Taikyoku Shodan Kihon Kata

Taikyoku Shodan or Kihon Kata Video Tutorial below

Correct practice of Kihon kata or Taikyoku Shodan is vital for shotokan karate practitioners.

This karate kata only consists of two different karate moves, oi zuki (stepping punch) and gedan barai (downward block).

But within these two ‘basic’ karate techniques, lays the opportunity to understand the basic fundamentals of shotokan karate.

The first move in kihon kata is gedanbarai (downward block), when executing this technique, the body goes from a square (shomen) position, to a hanmi (side facing) position upon completion.

The hikite arm (pulling hand) is used strongly on every move. Work hard on developing a strong hikite.

Very basic breathing is practiced when first learning karate, so simply breathe in on the preparation of each move and out on completion.

Whilst breathing in and out, keep the chest still and using the stomach.

The stomach should push out when you breathe in and pull in when you breathe out.

There are many interpretations of kime, but for the beginner, focusing at the end of a karate technique should be a priority and when I say focus, I mean mind and body.

Try to move relaxed then just as the technique lands, on the physical side, tighten the muscles, then relax immediately, still keeping form.

All through kihon kata, the same height should be maintained, try not to move up and down as you travel forward, or whilst turning and spinning.

You should be aware of your seichusan (centre line) and embusen (kata performance line) at all times. The embusen of kihon kata forms the shape of the letter I.

Once the kata techniques are understood, speed should be applied, the explosive start of each move should be practiced, not a slow start, then picking up speed as the move progresses.

Timing is different for every kata and every karateka! (we will cover timing in detail in other posts)

Zenkutsu dachi (front stance), is the foundation stance, so getting this right is essential. Try not to be to long, to short, to high, or to narrow.

To begin with, the stance should be hip width, so from shizentai (natural stance), step forward with the left leg and bend the left knee so you cannot see the toes of the left foot.

Have the left knee roughly above the centre of the left foot.

Front stance is a lot more involved than this, but this is a good starting point.

Oizuki and gedan barai are two excellent karate moves, that will enable you to practice all the above points.

Both moves are basic, but contain all the basic fundamentals needed for good strong karate practice.

If you are limited on space to practice, check out this article and video on how to practice kata in a small space

We hope you found this taikyoku shodan kata tutorial helpful.

Check out our Shotokan Community, where we are continually adding karate kata tutorials, along with shotokan karate kihon and kumite tutorials.

We have hundreds of tutorials, they are highly detailed but easy to follow, consisting of complete kata tutorials, live kata class recordings, individual kata moves, bunkai and much more.

We have members from all over the world who practice Shotokan karate.

Many of our members already practice at a Dojo and belong to other shotokan associations and use our online Dojo as extra training and many of them even take our ranking qualifications.

We welcome all karateka with open arms, regardless of affiliation.

Within our karate membership site we have lots of shotokan video tutorials and articles, covering every aspect of Shotokan karate, to help your karate get better.

We even have an instructor training program and live zoom classes, plus! we continue to add more content every week.

You can also access our free course at the bottom of this page. Oss!