Some notes on Nijû Shi Ho

Tora Jo dôjô: Supplementary materials for kata training - дополнительные материалы для тренировки по ката: Nijû Shi Ho

As I have promised here in blog and during the Friday kata keiko, here is a small list of important points and common errors in Nijû Shi Ho. I have highlighted all these moments during the Friday training, so it could be a kind of a reminder for those karatekas who attended the class. Thank you for your good work, guys! Osu!

I provide the names of techniques as well as their numbers according to the book of Nakayama Masatoshi "Best Karate. Vol. 10. Unsu, Sôchin, Nijû Shi Ho". Kodansha International, 1987. If some other names are used, then the source is provided.

1. hidari shô chûdan osae (step back to migi kôkutsu dachi): strong powerful movement, tension is increased.

5. migi mae sanchin dachi, ryô ken awase zuki: stay straight, hips are in shomen position, fists are on one vertical line, strong sanchin dachi, don't lock your knees, don't bend your knees too much.

7. ryô ken chûdan kakiwake: slow and powerful movement, pay attention to the correct position of fists (they are not horizontal, but inclined) and use the muscles of your back to pull arms to sides and down (try the block against a strong grip!)

8. hidari jôdan age uke: don't shift the weight to right leg before moving to left. "Sink down" with the block, strongly moving to the left.

10. migi chûdan kake shutô uke: don't shift all you weight to left leg before turning to the right. Again "sink down".

Another possible version: chûdan tate shutô uke. Can be seen in Hirokazu Kanazawa "Shotokan Karate International Kata (Vol. 2)", technique 9, or in Fiore Tartaglia "Shôtôkan-Kata ab dem Schwarzgurt", Nijû Shi Ho, technique 9.

11. migi ken migi koshi, migi chûdan yoko kekomi: pay attention to the correct position of knee before and after the kick. Don't do chûdan yoko geri keage.

12. hidari chûdan zuki: this is gyaku zuki, not kagi zuki! Thus, an arm has to be straight. Turn your upper body, but don't turn your hips and don't break the stance. The stance has to be a solid kiba dachi. Don't forget strong hiki te.

16. migi tekubi chûdan makiotoshi, hidari teishô jôdan zuki: there is no chûdan gyaku tekubi kake uke before this technique in Nakayama Masatoshi "Best Karate. Vol. 10. Unsu, Sôchin, Nijû Shi Ho". You can see the absence of this technique in the video: Nijû Shi Ho performed by Asai Sensei in the JKA kata film (1960)

I have shown another possible version with chûdan gyaku tekubi kake uke. This version can be seen in Kanazawa Hirokazu "Shotokan Karate International Kata (Vol. 2)", technique 10B or in Fiore Tartaglia "Shôtôkan-Kata ab dem Schwarzgurt", Nijû Shi Ho, technique 15.

But in any case, don't shift weight to the back leg when proceeding to this technique or doing directly the technique 16 from Nakayama's book. "Sink down" with the block.

17. migi jôdan haitô uchi, hidari gedan teishô uchi: again I have shown another version of the technique than in the Nakayama's book, gedan haitô uke. This version can be seen in Kanazawa Hirokazu "Shotokan Karate International Kata (Vol. 2)", technique 11 or in Fiore Tartaglia "Shôtôkan-Kata ab dem Schwarzgurt", Nijû Shi Ho, technique 17. In Kanazawa's book this technique is not named explicitly, but the photo shows that the position of left hand is not teishô uchi, but haitô uke.

19. zenkutsu dachi, hidari shô gedan kokô sukui uke, migi shô gedan kokô tsukidashi: can be done in fûdo dachi.

I will update this list further, adding some more notes. Please watch the announcement list above!

I sincerely hope that this will help you to perfect the kata further. Osu!