The K-Zone: Kevin's Shotokan kata notes: bassai dai

Bassai dai is one of the `big four' kata of the Shotokan style, and required for most black belt grading examinations. The other important kata at this level are enpi, kanku dai, and hangetsu. Of the four, bassai is probably the most accessible for the brown-belt student aspiring to a black belt. It's long, but not frighteningly long like kanku, it doesn't require great athleticism like enpi, and most of its moves are at least recognizable, which is more than can be said for hangetsu.
      Consequently, most Shotokan schools start their students on bassai dai after 18-24 months of training, allowing a year or so to work on it for the first degree black belt test.
      The meaning of the kanji characters that are pronounced `bassai' is not entirely clear. The characters are usually translated into english as `penetrate a fortress', but I understand from native Japanese speakers that this is not a meaning that the symbols can comfortably bear. Increasingly the word is translated as `rescue'. `Dai' just means `big'. There is a bassai sho (`small') as well, but this is not usual practiced as much as the dai variant. Whatever the translation of the name, it isn't entirely clear what relationship the name has to the moves, although there are some highly fanciful interpretations circulating.
      Most of the moves in bassai will be familiar to a person familiar with the heian kata. There's the low spear-hand strike and back-first block/crescent kick/elbow strike combinations from godan, the reverse inside blocks and marching knife-hand blocks, from nidan, and the palm-heel strikes that appear first in sandan. However, there are some moves that will be new to most students -- the unusual `mountain punch', the inside blocks in `almost front stance', and the sliding knife-hand blocks, for example. There's also some tricky balancing required in places.

Performance line for bassai dai; the starting position is shown as a blue spot

0. Preparation. From the attention stance, bring your feet together and grasp your right fist in your left hand. Ideally, your left thumb should be on top of your right thumb. You hands are in front of you at waist level.

1. Fall forward into inside block to the north. Allow your body to fall gradually forward. As you start to move, rapidly bring both fists to your left hip and raise your right knee. Step down with your right foot, while doing inside block with your right arm, supporting the arm with the fingers of your left hand. Your left foot slides up behind your right, so that your ankles are crossed. Your left little toe should be touching the ground behind and just to the left of your right foot. Balance in this position for a fraction of a second.

2. Inside block south. Use your left foot to rotate your whole body on your right heel, so you're facing south in front stance. Step forward (south) with your left foot into front stance, and inside block strongly with your left arm. This is the same basic soto uchi uke that you've been practising since day one.

3. Reverse inside block south. bring your right arm across to your left hip to cock it for inside block. Block strongly with your right arm, twisting your hips so your right shoulder is forward. This is the same reverse inside block that features in heian nidan.

4. Reverse outside block north. Slide your back (right) foot across to your left, then rotate on your heels to face north in front stance. This is a basic mawatte turn. As you turn, cock your left arm for outside block by raising your left fist to your left ear. At the end of the turn, block sharply with the left forearm, pulling your extended right arm back to your hip. This is a reverse outside block.

5. Inside block north. Do a standard inside block with your right arm. You're still in front stance at this point.

6. Outside block east. Look east. Bring your right leg back to your left, while rotating on your left heel to face east. Then step out with the right leg to the east into front stance; as you land, outside block with your right forarm. The JKA way of doing this move has two distinct parts. In the first part, bring your legs together facing east, while blocking low in front of you by sweeping your right arm down and right. In the second part, continue the sweeping movement of the right hand all the way up to head height. Then step forward and do the block. Some other styles just turn and block.

7. Reverse inside block east. Bring your left fist back to your right hip, then inside block with your left forearm.

8. Face north. Look north, then pull your left foot about halfway back to your right foot, and in the same north-south line. Turn on your heals to face north while pulling both fists to your right hip. Your feet should be pointing north, about two shoulder-widths apart. In the jargon, this is hachiji stance -- wider than attention stance, but not as wide as horse stance.

9. Palm heel strike north. Extend your left hand in a slow palm heel (`tate shuto') strike to the north. Hold for a fraction of a second.

