Resources

Enso Karate Training Guide

A general guide to practicing at home. Just a few minutes a day can greatly improve your skills. Choose one area to focus on or do a bit of everything. Keeping a notebook and recording your practice can help you build a regular routine. Write down what you did and how long you practiced for. Over time you will see the minutes add up. Setting goals and writing them down can also help. Aim for a certain amount of minutes per week, a better kick or a number of push-ups to reach. A long term goal may be earning your next belt. If you can, set up a space at home for training, either in the yard or garage. Make sure you have enough space to safely practice.

Warm Up: Loosen up muscles and joints for a few minutes with gentle movement as we do in class.

Kihon: Practice basic techniques. Moving through stances, defence techniques, punches and kicks. Practice slowly to focus on details then speed up and add power. 

Kata: Kihon Kata, Sanchin, Tensho, Saifa, Rohai, Kusanku.

Choose one to practice or go through as many as you like. Watch the videos on our website to check your technique. Run through a kata slowly to focus on details, then add speed and power. Visualize the use of the movements on an imaginary opponent. If you have someone to practice with, carefully try to use the techniques against an attack. Think about other ways you could use various movements.

Video Gallery: https://ensokarate.net/videos/

Kumite: If you have someone to practice with, try some light, careful sparring. Use protective gear when possible. If you are alone, try to move freely through various techniques, imagining an opponent.

Kobudo: If you do weapons, practice your weapon kihon or kata. If you have a partner, practice slow and careful free sparring with your weapons. If you are alone, try to move freely between techniques, imagining an opponent. 

Bag/Pad Work: If you have a punching bag or handheld pads and a partner, go through a few punches, kicks or other strikes. Start slow to check technique then build up speed and power. 

Strength: Push-ups, squats, plank, lunges or other suitable strength training with weights. Try to do a few sets of each movement. Record the number you can do and try to do more next time. 

Cardio: Activities such as running, cycling, skating and swimming will improve your endurance, enhancing your karate training. 

Stretching: A thorough stretching routine after training will reduce soreness and improve flexibility.

Meditation: Sit for a few minutes, focusing only on the feeling of your breath.

Study: Read books or watch videos on karate history and technique.

Japanese Karate Terminology

While we use English in class for ease of learning, it can be interesting to learn some Japanese terms. Here’s a list of commonly used words in Karate.

General Terms

Karate: empty hand

Karteka: Karate practitioner

Karategi: karate wear (uniform)

Obi: belt

Dojo: training hall

Dojo kun: training hall rules

Sensei: one who came before, teacher

Seiza: kneeling position

Mokuso: silence thought (meditation, clearing the mind)

Hajime: begin

Yame: stop

Kumite: crossing hands (sparring)

Kata: form

Bunkai: breakdown or dissection (of kata movements)

Oyo: application (of kata techniques)

Zanshin: remaining mind (focused awareness)

Mushin: no mind (clear from though the Karateka acts on pure instinct/flow state)

Kyu: rank level (below black belt)

Shodan: beginning level (1st degree black belt)

Kuro Obi: black belt

Kiai: energy unification (a grunt or shout engaging the hara/abdomen to enhance techniques)

Hara: abdomen

Tanden: “elixir field” or source of vital energy, essentially your center of gravity. A point below and behind the navel.

Kata

Kihon Kata: basic techniques form

Sanchin: three batttles (mind, body, spirit)

Tensho: turning palms/hands

Saifa: smash and tear

Rohai: image of the heron

Kusanku: named after a Chinese martial artist

Stances

Zenkutsu dachi: forward or front stance

Shikodachi: square stance

Nekoashi dachi: cat stance

Sanchin dachi: three battles stance

Target areas

Jodan: high level, head and neck

Chudan: mid level, torso

Gedan: low level, below belt, legs

Strikes

Tsuki: thrust/punch

Oi zuki: step-over/lunge punch

Kizami zuki: snap/jab punch

Mae ken zuki: front fist thrust/ front hand punch

Gyaku zuki: reverse thrust/ back hand punch

Shuto uchi: knife hand strike

Nukite zuki: spear hand thrust

Tettsui uchi: hammer fist strike

Hiji/Empi uchi: elbow strike

Ippon Ken: one knuckle fist

Uraken: backfist

Kicks

Keri: kick

Mae geri: front kick

Mawashi geri: turning kick

Gedan mawashi geri: low turning kick

Yoko geri: side kick

Ura mawashi geri: hook kick

Ushiro geri: spinning back kick

Mae tobi geri: front jump kick

Yoko tobi geri: side jump kick

Hiza geri: knee strike

Kin geri: groin kick

Defence

Uke: receive (to receive an attack, commonly called block)

Age uke: rising receive/block

Soto uke: from outside receive/block

Uchi uke: from inside receive/block

Gedan barai: downward sweep/block

Shuto uke: knife hand receive/block

Mawashi uke: turning receive/ circling hands

Numbers

1: ichi

2: ni

3: san

4: yon/shi

5: go

6: roku

7: nana/shichi

8: hachi

9: kyu

10: ju

It is not required to learn all of this but I may occasionally use these terms in class.

Side note: Karate originally developed in Okinawa, which has its own language, Uchinaguchi. Karate later became popularised in Japan and spread to the world from there, hence the common use of Japanese terminology.