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Oroshi Geri / Kakato Geri

下ろし蹴り

Literally: descending heel kick

Oroshi geri, also called kakato geri, is a downward kick in which the heel lands from above on the collarbone, the face, or the upper torso.

Quick Facts

Martial Arts
CategoryKicks (Geri-waza)
DifficultyAdvanced
Targetsface, torso
Impact Surfaceheel

About

Oroshi geri, also given as kakato geri, is a downward heel kick. The name combines oroshi (downward movement), kakato (heel) and geri (kick); in full, oroshi uchi kakato geri, uchi marks the inside path. The heel travels down from the inside and lands on the opponent's collarbone, face or upper torso, with gravity adding power. Besides the basic inside-path version there is oroshi soto kakato geri, with an outside (soto) path. The source classes it among kicks (geri, ashi waza), useful across styles including Shotokan and Kyokushin. Its downward path demands real technical maturity, above all balance and hip mobility. We have not been able to document who introduced the technique or since when it has been practised in karate.

Further sources on this topic (1)
  1. Oroshi uchi kakato geri – technique-karate.com