In this section you will find several common japanese words and terms used in martial arts.
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In this section you will find several common japanese words and terms used in martial arts. |
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rising |
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rising punch |
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rising block |
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harmony; join; fit |
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aligning one's ki
with that of an opponent;
literally, "harmonized inner energy" |
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martial art derived from aiki
jujitsu but which places more emphasis on spiritual
development; founded by Morihei
Ueshiba in the early 20th century |
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foot; leg; synonmous with soku |
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leg wheel; throw in judo |
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legscrew; literally,
"leg torutre" |
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leg crush |
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ankle; literally,
"neck of the leg" |
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ankle crush |
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foot and leg techniques |
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striking the body |
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body-striking techniques |
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horse |
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horsemanship; literally,
"horse techniques" |
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spelling of harai
when following another word |
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spelling of hasami
when following another word |
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long staff |
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art of the long staff |
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military; martial |
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martial arts of late
medieval and post-medieval |
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martial way organization |
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application of form |
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warrior class of medieval |
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unwritten moral and ethical
code of conduct practiced by the bushi;
similar to European chilavry; literally, "way of the warrior" |
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fighting arts of the
warrior class of medieval |
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straight punch |
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(Chinese) fist way;
kung fu; synonymous with kempo |
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middle (of body); torso
level |
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spelling of tachi
when following another word |
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degree or step; in Japanese
martial arts, used for black belt ranks (see belt
ranks) |
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the two swords worn by the samurai
:
the katana
and wakizashi;
literally, "long and short" |
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advanced; forward |
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forward foot sweep; throw
in judo |
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no count |
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student; disciple |
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way |
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exercise hall; the place
where one practices the martial arts |
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spelling of tori
when following another word |
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lobster; shrimp; prawn |
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lobster choke |
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oar, used as a weapon in
Okinawan karate |
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elbow; literally,
"monkey arm", but considered synonymous with hiji
in Japanese martial arts |
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elbow strike |
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lapel; collar |
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rooted stance |
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step on; tread on |
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stepping into; stomping |
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stomping kick |
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father of Japanese karate,
in particular, Shotokan |
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spelling of kake
when following another word |
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face |
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face-level knife-hand |
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face-level knife-hand
strike |
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spelling of karami
when following another word |
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reap; reaping |
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spelling of katame
when following another word |
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spelling of kaeshi
when following another word |
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lower; waist-level or below |
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low sweeping block |
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lower ridge-hand |
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lower X-block |
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lower knife-hand block |
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spelling of keri
when following another word |
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uniform for practicing
martial arts |
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five (see numerals) |
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fifth degree; fifth degree
black belt (see
belt
ranks) |
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five long cylindrical
objects |
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five-finger spear-hand
strike |
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fifth class (see
belt
ranks) |
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spelling of koshi
when following another word |
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spelling of kuruma
when following another word |
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1. reverse; opposite;
synonymous with saka;
e.g., gyaku
zuki |
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2. torture; tyranny;
cruelty; oppression; e.g., ashi
gyaku |
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reverse punch
(opposite-side hand and leg) |
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reverse cross choke |
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1. edge (of a sword) |
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2. wing; e.g., kataha
jime |
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eight (see numerals) |
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eigth degree; eigth degree
black belt (see
belt
ranks) |
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open leg stance; literally, the stance where the feet are in the shape of the kanji hachi |
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towel used as a headband |
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naked; nude; bare |
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naked choke |
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left (side) |
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1. yes |
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2. back; behind; e.g., haito |
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back of the hand |
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back hand strike |
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instep; literally,
"back of foot" |
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instep kick |
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ridge-hand (thumb side of
hand); literally, "back knife" |
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ridge-hand strike |
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begin |
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springing or bouncing |
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springing hip; throw in judo |
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springing wrap-around;
throw in judo |
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hourglass stance |
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honorific title given in
recognition of one's character, not just technical ability in a given
martial art |
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reverse; opposite |
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reverse hold |
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sweep; sweeping |
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sweeping hip; throw in judo |
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lifting pulling foot sweep; throw in judo |
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scissors; pincers of a crab |
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attention stance |
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left (side) |
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elbow; often used
synonymously with empi
in Japanese martial arts |
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cursive phonetic script used for writing Japanese in combination with kanji |
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crush; break; sprain |
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incorrect spelling of shittsui |
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knee |
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knee kick |
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knee wheel; throw in judo |
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direction; side; way; e.g., shiho |
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counter for long
cylindrical objects; e.g., gohon |
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headquarters; also spelled honbu |
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alternative spelling of hombu |
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one (see numerals) |
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first class (see
belt
ranks) |
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one long cylindrical
