The heart of karate lies in the mastery of its powerful and graceful techniques. This section provides a comprehensive guide to the various strikes, kicks, blocks, and stances that form the foundation of karate practice.
Each technique is designed not only to improve physical capabilities but also to instill discipline, focus, and respect. Whether someone is a beginner learning their first kata or an advanced practitioner refining their skills, this section provides detailed descriptions and images to help in understanding and application.
Select a section to list techniques in each category, with buttons for each to view more detail.
Technique | Japanese | English | Action | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Block | ||||||
Age uke | 上げ受け | Rising block | ||||
Furi uke | 振り受け | Swinging Block | ||||
Gedan barai | 下段払い | Downward block | ||||
Gedan shuto uke | 下段手刀受け | Lower Level Knife Hand Block | ||||
Gedan-kosa uke | 下段交差受け | Lower Cross Block | ||||
Hai-shu uke | 背手受け | Backhand block | ||||
Hiji sasae uke | 肘支え受け | Elbow Supporting Block | ||||
Hiji uke | 肘受け | Elbow Block | ||||
Kaishu hiji sasae uke | 開手肘支え受け | Open Hand Elbow Supporting Block | ||||
Kaishu-kosa uke | 開手交差受け | Open Hand Cross Block | ||||
Kakete | 掛け手 | Hooking Hand | ||||
Kakiwake uke | 掻き分け受け | Wedge Block | ||||
Kakuto uke | 鶴頭受け | Crane Head Block | ||||
Ken-sasae uke | 拳支え受け | Fist Supporting Block | ||||
Kosa uke | 交差受け | Crossed block | ||||
Kuri uke | 繰り受け | Sliding Block | ||||
Manji uke | 卍受け | Crossing Arm Block | ||||
Mawashi uke | 回し受け | Circular Block | ||||
Nagashi uke | 流し受け | Flowing block | ||||
Osae uke | 押さえ受け | Pressing Block | ||||
Otoshi uke | 落とし受け | Dropping Block | ||||
Shuto uke | 手刀受け | Knife-hand block | ||||
Sokumen | 側面 | Side Block | ||||
Soto uke | 外受け | Outside block | ||||
Sukui uke | 掬い受け | Scooping Block | ||||
Uchi uke | 内受け | Inside block | ||||
Ude uke | 腕受け | Forearm Block | ||||
Wa uke | 輪受け | Ring Block | ||||
Hand Technique | ||||||
Age tsuki | 上げ突き | Rising punch | ||||
Boshi-ken | 母指拳 | Thumb Fist | ||||
Chudan oi-tsuki | 中段追い突き | Middle punch | ||||
Furi tsuki | 振り突き | Circular/swinging punch or roundhouse punch | ||||
Gyaku tsuki | 逆突き | Reverse punch | ||||
Hai-tou tsuki | 背刀突き | Ridge-hand punch or reverse knife-hand punch | ||||
Hasami tsuki | 挟み突き | Scissor Punch | ||||
Heiko tsuki | 平行突き | Parallel Punch | ||||
Hiji ate | 肘当て | Elbow Strike | ||||
Hira-ken | 平拳 | Flat Fist | ||||
Ippon nukite | 一本貫手 | One Finger Strike | ||||
Ippon-ken tsuki | 一本拳突き | One-knuckle fist punch or half-fist punch | ||||
Jodan oi-tsuki | 上段追い突き | Face level punch | ||||
Kagi tsuki | 鉤突き | Hook punch | ||||
Kakushi | 隠し | Hidden Hand | ||||
Kei-kou | 鶏口 | Chicken Beak Hand | ||||
Ko-ken | 虎拳 | Hook Fist | ||||
Kuma-de | 熊手 | Bear Hand | ||||
Mae hiji-ate | 前肘当て | Front Elbow Strike | ||||
Mae te tsuki | 前手突き | Lead-hand jab-punch | ||||
Maeken tsuki | 前拳突き | Front Punch | ||||
Mawashi hiji-ate | 回し肘当て | Circular Elbow Strike | ||||
Morote tsuki | 諸手突き | U-shape punch or augmented punch | ||||
Nakayubi ippon-ken | 中指一本拳 | Middle Finger Fist | ||||
Nihon nukite | 日本貫手 | Two Finger Strike | ||||
Nukite tsuki | 貫手突き | Finger thrust or spear-hand thrust | ||||
Oi tsuki | 追い突き | Lunge punch | ||||
Otoshi hiji-ate | 落とし肘当て | Dropping Elbow Strike | ||||
Oyayubi ippon-ken | 親指一本拳 | Thumb One Knuckle Fist | ||||
Sei-ken tsuki | 正拳突き | Forefist punch or straight punch | ||||
