movement
develops the muscles needed for close range strikes. Bunkai of turning your head to look to the left? -- Your eyes actually look behind you. Before you turn, position your right foot in front of your left so that you come into a good sanchin stance again when you've turned around. Turn fast, and use your waist. You'll find you can generate a lot of power. This sort of movement can also be used to release from grips from behind. Leave your left hand and right hand where they are until you start to turn (left hand is in uppercut position, right hand is blocking). As you start to turn, bring the left hand out fast into the block, and pull right hand back fast. The total number of punches before you turn is 3. |
| 6 | Repeat step 2 with right hand. Then advance with right foot. | |
| 7 | Repeat step 2 with left hand, then advance with left foot. Repeat step 2 with right hand, then advance with right foot. Repeat step 5. |
The total number of punches after you've turned around is 4. You finish on the left hand, then do the uppercut sequence again. |
| 8 | Repeat step 6: punch with right hand, block, then advance with right foot. | |
| 9 | From this position (right foot forward), do five punches (as per step 2) starting from your left hand. But don't advance -- stay where you are. On the fifth punch, leave your left hand out. | The total number of punches after you've turned around is 6. |
| 10 | Lift your left hand into blocking position, but open it as you do so. At the same time, open your right hand. Then drop both hands into an oval shape. | Relax the arms as you lift up: not tensed as per the closed-hand block. Make sure your thumbs are tucked in. As you drop into the oval shape, keep your arms as close to the sides of your body as possible -- don't stick your elbows out anymore than you can help it. As your hands drop into the oval, tense them, push hard. Extend your shoulders as you finish making the oval. Hands should be parallel with the ground as you finish the oval. |
| 11 | Pull your hands into chamber position. As you do so, breathe in, make your hands into
fists, and sink lower in your stance. Then, rising in your stance, and breathing out, push your hands again into oval position. |
Pushing out is a striking or pushing technique: you can strike their ribs with your fingers or
with the sides of your hand. Pulling in develops the muscles to jerk someone downwards
or off balance. Pull back at a relaxed speed -- not fast, not slow. Push your hands out with the same strength as you do the punches -- imagine someone is holding them back. Shoulder is still extended on completion of the oval push. |
| 12 | Repeat step 11 two more times. | After the initial dropping of the hands, there are 3 oval pushes. |
| 13 | Closing sequence. Breathe in as you perform steps 1-4 below, and breathe out on
step 5. When you're more confident,
do this closing sequence in one smooth fast action. 1. Pull right foot back to left foot. Put left hand under right hand, palm downwards. Lift right hand into palm upwards position. 2. Pull right foot back into sanchin stance. Pull right hand back into chamber position, above the left hand, palm still upwards. 3. Circular movement of left hand, finishing at left waist, palm facing outwards from body, fingers pointing downwards. 4. Twist right hand so that it faces outwards from body, fingers pointing upwards. 5. Push out hard with both hands, aiming for neck and groin, breathing out hard as you do so and rising in your stance. |
The right hand
swings right to left (or in bunkai sometimes left to right) before it comes
to chamber, and the left hand swings to its position under the right arm. The basic application is a single block, followed by a double strike or push (with open hand or fist). But there are a variety of other possible bunkai. For instance, the movement is used in a trap or double break technique, in saifa it's used in a neck break technique, it can be used against a double punch, it can be employed in jerking the opponent off balance or into a strike (eg into an elbow, a haito, or into a reverse shuto as per the seisan kata), and it can be used as two consecutive blocks followed by a strike or push (eg, imagine you're blocking two punches (jodan chudan, or jodan jodan), or imagine the right hand blocks a punch and the left hand slaps a kick away towards your right or catches a kick under your armpit following with a takedown). The closing sequence is all open hand. On the step 5 push, keep palms as perpendicular to the wrists as possible. If you're having trouble, do exercises to stretch your wrists. The step 5 push aims for the level of throat and groin, but the arms should come out straight, as with the punches throughout this kata. |
| 14 | Pull left foot to right foot and close. Breathe in as you do so. Before you do the final bow, from yoi position breathe out slow three times. |
Relax as you breathe out, calm yourself down. |
Very similar to geki sai ich, but uses some open hand techniques. I've made the
description a bit abbreviated, because I didn't want to type out all the geki sai ich
stuff again.
