Yoi, come to ready, hands to cross in front of body, right hand inside, coming up to as though to grab your ears. As your hands come down, make fists with pinky and thumb tight, bend the knees (lower your center of gravity in unison). You will come to heiko dachi (parallel stance), hands come down with strength movement to middle area of body. After attaining opening position take 80% off your dynamic tension, relax but do not relax. Now eyes look straight ahead, and gaze on one point in front of you. Listen for commands from your Sensei. Repeat after your Sensei "Kihon Sono Roku" (so you understand which form you are asked to do). Sensei will say either "ippon count" (one move at a time) or "no count", make sure you understand with a loud Osu!
Ichi: Right foot slides behind left foot (left foot should be slightly bent, like a mawate) to kake ashi dachi, do a right tetsui uchi to jodan area, terms used now will be more oriented toward understanding your terminology more and more. Be sure to stay low right knee pressed into back of left knee. Be sure to pull left hand back to hikite tightly, maintain balance, striking right arm slightly bent, thumb and pinky tight, striking with hammer fist (tetsui uchi).
Note: The flowing technique that follows is crucial that your foot placement as you pivot into a right sanchin dachi, left toe lines up 45 degrees with heel of right foot which is also at 45 degrees. You should know by now your propriocepters (the bottoms of your feet) should tell you if you are in a correct stance. Once in position execute a left seiken chudan tsuki with ibuki tension breathing. Here's is were your need understanding of the dynamic tension katas comes in play. Now a new move is required, once you execute the left seiken with ibuki, the same left hand held at middle area reaches up and performs Tensho (circular) grab to the hair and pull opponent towards self while executing a right shita tsuki, kia loud and strong.
Ni: Now while in right sanchin dachi after executing right shita tsuki, you need to go back from where you started from. Now right foot slides behind to kake ashi dachi, and execute another tetsui uchi to the face area. Once again pivoting right foot forward into sanchin dachi, left chudan tsuki with ibuki, left hand tensho grab to hair pulling opponent toward self. Execute right shita tsuki, kia strong. In essence you are executing move above as detailed, except turning back to face the way you started.
San: After executing the above two opening moves we now move into an area of half stances. Left foot slides forward into han zenkutsu dachi (half Zen stance), executing morote (double punch) tsuki to middle area (chudan area). Familiarity with morote techniques should be understood by now.
Shi: Right foot slides forward into han zenkutsu dachi, execute another morote tsuki, left fist to jodan area, right fist to chudan area, with ibuki breathing.
Go: Left hand tensho grab to hair, close fist and pull toward self, right hand overhead tetsui uchi (rise up slightly when performing this smashing technique) to get downward momentum to smash the face, Kia strong.
Roku: After smashing face, raise hands up, face high (jodan) palms facing in (as if to grab someone's head), hands pull down to left side of body, ((as if pulling opponent's head toward left knee,). Doing left hiza geri, kia powerfully, bring left leg down in fighting stance, iishia. Watch your form, kumite no tachi, kumite no kamae.
Shich: Now here comes the Kokutsu stance from Kihon Sono Go, you better do this right, period. While holding this position before starting back down the I-pattern, you slide your right foot past your left foot (staying low) turning, dropping weight, 70-30 stance (front foot on ball of feet) into Kokutsu dachi and now perform inside out shuto uchi uke, while doing ibuki breathing in unison. This move is very important as it will set-up the next move into kiba dachi while staying low.
Hachi: Slide right foot out at a 45 degree angle, stay low, (now your knowledge of all your shuto's comes into play), into migi ashi kiba dachi and simultaneously execute a right shuto sokutsu uchikomi strike, immediately followed by left furi uchi, kia here. These two moves should be as in kihon sono go (from ko stance to Zen stance) except now you go from ko stance to kiba stance staying low.
Note: So you have completed three basic different stances, Ko/Kiba/Zen all the time staying low, and performing blocks, strikes, and grabs.
Ku: While staying low shift right foot forward in Zenkutsu Dachi (facing straight ahead). Now raise hands palms inward and in a vertical position grabb your opponent's head.
Ju: Now you need to turn around and face the opposite direction, left foot steps behind and right foot pulls back into zenkutsu dachi (180 degree fumi ashi), close fists as you turn.
Ku: While in deep Zen stance arms extended, fists closed, pull opponents head into your right side while executing a right hiza geri, powerful kia!
Ju: Step left foot forward (fumi ashi) to fighting stance (morote no kamae) with spirit Kia, take up some room
Yamae: Sensei says "Yoi" (come to ready). Do we relax? No! You move your front foot back to parallel stance (yoi dachi) as explained above smooth, controlled, and maintain "Zanshin". You say "What is Zanshin"? When you come back to ready, in plain English, keep the motor running, knees bent, 50/50 weight distribution, gaze set, and maintaining Zanshin.
Example: Kyudo (archery) the final position of the archer, after the release of the arrow. The archer should remain in the final position of having released the arrow at least until it has reached the target, without out moving and without watching its flight.
Written by: Shihan John Lehner