Kihon

I prefer to say that kihon represents the fundamental movements and techniques that should permeate throughout all aspects of Wado Ryu training.

Some people adopt the translation of 'basics' but by using that word I feel that the user implies that after doing the basics then there must be more 'advanced' techniques to learn and there is a separation or barrier that people want to surpass. Wado Ryu training is all about kihon and how to continually improve those elements and apply them.

Below is a photo sequence of Ohtsuka Sensei performing one of the very first techniques that is taught call junzuki.

Below is a photograph of Ohtsuka Sensei performing a technique called nagashizuki.

With the practice of nagashizuki, we learn early on about one of the core principles of Wado Ryu, that of nagasu. This technique is all about doing just enough body movement to avoid an incoming attack and to simultaneously apply an effective attack of our own by ensuring we are not moving away from the target. There should be no excess of movement and body tension in this technique.

Here we se Ohtsuka Sensei applying the same nagashizuki approach but changing the right fist into a palm heel. The intent is to slip past the maegeri (front kick) and to apply your own attack at the same time.

Furthermore, you can now see Ohtsuka Sensei's son (Jiro) applying the same technique to his own son (Kazutaka). You can also see a slight protective cover with the left arm. Notice that it is not pushing the leg away so to allow the opponent's weight to come straight forward and onto the strike to the head.

Tsuki

Tsuki means 'thrust' in Japanese. In karate we take that term to mean 'punch' when we apply it to the action of propelling a fist towards a target. When written with another word it becomes zuki as in junzuki for example.

Uchi

In karate we take uchi to mean 'strike' when applied to the action of hitting with something apart from the front of the fist.

Uke

An often used phrase is "there are no blocks in Wado".

Yet in the class we may say things like head block, downward block and so on. That is one of the problems in using translated terms. It might be convenient to start with but leads to confusion over or deviation from the actual meaning.

Uke comes from the Japanese verb "ukeru" which means to receive. It does not mean block as in blocking someone's way or a pipe being blocked. The word block implies a barrier or a physical stop in a direction.

In Wado Ryu the aim to to deal with an incoming attack in a way that does not rely on our physical strength but in a way that deflects or slips past the attack in order that we can take advantage of their movement and committment. It relies on us being light, soft and flexible in our approach. In Wado, tension is our enemy.

Don't misread this concept to mean there is no contact but it has to be done in an appropriate manner that reflects the fundamental principles.

Keri

Kicking.

You may find it funny that we say that you must kick using the whole body, as opposed to just the legs.

A kick in karate is not just the swinging of the lower leg with a fixed body and knee position. It is a combination of intent and a striking action with the foot that involvements movement and momentum tied in with an angle and height of execution. Recovery and safety are also important elements that can be overlooked when focusing solely on the impact and not the context.