Notes from Kūdō lessons taken between 2023 and 2025 at the Daido Juku Shibuya Branch in Tokyo, Japan.
https://www.daidojuku.bex.jp/wp/
- What is Kūdō?
- Major difference with traditional karate-do
- Lesson components
- License
What is Kūdō?
Major difference with traditional karate-do
Kūdō is a budo, which means the main goal is not to win fights (like in a contact sport), but to become a better person.
But, unlike traditional karate, every exercise is geared towards practicing techniques directly useful in kudo
full-contact competition.
There is (almost*) no theoretical/conventional/ritualistic/artistic exercises such as kata and kihon ippon kumite.
For example, in traditional karate, basic seiken tsuki is practiced with the opposite arms pulled (hikite) at the hip
and blocks have large preparations.
Then you are taught that the form needs to be adapted to work in free kumite, so the hikite should be kept at a useful
guard in front of you and large block preparation should be avoided to go straight to the blocking.
In kudo, only the short efficient form adapted to full contact fighting is taught directly.
I said almost*, because there are a few ritualistic movements that are included in the training without having a direct
a clear direct use.
Ex: mawashi uke practiced during warming up, or the process to get into kumite dachi described below. They may
have some practical interpretation or philosophical meaning, but it's not immediate, just like traditional karate kata.
Lesson components
Keigo: Politeness rules
Despite kūdō being a very modern mixed martial art, the teacher at Shibuya branch insists on using traditional Japanese
politeness.
While Japanese teaching commonly uses more politeness elements than Western teaching, what was practiced in
this kudo dojo goes further than what I have seen in other Japanese dojo, with JKA Shotokan instructors, for example.
- Shitsurei shimas when entering and exiting the dojo.
- Importance put on the use of Sempai title
- Systematic use of Osu to confirm the reception of an instruction, and generally to say "yes", instead of normal life
Japanese hai (yes). - Onegai shimasu at the beginning of each exercise with a partner
- Arigato gozaimashita at the end of each exercise with a partner.
- Giving objects by holding them with both hands
- Cleaning up the room floor after the lesson with large sweepers
- Carrying the equipment together back to the teacher's motor scooter
- Waiting together in formal position for the teacher to disappear from the view before going home.
Rei: Salutation
- Yoi with horizontal forearms. Kyukushin yoi? Hachijidachi, gedan barai preparation, but arms stopping in an otoshiuke
form, with horizontal forearms instead of going down to gedan barai. - Ojigi with hands falling in yoi position
- Seiza with fists resting on the top of thighs.
- Mokutso
- Dojo-kun
- Sempai ni, Otagana ni
Warm-up
Kihon: fundamental movements practice
Demonstrated by the founder Azuma Sensei: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXp_bkiFdlo
Kihon Keiko: static fundamental movements
Resting stance: hachiji dachi
- body facing forward
- feet at shoulder width with toes pointing 45 degrees outward
- arms at shoulder width, in front of the body, with elbows slightly bent and clenched fists, similar to otoshiuke
Guard: kumite dachi / kamaete
Similar to standard full contact-sport guard.
- body three-quarter
- front foot forward
- backfoot pointing 45 degrees outward, a shoulder width behind and a shoulder width in lateral separation
- both fists at shin level with the elbows against the ribs
- weight on the front of the feet and relaxed knees to allow explosive movement
- shin down for more protection from shoulders and arms
There's a ritualized way to get from resting stance to kumite dachi, including:
- Getting into yoi dachi:
- turning toes and knees inside as to protect the groin
- crossing arms in front of the face
- double otoshiuke as in resting stance
- kumite dachi
- crossing arms in front of the face but this time starting with a long rotation of the arms from behind
- moving the front foot with a moon crescent movement
- lowering the arms so both fists reach shin level and elbows protect the ribs.
- See the beginning of the video for more details
Punches
Punches are given, as commonly down in boxing with:
- leg impulsion,
- front of the foot rotation,
- hip rotation,
- and shoulder rotation.
The arm always comes back to guard.
The other arm stays in guard position.
Techniques are repeated 10 times, with counting in Japanese.
List from the Kihon:
- Head jab (front punch)
- Chest jab
- Head straight (back punch)
- Chest straight
- Head front hook: open guard at 45 degrees, forearm parallel to the floor, elbow flexed at 90 degrees.
In a short hook, the palm of the fist looks down as in a normal punch. With a long hook, to make sure the two first
knuckles are still hitting first, the wrist is rotated further so the palm faces the opponent. - Chest front hook: fist is first dropped to target level before making the hook movement.
- Head back hook
- Chest back hook
- Head front upper: torso rotates 45 degrees outwars, fist drops a little bit and moves like a vertical J until above
the head as the torso rotates inward, then the torso comes back to guard and the fist comes back to guard on the same
J trajectory. - Chest front upper: torso inclinates 45 degrees and fist drops a little bit going outward forming a slightly more
horizontal J trajectory that at chest level. - Head back upper
- Chest back upper
- Head front and back circular elbow (hidji): the elbow is lifted outward until the forearm is horizontal, then the
full body rotates to strike. Unlike previous techniques, front and back are executed for each count.
Kicks
Idō Keiko: fundamental movements with steps
Mitts: pads training
Sparring
Kubi-zumo: clinch
Ne-waza: Judo throws
Ground work
Cleaning up
- Pilling practice matts that may have been use
- Clean the floor with large dust mops provided by the school gym
License
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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.