More Detail on Seiyunchin

Overview

1. A set of three shiko daches, with grab defenses.
2. Bend down and lift opponents leg while stepping back with front foot into something like Renoji dachi (The letter L stance). Right hand will be in a fist, left hand in a prayer.
3. Punch with right, and step forward with both feet.
4. Use left hand to strip right arm while stepping back.
5. Right elbow up, left hand to right elbow.
6. Two handed block to the right, feet in check stance with right foot NE.
7. Shiko with gedan, toward NE and back.
8. Left foot slides into "check stance," left foot NE
9. Two handed block and shiko combo towards the NW.
10. Archer stance with the front of the body facing west. Need to keep low on the transition to archer stance. Left arm covers head, right arm covers body. Pull left arm across face while flipping hand over.
11. Archer stance with the front of the body facing East, so the back arm is right. Keep the right elbow in tight while pulling it back. Left hand covers along lower level.
12. Foot sweep with right foot, followed by two uraken with right hand.
13. Left arm down, with the fist covering the knot. Right elbow down, but right hand up.
14. Turn, and tighten body while blocking up with left, and down with right.
15. Uppercut-Shiko combo to the SW: left hand covers head, palm out. Step into zenkutsu dachi with right leg forward. Short uppercut (make sure not to scoop it) as you drop into shiko. Uraken forward, then shiko backwards with defensive uraken.
16. Facing N, double grab sequence of stepping back and stripping off arm.
    
17. Same sequence as 13-16, but with the shikos to the SE, and hands reversed.
18. Strip hand and uraken.
19. Grab defense with hands ending in Mt. Fuji position.
20. End and bow.
    
    

Other Notes

• Turn and pop, then cover your head as you step into zenkutsu. Lock in zenkutsu, pausing briefly. Then, shiko and uppercut while dropping the hand covering the head to the solar plexus. After another brief pause, do uraken forward then back.
• Breathing on the first three shikos:
1. Breath in while up.
2. Breath out while going down.
3. The palms are up on all but the last hand movement.
4. Pause between grabbing the hands and jabbing the ribs.
• The two-handed blocks require moving the hips.
• On all shiko movements, and transitions from one shiko to another, keep low.

Here are a couple of good references for terminology:
http://www.lyon-karate.com/karate_terms_glossary.php
http://www.cope.co.za/karate/terms.htm

Here is a good reference on stances with pictures.
http://www.geocities.com/sadenoo2/stances.html

Stretching Exercises

1. Fist - Make fist slowly, then rapidly.
2. Fingers - In a "prayer" formation, but with fingers out. Up, middle, then down.
3. Toes - Rock back an forth, with the big toe up, then the big toe down and the other four up.
4. Ankles - Roll each ankle both directions.
5. Squat - Feet shoulder width apart, hands on top of knees.
6. Back and Ankles - Ankles touching, keeping feet in the same place for both stretches, bend at the waist keeping the back straight, then bend at the knees.
7. Inner thigh - On knee at a right angle, other leg straight, with feet on floor. Then, one leg straight with foot up, and the other squatted, with heel on the floor.
8. Hamstring - Feet shoulder width apart and legs straight, try to touch your elbows to the floor.
9. Back - Hands in small of back, bend backwards at waist, and use octopus mouth.
10. Shoulders - Move arms in circles (both ways), then touch your shoulders to your ears.
11. Neck - Move your head in circles, keeping eyes open. Then, four count moving head down, then headbutting backwards.
12. Wrists - Submission locks, then grasping hands together and shaking.
13. Jumping - Keep the same beat.

Kata: Seiyunchin

This is a classic black-belt kata, used to defend against grabs.

1. Set of three shigo dache stances with various hand movements. Motion is north-east, north-west, north-east.
2. Big block with both hands facing the front, than shiko dache north-east and back.
3. Same as 2, but with the shiko north-west.
4. Two archers stances while stepping backwards. On first archers stance body is open to the west, on the second the east.
5. Foot sweep, two oraken punches going forward.
6. Rotate from N to SW and double block (left up, right down).
   
