Learning Karate At Home - Kizami Tsuki or Jab Punch

Kizami zuki or jabbing punch is a a karate technique using the front arm. In karate classes, the karateka practice a few different versions of this move -
1. From zenkutsu dachi (front stance), punch with the front arm, leave the punch out, as you punch, be sure to pull the hikite arm back strongly, with the body finishing in the hanmi or side facing position.
2. From zenkutsu dachi (front stance), punch with the front arm, snap the punch back, making sure you have a strong hikite, which also snaps back strongly to jyu kamae.  
3. From jyu kamae or fighting stance, keep your guard up and punch with the lead arm, similar to a boxers jab, with no hikite.

Master Masatoshi Nakayama - Unsu

Shotokan Karate - Kata Unsu (M. Nakayama)

The great karate master, Masatoshi Nakayama was born in 1913, in Yamaguchi Prefecture Honshu Japan.

After graduating from university he went to Peking, to study Chinese. The young karate master practiced kung fu whilst staying in Peking.

Master Nakayama was very close to the founder of Shotokan Karate, Master Gichin Funakoshi and when master Funakoshi passed away, master Nakayama became the 2nd chief instructor of the famous JKA or Japan Karate Association.

He was responsible for the world wide expansion of shotokan Karate, throughout the 1960's and 1970's where fantastic karateka who had graduated from the JKA Instructor Training Program, were sent abroad to set up karate dojo and spread the word of shotokan karate and the JKA.

learn Karate At home Soto Uke

Soto uke or outside block is one of the basic karate moves that is practiced in the karate dojo. The block comes from outside the body, to inside. The basic soto uke uses the inside of the forearm to block, the more advanced block, simply uses the open hand and is a very small karate technique.

Soto uke ou bloquer l'extérieur est l'un des mouvements de base de karaté qui se pratique dans le dojo de karaté. Le bloc vient de l'extérieur du corps, à l'intérieur. Le ukulélé soto de base utilise l'intérieur de l'avant-bras à bloc, le bloc plus avancés, utilise simplement la main ouverte et est une technique très petites karaté.

Soto uke oder außerhalb Block ist eine der grundlegenden Karate-Bewegungen, die in der Karate Dojo geübt wird. Der Block kommt von außerhalb des Körpers, nach innen. Die grundlegenden soto uke nutzt die Innenseite des Unterarms zu blockieren, die weiter fortgeschrittenen Block, nutzt einfach die offene Hand und ist ein sehr kleines Karate-Technik.

Shotokan Karate Japan Karate Association

Shotokan Karate Japan Karate Association JKA-Karate





The Japan Karate Association (JKA), is still the home of shotokan karate, still the one place in the world, all shotokan karateka turn to for guidence.

Karate For Beginners - Learn Karate The Old Way?

Karate teaching currently is made up of kihon (basics), kata (forms) and kumite (sparring) and although the common karate moves were very much the same, the way karate was studied in the early 19th century, bears minor similarity to the karate that is taught these days. They simply practiced kata and kata applications. The karateka on Okinawa would attack with very strong techniques that would test their partner to the limits and test their kata defences.

Saying that, there are karate dojo, that still practice the 'old way', taking karate moves from the kata and putting them into a self defence application, with the karateka attacking and defending, as if their lives depend on the outcome.

Many people struggle when learning a new karate kata, but if it is taken slowly and one technique at a time, it really can be a painless experience. Try not to over analyze early on, get the order of each move in the kata. so at this stage try and understand where each step, jump, spin, angle and karate technique is and in what order.

So first, try and get the pattern of the kata and everything in the right place. By the way, this is where people who do not understand kata, say 'OK, I know that kata, show me another!'

Once you understand the order of the karate techniques within the kata, start putting groups of techniques together. If you have a kick, kick, grab, punch, it is probably a kata sequence. Take these four karate moves and practice them slowly, start trying to get the moves to flow, then start to speed things up, it is at this time you should start to learn the kata applications of each technique.

Every kata has it's own timing and rhythm, so check to make sure you have the combination of karate techniques right.

So now you should have the sequences down and understand the applications of each karate move, so speed up and really go for it!

When putting all the kata sequences together, try and get them to flow, start slowly then gradually speed up, remembering the timing of each sequence.

Make your karate kata strong, but try not to move in a robotic way and on the opposite side of things, try not to make your kata a floppy soft dance! Many karateka fall into one or the other to strong or to weak.

Attitude is everything in the martial arts, be sure to have a strong fighting spirit when practicing your kata.

I feel kata is the number one reason anyone should practice karate, if it isn't, then another martial art should be the order of the day.

Linden has been training and teaching karate for over 30 years and loves to share his knowledge and experiences from the karate dojo. Supplement your karate training with these free online videos, karate lessons for beginners.

The Japan Karate Association Promotional Video

The JKA is the most authoritative and by far the largest karate organization in the world, the Keeper of Karate's Highest Tradition.

No other organizations approaches karate with greater intensity of purpose, or maintains such a large and dedicated professional staff of highly-trained, highly paid full-time instructors.

At the JKA, karate is not merely a sport, it's a martial art whose aim is the harmonizing of mind and body for balance, strengh, perseverance, patience - for total confidence and self-mastery.

learn karate at home Heian kata karate bunkai video

Kata bunkai sample video below. learning karate kata bunkai or applications, is an important part of shotokan karate kata. This video sample below, shows clips taken from the heian kata series. heian shodan,heian nidan,heian sandan,heian yondan,heian godan.