Taikyoku Shodan

Quick Facts

About the kata

Taikyoku Shodan is the first of the three katas of the Taikyoku series, which Shotokan uses as the very first kata for beginners. It has 20 movements along a path shaped like the letter I and kiai shouts on the eighth and sixteenth movements. It consists of only two techniques – the low block gedan barai and the punch oi-zuki to the middle level in a forward step; twice in it the practitioner turns 270°. This very simplicity is the point of the kata. Shotokankarateonline.com names the mistakes it teaches to eliminate: toes turned outward, the foot drawn in before the midpoint of the step, the body bobbing up and down, feet dragging during turns, incorrect width, length or height of the stance, and a weak pull of the hand hikite. Patrick Parker notes that the final position of a block does not reveal the path the hand took to get there, so gedan barai can be a sweep against a kick, a strike, or a grab. Kyokushin practices the same kata as Taikyoku Sono Ichi and, per Jaap Kooman, tests it at 9th kyū; shotokankarateonline.com also lists it as required for 9th kyū in Shotokan.

The kata in different styles

Meaning of the name

Per English Wikipedia, the name Taikyoku (太極) refers to the Chinese philosophical concept of taiji. Jaap Kooman also reads it as an overview or essence of a thing: the series gives an overall foundation of movement, not individual techniques.

Creator and history

The English Wikipedia states that the Taikyoku katas were created by Yoshitaka Funakoshi and introduced by his father Gichin Funakoshi, the founder of Shotokan. Jaap Kooman places their introduction in 1930, jissenkarate.com in the years 1935 to 1940, and mentions a possible contribution by Shigeru Egami and Genshin Hironishi. We have not been able to confirm the exact date. Masutatsu Ōyama later adapted the series for Kyokushin. According to the English Wikipedia, other styles practice it today too, among them Goju-kai, Kyokushin, Korean Tang Soo Do, and taekwondo's Song Moo Kwan.

Differences between styles

All three katas of the series share the same path and 20 steps with seven turns; they differ only in techniques. Shodan combines the low block with a strike to the middle level, Nidan the same sequence with strikes to the upper level, and Sandan adds the back stance kokutsu-dachi and the block uchi uke. Kyokushin practices them as Taikyoku Sono Ichi, Ni and San.

In grading syllabi

• IKO grading (traditional honbu): 3rd Kyu – Green belt with black stripe

Technique Sequence — Shotokan

Breakdown source: katastepbystep.com

1. #1
   Zenkutsu DachiGedan Barai(L)
2. #2
   Zenkutsu DachiOi Zuki(R)
3. #3
   Zenkutsu DachiGedan Barai(R)
4. #4
   Zenkutsu DachiOi Zuki(L)
5. #5
   Zenkutsu DachiGedan Barai(L)
6. #6
   Zenkutsu DachiOi Zuki(R)
7. #7
   Zenkutsu DachiOi Zuki(L)
8. #8
   Zenkutsu DachiOi Zuki(R)
   kiai
9. #9
   Zenkutsu DachiGedan Barai(L)
10. #10
    Zenkutsu DachiOi Zuki(R)
11. #11
    Zenkutsu DachiGedan Barai(R)
12. #12
    Zenkutsu DachiOi Zuki(L)
13. #13
    Zenkutsu DachiGedan Barai(L)
14. #14
    Zenkutsu DachiOi Zuki(R)
15. #15
    Zenkutsu DachiOi Zuki(L)
16. #16
    Zenkutsu DachiOi Zuki(R)
    kiai
17. #17
    Zenkutsu DachiGedan Barai(L)
18. #18
    Zenkutsu DachiOi Zuki(R)
19. #19
    Zenkutsu DachiGedan Barai(R)
20. #20
    Zenkutsu DachiOi Zuki(L)