Futatsu Mae Undō no Karatedō
In Futatsu Mae Undō no Karatedō (“Second Exercise of the Empty-Hand Way”), all of the concepts of Hajimete Undō no Karatedō are revisited and refined. Additional skills will also be introduced, such as rising blocks and foot sweeps. The primary benefit though, will be an improved understanding about how the hips generate power, through a unique “slithering” transition from a front stance to a same-side back stance.
Directions
[video of Futatsu Mae, performed fast and slow, viewed from cameras at #1, 3, 7, 5. Be sure that you take up the whole frame. A lot of our old kata videos are from too far away, and it hides some detail. ]
- Goshin-Jutsu bow, and snap into a ready stance facing #1.
- Snap your head, to look at the opponent at #3. Step your right foot to #8, briefly entering a right front stance facing #1, crossing your arms in front of your chest. Immediately snap your hips, and twist into a right back stance, facing #3 with a left cross-body block.
- Shift forward into a left front stance with a reverse punch.
- Sharply snap your hips to the left, sucking your left foot into a right hook stance facing #5. Immediately step your left foot to #6, momentarily entering a left front stance facing #5, with crossed arms. Twist your hips into a left back stance, facing #3, with a right cross-body block.
- Shift forward into a right front stance as you reverse punch.
- Place both fists on your right hip, with the left atop the right. Execute a left foot sweep, then immediately pull your left knee up into a right fighting crane stance.
- Snap your head to the left, looking over your shoulder at #7. Step your left foot to #2, and twist into a left back stance facing #7, with a right cross-body block.
- Shift into a right front stance as you reverse punch.
- Sharply snap your hips to the right, sucking your right foot into a left hook stance facing #5. Immediately step your right foot to #6, momentarily entering a right front stance facing #5, with crossed arms. Twist your hips into a right back stance, facing #3, with a left cross-body block.
- Pull your right leg up into a left cat stance, with both fists on the left hip, and the right atop of the left.
- Snap your head to #5. Step your right foot to #4, and twist into a right front stance facing #5, with a right rising block.
- Left pursuit punch.
- Pull your right leg up into a left cat stance with both fists on your left hip, right atop left.
- Snap your head over your left shoulder, looking to #1. Step your right foot to #8, and twist into a right front stance facing #1, with a right rising block.
- Left pursuit punch.
- Step your left foot back into an attention stance, and Goshin-Jutsu bow.
Notes
Movements 5 and 6 are mirror images of movements 2 and 3. Likewise, movements 7 and 8 are identical to movements 9 and 10. Unlike other kata, you end Futatsu Mae Undō no Karatedō by stepping back into an attention stance, instead of stepping forward. Power is generated through efficient body motion; a combination of driving forward with the legs and the quick, sharp, turning of the hips. The first half of Futatsu Mae Undō no Karatedō was specifically designed to teach this skill. Students often struggle learning how to “whip the hip.” We recommend having a friend grab you by the hips to help swing you around, so you can feel what it’s like
[video of grabbing a student by the belt and pulling their hips around.]
The other major mistake that students make when learning this kata is overcommitting to the leg sweep. Rather than sweeping and stepping, new students will allow the momentum of the foot sweep spin themselves around 180°, where they begin the next movement. In reality, it’s easy for opponents to counter such a foot sweep -- they only need to lift their foot for a second. Your attempt at a leg sweep will miss its target, and your momentum will spin you completely around, giving the opponent complete freedom to strike your kidneys, spine, and brain stem.
In addition, all of the problems that we discussed with stepping and turning at once during the opening movement of Hajimete Undō no Karatedō apply to overcommitted leg sweeps as well. Don’t swing to sweep -- snap to sweep -- then raise your knee and step properly. Practice makes permanent.
Bunkai
The simplest bunkai for Futatsu Mae Undō no Karatedō begins much like our first kata, Hajimete Undō no Karatedō. (Tying new material to earlier material makes learning easier.) An attacker, standing to your left, throws a right pursuit punch. You respond with the evade-block-counter combination that you refined earlier -- but the opponent, being tougher than those from the last kata -- counter-attacks with a left pursuit punch. Using your improved ability to generate power with hip motion, you are able to set up another evade-block-counter combination. After striking the opponent a second time, you take him down with a front leg sweep before repeating the process with another attacker, who was trying to sneak up on you.
This second, left-handed, attacker is defeated in the same manner as the first. A third opponent, standing to your right, tries to punch you in the face. You evade and deflect this punch with a rising block, before counterattacking with a pursuit punch.
Finally, a fourth and final attacker tries to suckerpunch you from behind, but you’re on them -- and you take them out the same way, with a rising block and a pursuit punch, throwing in a fortified face slap for good measure.
Of course, there are other ways to interpret this kata -- but we’re assigning that to you as homework. [bunkai compilation video]