object; one full point in a judo
contest |
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one-knuckle fist |
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one-step sparring |
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one-armed shoulder; throw in judo |
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entering techniques |
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character; letter; word; handwriting; e.g., kanji |
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defensive posture |
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spelling of shime
when following another word |
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technique; art; e.g. jujitsu, bujitsu; should technically be spelled jutsu |
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freedom; liberty |
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free sparring |
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short staff |
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upper; shoulder-level or
above |
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high X-block |
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short staff techniques |
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upper seat |
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1. ten (see numerals) |
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2. gentle; soft; pliant; synonymous with yawara |
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tenth degree; tenth degree
black belt (see
belt
ranks) |
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sport martial art featuring
throwing; founded by Jigoro
Kano in the late 19th and early 20th centuries; literally,
"gentle way" |
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practitioner of judo |
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cross; literally, "the kanji
ju"
(whose shape is that of a cross) |
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cross lock |
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self-defense martial art
based on grappling and throwing; literally, "gentle technique" |
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practitioner of jujitsu |
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x-block; literally,
"cross block" |
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alternative (and
technically correct)
spelling of jitsu |
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counter; reversal; return;
answer |
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hook |
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hook punch |
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heel |
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heel kick |
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hooking or clipping action |
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pushing one's way through |
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pushing through block |
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crane head |
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bent wrist block;
literally, "crane head block" |
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sickle, used in pairs in
Okinawan karate |
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posture |
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1. god; spirit; divine |
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2. upper body; top |
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upper four-direction hold |
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the Japanese phoenetic
alphabets, i.e., hiragana
and katakana |
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crab |
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crab sacrifice; another
name for kani
basami |
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crab scissors; flying
scissors throw of judo
which is sometimes also called kani
sute |
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Japanese system of writing
utilizing characters from Chinese writing; a single character in this
system; literally, "the character kan" |
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founder of judo |
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knuckle or joint |
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joint-locking techniques in judo |
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1. empty; emptiness |
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2. |
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entanglement; entwined |
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martial art emphasizing
striking; literally, "empty hand" or "Chinese hand"
(see kara) |
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1. stylized form;
pre-arranged techniques used to practice many martial arts |
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2. shoulder; e.g., kata
guruma |
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3. one-sided; one (of two);
e.g., kataha
jime |
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shoulder hold |
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shoulder wheel; throw in judo |
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half cross choke |
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single edge; single wing |
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single wing choke |
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angular phonetic script
used mainly for writing foreign words in Japanese |
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hardening; fortifying;
tightening; used in judo
to mean grappling or a hold or lock |
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grappling techniques of judo; often used interchangeably with ne waza |
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long sword of the daisho;
the primary sword of the samurai
worn tucked into the belt with its curved blade facing upward; successor
of the tachi;
synonymous with to |
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one hand; single hand |
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one hand pull |
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revival techniques |
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upwards kick |
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thrusting kick |
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fist way; Japanese word for
(and hence synonymous with) chuan
fa |
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1. fist; e.g., kenpo |
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2. any generic
straight-bladed sword; e.g., kendo |
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modern Japanese sport
martial art of fencing; literally, "way of the sword";
descendant of kenjitsu |
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combat swordfighting practiced by the bushi; literally, "art of the sword"; predecessor of kendo |
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alternative spelling of kempo |
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kick |
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kicking techniques |
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scarf; in particular, the
scarf of a Buddhist monk |
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scarf hold |
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inner energy; spirit |
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loud shout or yell which
focuses one's ki
when striking hard;
literally, "harmonized inner energy" |
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horse-riding |
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horse stance; literally,
"horse-riding stance" |
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focus |
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to command someone to pay
attention |
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1. minor; compare to o;
e.g., kosoto
gari |
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2. old; ancient; e.g., koryu |
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3. behind; back; backwards;
e.g., kokutsu |
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headquarters of judo
in |
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tiger mouth strike |
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backward leaning |
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back stance; literally,
"backward leaning stance" |
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to be inserted, crowded, or
mixed |
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traditional schools of
Japanese martial arts; literally, "ancient or old stream" |
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1. hip; waist; loin |
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2. ball of the foot |
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hip wheel; throw in judo |
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hip choke |
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hip techniques |
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minor outer clip; throw in judo |
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minor outer reap; throw in judo |
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minor inner reap; throw in judo |
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nine (see numerals) |
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neck |
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ninth degree; ninth degree
black belt (see
belt
ranks) |
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methods of holding |
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sparring |
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wheel |
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sickle with a rope or chain
attached |
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lean; stoop;
bend</TD< TR> |
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broken; collapsed |
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broken scarf hold |
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unbalancing (in judo,
there are eight directions of unbalancing, corresponding to the eight
directions of the compass) |
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class; grade; rank; in
Japanese martial arts, used for ranks under black belt (see
belt
ranks) |
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vital or pressure points |
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the art of striking the
vital points of the body |
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distance |
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front |
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front kick |
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front snap kick;
