Kakato
踵
The heel. In karate the striking surface of the back kick ushiro-geri and the downward kick kakato-geri, in which the heel drops vertically down.
Quick Facts
Term typeAnatomy, target levels and striking surfaces
LanguageJapanese
Formnoun
Pronunciation[kah-kah-toh]
Alternative Namesheel
Readings and romanizations
Reading (kana)かかと
Hepburn romanizationkakato
Word breakdown
踵kakatoheel
Definition
Kakato (踵) is the Japanese word for heel. In karate it is the striking surface of kicks that use the whole weight of the leg: ushiro-geri, the back kick, where the heel lands directly behind the practitioner, and kakato-geri, the downward kick, where the leg is lifted up and the heel drops vertically down. This one is also called oroshi-geri. The heel is also used in the kick yoko-geri kekomi, where it lands with the rear part of the foot edge sokuto.