Koryu Uchinadi ‘

Practical fighting, not sport or performance karate

Koryu Uchinadi in order to create functional spontaneity employs lots of two person drills. These two person exercises are the kernel of Koryu Uchinadi and they are what creates functional spontaneity. Since KU is pioneered as a culmination of Sensei McCarthy’s personal studies which mainly consist of Training in Chinese and Japanese Martial Arts, it also employs solo exercises (kihon, kata, …) that used in a sensible way support the development and improvement of a student’s technique. Solo exercises bear potential as a teaching tool and help to improve technical details.  

Although the teaching of karate techniques to beginners needs to be done step by step (e.g. one kick after another) and although there is great value and necessity in spending a lot of time on teaching/practicing individually basic techniques, this way of practicing might become unsatisfying for the advanced practitioner, who might be interested in a summary of what he has learned and who wants to practice his very basic techniques that are usually not (without modification!) applicable in real combat, in amore self defence or application based context.

According to Sensei’s analysis, it is obvious, that all Martial Arts share

• Punches,

• Kicks,

• Blocks (receiving techniques),

• Stances and

• Strikes.

These sets of techniques are summarized and practiced within the 6 basic sets of Koryu Uchinadi and their corresponding futari geiko. These sets are:

• Tsuki waza and tsuki waza futarigeiko which cover punches (and the futari geiko receiving techniques.),

• Keri waza and keri waza futari geiko which covers kicks and leg manoeuvres,

• Shiho Uke and shiho uke futari geiko which covers the fundamental ways of receiving

• Kamae waza and kamae waza futari geiko which covers all the stances/positions,

• Kaishu waza and kaishu waza futari geiko which covers open hand strikes and

• Heishu waza and heishu waza futari geiko which covers associated tools of impact.

These sets are the kernel of the Koryu Uchinadi curriculum and need to be mastered together with their corresponding futari geiko in order to receive a black belt grading.

Tsuki waza futarigeiko

Common punches, and the receiving techniques.

KU KIHON - Keri-Waza & Futarigeiko

Fundamental Kicks of the Tradition & the receiving techniques.

KU KIHON - Kama Waza

Fundamental postures/stances of the classical Karate styles.

KU KIHON - Kaishu Waza & Futarigeiko

Fundamental open handed strikes of the Tradition.

KU KIHON - Heishu Waza

Fundamental tools of impact which are basically all strikes of the Tradition.

KU KIHON - Shiho Uke

Fundamental receiving techniques and is divided into four levels of increasing complexity within the Tradition.