Japanese in Karate 21 “Keri” (2)

Continued from the last blog

★   Yoko ke age :
“yoko” = side, “ke” = kick, “age” = lift up. You lift up your leg high to the side with “soku-to”.

★   Kansetsu-geri :
 “kansetsu” means ‘joint’. This is the kick to the opponent’s knee joint with “soku-to”.

★   Yoko-geri : “yoko” is ‘side’. This is a side kick with “soku-to”.

                              

★   Ushiro-geri : “ushiro” is ‘behind/back side’. This is a back kick.

★   Uchi mawashi geri : “uchi” means ‘inside’ and “mawashi” is to make a circular movement.   “uchi mawashi geri” is therefore a circular kick coming from the inside.

★   Soto mawashi geri :
 “soto” means ‘ourside’. “soto mawashi geri” is a circular kick coming from the outside.

★   Ushiro mawashi geri : It is a circular kick coming from behind.

★   Kake-geri : “kake” means ‘to hook’ therefore “kake geri” is a hook kick.

★   Kakato-geri : “kakato” is ‘a heel’. It is a kick with the heel.

★   Kakato otoshi geri : “otoshi” means ‘to drop’. You do “mae-keage” and drop the heel straight down on the opponent. It is also called ‘ax - kick’.

When we do ‘kin-geri’, ‘mae-geri’, ‘mawashi-geri’, and also ‘kansetsu-geri’, ‘yoko-geri’, ‘ushiro-geri’, I was always taught the importance of “hiki ashi”.

“hiki” means ‘to pull’ and "ashi" means 'a leg'. “Hiki-ashi” is about pulling back the leg after kicking in the same track and to the same position before you kick.