Yoi, come to ready, hands to cross in front of body, right hand inside, coming up to as though to grab your ears. As your hands come down, make a fists using pinky and thumb tight, bend the knees, lower your center of gravity in unison. You will come to heiko dachi stance (parallel stance), hands come down with strength movement to middle area of body. After attaining opening position take 80% off your dynamic tension, relax but do not relax. Now eyes look straight ahead, and gaze on one point in front of you. Listen for commands from your Sensei. Repeat after your Sensei Kihon Sono Hachi (so you understand which form you are asked to do). Sensei will say either ippon count (one move at a time) or no count, make sure you understand with a loud Osu!
Ichi: From Heiko dachi Right ushiro geri, powerful kia, turning your body preparing to go into zenkutsu dachi. Bring your hands to the left side of your ear, right hand inside the left palm, execute shuto uchi uchi, assuring your technique is perfect. Grab tensho cover with right hand, execute left overhead tetsui uchi, powerful kiai, coming down into right zenkutsu dachi. This is all one move and needs to be studied. This is a high level form and should be executed as one, if your holding a Brown Belt this is a must.
Ni: While maintaining your zenkutsu dachi stance reach up to head high open palms and grabbing opponents head and execute a left hiza geri bringing head down to middle area, powerful kia. Coming down into fighting stance traditional form, right hand solar plexus high left hand chin high covering centerline.
San: Now while in fighting stance left foot slides across behind right foot dropping low into Kokutsu dachi, execute shuto uke while doing Ibuki breathing. This move sets-up the next angle moves to follow.
Shi: Sliding right foot angle to your left, sliding left foot behind to 45 degree angle kiba dachi, execute right Seiken mawashi uchi to head area, followed immediately by executing left shita tsuki shifting into right zenkutsu dachi.
Go: While in zenkutsu holding your left shita tsuki, reach with both hands head high, grab opponents head execute left hiza geri, powerful kia coming down into left fighting stance.
Roku: Slide left foot, pull right foot behind into 45 degree angle kiba dachi, executing left Seiken jodan mawashi uchi, as you shift to left zenkutsu dachi stance execute right shita tsuki.
Shichi: While maintaining zenkutsu dachi with right shita tsuki, reach with both hands, grabbing opponents head and execute a right hiza geri, powerful kia, coming down into left fighting stance.
Note: So far this advanced kata contains angles as does kihon sono nana, understanding this concept needs studying and how to do techniques while moving in angles. Now the next two moves require some thought and timing that becomes important.
Hachi: While in traditional fighting stance look left, execute left shuto jodan uke. Now left hand grabs opponents arm (tensho), right foot steps slightly to straight line, left foot pulls behind, rotate arms for take down, (end up in kiba dachi with right hand down), left hand pulled to hikite. While opponent is down execute left gedan tsuki and a right gedan tsuki quickly with a powerful kia.
Ku: Turning (going down the line as we say) into right fighting stance, doing ibuki breathing. Now this move is setting up more angle moves of complexity that needs study. By now all facets of forms need not be detailed, as a Brown Belt you should be tweaked to near perfection on all nuances of advance katas by this time. ex: pinky and thumb tight, Zanshin, Kumite no tachi, Kumite no kamae, etc, etc. Osu! Now advanced bunkai comes into play and their is no getting around it, angles, seiken mawashi's, gedan tetsui's, done with non-interrupted flow, from high to low followed by a reverse punch.
Ju: Left foot steps, right foot pulls behind into a 45 degree angle kiba dachi, execute left seiken mawashi uchi, simultaneously executing (same hand) left gedan tetsui uchi, followed immediately from the shifting kiba dachi stance into left zenkutsu dachi stance and executing a powerful chudan gyaku tsuki.
Ichi: While in left zenkutsu dachi stance holding the reverse punch, right foot steps, left foot pulls behind into 45 degree angle kiba dachi, once again execute seiken mawashi uchi, right gedan tetsui uchi, left chudan gyaku while shifting into zenkutsu dachi.
Note: This kata is going to require finesse, technique, staying low all the way through your kiba stances, zenkutsu stances, kake ashi dachi.
Ni: While in your right zenkutsu dachi stance maintaining the reverse punch. Look to your right (continue down the I) stay low, left foot slides (crosses) though into kake ashi dachi (stay low), chamber right leg up to belt level, execute right gedan yoko geri, execute a right uraken gammen uchi immediately followed by left chudan gyaku tsuki into zenkutsu dachi.
San: While maintaining your right zenkutsu dachi, left reverse punch, now execute left mae geri (spinning) execute ushiro mawari (kaitten) into right kiba dachi jodan tetsui uchi, slide right foot over grab opponents head with both hands and execute left hiza geri, powerful kia. Finish in hidari ashi mae, kumite no kamae.
Shi: From traditional fighting stance, right foot steps behind (mawate), turn quickly into right kokutsu dachi, executing right shuto uke, (by now your ko stance is perfect) and perform ibuki breathing.
Go: While maintaining kokutsu dachi stance, shuto uke, right foot slides forward into zenkutsu dachi, execute alternate punching (right/left/right) high jodan tsuki, gedan tsuki and chudan tsuki with a powerful kia. Roku: Slide forward with left foot in fighting stance, with force, passion, intensity, isshia.
Yamae: Sensei says "Yoi" (come to ready). Do we relax? No! You move your front foot back to yoi dachi (parallel stance) as explained above "Yoi" ready movement , nothing changes, smooth, controlled, and maintain "Zanshin". You say "What is Zanshin? When you come back to ready, in plain English, keep the motor running, knees bent, 50/50 weight distribution, gaze set, and maintaining Zanshin.
Example: Kyudo (archery) the final position of the archer, after the release of the arrow. The archer should remain in the final position of having released the arrow at least until it has reached the target, without out moving and without watching its flight.
Written by: Shihan John Lehner