Movement Chart for Bassai Dai Page 1 of 7 Kata available on video and DVD from your sensei. tart 1 Ichi 2 i tart in parallel stance facing north. Move your left leg in towards your right and bring your heels together. ith your feet at right angles to each other, place your hands by your sides. Bow. Moving your left leg, return to parallel stance. Move your left foot beside your right into attention stance, with toes and heels touching, and knees slightly bent. Look straight ahead. Raise your hands in front of you at chin level and forming a C shape with your left hand, wrap it around your right hand, which should be closed in a fist. Your arms should form a right angle to each other. till looking north, turn your body 45 degrees anticlockwise to face northwest, pivoting on your left foot. As you turn, raise your right foot to knee level, angling the blade of your foot downwards in a side kick position. Your knee should also be facing northwest. As you turn, move your fists (still in a right-angle shape) about 6-9 inches away from your head on your left-hand side, with your left hand still wrapped around your right fists. Your arms should be at right-angles to the front. 3 an 4 hi 5 Go tep forwards two shoulder-widths onto your right foot, placing your right foot directly north of your left one. Immediately bring your left foot up behind your right foot and to the right of it, bending both knees into hooked stance. As you step forward, perform an inside block with your right hand, using your left hand to reinforce it. Your left hand should end up with a flat palm resting against the left side of your right forearm. Your hips and shoulders should end up facing forwards. tep your left foot backwards two shoulder-widths and one shoulder-width to the east. Pivot on both feet to end up in forward stance facing south. Allow you head to turn naturally with your body until you re looking south. As you turn, perform an inside block with your left arm, ensuring that you set your hips to 45 degrees facing southwest. Follow up with an inside block with your right hand. This time you should ensure that your hips are turned as far to the southeast as your body will allow. Move your right foot two shoulder-widths to the east. Pivot on both feet to end up in forward stance facing north. Allow your head to turn naturally with your body until you re looking north. As you turn, perform an outside block with your left arm, setting your hips as far to the northeast as your body will allow. Follow this with an inside block using your right arm, ensuring that you set your hips to 45 degrees facing northwest.
Movement Chart for Bassai Dai Page 2 of 7 6 Roku 7 hichi 8 Hachi Look east. Pivot on your left foot, to face east. As you turn, bring your right foot to stand beside it in attention stance. Perform a downward block with your right hand. Raise your right arm shoulder-high in readiness for an outside block. tep forward with your right foot into forward stance. As you move, perform an outside block with your right arm, ensuring that you set your hips to 45 degrees facing northeast. Follow up with an inside block using your left arm, setting your hips as far to the southeast as your body will allow. Look north. Turn north and bring your left foot towards your right foot in to stand in parallel stance. Bring your right fist towards your right hip, with your palm facing upwards. At the same time, retract your right arm to your waist, with the fist extending just past your body, palm facing upwards. Place your left arm across your body with your left fist resting on top of your right one. Your left palm should be facing towards your body. Your right arm should be completely parallel to your body (running east-towest) and your wrist should not be bent at all, so ensure that your left fist is sufficiently forwards to allow it. - 9 Ku 10 Ju 1 Ichi Open your left fist into a flat hand. Rotate your left forearm 90 degrees towards you and bend your left wrist up so that your palm is facing east with your forearm horizontal. xtend the hand forwards (north) as far as it will go, then pivot your forearm at the elbow so that your palm faces north and move the hand to the left (west) until your arm is extended straight out from the shoulder. The entire movement should be done with tension to a slow count of 5. At the same time retract your right fist. Perform a mid-level punch with your right arm. Immediately follow with an inside hooking block using the same arm. Do not retract the arm fully between moves. To strengthen the block, as you do it, turn your hips and feet to 45 degrees facing northwest. Perform a mid-level punch with your left arm, straightening your hips as you do so. Immediately follow with an inside block using the same arm. Do not retract the arm fully between moves. As you perform the block, turn your hips and feet to 45 degrees facing northeast.
