Included in this article is the material that I personally teach. As such, this is not meant to be a complete list of all karate techniques.
Philosophy
Purpose of Karate Training
To stand for peace, harmony, and truth!
Dojo Precepts
1) Perfect one's character!
1) Dedicate oneself to others!
1) Uphold honor, bravery, and justice!
1) Never stop learning!
1) Obtain victory without conflict!
Mukso (Meditation)
Meditation warms up the mind before training, and cools down the mind after training. After training, meditate on what you did well, and what you want to work on next time.
Bowing
Shomen ni rei - Bow to the front
Otagai ni rei - Bow to each other
Traditions
1) Do not wear anything on your feet on the training floor, or anything that inhibits training.
2) Courtesy / Respect: Bow when entering and leaving the training floor. Bow when a teacher enters or leaves the training floor. Say 'Thank you' or 'Arigato' and 'Hai, sensei' often. Ask the teacher first before you leave the floor for any reason.
3) Relationships: Teacher-Student (oyabun-kobun) and Senior-Junior (sempai-kohai). In Japanese tradition, the relationship of master and apprentice is comparable to that of parent and child.
4) Honor: Carry yourself in an honorable fashion in dealing with people in and out of the dojo. In the dojo, this includes respecting your classmates and teachers by giving them your best. Outside of the dojo, this includes doing the best you can for others.
Terms
Pronunciation
Ei is like long a, ai is like ie in pie, y is like long e
General
Dojo - 'Place of the Way'; The training hall
Sensei - 'One who comes before'; Instructor
Sempai - Senior Student
Kohai - Junior Student
Karate-do - 'Way of the Empty Hand'; Founded in Okinawa as a system of self-defense & conduct
Hai - Yes
Osu - A greeting used in various styles.
Commands
Yoi - Ready
Kiyotsuke rei - Line up, bow
Jiyu kumite - Free sparring
Hajime - Start
Yame - Stop
Mawate - Turn
Seiza - Formal Japanese sitting position
Mukso - Concentration / Meditation
Shomen ni rei - Bow to the front
Otagai ni rei - Bow to each other
Tate - Stand up
Moichido - One more time
Counting
Ichi - One / Ni - Two / San - Three / Shi - Four / Go - Five
Roku - Six / Shichi - Seven / Hachi - Eight / Ku - Nine
Juu - Ten
(Note: 'Shi' may also be pronounced 'yo' or 'yon', since 'Shi' can also mean death. 'Shichi' is alternatively pronounced 'nana', and 'Ku' is alternatively pronounced 'kyuu'.
The above was excerpted from my free guide to karate, available as a free pdf ebook download - Understanding Karate-Do. I am the chief instructor at Johnston Karate.
"Understanding Karate" is also available as a professionally bound and printed trade paperback book, as well as a Kindle e-book over at our Understanding Karate-do store on Amazon.com. If you are a book store or school owner and would like to sell any of our books, visit the above page and scroll down to the "Bulk pricing" section.
Philosophy
Purpose of Karate Training
To stand for peace, harmony, and truth!
Dojo Precepts
1) Perfect one's character!
1) Dedicate oneself to others!
1) Uphold honor, bravery, and justice!
1) Never stop learning!
1) Obtain victory without conflict!
Mukso (Meditation)
Meditation warms up the mind before training, and cools down the mind after training. After training, meditate on what you did well, and what you want to work on next time.
Bowing
Shomen ni rei - Bow to the front
Otagai ni rei - Bow to each other
Traditions
1) Do not wear anything on your feet on the training floor, or anything that inhibits training.
2) Courtesy / Respect: Bow when entering and leaving the training floor. Bow when a teacher enters or leaves the training floor. Say 'Thank you' or 'Arigato' and 'Hai, sensei' often. Ask the teacher first before you leave the floor for any reason.
3) Relationships: Teacher-Student (oyabun-kobun) and Senior-Junior (sempai-kohai). In Japanese tradition, the relationship of master and apprentice is comparable to that of parent and child.
4) Honor: Carry yourself in an honorable fashion in dealing with people in and out of the dojo. In the dojo, this includes respecting your classmates and teachers by giving them your best. Outside of the dojo, this includes doing the best you can for others.
Terms
Pronunciation
Ei is like long a, ai is like ie in pie, y is like long e
General
Dojo - 'Place of the Way'; The training hall
Sensei - 'One who comes before'; Instructor
Sempai - Senior Student
Kohai - Junior Student
Karate-do - 'Way of the Empty Hand'; Founded in Okinawa as a system of self-defense & conduct
Hai - Yes
Osu - A greeting used in various styles.
Commands
Yoi - Ready
Kiyotsuke rei - Line up, bow
Jiyu kumite - Free sparring
Hajime - Start
Yame - Stop
Mawate - Turn
Seiza - Formal Japanese sitting position
Mukso - Concentration / Meditation
Shomen ni rei - Bow to the front
Otagai ni rei - Bow to each other
Tate - Stand up
Moichido - One more time
Counting
Ichi - One / Ni - Two / San - Three / Shi - Four / Go - Five
Roku - Six / Shichi - Seven / Hachi - Eight / Ku - Nine
Juu - Ten
(Note: 'Shi' may also be pronounced 'yo' or 'yon', since 'Shi' can also mean death. 'Shichi' is alternatively pronounced 'nana', and 'Ku' is alternatively pronounced 'kyuu'.
The above was excerpted from my free guide to karate, available as a free pdf ebook download - Understanding Karate-Do. I am the chief instructor at Johnston Karate.
"Understanding Karate" is also available as a professionally bound and printed trade paperback book, as well as a Kindle e-book over at our Understanding Karate-do store on Amazon.com. If you are a book store or school owner and would like to sell any of our books, visit the above page and scroll down to the "Bulk pricing" section.
