Thursday, March 10, 2016

"Dragon" Kata of Kendokai

Here's "Dragon" Kata of Kendokai Karate. Opening sequence looks a lot like Kanku Sho kata of Shotokan, with the inside-out block (uchi uke) to left, right, front, followed by lunge punch (oizuki) followed by retraction. And then a series of knifehand strikes, multiple punches from back stance, a little similar to Heian Godan kata. Nice thing about punching from back stance is that it seems to utilize squeezing of the pelvis rather than hip rotation, which is good for close-range fighting. The kata also offers double punch (punching with both hands simultaneously), which may not work so well in sparring but a good tool for close-range self defense nonetheless.

It took me a little under 2 minutes to perform this kata. It's physically challenging, but definitely beneficial for karate training for anyone.