technically, this is redundant and should be simply mae
keage |
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front thrust kick;
technically, this is redundant and should be simply mae
kekomi |
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front snap kick; also
referred to as mae
geri keage |
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front thrust kick; also
referred to as mae
geri kekomi |
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front jump kick |
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volume; scroll; reel; roll |
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wrapping reversal |
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to wrap around, enfold,
wind up, or roll up in a whirlpool- or windmill-like movement |
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wrap-around sweep |
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punching board |
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stop |
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turning; rotating |
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roundhouse kick |
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roundhouse punch |
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1. the body; one's self;
e.g., sutemi |
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2. eyebrow |
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right (side) |
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crescent moon; new moon;
literally, "three day moon" |
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crescent kick |
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crescent kick block |
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augmented |
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two hands; both hands |
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two-handed shoulder throw; throw in judo |
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two-handed punch |
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two-handed block |
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augmented finger pull |
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non-black belt holder |
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chest |
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chest hold |
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mind of no mind; state of
being without thought |
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flowing block; parry |
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throw |
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throwing techniques in judo |
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formalized throws |
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halberd-like weapon similar
to the naginata
but designed for mounted use |
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halberd-like weapon used by
the samurai in medieval |
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art of the naginata |
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normal cross choke |
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seven (see numerals) |
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seventh degree; seventh
degree black belt; also called shichidan
(see
belt
ranks) |
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ground; root; base |
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ground techniques or matwork in judo; often used interchangeably with katame waza |
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cat |
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cat stance; literally,
"cat-leg stance" |
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two (see numerals) |
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second degree; second
degree black belt (see
belt
ranks) |
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two step or double jump
kick |
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two finger spear-hand
thrust |
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second class (see
belt
ranks) |
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archaic possesive particle;
e.g., nage
no kata |
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draw; pull out |
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spear-hand; literally,
"(sword) drawing hand" |
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spear-hand thrust |
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flail-like weapon of two
rods joined by rope or chain |
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belt |
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major hip; throw in judo |
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major wheel; throw in judo |
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barrel roll |
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barrel roll hold |
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lunge; chase; pursue |
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lunging punch (same-side
hand and leg) |
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chasing; sliding |
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sliding foot sweep; throw in judo |
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sliding collar choke |
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pressure |
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pressing; holding-down;
pinning; immobilizing |
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pinning techniques of judo |
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major outer reap; throw in judo |
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major outer wheel; throw in judo |
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drop |
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major inner reap; throw in judo |
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free practice or sparring
in judo |
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bow |
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sixth class (see
belt
ranks); also spelled rokyu or rokukyu |
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six (see numerals) |
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sixth degree; sixth degree
black belt (see
belt
ranks |
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alternative spelling of rokkyu |
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alternative spelling of rokkyu |
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romanization of Japanese kanji |
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a style of school in
Japanese martial arts; literally, "stream" |
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the |
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three-pronged metal weapon |
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alternative pronunciation
of the kanji
which is also read gyaku
(first definition) |
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reverse pull-out |
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collarbone |
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collarbone knife-hand |
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collarbone knife-hand
strike |
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warrior class of medieval |
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three (see numerals) |
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hourglass stance (derived
from Sanchin kata) |
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third degree; third degree
black belt (see
belt
ranks) |
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third class (see
belt
ranks) |
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propping; supporting |
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propping lifting pulling
foot; throw in judo |
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traditional Japanese
sitting position (on knees) |
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senior |
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teacher |
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shoulder |
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shoulder hip |
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1. four (see numerals) |
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2. death |
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3. teacher; master; expert;
mentor; e.g., shihan |
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contest |
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seven (see numerals) |
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seventh degree; seventh
degree black belt; also called nanadan
(see
belt
ranks) |
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master or senior instructor |
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every direction; literally,
"four directions" |
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four-direction throw; throw
in aikido |
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shime (jime) |
choke; strangle |
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choking or strangling
techniques of judo |
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knee-hammer |
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knee-hammer kick |
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natural posture |
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beginning degree or step;
in Japanese martial arts, used as the rank of 1st degree black belt (see
belt
ranks) |
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palm-heel; literally,
"bottom of hand"; same as teisho |
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palm-heel strike; same as teisho
uchi |
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palm-heel block; same as teisho
uke |
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hand; e.g., shuto
uchi |
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knife-hand (little-finger
side of palm); literally, "hand knife" |
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knife-hand strike; karate
chop |
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knife-hand block |
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sleeve |
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sleeve lifting pulling hip;
throw in judo |
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head of family; in Japanese
martial arts, the headmaster of a martial arts system |
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alternative pronunciation
of the kanji
which is also read ashi;
e.g., haisoku |
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outside; outer |
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outer upper block |
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outer wrap-around; throw in judo |
