White Belt Basics
White belt training will lead to an exam to get the Yellow belt or 8th Kyu.
Common commands
- Seiretsu: Line up in grade order in the dojo
- Rei: bow, greet
- Yoi: ready, stand in ready stance and await further instruction
- Hajime: begin, start executing
- Yame: stop, stop exectution but stay in position
- Yasume: relax, you are free to stand as you wish
Common stands
For the lineup and block for example, there are a series of common stands to know. These are so called natural stances, you don’t have to use force to do these stances and they are variations on how you would stand naturally.
Closed feet stance (Heisoku-dashi)
Connected stance (Musubi-dashi)
Parallel feet stance (Heiko-dashi)
Figure eight stance (Hachiji-dashi)
Body zones
Jodan
Jodan refers to the upper area of the body. Blocks or attacks going to the head or neck are going to the Jodan level.
Chudan
Chudan refers to the middle level, which is defined from below the neck to the belt.
Gedan
Gedan refers to the lower level, below the belt.
Making a fist
Close your fingers except the thumb (thumbs up) and then fold the thumb tight on top of the index finger and middle finger.
Kiai: Martial Shout
The Kiai is a shout to indicate you fully commit to something. It is used in kata on specific moments but can also be used during kihon or kumite. Kiai translates to “spirit unity” and serves a few purposes like:
- boost your own confidence in your action
- intimidate your opponent
- support your breathing, shouting will avoid holding your breath