10. Punch north. Without stepping, punch at midsection height to the north with your right fist.

11. Inside block north. Turn on your heels so that both feet, your shoulders, and your hips are facing north west. Withdraw your punching right fist to your left hip and immediately use it to inside block north. Most experts do moves 10 and 11 very quickly, as if they were one move. You are in a very narrow, short front stance. Purists insist that the `back' leg (the right leg) be locked straight during the block, as it would be in a real front stance.

12. Punch north. Turn on your heels so that both feet, your shoulders, and your hips point north. Use the turning action to drive a left punch at midsection height to the north.

13. Inside block north. Turn on your heels so that both feet, your shoulders, and your hips are facing north east. Withdraw your punching left fist to your right hip and immediately use it to inside block north. Most experts do moves 12 and 13 very quickly, as if they were one move.

14-17 Four knife-hand blocks. If you're practising bassai, you don't need me to tell you how to do a knife-hand block. Step forward with your right foot into back stance and knife-hand block to the north with your right hand. Step forward again and block with your left. Step forward again and block with your right. Step back and block with your left. Finish this sequence of moves in backstance with your left foot forward. The tempo of these four moves is usually slow-slow-fast-fast.

18. Open-hand inside block north. The jargon term for this rather odd move is tsukami uke. Bring your right hand out in front of your left shoulder while turning on your heels into front stance. Make a slow inside block action with your right arm, with your hand open, knuckles pointing up. Support this block with the fingertips of your left hand on the wrist of your right. This is a reverse block -- your blocking hand is on the same side as your back leg. To get any strength in it, you need to rotate your right shoulder forward. This whole move should take as much as four seconds.

19. Side thrust kick to the north at knee height. This is a tricky move, made trickier by the fact that you need to balance at the end to move straight into the next move. Raise your right knee sharply; ideally your knee should protrute through the gap between your left and right arms -- that is, it should come to chest height. Then rotate on your left heel so that your left toes point west; at the same time thrust kick strongly down and forward with your right leg, pulling both hands to your chest. You are simulating pulling your opponent towards you while kicking. Kiai on this move. Balance for a second (or as long as you can!) before moving straight into the next move.

20. Knife-hand block south. Withdraw your kicking foot back to your left knee, while turning your shoulders, hips, and left foot to point south. Step back with your right foot into back stance, and knife-hand block south.

21. Knife-hand block south. Step forward with your right leg into a new back stance, and knife-hand block with your right hand.

22. Double-handed rising block south. Step back with your right leg, so that your feet are together, knees bent. Bring your fists together at your waist, then slowly raise both fists above your head as you stand up straight. At the end of the move, the knuckles of both hands are almost touching. Although technically this is a block, it's usually done very slowly, more like a breathing exercise.

23. Double outside block south. Separate your hands with a snapping action, and step smartly forward with your right leg into front stance. Bring your arms down and around in an arc, as if punching both an opponents hips. Your knuckles end up facing downwards, your fists extended in front of you as if you had just done two inside blocks. In fact, your are doing two outside blocks, but with your fists stopping short at shoulder width apart. The jargon term for this move is hasami uchi.

24. Sliding punch south. Slide forward about two feet and punch with your right fist. Usually moves 23 and 24 are done as a single move -- as soon as the double block lands, immediately slide forward into the punch.

25a. Low spear-hand strike north. Slide your left leg across to your right, while looking north and pulling your right open hand back to your right ear. Then rotate sharply on your heels to face north in front stance, using the turning action to drive the low spear-hand strike. This is the same move that appears towards the end of heian godan.

25b. Double block north and south. In the JKA tradition, this move is done differently in bassai than in godan, even though it starts and finishes in the same place. Here, draw your left foot back to your right, with both pointing east, keeping your knees bent. Then inside block behind your head with your right arm, and downward block with your left, as your stand up straight. This is usually a slow move throughout. In godan the blocks are fast, and the straightening up is slow.
Moves 25a and 25b are generally done so as to form a single continuous move.

