Instructions for Wado-Ryu Karate Kata - Naihanchi

This page will help you to learn the Wado-Ryu kata - Naihanchi. Videos and written step-by-step instructions for Naihanchi are provided below. However, if you have any questions about a particular kata movement, please check with your instructor because kata instructions can vary by school and organization.

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Written Instructions for Wado-Ryu Kata - Naihanchi

• Rei. Close the feet into heisoku dachi and leave the hands open. Keep­ing the arms and hands relaxed bring the hands to the cen­ter, with the left over­lap­ping the right, so that the fin­ger­tips are even (the end of each index fin­ger is even with the end of each lit­tle finger).
• Slowly, keep­ing your arms and hands relaxed, raise the hands slowly until they are slightly above your eyes.
• Slowly let the hands sep­a­rate, keep­ing the arms and hands relaxed, and move in a semi-circle out to your sides and down, keep­ing the palms fac­ing for­ward, until the hands meet back at the cen­ter, side-by-side with lit­tle fin­gers touch­ing each other and the ring fin­gers touch­ing each other (hands are still fac­ing forward).
• Slowly, bend your arms at the elbows, bring­ing your palms up and toward your body, as the upper arms con­tinue to hang relaxed. As the hands reach their peak, let the right hand slide behind (closer to your body) the left hand, so that the fin­ger­tips are even (rounded, not par­al­lel). Then keep­ing the elbows as close as pos­si­ble to the body, and the wrists straight, let the hands go down, piv­ot­ing on the point that is at the cen­ter of the mid­dle bones of the mid­dle fin­gers, until the hands are at the cen­ter, with the left over­lap­ping the right, so that the fin­ger­tips are even (the end of each index fin­ger is even with the end of each lit­tle finger).
• Slowly turn your head 90 degrees to look left.
• Slowly turn your head 180 degrees to look right.
• Step your left foot to your right, then your right foot to your right, as you drop into nai­hanchi dachi. As you step, the hands pivot on the mid­dle knuck­les of the mid­dle fin­gers, until the hands and arms are par­al­lel at the solar plexus level, and the right hand pushes straight out to your right, extend­ing your arm (not quite straight), and your hand open (thumb cocked), palm fac­ing for­ward, strik­ing with the knife edge of the hand, while you pull your left hand back in a hikite position.
• Turn your shoul­ders 90 degrees to the right, throw­ing a left empi strike, par­al­lel to the floor and across your lower chest, into the palm of your right hand (thumb cocked). The left hand should end palm fac­ing your body, with the right arm in line with the left, and the right fin­ger­tips even with the tip of your left elbow.
• Turn your shoul­ders 90 degrees to your left (to your front line) as you pull your hands to a right tae uke, and you turn your head 180 degrees to the left.
• Throw a left gedan uke straight to your left side.
• Bring your left hand into a hikite posi­tion as you throw a right jun­zuki, at chin height, across your body to the left, 45 degrees off of the front line, snap­ping it back so that you end up in a left tae uke. As you punch turn your head 45 degrees to the right (45 degrees left of the front line).
• Step your right foot to your left, then your left foot to your left, throw­ing a right soto uke and turn­ing your head 45 degrees to your right (to your front line) as you set into nai­hanchi dachi.
• Throw a left jun­zuki to chin height (keep­ing the palm up), while the right hand relaxes back toward your right shoul­der (let the elbow drop, but don’t pull it back — the upper arm hangs straight down from the shoul­der to the elbow). Then throw a right gedan uke to the front, while the left hand relaxes back toward your left shoul­der (let the elbow drop, but don’t pull it back — the upper arm hangs straight down from the shoul­der to the elbow).
• Throw a left jun­zuki to chin height (keep­ing the palm up), as the hand comes back to a soto uke posi­tion, bring the right hand up to sup­port the block, push­ing into the side of the left elbow (palm down).
• Turn your head 90 degrees to the left, then with­out shift­ing your body weight, lift your left foot toward your right leg, to the cen­ter of your body, then set it back to it’s orig­i­nal position.
• Turn your shoul­ders 90 degrees to the left, keep­ing the arms in the same posi­tion rel­a­tive to your shoulders.
