AKA
RED
ASHI
FOOT
ASHIWAZA
FOOT WORKS
BUNKAI
A STUDY OF THE TECHNIQUES AND APPLICATIONS IN KATA.
CHUDAN
MID-SECTION
DACHI
STANCE
DAN
LEVEL, RANK OR DEGREE. BLACK BELT RANK. RANKS UNDER BLACK BELT ARE CALLED KYU RANKS.
DOJO
LITERALLY “PLACE OF THE WAY”. THE PLACE WHERE WE PRACTICE KARATE. TRADITIONAL ETIQUETTE PRESCRIBES BOWING IN THE DIRECTION OF THE DESIGNATED FRONT OF THE DOJO (SHOMEN) WHENEVER ENTERING OR LEAVING THE DOJO.
EMPI
ONE OF THE BLACK BELT LEVEL KATA, TRANSLATED AS “THE FLIGHT OF A SPARROW.
FUMI KOMI
STOMP KICK, USUALLY APPLIED TO THE KNEE, SHI, OR INSTEP OF AN OPPONENT.
FURI
CIRCULAR
GEDAN
LOWER SECTION.
GEDAN BARAI
DOWNWARD BLOCK.
GERI
KICK
GI
TRAINING UNIFORM
HAI
“YES”
HACHIJI DACHI
A NATURAL STANCE, FEET POSITIONED ABOUT ONE SHOULDER WIDTH APART, WITH FEET POINTED SLIGHTLY OUTWARD.
HAITO UCHI
RIDGE HAND STRIKE.
HAJIME
“BEGIN”. A COMMAND GIVEN TO START A GIVEN DRILL, KATA, OR KUMITE.
HAN
HALF
HARA
STOMACH
HEIKO DACHI
PARALLEL FOOT STANCE.
HEISOKU DACHI
AN INFORMAL ATTENTION STANCE. FEET ARE TOGETHER AND POINTED STRAIGHT FORWARD.
HIDARI
LEFT
HIJI
ELBOW
HIRA
INSIDE OF HAND.
HIRAKEN
HALF FIST.
HIZA
KNEE
HOMBU DOJO
A TERM USED TO REFER TO THE CENTRAL DOJO OF AN ORGANIZATION.
IDO
MOVE
IPPON KUMITE
ONE STEP SPARRING.
JIYU KUMITE
FREE SPARRING.
JODAN
UPPER LEVEL.
KACHI
VICTORIOUS (E.G., AKA KACHI) IN A TOURNAMENT.
KAICHO
PRESIDENT
KAKE-TE
HOOK BLOCK.
KAETE
SWITCH, CHANGE.
KAGATO
HEEL.
KAMAE
A POSTURE OR STANCE EITHER WITH OR WITHOUT A WEAPON. KAMAE MAY ALSO CONNOTE PROPER DISTANCE WITH RESPECT TO ONE’S PARTNER.
KAMAE-TE
A COMMAND GIVEN BY THE INSTRUCTOR FOR STUDENTS TO GET INTO POSITION.
KARATE
“EMPTY HAND”. WHEN KARATE WAS FIRST INTRODUCED TO JAPAN, IT WAS CALLED “TODE”. THE CHARACTERS OF TODE COULD BE PRONOUNCED. HOWEVER, THE MEANING OF TODE IS CHINESE HAND.
KARATE-DO
“THE WAY OF KARATE”. THIS IMPLIES NOT ONLY THE PHYSICAL ASPECT OF KARATE, BUT ALSO THE MENTAL AND SOCIAL ASPECTS OF KARATE.
KARATEKA
A PRACTITIONER OF KARATE.
KATA
A “FORM” OR PRESCRIBED PATTERN OF MOVEMENT.
KERI
KICK.
KI
MIND. SPIRIT; ENERGY; VITAL-FORCE; INTENTION.(CHINESE “CHI”) THE DEFINITIONS PRESENTED HERE ARE VERY GENERAL. KI IS ONE WORD THAT CANNOT BE TRANSLATED DIRECTLY INTO ANY LANGUAGE.
KI-O-TSUKE
“ATTENTION”. MUSUBI DACHI WITH OPEN HANDS DOWN BOTH SIDES.
KIAI
A SHOUT DELIVERED FOR THE PURPOSE OF FOCUSING ALL OF ONE’S EVERGY INTO A SINGLE MOVEMENT. EVEN WHEN AUDIBLE KIAI ARE ABSENT, ONE SHOULD TRY TO PRESERVE THE FEELING OF KIAI AT CERTAIN CRUCIAL POINTS WITHIN KARATE TECHNIQUES. MANIFESTATION OF KI(SIMULTANEOUS UNION OF SPIRIT AND EXPRESSION OF PHYSICAL STRENGTH).
KIHON
(SOMETHING WHICH IS)FUNDAMENTAL. BASIC TECHNIQUES.
KIME
FOCUS OF POWER. (FOCAL POINT).
KIZAMI ZUKI
JAB PUNCH. (ALSO CALLED MAETE ZUKI).
