Best Beginner Karate Moves and techniques (Fully Explained)
Beginnings are the most essential part of the Karate learning syllabus. Everything that comes in the later stages is rooted in how good your fundamentals are.
As a beginner, you must focus on mastering all the beginner karate moves to perfection to develop a strong base. This is crucial because you can’t transition to more complex techniques and stages of learning without a strong base and good habits. The key karate moves for beginners you should focus on are the basic stances, punches, kicks, and blocks.
In this article, we will explain all the karate basics, bring you close to the importance of these techniques, and how to master them all.
Why Mastering Karate Beginner moves is Important?
Focusing on perfecting the fundamentals enables a student to develop a proper karate base and form. This is crucial as a student can’t expect to make a progress or adopt complex moves without a strong base. Or in other words, you will get stuck at a certain level and never progress further until you correct all the bad habits.
The ones who are not serious and ignore the basics tend to develop bad habits and incorrect form. They tend to get stuck on their journey at a certain level because they are not skilled enough to make a transition to the next level. Due to the lack of a proper base, they would have a hard time adopting new techniques, combos, and mechanics.
As a result, the lack of form would also show itself in sparring and competition. Opponents who share a similar level of experience would overwhelm them with a higher level of skill. Ultimately, this would destroy your will to train and push you away from karate.
In order to succeed, each beginner must keep their ego low, be patient, and listen. They must repeat each move until they get it right, and stamp it deep into the muscle memory. Speaking of repetition and practice, let’s move on to specific karate moves for beginners you should focus on.
Stances (Tachikata)
Learning how to stand in a proper stance is the first thing beginners learn not just in Karate, but in other martial arts as well. You can’t expect to throw strikes the right way, block, or move without standing in a proper stance as all karate techniques depend on it. Standing in a certain position enables you to maintain a strong balance and execute the moves with high speed, power, and precision.
In karate, there are much different offensive and defensive stances. As a beginner, you should focus on learning the following:
Musubi Dachi (Natural stance)
Musubi Dachi is likely going to be the first stance you are going to learn in your karate class. It is an informal and simple stance where you stand with the heels together and feet pointing outwards at 45 degrees, in a V-shape. Students would get into this stance at the beginning of the class to show respect to the instructor or other students.
Heisoku Dachi (Ready Stance)
Ready stance usually follows after Musubi Dachi and is a typical standing stance. The legs should be shoulder width apart and the feet pointing forward. Keep the arms inclined to the body. But instead of keeping the hands open, make fists and be ready to throw strikes.
This is the basic stance beginner student use when performing katas.
Zenkutsu Dachi (Front stance)
Front stance is one of the most recognized karate stances. First, place your legs shoulder-width apart and your feet pointing forward. Next, take a long step forward with the knee bend at 90 degrees, and the rear leg out at 45 degrees. The posture is crucial so be sure to keep your back straight and extended, and your chin up.
Front stance requires stability and practicing it in kata will strengthen your hips, thighs, and glutes. Most of the time, you will use it to strike the opponent who is slightly out of range and to add more power to the punch.
Kokutsu Dachi (Back Stance)
Kokutsu Dachi is a defensive stance. To get it in the correct position, make a step with your front leg and keep the foot straight. Then, turn your back foot out to the side anywhere between 45 and 90 degrees would be fine. The back should be naturally straight and the heel of the rear leg in line with the inside of the front foot.
Next, bend your knee and place the majority of your weight on the back leg and maintain an upward posture. This type of stance is designed to enable karateka to evade upcoming blows and deliver fast counter-attacks.
Punches (Tsuiki)
Punches are the fastest and most effective way to hit the opponent and this technique plays a big role in karate. Learning how to throw a punch should not be hard as these are natural motions. The key is in repetition and mastering the motion.
As a beginner, expect to spend many hours drilling the same move all over again to develop speed and power, and proper technique. You need to stamp all the punches into your muscle memory so that you won’t have to think about it during sparring or competition. Instead, the mind will recognize certain patterns and give the muscles a command to execute a punch.
Here are some of the punching techniques you will practice as a beginner:
Choku Zuki (Straight punch)
A straight punch is a simple punching technique karatekas utilize from a natural or horse riding stance. Though simple and “easy” to learn, Choku Zuki is a versatile weapon. It enables you to protect your range, interrupt the opponent’s timing, and of course, do damage and win points. It is notably effective if you have a reach advantage over the opponent.
Straight punch requires a strong balance and proper technique to be effective.
First, you need to make a proper fist. Extend your hand like you are about to shake someone’s hand, curl the fingers into the palm and place the thump on top of the fingers.
Next, bring the fists to your hip with the palm pointing up. Before throwing, makes sure to tighten the muscles in your fists, core, hips, and legs which will increase the power of the shot.
Front Lunge Punch (Oi Zuki)
The lunging punch is very similar to the jab but it is combined with the forward movement which increases the force of the strike. Karatekas throw it from the front stance where the lead leg is in front with the toe slightly turned on the inside.
The key is to coordinate the movement of the hand, hips, and feet simultaneously. This will drive the force from the heel through the hips all the way to your fist.
As you begin to throw a punch with your rear hand, take a forward step with your rear leg and push the hips to add more momentum. Once you blast the attacker, you should end in the same stance, but with the rear leg in front.
