Yori Ashi
Literally: drawing-up foot
Also known as: Yori-ashi
A gliding shift in which the front leg leads and the rear leg smoothly follows; in Shotokan it is in Bassai Dai, Empi, Hangetsu and Jitte.
Quick Facts
⚠️ Common Mistakes
A common mistake is leading the movement with the leg and landing ahead of the body. This gives away the intent, drains power and slows the execution.
💡 Key Tip
The hips, shoulders and head move forward together, and the rear leg follows without being dragged along the ground.
Katas containing this technique
About
Yori ashi, literally the drawing-up foot, is a gliding shift toward the opponent, putting body weight into a strike without a big step and closing distance gradually. The front leg moves first and the rear leg smoothly follows, not dragged along the ground; hips, shoulders and head move forward together. This sets it apart from tsugi ashi, which starts with the rear leg and has a more limited range, per the source roughly half that of ayumi ashi. In the Shotokan kata (JKA numbering) it is the 24th movement in Bassai Dai, the 34th and 35th in Empi, the 20th and 23rd in Hangetsu, and the 9th, 10th and 18th in Jitte.