| Count | Movement | Comments |
| 1-10 | Just like geki sai ich! | |
| 11 | Step forward with left foot into sanchin stance. Simultaneously perform an open hand block with left hand. | Right hand should be open and pressed against chest, palm facing outwards. Left
hand should be "hooked" slightly -- bent at the wrist with fingers pointing a little towards
the left. Both hands should be as flat as possible, as per the double hand push in
sanchin. In general, closed hand blocks protect the fingers, tense the forearm, and prepare for a punch, while open hand blocks give you the option of grabbing, and prepare the hand for a push or taisho tsuki or nukite uchi. |
| 12 | Step forward with right foot. Block open hand with right hand. Then step back with right foot, and open hand block with left hand. |
Sanchin stances, of course. Bunkai of this move include: two consecutive blocks, a block followed by a push/strike/grab-chin-and-pull-them-over, a block followed by reverse shuto, and a basic breaking technique. Note that, in bunkai, the block can be performed with the outer hand or the inner hand. |
| 13 | Similar to geki sai ich... Kick mae geri keage with right foot. Land on right foot in zengutsu stance, simultaneously sweeping the open right hand up and elbowing. Then close both hands, backfist to face and groin with right hand, and punch with left hand. | Put hands into fighting position as you kick, and pause just a little below you land,
to readjust your balance. Elbow hard, as in shisochin. The sweep up with the right hand can be used to attack groin. Hands are open until you backfist. |
| 14 | Same as step 13 of geki sai ich. | |
| 15 | Similar to step 14 of geki sai ich, but you pull back the left leg into a cat stance, and hands are open throughout this step. | Sink down a little in your stance as you push with both hands. Keep palms as flat as possible. Hands are open for the remainder of the kata. |
| 16 | Similar to step 15 of geki sai ich, except that you simply pivot on the balls of your feet and readjust your weight so that now you've got a cat stance with left foot forward. Otherwise your arms go through the circular sequence, and you push to neck with right hand and to groin with left hand as expected. | |
| 17 | Sweep your left leg to face front, simultaneously pulling in your hands, then push towards the front, pulling your left foot in and sinking in your stance as you do so. | Left foot to right foot when you close. |
| Count | Movement | Comments |
| 1 | Raise hands into double open hand block, palms facing away from you. At the same time, step into sanchin stance, right foot forward. | From the Meibukan yoi position, open your hands and drop them to your side first,
so that the palms are parallel with the ground. Cross and twist your hands as you lift them. The cross occurs about face height. For the purposes of the kata, present as flat a palm as possible, and rotate the palms from the wrist so that they're hooked outwards slightly. Hands are open throughout this kata, except when you do the double gedan barai. In these positions, the chambered hand is a fist. Chojun Miyagi was big on training grip power, could tear meat off things, etc. A lot of these open hand strikes are meant to put you into position to do pain or extra damage by grabbing, then ripping or twisting the skin, muscle, tendon, or windpipe. |
| 2 | Advance with left foot. At the same time, pull the left hand back, then fast horizontal nukite to throat, then bring it back to blocking position. | Left hand comes back to chamber in basically the same position as it was when
blocking. Bring it back slow, but strike hard. |
| 3 | Advance with right foot, strike with right hand. | |
| 4 | Advance with left foot, strike with left hand. | |
| 5 | Advance with right foot, and double open hand block again. | |
| 6 | Pull both hands into chest, the same way as before, and lift right foot up. Then slide forward into sanchin with right foot forward, and simultaneously do a snappy strike/push with both hands, then bring them back to blocking position. | When you lift right foot up, do it in a quick motion that, basically, touches your
heel to your butt. Then pause in that position just a little before you slide
forward. The bunkai of this move includes: to avoid a sweep; to slide forward and step on their foot and pin them there; to groin-strike someone who's holding you from behind. |
| 7 | Advancing forward, kick keage with left foot, then right foot. Then bring your right
foot forward into kiba dachi, so your body is now facing west, and strike nukite with your
right arm at neck, then drop your hand into gedan barai position. Kiai on the strike. |
Lift your hands into guarding position as you kick. When you nukite, the chambered hand is open. Put it in the same position you would if it were a fist, but just open it, so the palm is facing upwards. When you drop the nukite hand, fingers are still pointing towards the opponent, the wrist doesn't rotate (as it would in a normal open hand gedan barai). |
| 8 | Advance west with right foot into sanchin stance. Block open hand with right hand. | Look before you move. Use both hands when you block. The blocking hand hooks slightly (rotate it a bit at the wrist). The block isn't fast, but it's firm, same as for the geki sai kata. The left hand is chambered but open, palm facing away from you. |
| 9 | Advance with left foot. Block with left hand. | |
| 10 | Advance with right foot into kiba dachi, body facing south. At the same time, the right hand slides against the left hand, making a clapping sound, and finishes in a horizontal nukite strike with palm facing upwards. | Bunkai... Basically, just a strike to the armpit. Ideally, you're meant to break
through the skin, then pull stuff away with you. The move doesn't have to be executed
in horse stance position. The bunkai of the clap is for momentarily fixing their arm in position, or lifting it up, before the armpit strike. Left hand finishes chambered, open hand, with palm facing upwards. |
| 11 | Advance kiba dachi with left foot. Strike left hand nukite to throat, then block down, as before. | |
| 12 | Pull left foot back into kiba dachi. Body is now facing south. Block open hand gedan barai with right hand. | Ideally, you block with your hand, you push the kick or punch away. Second best