Movement Chart for Bassai Dai Page 3 of 7 2 i 3 an 4 hi tep forwards with your right foot into back stance, with your hips set to 45 degrees facing northwest. At north with your right hand. As you do so, retract your left arm horizontally across your body touching the bottom of your sternum and facing northeast. Your tep forwards with your left foot into back stance, with your hips set to 45 degrees facing northeast. At north with your left hand. As you do so, retract your right arm horizontally across your body touching the bottom of your sternum and facing northwest. Your tep forwards with your right foot into back stance, with your hips set to 45 degrees facing northwest. At north with your right hand. As you do so, retract your left arm horizontally across your body touching the bottom of your sternum and facing northeast. Your 5 - Go 6 - Roku 7 hichi tep backwards with your right foot into back stance, with your hips set to 45 degrees facing northeast. At north with your left hand. As you do so, retract your right arm horizontally across your body touching the bottom of your sternum and facing northwest. Your xtend your right arm out in front of you and slightly to the right. It should be at about chest-level with the hand open, palm facing west. As you do so, step across with your left foot into forward stance facing north. weep your right palm from right to left in front of you until it s in front of your left shoulder. Move your right forearm in a clockwise semi-circle performing a hooking block with your palm facing towards you. hen your hand is in front of your right shoulder, rotate your forearm so that your palm is facing away from you. Use your left hand to grip your right wrist and lower your right hand about 6 inches, symbolising the application of a wrist lock. Pivot on your left foot to face west, but keep looking north. As you do so, raise your right foot to your left knee in preparation for a side kick. ith your right knee facing north-west. Perform a knee-level side kick to the north, kiaing as you do so. At the same time, pull your right hand in to your right waist, maintaining your grip on your right wrist with your left hand. Return your right foot to your left knee. Look south. Drop your right foot two shoulderwidths north of your left foot to end up in back stance facing south. At the same time, perform a knife-hand block to the south with your left hand. As you do so, retract your right arm horizontally across your body touching the bottom of your sternum and facing southeast. Your hand should be just past the middle of your body,
Movement Chart for Bassai Dai Page 4 of 7 8 Hachi 9 Ku 10 - Ju tep forwards with your right foot into back stance, with your hips set to 45 degrees facing southeast. At south with your right hand. As you do so, retract your left arm horizontally across your body touching the bottom of your sternum and facing southwest. Your Bring your right foot back to stand beside your left in attention stance. Retract both fists so that they re beside your waist, palms up. Raise both arms in a double rising head-level block by moving both fists so that that they meet in front of your face with your palms facing towards you. Finish with both arms raised, wrists facing outwards, arms forming a right angle. 1 Ichi 2 i 3 - an tep forwards with your right foot into forward stance facing south. As you do so, perform a double hammer-fist strike in front of you by moving both fists downwards in outward semi-circles, bringing them together at waist-level in front of you, striking to the middle with the bottom edge of each fist and stopping a head-distance apart. Your palms should be facing up, fists clenched. huffle quickly forwards about half a shoulder-width by moving the front foot then the back foot. At the same time, perform a lunge punch by extending the right fist and retracting the left fist. Move your left foot west two shoulder-widths and look backwards (north) over your left shoulder. Pivot anti-clockwise 180 degrees so that you re facing north in forward stance. As you turn, perform a groin-level palm-heel strike to the north. Your hand should be open, with your palm uppermost. At the same time, move your left hand up beside your right ear in a guard with the palm open and facing your head.
Movement Chart for Bassai Dai Page 5 of 7 4 hi 5 Go 6 Roku All of the moves in this stage are performed slowly with tension. till looking north, turn to the east. Move your left foot back beside your right into attention stance. At the same time, pull your right arm back and up until your upper arm is at right angle to your body pointing south. Your forearm should be at a right angle to your upper arm, pointing upwards, with your fist closed and the palm facing your head. As you raise your right arm, lower your left arm in a downward block. The arm should end up by your left side angled away from your body with the fist clenched and the palm facing towards you. Pivoting on your left foot, rotate your body 90 degrees anti-clockwise and swing your right foot up in a mid-level crescent block to the north. Lower your right foot to the ground two shoulder-widths north of your left, setting yourself into horse-riding stance facing west. As you set your stance, still looking north, retract your left hand and perform a downwards block with your right hand to your right side. Your right arm should end up at your right side, a foot or so away from your thigh, fist clenched and the back of your hand facing northwest. Your left arm should be retracted. Look left. As you do so, cross both arms across your chest, with your right arm above your left. Both hands should be open in knife-hand shape. Your left hand should be tight to your right armpit, palm facing your body, providing a block. Your right hand should be level with your left shoulder. lowly with tension, extend your left hand to the left at shoulder-height in a back-handed block until the arm is completely straight and pointing to the south, palm still open. At the same time, retract your right hand to your right side at waist level and clench it into a fist with the palm facing upwards. 7 hichi 8 Hachi 9 Ku Pivoting on your left foot, swing your right foot up in a crescent kick to the south, striking your extended left hand with your foot. Lower your right foot to the ground two shoulder-widths south of your left, setting yourself into horse-riding stance facing east. As you rotate into stance, your left arm bends at the elbow with the upper arm extended out in front of you, and your forearm parallel to your body. As you complete the second half of your 180 degree turn, strike your left palm with a round elbow strike using your right arm. Your right fist moves into the crook of the left elbow. Your open left palm should be facing your body and resting along the upper part of your right forearm, palm against your right elbow. You should be looking straight ahead (east). Drop your right arm in a downward block to your front. Your arm should end up in front of you, extending straight from your shoulder at an angle of about 45 degrees. Your fist should remain clenched, with your palm towards your body. At the same time, clench your left fist and raise it to the top of your right bicep with the bottom (hammer) side of your fist against your arm. After a brief pause, repeat the combination with the opposite arms, performing a downwards block with your left arm, and raising your right arm to your left bicep. Immediately repeat the combination one more time using the original arms, blocking with your right arm and bring your left fist to your right bicep. ote the 90 degree wrist turns, both during the blocks, and as the other arms are raised to the biceps. Also, note that the arm performing the block, passes downwards on the inside of the arm rising to the shoulder so that your hands don't get tangled up! Look south. Pivoting on your left foot, turn to the south and bring your right foot back to join the left in attention stance. At the same time, retract your left arm to your waist, with the fist extending just past your body, palm facing upwards. Place your right arm across your body with your right fist resting on top of your left fist. Your right palm should be facing towards your body. Your right arm should be completely parallel to your body (running east-towest) and your wrist should not be bent at all, so ensure that your left fist is sufficiently forwards to allow it.