Sekkyaku tsuki | 石膏突き | Spear Hand Thrust | ||||
Sho-kento | 小拳頭 | Small Fist Strike | ||||
Shou-tei tsuki | 掌底 | Palm Heel Strike | ||||
Shu-tou tsuki | 手刀突き | Knife-hand strike | ||||
Tate hiji-ate | 立肘当て | Vertical Elbow Strike | ||||
Tate tsuki | 縦突き | Vertical fist punch | ||||
Teisho tsuki | 掌底突き | Palm-heel punch or bottom-fist punch | ||||
Tet-tui | 鉄槌 | Hammer Fist | ||||
Uchi hiji-ate | 内肘当て | Inner Elbow Strike | ||||
Ura tsuki | 裏突き | Inverted punch or palm up close punch | ||||
Ura-ken | 裏拳 | Back Fist | ||||
Ushiro hiji-ate | 後肘当て | Rear Elbow Strike | ||||
Yoko hiji-ate | 横肘当て | Side Elbow Strike | ||||
Kick | ||||||
Ashi barai | 足払 | Foot Sweep | ||||
Fumikomi geri | 踏み込み蹴り | Stamping/thrusting kick | ||||
Gyaku (Uchi) Mawashi geri | 逆(内)回し蹴り | Reverse direction (inside) roundhouse kick | ||||
Hiza geri | 膝蹴り | Knee cap kick | ||||
Kakato geri | 踵蹴り | Heel Kick | ||||
Kansetsu / Sokuto geri | 関節/足刀蹴り | Joint Kick / Knife Foot Kick | ||||
Mae geri | 前蹴り | Front kick | ||||
Mae-ashi geri | 前足蹴り | Forward leg, front kick | ||||
Mae-tobi geri | 前飛び蹴り | Front (jumping/flying) kick | ||||
Mawashi geri | 回し蹴り | Roundhouse kick | ||||
Mawashi hiza geri | 回し膝蹴り | Round Knee Kick | ||||
Mikazuki geri | 三日月蹴り | Crescent Kick | ||||
Ura Mawashi geri | 裏回し蹴り | Back leg, hook kick to front (heel/ball of foot) | ||||
Ushiro geri | 後ろ蹴り | Straight-back (backward) kick | ||||
Ushiro Mawashi geri | 後ろ回し蹴り | Spinning, back-roundhouse kick to front | ||||
Ushiro ura mawashi geri | 後ろ裏回し蹴り | Spinning Back Roundhouse Kick | ||||
Yoko geri keage | 横蹴り上げ | Side Snap Kick | ||||
Yoko geri kekomi | 横蹴り込み | Side Thrust Kick | ||||
Yoko-tobi geri | 横飛び蹴り | Side (jumping/flying) kick | ||||
Movements / Positioning | ||||||
Hikite | 引き手 | Pulling hand or retracting hand | ||||
Mae | 前 | Front or forward | ||||
Tai sabaki | 体捌き | Body shifting or body management | ||||
Ushiro | 後ろ | Back or rear | ||||
Yoko | 横 | Side or lateral | ||||
Stance | ||||||
Hachiji dachi | 八字立ち | Natural stance or stand like the character 八 | ||||
Han zenkutsu dachi | 半前屈立ち | Half Front Stance | ||||
Heiko dachi | 平行立ち | Parallel stance | ||||
Heisoku dachi | 閉足立ち | Feet together stance | ||||
Kiba dachi | 騎馬立ち | Horse stance | ||||
Kokutsu dachi | 後屈立ち | Back stance or looking back stance | ||||
Kosa dachi | 交差立ち | Crossed-leg stance | ||||
Moto dachi | 基立ち | Front parallel stance or basic stance | ||||
Musubi dachi | 結び立ち | Joining stance | ||||
Naihanchi dachi | 内八字立ち | Iron horse stance | ||||
Nekoashi dachi | 猫足立ち | Cat foot stance or cat leg stance | ||||
Renoji dachi | レの字立ち | L-shape stance | ||||
Sagi-ashi dachi | 鷺足立ち | Heron-leg stance or one-legged stance | ||||
Sanchin dachi | 三戦立ち | Three battles stance or hourglass stance | ||||
Shiko dachi | 四股立ち | Straddle leg or sumo | ||||
Tsuru ashi dachi | 鶴足立ち | Crane Leg Stance | ||||
Uchi-hachiji dachi | 内八字立ち | Inner figure eight stance | ||||
Uki ashi dachi | 浮き足立ち | Floating-leg stance | ||||
Zenkutsu dachi | 前屈立ち | Front stance or forward leaning stance | ||||
Technique Types | ||||||
Ashi-waza | 足技 | Foot techniques | ||||
Dageki-waza | 打撃技 | Striking techniques | ||||
Kansetsu-waza | 関節技 | Joint lock techniques | ||||
Kata | 型 | Forms | ||||
Kihon | 基本 | Basics | ||||
Kokyu-ho | 呼吸法 | Breathing techniques | ||||
Kumite | 組手 | Sparring | ||||
Nage-waza | 投げ技 | Throwing techniques | ||||
Renzoku-waza | 連続技 | Combination techniques | ||||
Shouda | 掌打 | Palm strikes | ||||
Uke-waza | 受け技 | Blocking techniques |