26. Downward block north in horse stance. From the double block position, rotate on your left heel to face west. As your torso rotates, quickly turn your head so you continue to look north. Raise your right knee and cock your right arm for downward block. As you stamp down, block downward with your right arm, and strike out behind your with your left elbow.

27. Backfist block south. Look south. Cock your arms for the backfist block -- right arm extended south, left arm extended north and underneath your right armpit. Slow block at midsection height with the back of your left open hand.

28. Crescent kick south, elbow strike west. This move also should be familiar from godan. Crescent kick your outstretched left hand with your right leg, look east, stamp down into horse stance facing east, and strike your left palm with your right elbow.

29-31. Three downward blocks east in horse stance. Keeping your legs and torso still, and remaining in a low horse stance, block downward and in front of you with your right arm, then your left arm, then your right arm again. Most experts do not cock the arms for these blocks, only pulling the non-blocking up arm as high as the armpit of the blocking arm.

32. Look south and prepare to punch. Look sharply south, and pull both fists sharply back to your left hip as your left leg steps across to your left. Your heels are now in front stance position, but your feet are still pointing somewhat to the east, and your shoulders are still almost square to the east.

33. Mountain punch south. This is a rather odd move, and a rather odd name, but it is a reasonable translation of the Japanese iama tsuki. Rotate on your heels to come to a full-on front stance, using the rotation to drive your left arm to punch above your head, and your right arm to punch at midsection height. Although the punch is above your own head, you should lean slightly forward so that it is at your opponent's head height. In effect, you are punching head and midsection simultaneously.

34. Prepare to punch. Pull both fists back to your right hip, and straighten your back. Stand up slowly -- perhaps take 2-3 seconds for this move.

35. Stamp and mountain punch south. Raise your left leg high, and mountain punch as you stamp down. In this move, your right punch is at head height, and your left punch at midsection (mirror image of move 33).

36. Prepare to punch. Pull both fists back to your left hip, and straighten your back. Stand up slowly -- perhaps take 2-3 seconds for this move.

37. Stamp and mountain punch south. Raise your right leg high, and mountain punch as you stamp down. Your left punch is at head height, and your right punch at midsection (same as move 33).

38. Low scooping block south. This is a rather awkward move, and one that most students won't have encountered before. Look north over your left shoulder. Rotate on your right heel by swinging your left foot up to your right foot. For a fraction of a second you will be square to the north, knees bent, right arm raised. Now, step out to the west with your left leg, to form a narrow front stance, hips square to the west. Remain looking north throughout. Then bring your right fist down in a large clockwise circular action, then back up almost to head height, before blocking directly down with your fist, knuckles facing down. At the end of this move your forearm should be almost parallel to the floor. What this move simulates is catching a kicking leg in the crook of your right arm, then pushing down on the knee to incapacitate your opponent.

39. Low scooping block south. This is the mirror image of move 38. Shoot your left fist up above your head, swivel on your heels so that you're in a narrow front stance facing east, then do the circular scooping block with your left arm.

40. Knife-hand block north east. At last -- a move you'll recognize. Step across with your right foot to the north, so that your feet are on a line pointing north east. Rotate your knees so that you twist into a back stance, and knife-hand block with your right hand.

40-41. Knife-hand block north west. This is a familiar move, but done in an unfamiliar way. The difference is that this move is done without stepping one leg in front of the other. Instead, the legs execute a sliding action. Start by looking sharply north west. Then step south with your right foot so that your feet are on a line pointing north east. Move your hands with your torso, so they point south east. Your left leg remains bent, so you are, in a sense, in a back stance/ knife-hand block posture, but looking in the opposite direction to usual. Then step smartly up to your left foot with your right foot, cock your arms for a knife-hand block in the direction of travel, then step out with the left leg and do an ordinary knife-hand block.
In short, what you're doing in this move is a sliding knife-hand block, rather than the usual stepping block.