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outer crescent kick |
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outside knife-hand block |
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outside forearm block |
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to scoop up |
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scooping throw; throw in judo |
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corner |
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corner reversal; throw in judo |
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corner drop; throw in judo |
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sacrifice |
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sacrificing one's self |
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self-sacrificing techniques |
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1. stance; standing |
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2. curved sword worn hung from the belt
with the blade down; predecessor of the katana |
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standing techniques
(techniques done from the standing position) |
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the body |
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body drop; throw in judo |
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ball; sphere |
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breaking demonstration |
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point just below the navel |
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valley |
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valley drop; throw in judo |
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knife |
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a rice straw mat commonly
used in traditional Japanese homes to soften the hard wooden floors; also
used in some Japanese martial arts to provide a relatively soft surface to
take hard falls |
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vertical |
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boxer's jab; literally,
"vertical punch" |
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1. dragon |
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2. standing; rising up |
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tornado; whirlwind;
literally, "dragon roll" |
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dragon choke; literally,
"dragon roll choke" |
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straw rice bag; bale |
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rice bag reversal; throw in judo |
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hand |
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hand techniques |
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1. street; ward; town |
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2. bottom; e.g., shotei |
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the letter "T";
literally, "the kanji
tei"
(whose shape is that of the roman letter "T") |
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T-stance |
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same as shotei |
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same as shotei
uchi |
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same as shotei
uke |
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wrist; literally,
"neck of the hand" |
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wrist pull |
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rolling hand; fluid hand |
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iron hammer |
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hammer-fist strike;
literally, "iron hammer strike" |
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alternative pronunciation
of the kanji
which is also read katana;
e.g., haito |
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comma-like design or shape |
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circular throw; literally,
"comma-like throw"; throw in judo |
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wooden rod with handle at
right angle, used in pairs |
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tiger |
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tiger throw |
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pull; grab; grasp; take;
take away; in Japanese martial arts, the one who performs or demonstrates
("takes") a technique; compare to uke |
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1. thrust; punch; e.g., kagi
zuki |
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2. moon; month; e.g., mikazuki |
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thrusting techniques |
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stepping into the throw |
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fishing; to lift up (as
when hooking a fish) |
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lifting hip; throw in judo |
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lifting and pulling up in a
circular motion (as when hooking a fish); taking in |
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lifting pulling hip; throw
in judo |
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1. inner; inside; e.g., ouchi
gari |
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| 2. strike; e.g., shotei uchi | |
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inner wrap-around; throw in judo |
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inner thigh; throw in judo |
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striking techniques |
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special disciple;
literally, "inner student" |
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repeated practice of
throwing techniques |
|
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arm or forearm |
|
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forearm entanglement |
|
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forearm lock |
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forearm pull |
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forearm block |
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founder of aikido |
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receiving; in Japanese
martial arts, the one who "receives" a technique; also in
Japanese martial arts, a block (to "receive" a strike); compare
to tori |
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breakfalling; literally,
"receiving with the body" |
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breakfalling techniques |
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floating |
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floating hip; throw in judo |
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floating drop; throw in judo |
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floating throw; throw in judo |
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reverse side; back; rear |
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back throw; suplex; throw
in judo |
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reverse side punch |
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back of the fist |
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back fist strike |
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back; behind; rear |
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back kick |
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back hip; throw in judo |
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shift; switch; transition;
change |
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switching hip; throw in judo |
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separation |
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shorter sword of the daisho |
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waza |
technique |
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mountain |
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mountain warriors |
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U-punch; literally,
"mountain punch" |
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spear |
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soft; gentle; pliant;
synonymous with second definition of ju |
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ready |
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side |
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side clip; throw in judo |
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side kick |
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side snap kick;
technically, this is redundant and should be simply yoko
keage |
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side thrust kick;
technically, this is redundant and should be simply yoko
kekomi |
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side wheel; throw in judo |
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side ridge-hand |
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yoko
haitto uchi |
side ridge-hand strike |
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side snap kick; also
referred to as yoko
geri keage |
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side thrust kick; also
referred to as yoko
geri kekomi |
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side drop; throw in judo |
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side four-direction hold |
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side knife-hand |
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side knife-hand strike |
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side jump kick |
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side separation; throw in judo |
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four (see numerals) |
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fourth degree; fourth
degree black belt (see
belt
ranks) |
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fourth class (see
belt
ranks) |
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finger |
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finger pull |
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one who is a black belt |
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1. Japanese sect of
Buddhism which places heavy emphasis on meditation and which significantly
influenced the Japanese martial arts |
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2. in front; before;
forwards; e.g., zenkutsu
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forward leaning |
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front stance; literally,
"forward leaning stance" |
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spelling of tsuki
when following another word |