Introduction

Kata Kihon is on the surface a simple Kata. But its simplicity can be deceiving. Funakoshi said it is not only a Kata for beginners, but one that experienced masters will frequently return to, in order to refine the core principles without the distraction of more difficult techniques. This left me thinking: what are these principles that we can practice from Kata Kihon? What lessons does it teach us?

Kata Kihon, or Taikyoku Shodan, is part of a set of 3 Kata introduced by Gichin Funakoshi in his book Karate-Do Kyohan, and created by him or his son Yoshitaka. They were created after the Heian as an intentional simplification of these. The three Kata are so similar that typically only the first one is taught. When I started my Karate journey, none of these was part of the curriculum, and I started immediately with Heian Shodan. These days, many clubs use Taikyoku Shodan (and only this one) as their introductory step towards the Heian.

We can look at Taikyoku Shodan as a reduction of Heian Shodan, to emphasize some very early core principles. In some sense, the introduction of this Kata devoids Heian Shodan of some of its value, but if we look at all of the Kata as individual lessons in a full course (ie the whole Syllabus) then that does not matter: it is just a different way of segmenting the material there is to learn.

This allows us to focus on the most important basics, and extract them into a compact Kata, of pure, distilled essence.

Taikyoku Shodan is a very small Kata. It consists of only two segments repeated several times. The majority of Kata impart their lessons from the content of their segments, showing us how to defend against an adversary.

In Taikyoku Shodan, instead, the actual lesson is in the shape of Kata, how the different parts integrate to form a coherent whole, and how the karateka learns to move through them. It is, therefore, a meta-kata, whose lessons are about how to perform a Kata rather than how the Kata teaches self-defence.

And as such, it becomes a fundamental Kata. And although it is, of course, not necessary, as generations of Karate-ka have learned the art without it, it provides a focused introduction to the whole notion of Kata, so useful for our modern cultures, that have forgotten, or never knew, the concept of traditional martial arts forms.

Movement in Kata

The first lesson of Kata Kihon is how to move in the dojo to perform a Kata. It provides a basic model framework, teaching students how to move and manage space, how to breathe, and how to think about rhythm. Even if the embusen is very basic, it already requires students to perform counter-intuitive turns with back-spins, which are fundamental to learning balance while changing direction, all the while embedding in the students from the very start the very important lesson that a turn is always executed with a block.

Taikyoku Shodan teaches the very simplest movement: how to step forward, turn to the sides at 90 degrees, and turn with a back spin, 270 degrees. All of these movements are executed in a single stance, and the student must learn to conserve its integrity, with fine posture, balance and a consistent head height.

Basic Technique

The technical material of this Kata is minimal: one stance (Zenkutsu-dachi), one attack (oi-zuki) and one block (gedan-barai). These are repeated enough times to make the Kata interesting. The oi-zuki is perhaps the simplest and most intuitive of punches, moving leg and arm of the same side. This movement is perhaps more intuitive than a choku-zuki, which forces the student to learn how to generate power exclusively from hip-vibration, while firmly immobile. A harder technique than it sounds!

Still, in learning how to punch while stepping, students must also learn how to time the technique correctly. They should strive to strike just as they land, so that their punch can benefit from the full power of the movement, which would not happen if the punch landed first or later. Besides, if the step finishes before the punch, the karate-ka will be caught off-guard, closer to the adversary without executing an attack and therefore in a vulnerable position.

Gedan-barai is perhaps not a very natural first choice for a block. It is not as instinctive as the clinch-reflex, and is aimed at a different height than that of the attack taught in the Kata. But it is powerful and instructive. Being a downward sweep, it can actually cover a good area of the body, from the face downwards, and so can be applied at different heights. Its chambering position is more conservative that the other early blocks, with one hand pushing the adversary away and claiming space, while the other acts like a cover of the torso and the head, a good primary blocking stance. Once the student learns to chamber and develop the gedan-barai, this actually feels like a cosy, comforting defensive position.

Finally, Zenkutsu-dachi is the most fundamental offensive position in Shotokan. It is built for comfort, and for muscle training. It is not very practical in a real-life combat, where people tend to stand in a more closed stance, but it helps to develop power and balance. Speed is somewhat compromised, and students must spend considerable time learning how to quickly get into and out of position and fire techniques accurately and without telegraphing.

Hiki-te

The technical teaching of Taikyoku Shodan is complemented by two deep concepts that will only be properly appreciated as the students progress in their career: the use of hiki-te, and hip-rotation.

The first of these is not generally well-understood, since its meaning is often times not even explained. I like to make it more obvious by relaxing my oi-zuki into an open seizing hand before I move to the next step. After all, 'hiki-te' means pulling hand, but you can only pull what you've first seized. In my view, instructors should make a point of explaining this purpose of the hiki-te. It is pervasive in Shotokan and without a proper explanation it can be forgotten and merely used as a default decorative position of the hand.

It is not! The hiki-te represents an active technique, usually holding some part of the adversary's body, preventing them from attacking or disrupting their balance. It is always executed simultaneously with a visible attack, but this hides a deep concept of karate and many martial arts: the whole body must act together to optimally perform any movement. A hand does not strike alone: we use the other hand to unbalance the adversary, set up a feint, or control the adversary so the target can not evade our strike. We should always try to optimise our attack by using all the resources we have at our disposal. In general, this means both hands will be doing something to support that attack.

Hip Rotation

The other deep concept introduced by this kata is hip-rotation, and the different facings. It is very difficult for a beginner to make proper use of these, and our instructor frequently dedicates time to them. This is because they are so fundamental to generating power, mastering speed, and learning the basis of body control.

Taikyoku shodan introduces shomen and hanmi, by frequently calling for them when turning and alternating between block and attack. This simple alteration helps students develop an awareness of the difference of these two facings, and how they support or hinder each type of movement. Students begin to develop the intuition of the best facing to use for each kind of movement or technique.

Chaining techniques

Finally, I think there are two more essential teachings given by this Kata: how to chain techniques. There are two types. The first one is the sequence of a turn (with block) followed by a strike. I believe these should be almost simultaneous. That is a very high goal to achieve, and in practice these are always counted as two tempos in the kata. But I like to speed them up, so that they would ultimately flow into a single movement: turn and block, deflecting the adversary, while immediately setting up an attack with the other hand.

For an example, consider the first turn in the Kata and try to visualise it as the ultimate representation of a whole-body movement. Imagine, in your mind, the whole movement in slow motion, as a Tai-chi master in a wuxia film. Even if the action is slow, it flows continuously, without break or jerky movements: evade stepping with the left foot, deflect the attack with the left arm while immediately stepping forward with the right foot to deliver a strike with the right arm.

The other example of chaining is in the succession of 3 punches. I also think that ultimately, these should be fast and without interruption between each step. They represent a chase, a flurry of blows typical of martial arts films. In a film, and in practice, you'd do more than 3 punches. In a Kata, 3 are enough for demonstration of the concept.

Conclusion

I hope the above shows some hidden depths of the simple Taikyoku Shodan. Although basic, and perhaps often disregarded by mid- and high-level students, there are many subtle lessons to take from here, that will indeed be valid throughout a karate-ka's full career. And indeed, I can now understand a little more of the reach of Funakoshi's words concerning this Kata.

I hope you have enjoyed it and can bring some new awareness into your training.

Alex Pinto