is to block with the muscle on your underside of your forearm. Use both hands when you block. The gedan barai motion blocks either chudan or gedan. |
| 13 | Pull right foot back into kiba dachi. Body is now facing north. Block open hand gedan barai with left hand. | Don't bob. Keep your head the same height if possible. If you're really serious, and
you want nice form for a competition, suspend a rope in the air, and keep your head
under the rope. Slide your feet, don't step. |
| 14 | Advance east with left foot into sanchin stance. Block open hand with left hand. | Look before you move. |
| 15 | Advance with right foot. Block with right hand. | |
| 16 | Advance with left foot into kiba dachi. Body now faces south. Armpit strike with left hand. | |
| 17 | Advance with right foot into kiba dachi. Nukite then block with right hand. | |
| 18 | Step back with right foot into kiba dachi. Body is now facing south. Block open hand gedan barai with left hand. | |
| 19 | Step back with left foot into kiba dachi. Body is now facing north. Block open hand gedan barai with right hand. | |
| 20 | Pull your right foot towards your left foot then into cat stance, left foot forward. At the same time, your right arm elbows backwards, and your left arm elbows to the left. The palms should be facing each other. | Both hands are still open of course. Bunkai: basic release from an elbow choke, one hand elbowing them, the other hand jerking their arm away. It's also good practice for the yoko hiji ate move with the left hand. |
| 21 | Spin around, readjusting the weight, so you're now right foot forward. Perform the release with the left arm elbowing them. | |
| 22 | Slide left foot forward into sanchin, facing 45 degrees, southeast. At the same time, block open hand with left hand, and groin slap with fingers of right hand. | The groin slap, in practise, can also be performed as a groin strike with the side of the hand. |
| 23 | Slide right foot into sanchin, facing 45 degrees, southwest. At the same time, block open hand with right hand, and groin slap with left hand. | |
| 24 | Step left foot into long stance, facing 45 degrees, southeast. At the same time, use right hand to scoop up their leg, then left hand to break. | Straighten your body on the break. You don't have to scoop close to the ground (at least, until someone tells me otherwise). The movement can be used to pick their leg up and break it, but it can also be used to catch a kick and break it. After you scoop, leave your right hand in position -- ie it's under your left arm. |
| 25 | Advance right foot into long stance, facing 45 degrees, southwest. Catch with left hand and break with right hand. | |
| 26 | Step left foot south into heiko dachi; body is now facing west. At the same time, perform reverse shuto with left hand. | Use both hands to power the strike. The basic bunkai of the move is a block and grab, coming along the outside of them, followed by a shuto. Right hand is chambered with palm facing upwards. |
| 27 | Step right foot south into heiko dachi; body is now facing east. At the same time, perform reverse shuto with right hand. | |
| 28 | Step left south into cat stance (body is facing south). At the same time, chudan block downwards with open left hand. Then, kiai and strike nukite to solar plexus with right hand (right arm is over left arm). | |
| 29 | Rotate the wrist of the right hand into open hook block position. Then, drop your front foot (your left foot). Then, spin on your left foot to face north with your hands in the same position. You should now be in sanchin stance with right foot forward. | The spin incorporates a sweep with the right foot. |
| 30 | Pull your right foot in, to heiko dachi. At the same time pull both hands in, so they're at your chest, palms facing away from you. Then, leaning forward slightly, extend both arms so that you finish with arms/"wings" outstretched, facing palm downwards. | The final movement is a release from a bear hug (you push back into
their stomach with your butt, and you can use your hands to pull their arms away at the
same time). The move can be followed by throwing them over your shoulder. Bring your left foot to your right foot when you close, and don't forget to close into Meibukan yoi rather than Goju. |
| Count | Movement | Comments |
| 1-6 | Just like geki sai ich. | |
| 7 | Step north with left foot into sanchin stance, left foot forward. Block age uke with left hand. | |
| 8 | Step forward with right foot into sanchin. Jodan tsuki with right hand. | In bunkai, presumably this sequence corresponds to chasing them, and the punches are performed
more like sanbon tsuki. Part of what you're practising here is coordinating body weight with the punches, and the punches should land slightly before your feet do (or else your body weight goes into the floor instead of the punch). |
| 9 | Step forward with left foot into sanchin. Chudan tsuki with left hand. | |
| 10 | Step forward with right foot into kiba dachi, body facing west. Gedan tsuki with right hand. Kiai on the punch. | |
| 11 | Cross your left foot behind your right foot. Spin around into sanchin stance, left foot forward, body facing east. Block age uke with left hand. | Robert mentioned once, having just come back from Okinawa, that you should stay down,
and then come up explosively as you begin to block. Foot placement is obviously important. We don't practise this move with a look to the east before the block, though some karate schools do. In terms of bunkai, it may be the case that the best interpretation here is not of turning to face an attack coming from your right. After all, why would you spin to block it, taking the unnecessary long route and momentarily taking your eyes off your opponent? My preferred interpretation is against an attack that's coming to you from the north -- you step left off the centreline, blocking their right hand punch with your left, then spinning around to face them as you go past; or else you use the power from the spin to throw them. |
12-16 | Expected geki sai ich pattern. |
| 17-20 | Repeat the sequence 7-10, with a second kiai on the gedan tsuki. | |
| 21-26 | Repeat the sequence 11-16. Bring your right foot to your left when you close, as in geki sai ich. |
One-strike prearranged sparring.
Jodan:
Chudan:
Gedan: