Unit 01

Syllabus Discussion

The class syllabus is available in Canvas. We’ll spend time going over the parts that are unique to this class and, to a lesser degree, the “boilerplate” parts common to all classes. Regardless, you are responsible for understanding everything in the syllabus. There will be an ungraded quiz to confirm your understanding.

Expectation Setting

This is a Karate Class

It’s important to remember that this is a karate class. This class involves punching, kicking, grabbing, and shouting at each other, as well as role-playing self-defense situations. There is no way to learn karate without touching each other and “social distancing” will not always be possible in class.

All Activities Have Risks

All activities have risks. Injuries are very uncommon, but accidents happen. You should expect to be uncomfortable and occasionally sore after class. Participation in this class is contingent on signing a liability waiver saying you understand these risks.

Karate “Portability”

This class teaches the “Shotokan” style of karate. Every karate style, organization, and school, does things differently. Many styles and schools will tell you that their way is “the best”, but this class will try to teach you how to be a “portable” karate student, able to continue your karate education almost anywhere.

Karate Courtesy

Gichin Funakoshi, the founder of Shotokan karate, wrote a series of 20 precepts (called the Niju kun) describing what he thought to be the most important principles of karate. The very first of these is:

一、空手道は礼に始まり礼に終る事を忘るな
Hitotsu, karate-dō wa rei ni hajimari rei ni owaru koto o wasuruna Karate-do begins and ends with courtesy.

Two things here:

1. Different dojos do things differently. Some schools take courtesy very seriously while others are very informal. This class will lean more towards the “formal” end of the spectrum, so you should be able to adapt to the local customs no matter where you go.

2. “Courtesy” and “respect” are often used a synonyms, but aren’t really the same thing. “Respect” is how you feel while “courtesy” is how you behave. Regardless of how you feel, karate demands that you behave courteously. Here are some ways we do that in the dojo:

Entering & Leaving the Dojo

All dojos have a bit of a ritual when it comes to how you enter and leave. In general:

• Remove your shoes as soon as you come through the door.
• Before entering the training area, bow to the front of the dojo and say “Osu!”

In smaller dojos, you may end up doing these both at the same time, as the whole space is the “training area.” Larger dojos may have a lobby, separate from the training floor, so you may do these separately. How we do this for our class will depend on the space we’re given.

Bowing

See this article about bowing.

Osu!

See this article about “Osu!”

Addressing Others

See this article about addressing others.

Karate Stances

Stances are literally the foundation of karate technique. Without a good stance, you can’t generate power and you can’t resist techniques used against you. The good news is, as long as you’re standing, you’re in a stance. The bad news is, there’s a big difference between being in a stance and being in a good stance.

Stances should have three characteristics:

1. Stability - Your stance needs to be stable enough to keep your attacker from knocking you over easily. In karate, you do not want to be on the ground.
2. Mobility - Your stance needs to allow you to move quickly and freely while remaining stable.
3. Purpose - Like tools in a tool box, every stance has a different use, different strengths, and different weaknesses.

Unfortunately, “stability” and “mobility” are often at different ends of the same spectrum. A long, low stance is very stable, but makes it hard to move. In contrast, a high “natural” stance makes it easy to move, but also makes it easy to be knocked over. There needs to be balance between the two.

Fortunately for us, karate has plenty of defined stances. The first three you’ll learn are “front stance”, “back stance” and “horse stance.”

Front Stance

Front stance (Japanese: zenkutsu dachi) is the most common stance in Shotokan. It’s used ot shift your weight forward, and is probably the stance you’ll use most often in class.

To make front stance with the left leg forward:

1. Start by standing up straight, with your feet shoulder width apart, and the outside lines of the feet parallel. (n.b. This is called heiko dachi.)

2. Now imagine your feet are on train tracks and move your left foot straight forward on the same train track. While doing this keep all of these things true:

   • Your spine is vertical.
   • Your hips and shoulders are square to the front.
   • Both feet are flat on the floor, heels down.
   • Both feet remain pointing forward. (Your back foot may pivot out a bit, but no more than 45°)
   • Your back leg is straight.
   • Your front knee is bent forward until it is over, but not past, your toes.

3. Finally, make your stance as long as you can without making any of those things false.

As a rule of thumb, if you can lift the ball of your front foot off the ground, your stance needs to be longer. This is a good way to check your stance length without having to lean forward to look.

Back Stance

Back stance (Japanese: kokutsu dachi) is used to make distance and shift your weight backward.

To make back stance with the left leg forward:

1. Start by standing up straight with your feet together. (n.b. This is called heisoku dachi.)

2. Keeping your heels down, pivot your right foot 90° to the side (but no more than 90°).

3. Bend both knees deeply.

4. Keeping your right knee over your right foot, slide your left leg forward until it is almost (but not quite) straight.

If your back stance is correct, it should be very easy to lift your front foot off the floor.

Horse Stance

Some places call this “horse riding stance” and that’s probably more accurate, since it looks like you’re riding a horse. Some schools even call it “straddle-leg stance.” In Japanese, this stance is called “kiba dachi”, and many schools don’t even bother with the English name.

To make kiba dachi:

1. Stand up straight with your feet pointing forward.

2. Keeping your feet pointing forward, move them about two shoulder lengths apart.

3. Bend your knees naturally, like you’re sitting down on a horse.

Most people make their horse stance too long. If your horse stance is the right length, you should be able to bring your feet together without having to lean towards the opposite foot first.

Some Things Never Change

All three of these basic stances are approximately the same length. In other words, you should be able to transition between any of these stances without lifting the balls of your feet off the ground.