Movement Chart for Bassai Dai Page 6 of 7 10 - Ju 1 - Ichi 2 i tep your right foot forwards two shoulder-widths into forward stance. At the same time, deliver a double punch, consisting of a head-level reverse punch with your left hand, and a short punch with your right hand. The left punch does not extend all the way out. Both fists should be the same distance from your body, with the reverse punch directly above the short punch. After the strike, return to attention stance. At the same time, retract your right arm to your waist, with the fist extending just past your body, palm facing upwards. Place your left arm across your body with your left fist resting on top of your right fist. Perform a crescent kick to the south with your left foot. Return your left foot to your right knee, then place it two shoulder-widths forwards into forward stance. At the same time, deliver a double punch, consisting of a head-level reverse punch with your right hand, and a short punch with your left hand. The right punch does not extend all the way out. Both fists should be the same distance from your body, with the reverse punch directly above the short punch. After the strike, return to attention stance. At the same time, retract your left arm to your waist, with the fist extending just past your body, palm facing upwards. Place your right arm across your body with your right fist resting on top of your left fist. Perform a crescent kick to the south with your right foot. Return your right foot to your left knee, then place it two shoulder-widths forwards into forward stance. At the same time, deliver a double punch, consisting of a head-level reverse punch with your left hand, and a short punch with your right hand. The left punch does not extend all the way out. Both fists should be the same distance from your body, with the reverse punch directly above the short punch. Do not return to attention stance after the strike. 3 an 4 hi 5 Go Look over your left shoulder. Pivoting on your right foot, move your left foot to a position two shoulderwidths to the west of your right foot, rotating your body anti-clockwise as necessary to do so. hen your left foot is in position, rotate your body until your hips are facing west. Your legs and weight should be set for forward stance, although your foot position is halfway between forward stance and back stance, with your right foot facing north and your left foot facing northwest, but both in line with each other east-to-west. As you rotate, drop your right arm and push it across your lower body to the left in a low-level block. ow rotate your right forearm upwards to perform an inside block to the north. As you do so, turn your hips 45 degrees to the northwest to enhance the block s power. Your left arm retracts to your waist as you perform the lower-level block and it remains there during the inside block. till looking north, pivot on both feet and rotate your body until your hips are facing east. Your legs and weight should be set for forward stance, although your foot position is halfway between forward stance and back stance, with your left foot facing north and your right facing northeast, but both in line with each other east-to-west. As you rotate, extend your left arm downwards and push it across your lower body to the right in a lower-level block, until your wrist is approximately level with your left knee. At the same time, retract your right fist to your waist. ow rotate your left forearm upwards, bending at the elbow to perform an inside block to the north. As you do so, turn your hips 45 degrees to the northeast to enhance the block s power. Look to the northeast. Bring your left foot up to your right heel, then immediately move your right foot two shoulder-widths northeast to form back stance. At northeast with your right hand. As you do so, retract your left arm horizontally across your body touching the bottom of your sternum and facing east. Your Your hips should be facing north.
Movement Chart for Bassai Dai Page 7 of 7 6 - Roku 7 - hichi 8 - Hachi Look northwest. Bring your right foot back to your left. Rotate your upper body 90 degrees clockwise whilst retaining your arm position relative to your body, so that you end up with your knife-hand block extending to the southeast. As you rotate, extend your right foot two shoulder-widths southeast to form back stance. Your body should now be facing southeast; your hips should be facing east and you should be looking northwest! Move your right foot up behind the heel of your left foot, then immediately extend your left foot a further two shoulder-widths northwest to form back stance. At northwest with your left hand. As you do so, retract your right arm horizontally across your body touching the bottom of your sternum and facing west. Your hand should be just past the middle of your body, Your hips should be facing north. nd Look north. Move your left foot beside your right in attention stance. Look straight ahead. Raise your hands in front of you and forming a C shape with your left hand, wrap it around your right hand, which should be closed in a fist. Your hands should be at chin level and your arms should form a right angle to each other. Drop your hands to your sides, with palms flat against the seams of your gi. Bow. ith your hands still open, cross them at the wrists in front of your groin, left hand furthest from your body. Tense your stomach and exhale deeply. As you do so, uncross your hands and return to parallel stance, moving your hands to the correct position as you do so. Disclaimer - This chart is not intended to be a definitive description of Kata Bassai Dai. It s a reminder of the key moves and is designed for use in conjunction with instruction by your sensei. For queries or corrections, please email me at matb@cix.co.uk Visit www.gkrkarate.org for more great stuff!