• Turn your head 180 degrees to the right, then with­out shift­ing your body weight, lift your right foot toward your left leg, to the cen­ter of your body, then set it back to it’s orig­i­nal position.
• Turn your shoul­ders 180 degrees to the right, keep­ing the arms in the same posi­tion rel­a­tive to your shoulders.
• Turn your shoul­ders 90 degrees to your left (to your front line) as you pull your hands to a right tae uke, and you turn your head 180 degrees to the left.
• Simul­ta­ne­ously throw the left hand to strike out to your left in a hor­i­zon­tal tet­sui toward the back side of your body at shoul­der level, and a right punch across your body to your left (keep­ing the right elbow at a 90 degree angle) at shoul­der level.
• Slowly pull your right arm back to a low hikite posi­tion (fist to the belt) as you relax your left elbow slightly, turn your left hand palm up and open your left hand (thumb cocked).
• Turn your shoul­ders 90 degrees to the left, throw­ing a right empi strike, par­al­lel to the floor and across your lower chest, into the palm of your left hand (thumb cocked). The right hand should end palm fac­ing your body, with the left arm in line with the right, and the left fin­ger­tips even with the tip of your right elbow.
• Turn your shoul­ders 90 degrees to your right (to your front line) as you pull your hands to a left tae uke, and you turn your head 180 degrees to the right.
• Throw a right gedan uke straight to your right side.
• Bring your right hand into a hikite posi­tion as you throw a left jun­zuki, at chin height, across your body to the right, 45 degrees off of the front line, snap­ping it back so that you end up in a right tae uke. As you punch turn your head 45 degrees to the left (45 degrees right of the front line).
• Step your left foot to your right, then your right foot to your right, throw­ing a left soto uke and turn­ing your head 45 degrees to your left (to your front line) as you set into nai­hanchi dachi.
• Throw a right jun­zuki to chin height (keep­ing the palm up), while the left hand relaxes back toward your left shoul­der (let the elbow drop, but don’t pull it back — the upper arm hangs straight down from the shoul­der to the elbow). Then throw a left gedan uke to the front, while the right hand relaxes back toward your right shoul­der (let the elbow drop, but don’t pull it back — the upper arm hangs straight down from the shoul­der to the elbow).
• Throw a right punch to chin height (keep­ing the palm up), as the hand comes back to a mid­dle block posi­tion, bring the left hand up to sup­port the block, push­ing into the side of the right elbow (palm down).
• Turn your head 90 degrees to the right, then with­out shift­ing your body weight, lift your right foot toward your left leg, to the cen­ter of your body, then set it back to it’s orig­i­nal position.
• Turn your shoul­ders 90 degrees to the right, keep­ing the arms in the same posi­tion rel­a­tive to your shoulders.
• Turn your head 180 degrees to the left, then with­out shift­ing your body weight, lift your left foot toward your right leg, to the cen­ter of your body, then set it back to it’s orig­i­nal position.
• Turn your shoul­ders 180 degrees to the left, keep­ing the arms in the same posi­tion rel­a­tive to your shoulders.
• Turn your shoul­ders 90 degrees to your right (to your front line) as you pull your hands to a left tae uke, and you turn your head 180 degrees to the right.
• Simul­ta­ne­ously throw the right hand to strike out to your right in a hor­i­zon­tal tet­sui toward the back side of your body at shoul­der level, and a left punch across your body to your right (keep­ing the left elbow at a 90 degree angle) at shoul­der level.
• Move your right foot to the left into heisoku dachi, as you open your hands and lower them bring­ing the hands to the cen­ter, with the left over­lap­ping the right, so that the fin­ger­tips are even (the end of each index fin­ger is even with the end of each lit­tle finger).
• Open your feet to masuba dachi as your hands move to your side. Rei.

Help­ful Hint

• Every move of this kata, after the six open­ing moves, is done from nai­hanchi dachi to your orig­i­nal front line, and any step­ping foot, steps in front of the other foot, and close to the other foot (out­side edges of the feet touch­ing), then the other foot moves to put you back in nai­hanchi dachi.

References

1. The written kata instructions were kindly provided by Dojo Update, Naihanchi Kata, http://www.dojoupdate.com/wado-ryu-katas/naihanchi/, Added - 10/21/14