Karate Terminology

Hand Strikes

Jodan tzuki – Upper level punch

Chudan tzuki – Middle level punch

Sun tsuki – Short punch

Ura tsuki – Close punch

Awase tsuki – U shaped punch

Age tsuki – Rising punch

Haito uchi – Ridge hand strike

Hiji ate – Elbow strike

Tate hiji ate – Vertical elbow strike

Mawashi hiji ate – Round elbow strike

Shotei uchi – Palm heel strike

Shuto uchi – Knife hand strike

Ura uchi – Back fist strike

Yoko ura uchi – Side back fist strike

Tetsui uchi – Hammer fist strike

Furi uchi – Swing strike

Kicking Techniques

Kansetsu geri – Joint kick

Kin geri – Groin kick

Mae geri – Front kick

Mawashi geri – Roundhouse kick

Ushiro geri – Back kick

Sokuto geri – Side (outside edge of foot) kick

Hiza geri – Knee strike

Uchi momo geri – Inner thigh kick

Fumikomi geri – stamping kick

Mae tobi geri – Jumping front kick

Ura mawashi geri – reverse roundhouse (hooking) kick

Ushiro mawashi geri – spinning reverse roundhouse kick

Stances

• Heisoku dachi feet side by side stance.
• Musubi dachi heels together, feet facing outwards 45 degrees (knot stance).
• Heiko dachi feet shoulder width and parallel stance.
• Hachiji dachi same as above with feet turned out 45 degrees (hachi = 8, ji character, so 8 character as in Japanese kanji or Chinese text).
• Soto hachi dachi/uchi hachi dachi same as above widthwise, only the feet are turned inwards.
• Shiko dachi feet turned out from soto hachi dachi, twice shoulder width. Like Kiba dachi in Shotokan and Wado Ryu but with the feet turned out. Also known as sumo stance.
• Zenkutsu dachi long front stance, 2.5 foot lengths. Slightly shorter than some styles at 3 foot lengths but with the weight pushed forward to achieve the same striking distance with the weight behind the technique.
• Han zenkutsu half = han, so half zenkutsu dachi, one foots length between toe and heel.
• Heiko sanchin dachi feet parallel, shoulder width and with the heel of the front foot inline with the toe of the back foot.
• Sanchin dachi the same as heiko sanchin dachi but with the front foot turned in slightly approximately 15 degrees.
• Kosa dachi/juji dachi (cross stance or ten character stance) sometimes called bensoku dachi which is a tree with a vine growing round it. Found in Sepai kata.
• Saga ashi dachi crane foot (as in the bird, not construction industry!) stance as in Saifa kata.
• Neko dachi or Neko ashi dachi. Cat stance or cat foot stance.
• Kokutsu dachi back stance. A reversed zenkutsu dachi looking back towards your rear foot. (different to Shotokan’s kokutsu dachi).

Blocking Techniques

Yoko uke – Side block

Uchi uke/Gedan barai – Double arm block

Gedan barai – Lower level sweep

Gedan uke – Lower level block

Harai uke – Low block

Jodan age uke – Upper level rising block

Kake/hiki uke – Hook block

Mawashi uke tora guchi – Round block tiger’s jaw

Osae uke – Pressing block

Uchi uke – Inside block

Kosa uke – Cross block