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AOKK 15 Upper Body Exercises or Chart One

AOKK 15 Upper Body Exercises or Chart One

The Fifteen Upper Body Exercises are done differently across the country. Some schools step forward and step back between each technique. The way I was taught we step right and then step left and perform the technique on both sides. I have also seen Upper Body Thirteen also done in various ways. All of these techniques will be found in one form or another in the katas of Isshin-Ryu. Upper body training helps the student to develop good stances, blocks, and punches. The first ten upper bodies are found in The Japanese karate of Gichin Funakoshi. He blended them together to create what he called Ten-No-Kata. Nine through fifteen of the upper body techniques contain some of the secrets or strategies of Isshin-ryu. Doing these drills helps the student to build power by proper execution of the techniques found in kata. If you want to perfect kata, perfect the upper and lower body techniques.

Note: It is not how fast you perform these drills, but it is about how perfectly you can perform these drills. One of my Black Belts, Shingler sensei, likes to remind the students that practice does not make perfect. Repetition only ingrains the drills even if they are wrong. It is perfect practice that makes perfect technique.

Upper Body #1

  1. Start in Ready Position. [Heiko Dachi]
  2. Step forwards with the right leg into Seisan-dachi [Forward Walking Stance] and vertical middle punch right.

Note: Punch to the center of your body and not to the side. The target is your xiphoid process.

Note: The punch is a vertical punch, yet the fist is not 90° in relation to the ground. The fist is on the same angle as the lower rib cage. Thus insures that the xiphoid process is struck and unobstructed by the lower rib cage. The top two knuckles are the striking parts of this fist. Some Isshin-ryu schools place the thumb on top of the fist while others lock the index finger with the thumb. In the second method, the knuckle of the thumb remains above the index finger and not below it like the traditional boxer’s fist. The second method is the preferred method of the AOKK.

                                                                                                                                                

 

  1. Check your right Seisan stance. [See Check Below]
    1. Keep both feet straight with your heels slightly pushed out.
    2. Toes grip the floor.
    3. Keep feet shoulder width apart.
    4. Keep your back straight.
    5. Keep your chin up with your eyes forward.
  2. Step forwards with your left into Seisan-dachi and vertical middle punch left.
  3. Check your left Seisan stance.
  4. Step back into Ready Stance. [Heiko Dachi]

Upper Body #2

  1. Start in Ready Position. [Heiko Dachi]
  2. Step forwards with your right leg into Seisan-dachi and uppercut right.

Note: Punch to the center of your body and not to the side. The blow is to the bottom of the chin as if you were fighting someone your own size.

Note: The fist in this series is horizontal and not vertical.

Note: Check your right Seisan stance. [See UB1]

  1. Step forwards with your left leg into Seisan-dachi and uppercut left.

Note: Check your left Seisan stance. [See UB1]

  1. Step back into Ready Stance. [Heiko Dachi]

Upper Body #3

  1. Start in Ready Position. [Heiko Dachi]
  2. Step forwards with your right leg into Seisan-dachi and vertical middle punch left.

Note: Check your right Seisan stance. [See UB1]

  1. Step forwards with your left leg into Seisan-dachi and vertical middle punch right.

Note: Check your left Seisan stance. [See UB1]

  1. Step back into Ready Stance. [Heiko Dachi]

                                                    

Upper Body #4

  1. Start in Ready Position. [Heiko Dachi]
  2. Step forwards with your right leg into Seisan-dachi and uppercut left.

Note: Check your right Seisan stance. [See UB1]

  1. Step forwards with your left leg into Seisan-dachi and uppercut right.

Note: Check your left Seisan stance. [See UB1]

Upper Body #5

  1. Start in Ready Position. [Heiko Dachi]
  2. Step backwards with your right leg into Seisan-dachi
  3. Down block left (Gedan-uki).
  4. Vertical middle punch with your right hand.

Note:  Check your left Seisan stance. [See UB1]

  1. Step backwards with your left leg into Seisan-dachi.
  2. Down block right with your right hand.
  3. Vertical middle punch left.

Note: Check your right Seisan stance. [See UB1]

  1. Step forwards into Ready Stance. [Heiko Dachi]

Upper Body #6

  1. Start in Ready Position. [Heiko Dachi]
  2. Step back with the right leg into Seisan-dachi.
  3. Middle outside block (Chudan-uki) left.
  4. Vertical middle punch right.

Note: Check your left Seisan stance. [See UB1]

  1. Step back with the left leg into Seisan-dachi.
  2. Middle outside block right.
  3. Vertical middle punch left.

Note: Check your right Seisan stance. [See UB1]   

  1. Step forwards into Ready Stance. [Heiko Dachi]

Note: The middle block stops slightly to the side of the body with the elbow measuring a fist and a thumb’s distance away from the ribs. The fist should also be shoulder height.

Upper Body #7               

  1. Start in Ready Position. [Heiko Dachi]
  2. Step back with the right leg into Seisan-dachi.
  3. Middle knife-hand block (Mawashi-uki) left.
  4. Middle spear-finger strike right.

