Blue belt indicates that a karate practitioner has passed the beginning levels of yellow, orange and green. In shotokan karate, this implies he has already learned basic katas, including heian shodan, heian nidan, heian sandan, heian yondan and heian godan. Each blue belt karate-ka, or karate practitioner, should review the katas and basic drills. In addition, the blue belt practitioner should practice tekki shodan, the new kata for most blue belts, and other basic drills.
Tekki Shodan
Tekki shodan is a kata that every blue belt needs to learn. It consists of 36 moves and should take about 50 seconds to perform. Tekki shodan is a short but difficult kata. The entire kata only consists of one stance, kiba-dachi. The weight must be distributed equally between your legs. As the karate-ka does the kata, extreme focus must be placed on the knees to ensure they do not move while doing the hand movements. According to Best Karate, one must master quick timing to change blocks correctly and effectively in tekki shodan.
Shuto Uke, Mae-Geri, Tate-Zuki
One of the most difficult basic drills for blue belts in shotokan karate is a combination of shuto uke, or knife hand block; mae-geri, or front kick; and tate-zuki, or spear strike. The shuto uke is performed while standing in a back stance, or kokutsu-dachi. The mae-geri is performed with the front leg and as the foot goes down, the stance changes from a kokutsu-dachi, or back stance, to a zenkutsu-dachi, or front stance. As the foot lands in a front-stance, the tate-zuki is executed at the same time the foot lands.
Block and Counter
Almost all combinations practiced by blue belts should combine blocks and counters. This ensures that the practitioner understands and practices the necessary rotation of the hips. While blocking, the hips can open, or turn to the side. While punching, the hips should turn the opposite way. Combinations of face blocks or stomach blocks combined with a reverse punch are often practiced by blue belts, including age-uke jodan and giaku-tsuki chudan or uchi-uke chudan and giaku-tsuki chudan. This rotation of the hip is first introduced in heian nidan, the orange belt kata, but the blue belt practitioner must master the rotation while performing blocks and counterpunches.
Kihon Kumite
During kihon kumite, practitioners partner up and perform the block-counter routines. Each must be able to execute the correct block and step back as the other partner steps forward and attacks. At the end of the attack, the defender must counter with an effective technique. Some of the blocks that can be used by a blue belt in kihon kumite include age-uke, or rising block; soto-uke, or outside block; uchi-uke, or inside block; shuto-uke, or knife-hand block; and gedan-barai, or downward block. Some of the attacks include oitsuki chudan, or step forward and punch to the stomach; oitsuki jodan, or step forward and punch to the face; mae-geri, or front kick; mawashi-geri, or roundhouse kick; and kikomi, or side thrust kick. Each practitioner must be able to move forward or back in a front stance and in a back stance.
References
- “Best Karate: Heian, Tekki”; M. Nakayama; 1979
- YouTube: Gichin Funakoshi Kihon Kumite
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