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Kevin's Shotokan kata notes: taikyoku shodan

Last modified: Fri Aug 3 08:56:57 2007

The Taikyoku kata were devised by Gichin Funakoshi for children who start karate before they are really old enough to remember more complex sequences of moves. Of these kata, only shodan, the first one, is still routinely practiced, and even then only by a few clubs. It seems to be more common in the UK and Western Europe than elsewhere in the world. In the KUGB clubs, it is generally known by the name `kihon kata'. I have included a description here because it is not easy to find a description elsewhere on the World-Wide Web. However, because this kata is essentially a simplified version of heian shodan, I have left the detailed descriptions of the moves to the heian, and only a basic outline is given here.
      Taikyoku shodan is very simple to learn; it consists only of downward blocks, midsection stepping punches, and turns. It does contain the awkward 270-degree turns that are a feature of the later kata, so it's not entirely without interest.
      In what follows, I describe the directions of movement as if you start facing to the north. East is to your right, west to your left. When I say `step to the left', I mean `step to your left', not `step to the left of the room'.
      The movements of the kata follow a basic `I', shape, starting and finishing at the centre of the base of the `I'.

0. Start in attention stance.

1. Step to the west with your left foot into front stance; downward block with your left arm

2. Step forward (west) with the right leg; punch at midsection height with your right fist

3. Turn 180 degrees to face east by stepping around with your right leg; downward block with your right arm

4. Step forward (east) with your left leg; punch at midsection height with your left fist

5. Step with your left foot to turn 90 degrees to face north; downward block with your left arm

6. Step forward (north) with your right leg and punch at midsection height with your right fist

7. Step (north) forward with your left leg and punch at midsection height with your left fist.

8. Step forward (north) with your right leg and punch at midsection height with your right fist; kiai

9. Turn 270 degrees to face east, by stepping around to your left with your left foot in front; downward block east with your left arm

10. Step (east) forward with your right leg and punch with your right fist

11. Turn 180 degrees to face west; downward block with your right arm

12. Step forward (west) with your left leg and punch at midsection height with your left first

13. Step with your left foot to turn 90 degrees to face south; downward block with your left arm

14. Step forward (south) with your right leg and punch at midsection height with your right fist

15. Step (south) forward with your left leg and punch at midsection height with your left fist.

16. Step forward (south) with your right leg and punch at midsection height with your right fist; kiai

17. Turn 270 degrees to face west, by stepping around to your left with your left foot in front; downward block west with your left arm

18. Step (west) forward with your right leg and punch with your right fist

19. Turn 180 degrees by stepping around with your right leg to face east; downward block with your right arm

20. Step forward with the left leg and punch with the left arm

21. Finish -- pull your left left foot back to your right leg to resume attention stance.

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