Yoko Geri Playbook
Mat Manual companion guide to "The Side Kick That Hurts the Wrong Leg." Print it. The article explains why the standing leg files the complaint. This book separates the kick into its three parts, gives each part drills…
| Art | Shotokan Karate |
|---|---|
| Family | Karate |
| Level | beginner |
| Format | playbook |
| Topics | kicks, fundamentals, safety, training-plans |
Mat Manual companion guide to "The Side Kick That Hurts the Wrong Leg." Print it. The article explains why the standing leg files the complaint. This book separates the kick into its three parts, gives each part drills with numbers, builds the support leg that makes the pivot safe, and schedules six weeks of repair.
Name: ______________________________ Dojo: ______________________________ Rank: ______________ Start date: ______________
SAFETY, BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE ☐ Pain inside the support knee, a pinch at the front of the support hip, or pain still present the next morning is a stop-and-diagnose signal, not a toughness test. Work the fault table in Part 5 before adding volume. ☐ Never force the pivot by twisting a flat, planted foot. The foot turns on its ball, light, as the chamber rises. A foot screwed into the floor under load is the injury this book exists to prevent. ☐ Pad work for kekomi uses a partner braced and ready, or a standing bag. Never thrust full power into a hand-held pad held by an unprepared partner's shoulder. ☐ Support-leg strength work is single-leg work. Use a wall or partner within reach until the standards say otherwise. ☐ Soreness in the hip, glute, and standing thigh after a session is training. Sharp, pinching, or joint-line pain is not. Learn the difference in Part 1 and respect it all six weeks.
Part 1: The Baseline — Score the Kick Before You Train It
Run all five checks cold-standard: after a normal warm-up, before hard work. Record everything. Retest at the end of weeks 2, 4, and 6.
Check 1: The Pivot Audit
Throw ten chudan kekomi at half speed, five each leg, in front of a mirror or a partner watching only your support foot.
| What to record | Standard | Your result |
|---|---|---|
| Support heel points at the target at full extension | 10 of 10, both legs | L: ____ /10 R: ____ /10 |
| The foot turns as the chamber rises, not after the leg extends | No visible second movement | ☐ Yes ☐ No |
| Support knee tracks over the toes through the pivot | Never caves toward the midline | ☐ Yes ☐ No |
| No hop or adjustment step on landing | 10 of 10 land where chosen | L: ____ /10 R: ____ /10 |
Check 2: The Three-Second Freeze
Extend chudan kekomi into a partner-held pad and freeze. Partner watches the clock, not the kick.
| Side | Longest clean hold (seconds) | Hip over support heel? | Lean-away present? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Left | ______ | ☐ | ☐ |
| Right | ______ | ☐ | ☐ |
Standard to build toward: 3 seconds, both legs, hip arrived, no lean.
Check 3: The Rechamber Clock
Partner with a stopwatch or phone. From the call, extend to a pad and rechamber fully to the chamber position. Time is extension-to-chamber, not the kick out.
| Side | Trial 1 | Trial 2 | Trial 3 | Standard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Left | ______ s | ______ s | ______ s | Under 0.8 s, foot retraces its line |
| Right | ______ s | ______ s | ______ s | Under 0.8 s, foot retraces its line |
Check 4: Single-Leg Support Standards
The pivot is a single-leg skill done at speed. These floor standards predict whether it can be safe.
| Test | How | Floor standard | Your result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-leg balance, eyes open | Stand on one leg, arms crossed, timed | 30 s each side | L: ______ R: ______ |
| Single-leg balance, eyes closed | Same, eyes shut, wall within reach | 10 s each side | L: ______ R: ______ |
| Slow pivot on the ball | Rise, turn 180 degrees on the ball of one foot, set the heel down under control | 5 each side, no wobble step | ☐ |
| Single-leg sit-to-stand | From a chair, one leg, no hands, knee tracking over toes | 5 each side | L: ______ R: ______ |
Check 5: The Pain Map
Circle where the side kick costs you, today: support knee (inside / outside / back), support hip (front pinch / deep ache), kicking hip, lower back, none. Write the pattern in one line: when does it appear (during, after, next morning)?
This map is your diagnostic anchor. Part 5 reads it back to you as a drill assignment.
Yoko Geri Playbook
Mat Manual companion guide to "The Side Kick That Hurts the Wrong Leg." Print it. The article explains why the standing leg files the complaint. This book separates the kick into its three parts, gives each part drills with numbers, builds the support leg that makes the pivot safe, and schedules six weeks of repair.
What's Inside
- Part 1: The Baseline — Score the Kick Before You Train It
- Part 2: Part One Drills — The Pivot
- Part 3: Part Two Drills — The Hip Arrives
- Part 4: The Support Leg — Strength Standards
- Part 5: The Fault-Diagnosis Page
- Part 6: Part Three Drills — The Rechamber and the Whole Kick
- …and 13 more sections
The full guide is a paid Mat Manual product. Checkout is not connected yet — no payment is taken on this page.
Free companion article: The Side Kick That Hurts the Wrong Leg — the full article, free in full.
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