Defense Katas

A kata is pre-arranged sparring. It's a step up from the static way most moves are drilled into our muscle memory. In Hagakure the katas are clearly defined attacks that are performed on the fly, moving around the ring in a dynamic fashion.

The following katas are organized according to modes of attack. By drilling them in these groups, rather than by belt the sensei has several advantages. 1) It provides a certain freshness to training that may be becoming stale for the students due to limiting the training to belt-specific moves too much. 2) It allows the students to glimpse moves from higher belts that they may be able to add to their sparring repertoire sooner. 3) It provides a (slightly) more realistic way of drilling moves without the inherent dangers of randori (totally free sparring). 4) It SERIOUSLY increases the cardiovascular workout as the students are moving around the ring, darting in and out, being thrown and popping up quickly, being attacked and throwing/sweeping while on the fly and at odd angles etc. 5) By grouping attacks together by mode, it allows one to be able to bring multiple defenses to the same family of attacks, which brings distinct advantages in a street fight. 6) These types of drills are amenable to training against multiple attackers.

There are many more advantages, but you get the idea. Let's get on with it shall we?

Defense against kicks

vs. mae geri by roll trap push lift
vs. mae geri by roll trap mae geri
vs. mae geri by roll trap ko uchi gari
vs. mawashi geri by inside block trap and o uchi gari
vs. yoko geri keikomi by deflect and ko soto gari

Defense against punches

vs. naname tsuki by inside block o soto gari
vs. naname tsuki by inside block de ashe barai
vs. naname tsuki by inside block and ko uchi gari
vs. tsukkake by insdie block and harai goshi
vs. tsukkake by deflect and o soto gari
vs. tsukkake by inside block morote gari
vs. low tsukkake by inside block o soto gari
vs. low tsukkake by inside block ko uchi gari (leading foot pichi gi style)
vs. low tuskkake by inside block harai goshi
vs. low tsukkake by deflect o soto gari
vs. tsukkake by deflect pull into hadake jime
vs. tsukkake by deflect ushiro goshi
vs. tsukkake by deflect waki gatame
vs. tsuki age by shuto to bicep grab wrist and waki gatame
vs. tsukkake by inside block tsukkake
vs. tsukkake by defelct tsukkake close to kidneys
vs. tsukkake by outside block, grab arm, tsukkake close and empi to back of the head, backhand teicho to face and ridge hand to neck

Defense against frontal attacks

vs. front choke by kotegaeshi
vs. front choke by kansetsuwaza
vs. charging push by hiza guruma
vs. front over arm bear hug by mae hiza and o goshi
vs. two hand front choke by mae geri and sode tsuri komi goshi
vs. one wrist grab by roll release shuto knife hand
vs. one wrist grab by grab, roll release, shuto knife hand
vs. one wrist grab by grab, roll release, tsukkake
vs. two-hand push by two arm sweep sasae tsuri komi ashi
vs. one lapel grab by shuto to bicep o soto gari
vs. one hand push by tai otoshi
vs. two hand push by inside block de ashi barai or two arm deflect into ko soto gari
vs. under arm bear hug by mae hiza and koshi guruma
vs. choke or lapel grab by tomoe nage
vs. crossed wrist grab by reverse grip kansetsuwaza
vs. double wrist grab by reverse grip sode tsuri komi goshi
vs. two hand choke by waki gatame
vs. lapel grab by waki gatame
vs. high sleeve grab by ude gatame knee to face
vs. high sleeve grab by rotating ude gatame
vs. wrist grab by empi into maki komi
vs. crossed wrist grab by reverse grip into kansetsuwaza into hiza gatame
vs. two hand on one wrist grab by empi into sukui nage
vs. double wrist grab by mae geri into waki gatame
vs. push, choke or grab by kotegaeshi with leg trip
vs. push, choke or grab by retreating and kneeling kotegaeshi
vs. push choke or grab by combination kotegaeshi and tai otoshi
vs. push choke or grab by pivoting kansetsuwaza with trip
vs. push choke or grab by kansetsuwaza with leg sweep or knee stomp
vs. single lapel pull close by mae hiza into o soto gari
vs. single lapel pull close by teicho to both ears into koshi guruma
vs. elbow grab by tsukkake, ame geri and rotating hiza gatame
vs. under arm bear hug by empi, kagato geri and o soto gari
vs. over arm bear hug by empi, duck pivot into kansetsuwaza