7. Step into shiko dache, protecting the head with back (left) hand, oraken, lower level defense/hit.
8. Back foot steps back (S), arms come up through the bear hug and leverage off the body.
9. Front foot back (S), bear hug defense with arms.
   
10. Rotate SE with another up-down mid-level double block.
11. Same shiko and bearhug defense as 7-9.
12. Mt. fuji bear hug defense.
13. Step forward into a bow.

Kata: Kobo Yondan

This kata uses a unique stance I will call "twisted foot stance." It is rather like a ballerina stance. The feet are pointed in opposite directions, but with the heel of each foot basically lined up with the toes of the other foot. It requires good flexibility.

Also of note with this kata is the start has a double block instead of a lapel grab, and then a double punch.

Motion, with front of the room being "north":
north, west, east, north, north-east and back, north-west and back. bow.

The twisted foot stance occurs in the "west" and "east." Also, each has a kick under a lower level defense, which is an unusual move.

Class on January 12

Beginners:

1. Stretching
2. Basic punches - one arm first, then both.
   
3. Basic Blocks - all three levels.
4. Exercises - Bear crawl, crab crawl

Yellow Belt:

1. Sanchin stepping - remember to bend knees on turns.
2. kobo shodan
3. Tan gan ho

Green Belt:

1. Punching out of Zenkutzu dachi.
2. Zenkutzu stepping with midlevel punch and jab.
3. Combinations: Zenkutzu with yakazuki and kesamazuki.
4. Situps, pushups, stretching.

Last Practice of the Year

Dojo Note:

• The class is not meeting for the rest of December. Class will resume the first Saturday of January

Beginners Section:

1. Basic Warmup.
2. Sanchin dache (Three Level Stance): The first level is the feet gripping the floor. The second is the tightening of the legs and glutes. The third level is the tightening of lats and straightening of posture.
3. Sanchin dache stepping and turning: Practiced with both arms forward, using the tightening of the lats to pull them in. When turning, the foot sliding parallel to the body should have it's entire outer edge on the floor to insure stability. Flex the knees to keep the body low and stable.
4. Kobo shodan: Basic kata to get the yellow belt, uses Sanchin dache.
   

Green Belts:

1. Worked on basic katas: Kobo nidan, Kobo sandan, Saifa, Ichsae Shodan

Advanced Belts:

1. Kobo shodan: The first kata, practiced multiple times, both individual and group.
2. Kata for Christmas - Seiyunchin: Practiced it both with and without shiko dache.
3. Kata for Christmas - Kobo Yondan: I think of it as the "twisted Neko" kata. Also, instead of opening with a lapel grab, it has a two-handed kick block.

Merry Christmas!

Website of the week:
Video of Seiyunchin, though Rissyoukai has subtle differences.
http://www.spokanekarate.com/kata/index.php

Day in the Dojo

Beginners section:

1. Standard stretching plus some extra work on hamstrings and back.
2. Sanchin Dachi (Three Level Stance): Stepping, then with turning, then midlevel defense, and upper-level defense.
3. Notes: Turning with upper level defense using sanchin dachi is like the upper level defense in kobo nidan.

Yellow Belt section:

1. Shiko dachi stretching. With partners holding belt and hands, and individually by putting chin on sholder.
   
2. Kobo Nidan (Second kata). Most important part is the shiko dachi. Next most important is the turning upper-level defense.
3. Notes: When in shiko dachi, slap your knees to remind yourself to get them out. I need to get my knees 4-5 inches back, straighten my back, and get lower.
   

Green Belt Section:

1. Clarification on pronunciation: "Kah-my-tay" instead of "kuh-my-tay" for "ready."
2. Kick stretching - kicking your own hand out of zenkutzu, lifting your legs to the side and back.
   
3. Ushiro geri (Back kick): Start in zenkutzu dachi, right foot forward. Spin half way around, into a nekodachi with all the weight on the left foot, but with the right foot next to the left, instead of in front. Then, kick backwards with right foot while spinning, and end up back in zenkutzu dachi.
4. Nidan Geri (Double kick): mae giri with one foot, jump and upper level kick with the other foot.
   
5. Breathing: rhythm

Helpful Website:
Here is a website with a comprehensive list of Japanese terminology used in karate translated into English.
Monte Sano Shotokan