Note: Check your left Seisan stance. [See UB1]

  1. Step back with the left leg into Seisan-dachi.
  2. Middle knife-hand block right.
  3. Middle spear-finger strike left.

Note: Check your right Seisan stance. [See UB1]

  1. Step forwards into Ready Stance. [Heiko Dachi]

Upper Body #8            

  1. Start in Ready Position. [Heiko Dachi]
  2. Step back right high knife-hand block (Shuto-uki) right & uppercut punch left.

Note: Check your right Seisan stance. [See UB1]

  1. Step back left high knife-hand block left & uppercut punch right.

Note: Check your right Seisan stance. [See UB1]

  1. Step forwards into Ready Stance. [Heiko Dachi]

Upper Body #9   

  1. Start in Ready Position. [Heiko Dachi]
  2. Step back with the right leg into Seisan-dachi.
  3. High block (Gedan-uki) left & vertical middle punch right.

Note: Check your left Seisan stance. [See UB1]

  1. Step back with the left leg.
  2. High block right & vertical middle punch left.

Note: Check your right Seisan stance. [See UB1]

  1. Step forwards into Ready Stance. [Heiko Dachi]

Upper Body #10            

  1. Start in Ready Position. [Heiko Dachi]
  2. Step forward right into a Seisan stance.
  3. Right forearm block.
  4. Right Back-fist with the same arm.
  5. Vertical middle punch with the left hand.

Note: Check your right Seisan stance. [See UB1]

  1. Step forward left into a Seisan stance.
  2. Left forearm block.
  3. Left back-fist with the same arm.
  4. Vertical middle punch with the right hand.

Note: Check your left Seisan stance. [See UB1]

  1. Step backwards into Ready Stance. [Heiko Dachi]

Upper Body #11         

  1. Start in Ready Position. [Heiko Dachi]
  2. Step forward right into a Seisan stance.
  3. Down block right (Gedan-uki)
  4. Execute five vertical middle punches alternating.

Note: Check your right Seisan stance. [See UB1]

Note: There is a cadence to the punching. It is not simply five punches in a row. The cadence in the first part is a punch right then left. The cadence in the second starts with a pause and then punch right, left, and right.

  1. Step forward left into a Seisan stance.
  2. Down block left.
  3. Execute five vertical middle punches alternating.                                        

Note: Check your left Seisan stance. [See UB1]

  1. Step backwards into Ready Stance. [Heiko Dachi]

Upper Body #12            

  1. Start in Ready Position. [Heiko Dachi]
  2. Step forward right into Seisan-dachi.
  3. Middle block right (Chudan-uki)
  4. Execute five vertical middle punches alternating.

Note: Check your right Seisan stance. [See UB1]

  1. Step forward left into Seisan-dachi .
  2. Middle block left
  3. Execute five vertical middle punches alternating.

Note: Check your left Seisan stance. [See UB1]

  1. Step backwards into Ready Stance. [Heiko Dachi]

Upper Body #13            

  1. Start in Ready Position. [Heiko Dachi]
  2. Step forward with the right foot into Seisan-dachi.
  3. Pull the R-H to your left ear and then shuto-strike with the palm down to the brachial plexus while the L-H is chambered.
  4. Rotate your shoulders and left shuto-strike palm up to the collarbone while chambering the R-H on the hip.

Note: Check your right Seisan stance. [See UB1]

  1. Step forward with the left foot into Seisan-dachi.
  2. Pull the L-H to your right ear and then shuto-strike with the palm down to the brachial plexus while the R-H is chambered.
  3. Rotate your shoulders and right shuto-strike palm up to the collarbone while chambering the R-H on the hip.

Note: Check your left Seisan stance. [See UB1]

  1. Step backwards into Ready Stance. [Heiko Dachi]

Upper Body #14            

 Start in Ready Position. [Heiko Dachi]

  1. Step forward on a forty-five-degree angle right into Seiuchin-dachi.
  2. Parry block with L-H.
  3. Right back-knuckle strike to solar plexus & left back-knuckle strike to kidneys.

Note: Check your right Seiuchin stance.

  1. Feet are on a 45˚ angle.
  2. Both knees are bent.
  3. Back is held straight.
  4. Chin is up and eyes look straight ahead.
  1. Step forward forty-five-degree angle left into Seiuchin-dachi.
  2. Parry block with the R-H.
  3. Left back-knuckle strike to the solar plexus & right back-knuckle strike to the kidneys.

Note: Check your left Seisan stance.

  1. Step backwards into Ready Stance. [Heiko Dachi]

Upper Body #15    

  1. Start in Ready Position. [Heiko Dachi]
  2. Step back with the right leg into a cat stance (Nikoashi-dachi)
  3. Elbow strike forward with the left elbow while delivering an elbow strike to the rear with the right elbow.

Note: Check your right Cat stance.

  1. Step back with the left leg into cat stance (Nikko-dachi).
  2. Elbow strike forward with the right elbow while delivering an elbow strike to the rear with the left elbow.

Note: Check your left Cat stance.

  1. Step forwards into Ready Stance. [Heiko Dachi]
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