Kihon

Kihon (基本), which means “basics” or “rudiments,” is made up of two characters. Ki (基) which translates to “foundation” or “root.” At the bottom of the ideogram is the radical chi (土), which means “earth.” Hon (本) can mean “base” or “at the foot of.” It is made up of the ideogram for “tree” ( 木) with a dash at its bottom indicating its base. The two characters repeat a single, basic idea. This redundancy is an indication of the importance Japanese place on mastering the basic knowledge and skills of a discipline.

Japanese and Okinawan educators have traditionally believed that only by thoroughly mastering the basics can a student develop the skills and knowledge necessary to move on to more sophisticated, creative levels of a discipline. It is therefore not surprising that a traditional martial art such as karate also stresses the importance of basics. Like the two characters that make up kihon, basics in karate also work from the ground up. The foundation of all karate techniques lies in the way in which one stands. Karate stances are designed to teach students to fully utilize the lower torso in both training and actual combat. The difficult stances strengthen the legs and hips, and by perfecting them you can generate more power in your kicks and punches.

In fact, not so long ago, a beginning student of karate would not be allowed to practice anything but a handful of stances. All karate stances can be painfully tiring when held over a prolonged period of time, and the student had to learn to endure this pain and exhaustion before going on to further study. This period sometimes lasted weeks, even months, after which the student devoted an equally long period to just walking back and forth. Only after mastering standing and walking was a student taught to block, punch, and kick. As you can imagine, this curriculum tested the student’s patience to the extreme, Instructors felt this developed character and at the same time weeded out those lacking the mettle to succeed in karate.

I have heard that when Gojuryu Karate founder, Miyagi Chojun Sensei, first began his

Study of karate under his teacher (Higaonna Kanryo Sensei) that for the first six months

All he was allowed to learn was unsoku-ho (foot movements).

I remember when I first started my study of karate at my father’s dojo, for the first few months all I was allowed to do was walk from one end of the dojo to the other in Sanchin, Shiko and Zenkutsu Dachi’s, then another few months of walking in the same stances with the addition of the basic punches and blocks. I also recall that as one progressed in rank (which was not often), during the tests, depending on the level of rank one was trying to achieve, you were placed in a stance and made to hold it for a specified amount of time. When I tested for Sankyu, I remember having to sit in Shiko Dachi for 30 minutes, the same for when I tested for Shodan, it was extremely painful. I also remember that every class I attended either at my father’s dojo, Mr. Keeney’s dojo, or any of the other dojo I trained at regularly, a great deal of time was spent on the basics.

In recent years, especially in America, there has been less emphasis placed on basics. I have attended karate tournaments in the not to distant past, where I have seen some students wearing all different color of obi (belts), demonstrating advanced level kata, but they have terrible basics, in fact I have been chastised for giving low scores while judging. I was approached and asked why I was giving low scores, and I proceeded to explain my reason and critique of the basics they displayed, only to be told, hey bring your scores up we want people to come back, not everyone is perfect. Certainly it would be difficult for a proprietor of a karate school in today’s fast-paced society to attract or retain new students if all they were taught for the first few months were standing and walking. However, just as building cannot stand without the proper foundation, and as a tree will fall over without its roots, advanced karate techniques cannot be perfected without mastering the basics first. As you are taught a variety of techniques, therefore, you should constantly keep up your practice of your stances and footwork—your kihon, or base.