News: 10 May 2013

Arakawa sensei throwing Maeda sensei.

We practice traditional JKF Wadokai karate based on the methods taught at Arakawa Toru's dojo in Tokyo. 
  
Our core training is:         

Kihon - basic body movement and footwork, parrying, punching and kicking technique       

Kata - the nine fundamental kata of Wadoryu karatedo. View the kata here.         

Kihon Kumite - ten pre-arranged pair techniques which embody the principles unique to the Wadoryu approach to karatedo.      

Jiyu kumite - free fighting techniques and practice methods.
 
  
 
By training a narrow range of techniques such as this we learn the basic principles of body movement which is the essence of Wadokai Karatedo.   

When time allows, we can also train the following techniques which build upon the basic skills and utilise the principles learned from the core training:  

Kumite Kata (kumite no ura, machite no kata etc) -  further pair techniques developed by Hironori Otsuka which teach close range 'infighting' techniques. Note, these techniques were developed by Otsuka in his later years and can be regarded as the 'ura' (inside face) of the kihon gumite. They were not formally systemised as the kihon gumite were.  
  
Idori - seven basic kneeling techniques with a partner. These are influenced by Otsuka's training in Yoshinryu style of jujutsu and are standardised in JKF Wadokai based on the method taught by  Dr Hakoishi sensei.

Tantodori - seven basic techniques of disarming a knife wielding opponent.  Otsuka adapted these into karate from his training in Yoshinryu style of jujutsu. He began to use these for demonstrations in 1934 and these then appeared in a book called Karatedo Taikan (author, Nakasone Genwa, 1938).  Basic versions of some of these techniques can by seen in the 1935 edition of Karatedo Kyohan (author, Funakoshi Gichin).