WOK Book 3 Blue to Yellow Belt Test

Gedan Barai

Block against straight punches or kicks to the upper body (not primarily a low block) — semi-circular motion that stops, deflects, or hooks the attack

Soto Uke

Inward push block against straight attacks; power comes from weight distribution and how deeply the blocking arm enters the movement

Uchi Uke

Block from inside-out against curved attacks like Mawashi Geri or Mawashi Uchi; protects the ribs, inner shoulder, and elbow

Jodan Uke

Block against downward-moving strikes or kicks; arm snaps diagonally upward from the chest, hips sink slightly

Jodan Mawashi Geri

High roundhouse kick; torso stretches diagonally upward while pivoting fully on the ball of the foot

Chudan Mawashi Geri

Mid-level roundhouse kick executed within normal comfort range, without straining the torso

Gedan Mawashi Geri

Low roundhouse kick with a slight sinking motion; contact made with the shin, ankle, or instep

Ushiro Geri

Back kick; power comes from the heel; led by a sharp, quick spin of the head and torso

Okuri Ashi

Footwork that moves you forward or back without changing your Kamae

Fumi Ashi

Footwork that steps in with the back foot (or pulls the front foot back) to shift Kamae from left to right Hanmi

Kosa Ho

Footwork that jumps and switches the legs simultaneously; used to shift forward, back, side to side, or diagonally

Kamae

Fighting stance / ready posture; described as the "dot" that stores balance, power, and speed for every technique

Kiai

The shout or forceful exhale that projects spirit and powers a technique or footwork movement

Jissen Kumite

Realistic, practical sparring — the standard Blue Belt footwork and blocking are built toward

Hanmi

A half-facing body position, either left or right foot forward

Zenkutsu Dachi

Forward stance, weight focused toward the front foot; used to practice blocks moving front to back with hip power

Sanchin Dachi

Hourglass ("three battles") stance; narrow and stationary, used to feel a technique's basic form before adding movement

Kiba Dachi

Horse-riding stance; wide, both knees bent, center of gravity low in the groin area, weight mostly on the front knee

Hikite

The pulling/chambering hand that reserves power on the opposite side of a technique

Shotei (Teisho)

Open-hand palm-heel strike — same technique, two names used interchangeably in this curriculum

Gyaku Zuki

Reverse punch, thrown from the rear hand

Seiken

Forefist; the striking surface of a standard closed-fist punch

Mae Geri

Front kick

Chusoku

The ball of the foot, used as a striking surface in kicks like Mae Geri and Chudan Mawashi Geri

Tanden

The body's center/core; the source from which Kiai is projected

Han Heiko Dachi

Half parallel stance; used as the setup posture for practicing Ushiro Geri

Heiko Dachi

Parallel stance

Kumite no Tachi

The basic ready posture/stance used for sparring; naturally widens as technique power increases

Uchi Mawashi

An inside circular striking technique, one of the curved attacks Uchi Uke defends against

Ago Uchi

A straight strike aimed at the chin/jaw, discussed alongside Seiken as a hard-to-time attack for Jodan Uke

Sutewaza

A setting-up technique used to open an opponent before a follow-up attack

Dot and Line

The book's framing of Kamae as a "dot" that stores power, developing into a "line" of movement during Jissen Kumite

What is the most important part of ushiro geri?

To turn your head quickly and sharply

What parts of the body control balance?

the head and the gaze

a common mistake beginners make with soto uke

beginners tend to drop or lead with their elbows because of tension in their ankles and knees, restricting the movement of the torso

a normal block is …( about movement/direction)

either stationery, straight back, or stepping at a 45 degree angle. It is rare to block forward movement in jissen kumite

a common mistake made by beginners on uchi uke

is that they often do not keep their elbows in, leading to ineffective coverage against incoming strikes.
also, they put the blocking arm on the outside for the set up, reserving little power and speed

What blocks are “two sides of the same coin?”

soto uke and uchi uke

the difficulty in blocking straight attacks

it can be difficult to judge the distance, as it looks like a dot and not a line. best to use soto uke, and move out of the way, than use jodan uke

common mistake of jodan uke in zenkutsu dachi

the hips moving up and down with movement

Why should you kiae when moving diagonally?

To make a movement that could be interpreted as running away as an intentional movement towards victory