 | A glossary of karate terms. Pacific Martial Arts. |
| selected terms: 28 | page 1 of 2 |
- Age Uke
- upper level block. Pr: ah-gay ooo-kay The upper block is done by starting the blocking hand at the hip area and lifting vertically into a bent arm with the forearm above the head to protect the head from incoming strikes. The palm ends up facing outwards. The variations of this block are many so have a teacher watch what you are doing.
- Counting
- Numbers in Japanese are 1 to 5, ichi, ni, san, shi, go. 6-10 are roku, shichi, hachi, ku, ju. The 'i' is pronounced 'eee' while the 'a' is an open sound such as in 'fah.' The 'u' is pronounced like 'oo' and not 'you'. See also: numbers
- Funakoshi
- This is the name of the founder of Japanese karate. Pr: foo-nah-koh-shee. Master Funakoshi moved to Japan from Okinawa and taught karate to the university athletic clubs starting about 1922. He introduced the term karate-do meaning the way or path of the open hand. He is considered the founder of the shotokan style. See also: shotokan
- Gedan Uke
- lower block, down block. Pr: gay-dawn Used to block middle to lower level punches and kicks.
- Grandmaster Devine
- Chief instructor and founder of the PMA, he holds the rank of judan or 10th dan.
- gyaku zuki
- reverse punch, for example, if the left foot is forward, punch is done with the right fist. Zuki is the word used for punch. Pr. gya-koo zoo-kee
- Haito
- ridgehand strike. Pr: hah-eee-toe but said so that the eee sound is short and connects with the hah sound. Very similar to the English greeting "hi!" with a quickly added "toe." Swinging motion of the arm, usually towards the opponent's head. The striking part is the back of the hand between the thumb and the fleshy muscle adjacent to it. The palm of the hand is facing downwards.
- karate
- karate, the open hand: Karate is the common term for Japanese martial arts involving kicks, blocks, punches, stances, etc. It is a method of self defense using these techniques. Pr: kah-rah-tay. See also: Washin-ryu, karate-do, shotokan
- karate-do
- The 'way of the open hand.' Funakoshi added the word 'do' (Pr: doh) to karate to give it a more philosophical meaning. One finds a path or way to being a better person through the intense training of karate. The calligraphy is found on the PMA crest. See also: karate, Funakoshi, washin-ryu
- Kiba Dachi
- horse stance. Pr: kee-bah-dah-chee This is a straddle leg stance, feet are about two shoulder widths apart, toes pointing straight forward, knees considerably bent, as if you are sitting on a horse. In sparring, we often use this stance sideways to an opponent and move forward to do a side kick.
- mae geri
- front kick: Pr. my-geh-ree. Kick is directed towards the opponent. Geri is the word for kick. Mae is used to mean straight ahead
- Neko Ashi Dachi
- cat stance. Literally 'cat-foot-stance.' Pr: nay-koh-ah-shee-dah-chee The rear foot is flat on ground, carrying 90% of body weight. The front foot is bent or arched so that it rests on the ball of the foot, front knee bent, heel off the ground. Leg is about a foot distance in front.
- ninja
- A term used for a class of fighters in old Japan. Today it is used in a general sense in the movies to define a dark clothed assassin who hunts down his opponents and targets. We use the word to denote karate students aged 6 to 8, Pr: neen-jah
- numbers
- Numbers in Japanese are 1 to 5, ichi, ni, san, shi, go. 6-10 are roku, shichi, hachi, ku, ju. The 'i' is pronounced 'eee' while the 'a' is an open sound such as in 'fah.' The 'u' is pronounced like 'oo' and not 'you'. See also: counting
- Oct. 24, 1978
- Founding date of the PMA in San Diego. Formerly known as the San Diego Academy of Karate (SDAK), the name was changed to Pacific Martial Arts on March 2, 1981 by Grandmaster Jerry Devine. See also: Grandmaster Devine
- samurai
- A special class of people in Japanese history that were known for their warrior skills. Samurai were allowed to carry swords and other weapons, and used to protect their masters and the emperor. We use the term to designate a karate student aged 9 to 12. Pr: sam-oo-ri approximately.
- Sensei
- A title given to a student of 3rd dan or higher rank, 15 years of experience, and highly experienced in teaching. Pr: sen-say. Such seniors are addressed as "Black Sensei" or "Rosado Sensei" by using the title after the name. Teachers like this are not addressed in the PMA simply as sensei. There have only been seven sensei titles awarded in over thirty years at the PMA. The names are: Eros, Rosado, Shishido, Brickman, Brown, Black and Conway.
- shotei uke
- Push block.
- shotokan
- This name refers to the major Japanese style of karate. The PMA uses all the katas from this style in addition to other katas that are from our own style of washin-ryu. Pr: show-toh-kahn. See also: washin-ryu, Funakoshi
- Shuto Uke
- knife hand block (karate chop!) Pr: shoo-toe ooo-kay This block is done with a slicing motion, palm ending of down, hitting with the knife edge of the hand near the pinky finger. If using the left arm to block, it would start at your right cheek and slice slightly downwards to the left side, about shoulder level, with the elbow bent at about 120 degrees so as not to hyperextend the elbow.
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