KOKORO
“SPIRIT, HEART”. IN JAPANESE CULTURE, THE SPIRIT DWELLS IN THE HEART.
KOSHI
HIP(ALSO BALL OF THE FOOT).
KOTE
FOREARM.
KURO
BLACK.
KYU
CLASS OR “GRADE”. ANY RANK BELOW SHODAN.
MAE
FRONT.
MATTE
“WAIT”.
MAWASHI
ROUNDHOUSE.
MAWA-TE
A COMMAND GIVEN BY THE INSTRUCTOR FOR STUDENTS TO TURN AROUND.
MIGI
RIGHT.
MODOTTE
GO BACK TO YOUR ORIGINAL POSITION.
MOKUSO
MEDITATION. PRACTECE OFTEN BEGINS OR ENDS WITH A BRIEF PERIOD OF MEDITATION. THE PURPOSE OF MEDITATION IS TO CLEAR ONE’S MIND AND TO DEVELOP COGNITIVE EQUANIMITY. PERHAPS MORE IMPORTANTLY, MEDITATION IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO BECOME AWARE OF CONDITIONED PATTERNS OF THOUGHT AND BEHAVIOR SO THAT SUCH PATTERNS CAN BE MODIFIED, ELIMINATED OR MORE EFFICIENTLY PUT TO USE.
MOROTE
TWO-HANDS.
MUSUBI DACHI
ATTENTION STANCE.
NAOTTE
RELAX.
NARANDE
LINE UP.
NEKO ASHI DACHI
CAT FOOT STANCE.
NUKITE
SPEAR HAND.
OBI
BELT.
ONEGAI SHIMASU
“I WELCOME YOU TO TRAIN WITH ME” OR LITERALLY, “I MAKE A REQUEST” THIS IS SAID TO ONE’S PARTNER WHEN INITIATING PRACTICE.
OS
YES
OSAE UKE
PRESSING BLOCK.
OTOSHI
DROPING, DOWNWARD.
REI
“RESPECT”. A METHOD OF SHOWING RESPECT IN JAPANESE CULTURE IS THE BOW. IT IS PROPER FOR THE JUNIOR PERSON BOWS LOWER THAN THE SENIOR PERSON.
RENSHU
TRAINING.
SANCHIN
THREE BATTLES; NAME OF A KATA.
SAGATTE
FIND.
SEIKEN
FOREFIST.
SEIZA
A PROPER SITTING POSITION. SITTING ON ONE’S KNEES. SITTING THIS WAY REQUIRES ACCLIMATIZATION, BUT PROVIDES BOTH A STABLE BASE AND GREATER EASE OF MEVEMENT THAN SITTING CROSS-LEGGED. IT IS USED FOR THE FORMAL OPENING AND CLOSING OF THE CLASS.
SEMPAI
A SENIOR STUDENT.
SENSEI
TEACHER. IT IS USUALLY CONSIDERED PROPER TO ADDRESS THE INSTRUCTOR DURING PRACTICE AS “SENSEI” RATHER THAN BY HIS/HER NAME.
SHIAI
A MATCH OR A CONTEST (EVENT).
SHODAN
FIRST LEVEL IN BLACK BELT.
SHIHAN
A FORMAL TITLE MEANING, APPROXIMATELY, “MASTER INSTRUCTOR”. A TEACHER OF TEACHERS. HANSHI IS “WISE” OR SAGE-LIKE, HENCE THE COMMON TRANSLATION OF “MASTER”.
SHIKO DACHI
SQUARE STANCE.
SHIRO
WHITE.
SHOMEN
FRONT OR TOP OF HEAD. ALSO THE DESIGNATED FRONT OF A DOJO.
SHUTO
KNIFE-HAND.
SOKUTO
EDGE OF FOOT. THIS TERM IS OFTEN USED TO REFER TO THE SIDE KICK.
SOTO
OUTSIDE.
TATTE
STAND UP.
TATE EMPI
UPWARD ELBOW STRIKE.
TOBI
JUMP.
TSUKI
A PUNCH OR THRUST(ESP. AN ATTACK TO THE MIDSECTION)
UCHI
STRIKE.
UKE
BLOCK.
UKETE
BLOCKING HAND, RECEIVER.
URA
BEHIND.
URA ZUKI
AN UPPER CUT PUNCH USED AT CLOSE RANGE.
URA UCHI
STRIKE WITH BACK OF FIST.
URAKEN
BACK KNUCKLE.
OSHIRO
BACK.
WAKI
SIDE OF BODY.
WAZA
TECHNIQUE(S).
YAME
STOP!
YASUME
REST. A TERM USED BY THE INSTRUCTOR TO HAVE THE STUDENTS RELAX.
YAKUSOKU KUMITE
PRE-ARRANGED SPARRING.
YOI
READY.
YOKO
SIDE.
YOWAI
“WEAK”.
ZEIN
EVERYBODY.
ZUKI
A PUNCH OR THRUST (ESP. AN ATTACK TO THE MIDSECTION)
