SHOTOKAN TRAINING Reading time : 9 min Updated September 16, 2026
Contents
Shotokan structures every grade around three streams: kihon (in place, then ido-kihon moving), kata, and kumite (the pre-arranged ladder). The technical vocabulary breaks into families: stances (dachi), punches and strikes (tsuki / uchi), blocks (uke), kicks (keri). It is taught in a published order, corrected one fault at a time along the JKA loop stance → hikite → koshi → kime.
The kihon principles (JKA)
The JKA correction loop is the coach's algorithm: check stance depth and alignment (dachi) first, then the drawing hand (hikite) to the hip, then the hip rotation (koshi) that carries the technique, and finally kime, the decisive tension at the end-point, driven by the breath (kokyu). In ido-kihon (moving kihon), the transition (stepping, turning) becomes a fifth checkpoint.
Principle
What it demands
Correction order
Stance (dachi)
depth, alignment, root to the floor
1 (first)
Hikite (drawing hand)
the free hand returns cleanly to the hip
2
Koshi (hip)
hip rotation drives the technique
3
Kime (focus) + kokyu
decisive tension at impact, exhale synchronised
4 (last)
Timing / body connection
segments arrive together
combined at speed
Transition (ido-kihon)
step, shift, turn
5th checkpoint, added while moving
Correct one checkpoint at a time, never power before form. The instructor calls the count; kime is only tuned once stance, hikite and koshi are in place, then it all combines at speed.
Stances (dachi)
Japanese
Gloss
Where introduced (JKA)
shizen-tai / heisoku-dachi
natural stance / feet together
entry (10th–9th kyu)
zenkutsu-dachi
front stance
9th kyu+
kokutsu-dachi
back stance
~7th–6th kyu
kiba-dachi
horse / straddle stance
~6th–5th kyu
neko-ashi-dachi
cat stance
kata (intermediate)
Punches & strikes (tsuki / uchi)
Japanese
Gloss
Note
choku-zuki
straight punch
in-place kihon, 10th kyu
oi-zuki (jun-zuki)
lunge punch
moving kihon, 8th kyu+
gyaku-zuki
reverse punch
the core counter
kizami-zuki
jab (lead hand)
lead hand, competition
sanbon ren-zuki
triple punch
combination
uraken-uchi
back-fist
kiba-dachi work
shuto-uchi
knife-hand strike
intermediate
yoko-empi
side elbow
kiba-dachi
Blocks (uke)
Japanese
Gloss
age-uke
rising block
soto-uke
outside → inside block
uchi-uke
inside → outside block
gedan-barai
downward sweep
shuto-uke
knife-hand block
Kicks (keri)
Japanese
Gloss
mae-geri (keage)
front snap kick
mawashi-geri
roundhouse kick
yoko-geri keage
side snap kick
yoko-geri kekomi
side thrust kick
ushiro-geri
back kick
mikazuki-geri
crescent kick (kata)
Ido-kihon & the bridge to kumite
Ido-kihon puts the vocabulary in motion: step forward, back, turn in zenkutsu, then kokutsu and neko-ashi, with the transition as a fifth correction point. From there Shotokan carries the student into sparring through a pre-arranged ladder, its signature and its safe bridge: gohon → kihon-ippon → jiyu-ippon → jiyu.
Rung
What it trains
Grade band (JKA)
Correction focus
Gohon-kumite (5-step)
committed attack + retreating block ×5, counter on the 5th
8th–7th kyu
maai on each step, decisive final counter
Sanbon-kumite (3-step)
3-step version (some orgs)
~7th–6th kyu
shorter distance, rhythm
Kihon-ippon-kumite (basic one-step)
single pre-announced attack, one block-counter
6th kyu+
timing of the block, immediate gyaku-zuki
Jiyu-ippon-kumite (semi-free one-step)
attacker announces the level, both in free stance
2nd kyu+
distance under movement, zanshin
Jiyu-kumite (free)
free sparring under control
2nd dan
full application, control
Jiyu-kumite (free sparring) only appears at 2nd dan in the JKA guideline. The pre-arranged ladder gohon → kihon-ippon → jiyu-ippon is the safe bridge into sparring, not free fighting from day one.
Frequently asked
Hikite, kime, koshi: in what order do I correct?
In the JKA loop order: stance first (depth, alignment), then hikite (drawing hand to the hip), then koshi (hip rotation), and finally kime (tension at the end-point, with kokyu). One fault at a time, then combine at speed; in ido-kihon the transition (step, turn) becomes a fifth checkpoint.
Is sanbon (3-step) part of the ladder?
It depends on the organisation. The JKA guideline does not make it explicit; it appears in SKIF branch syllabi and in the DKV's Partnertraining, sitting between gohon and kihon-ippon. Record the org's own standard rather than normalising it.
Heian or Pinan? Should I train tameshiwari?
Heian: "Pinan" is the Shitō/Wadō/Kyokushin name for the same series, and using it for Shotokan content is a lineage error (likewise Kanku ≠ Kūshankū, Empi/Enpi ≠ Wanshu). Tameshiwari (breaking) and body-drumming are Kyokushin themes, not Shotokan: no reliable Shotokan grading syllabus places hard breaking, so do not build a breaking theme.
Sources
JKA, Kyu/Dan Grading Guideline (effective 1 April 2017, jka.or.jp): the three streams (kihon, kata, kumite), the grade bands for stances and strikes, the pre-arranged ladder and jiyu-kumite at 2nd dan. SKIF, grading syllabus (skifworld.com and branches): sanbon placement. DKV, Prüfungsordnung Shotokan (from January 2023, karate.de): bunkai from the Mittelstufe (6th–4th kyu), sanbon in Partnertraining. FFKDA, "Passer un grade" (ffkarate.fr): ≥3 bunkai at the dan exam. Nakayama, Best Karate series (technique reference, JKA canon); Funakoshi, Karate-Dō Kyōhan / Nijū Kun (curriculum shape, precepts). Paak Shotokan corpus, files 03 and 10. Content verified September 2026.
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