2025-07-23

Teaching my regular classes at the Ross Farnsworth - East Valley YMCA.

It was another sparsely populated adult class so, after going through kihon and a bit one one-step sparring, we spent additional time on everyone’s kata … but we spent extra time on Tekki Shodan. The hardest part tends to be those “signature” Tekki moves. You know the ones … they start from an inside block, end with a wrist-supported close punch to the face, and have a whole bunch of hand waving in between? Yep, those.

Practicing without a partner, I tend to teach this in three steps, then two, and finally one. I’ll explain each, assuming we’re staring from a left-side uchi-uke:

In three steps:

1. The left fist approaches the right ear as though it’s chambering for a downward block. Meanwhile the right hand crosses to the opposite hip as though it’s chambering for uchi-uke.
2. The left fist does the downward block it’s chambered for (though it’s really more of a low punch) while the right hand passes in front of the face like a rising block but with the back side of the arm up (not out as in a traditional rising block).
3. The left fist rises to where it would be if it had just ended a hook punch while the right arm comes down and forward to execute a head-high close punch with the right elbow ending on the top of the left wrist.

In two steps: Combine steps 1 & 2 into the first count, then do step 3.

In one step: Do it all at once, as one continuous motion.

I’ve found that it’s also easier to “get it” if you use the techniques against an attacker, we also do this as a partner drill, but I’ll share that another day.