Reverse punch (Gyaku zuki)
Reverse punch is one of the most powerful punches in karate used from the front stance. You should throw it with your rear hand, or the hand opposite from your front leg. For example, if your right leg is in front, you should throw a left hand punch and vice versa.
The key behind executing a reverse punch the right way is hip rotation. Upon throwing a punch, twist your hips as if you are throwing a baseball ball. This will drive the power from the heel through the hips and core all the way to the fist. Let the force travel through your body and send it right into your opponent.
Reverse punch can be a defensive technique notably effective when you mix it with blocks. For instance, karateka would first block the attack using their lead arm, and then blast the attacker with the reverse punch (rear hand). Having the opponent moving toward you adds even more momentum to the punch.
Blocks (Uke)
In karate, knowing how to block punches and kicks is as important as learning how to throw them, if not even more. Blocks enable you, not just to stop the attack and avoid damage or loss of a point, but to create openings and land a shot on your own.
Karate puts a lot of emphasis on blocks, and as a beginner, you will spend most of the time practicing the following four. And although it may seem easy at first glance, learning how to execute and time blocks is very hard.
Gedan Barai (Downward block)
Gedan Barai is one of the most used blocks in karate. It is notably effective against attacks from low angles. You will perform this technique from the natural stance, with the legs shoulder-width apart and feet facing forward.
Start by placing your blocking arm at the ear on the opposite side, and the other hand should be straight and placed at the belly button height. Slide the blocking arm along the top of the non-blocking arm, and simultaneously bring the non-blocking arm back to the hip position.
Uchi Uke (Inward/inside Block)
The inward block is a traditional karate block also known as the “inside block”. It is used against middle-level attacks such as straight punches and side kicks.
Start from the natural stance with your feet shoulder-width apart.
Place your non-blocking arm in front with the elbow bent at 90 degrees and the fist at shoulder height and the palm facing towards you. The blocking arm should be placed at the bottom of the ribs with the palm up and elbow bent 90 degrees.
Extend the non-blocking arm forward so that the back of the fist is pointing up. As the non-blocking arm is stretching forward, slide the blocking arm across the belly toward the top of the hip on the opposite side. Bring the blocking arm forward across the center line of the body to block the strike. As the blocking arm moves forward, pull the non-blocking arm back to the top of the hip position and bend at 90 degrees.
Age-Uke (Rising/high block)
Rising block helps you defend against high attacks. It’s occasionally used as a strike as well, as shown famously by Tadashi Yamashita in demonstrations.
Place your blocking arm at the hip, and your non-blocking arm raised at the forehead level with the forearm facing away. Start the motion by lifting the blocking arm toward your forehead. At the same time, pull the non-blocking arm back down at the hip. Your arms should cross at the chest level, with the blocking arm being on the outside, and the non-blocking on the inside.
Kicks (Geri)
Kicking techniques are very important in karate and expect to throw more than a hundred in each class. Karatekas use kicks to manage their distance, interrupt the opponent’s play with their timing, and of course, do damage. On top of that, kicks bring you a lot of points in the competition which only adds to the importance of this technique.
As a beginner, you will focus on learning the basic ones that do not require much skill, athleticism, and energy to execute. However, you need to develop strong balance and flexibility to execute each one the right way.
Mae Geri (Front Kick)
Mae Geri is one of the most recognized kicks in karate. This specific kick has many variations and can be executed in a snapping or a thrusting motion. You can throw it from both stances, and both with the front and back foot.
First, chamber your kick by lifting your knee and front leg off the ground. Next, extend the leg in a snapping or thrusting motion and hit the opponent with the arch of your foot straight in the midsection or head. Bring your foot back and then bring the leg down to the ground to complete the kick.
Mawashi Geri (Roundhouse kick)
Mawashi Geri is a fast and powerful kick that carries a lot of force when thrown in a correct motion. The kick has a couple of variations, and you can target both the head and body. You can also execute it with both the front and back legs.
Start from a front stance with your lead leg in front. Raise the front leg while slightly leaning back, bend the knee and execute a kick in a snapping motion. Hit the opponent with the top of your foot and bring the leg back to the chamber and lower it down to the ground.
Yoko Geri (Side kick)
Side kick is one of the most effective kicks in karate and it is also known as a “twist kick”. It is done from the horse stance, and like other kicks in karate, it has many variations. This kick is mostly used to close or protect the distance. There are two variations of the side kick:
- Yoko geri keage (snap kick)
- Yoko geri kekomi (thrust kick)
Bring the left leg to cross over from the right foot, and then pull the right leg up close to the left knee. Then, chamber the right leg and execute a kick in the snapping motion. Land the kick with the sole of your foot or the outer edge of the foot. Bend the knees to add more speed and power.
Final thoughts on Karate Beginnings – Embrace the Struggles
The beginnings are, perhaps, the most important stage of learning, not just in karate, but martial arts in general. Thus, be disciplined right from the first class, keep your ego low, listen to your instructors, and always leave it all on the mats.
The beginnings are always hard so be sure not to be too hard on yourself and have high expectations. You are not the next Chuck Norris, and neither the instructors expect you to perform well during this stage.
Just showing up to classes without taking big breaks, and putting in a lot of work is more than enough for every student to master all the karate basics, regardless of talent and fitness level.
You will face many ups and downs on your journey, but by having faith in the learning process and developing a strong base you will speed up the progress and make your life much easier in the later stages of your karate journey.
