Heian Nidan Practice Companion
Mat Manual companion guide to "Heian Nidan Is Not Just a Longer Shodan." Print it. The article explains what is new in the kata and why students stall. This book builds the kata chapter by chapter: the full movement cha…
| Art | Shotokan Karate |
|---|---|
| Family | Karate |
| Level | beginner |
| Format | deep-dive |
| Topics | forms, fundamentals, training-plans |
Mat Manual companion guide to "Heian Nidan Is Not Just a Longer Shodan." Print it. The article explains what is new in the kata and why students stall. This book builds the kata chapter by chapter: the full movement chart with stance checks, shuto and landing drills, turn isolations, and a six-week plan to a gradable performance.
Name: ______________________________ Dojo: ______________________________ Current grade: ______________ Instructor's count version (note any variation): ______________________________
BEFORE ANYTHING: SCOPE AND SAFETY ☐ Kata practice is solo form work. Partner application drills in Part 11 run at agreed speed and contact, with the defender able to stop any rep with one word. ☐ Kicks inside the kata are practiced at your school's target heights. A pinch in the hip on the side kick section means stop and report it, per the kick-height standards in this library. ☐ Practice space rule: a full kata's floor length in every direction, checked before the first rep. Furniture has ended more practice sessions than fatigue has. ☐ This book teaches one standard count (26 movements, kiai on 11 and 26). Your instructor's version governs in your dojo. Note variations in Part 1 and train the version you will be graded on.
Part 1: The Kata Card
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Name | Heian Nidan, "Peaceful Mind, Number Two" |
| Place in the series | Second of the five Heian kata; follows Heian Shodan, precedes Heian Sandan |
| Movements | 26 in the standard count (schools vary on combined kick-and-strike counts; record yours above) |
| Kiai | Movements 11 and 26 in the common count |
| Stances | Zenkutsu dachi (front stance), kokutsu dachi (back stance) |
| Signature material | Shuto uke (knife-hand block) in back stance, nukite (spear-hand thrust), first kicks inside a Heian kata, uraken uchi (back-fist strike), age uke (rising block) combinations |
| Embusen (floor pattern) | Starts and finishes on the same point when performed correctly; use the finish point as a measuring tool (Part 13) |
| Typical grading place | Early kyu grades in most Shotokan syllabi; your school's ladder governs: ______________ |
| Performance time guide | Roughly 35 to 45 seconds at grading tempo in most schools; your instructor's expectation: ______________ |
Heian Nidan Practice Companion
Mat Manual companion guide to "Heian Nidan Is Not Just a Longer Shodan." Print it. The article explains what is new in the kata and why students stall. This book builds the kata chapter by chapter: the full movement chart with stance checks, shuto and landing drills, turn isolations, and a six-week plan to a gradable performance.
What's Inside
- Part 1: The Kata Card
- Part 2: The Full Movement Chart With Stance Checks
- Part 3: The Four Chapters
- Part 4: Shuto Uke Mechanics Lab
- Part 5: Nukite Standards
- Part 6: The Kick Section, Landing by Landing
- …and 23 more sections
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Free companion article: Heian Nidan Is Not Just a Longer Shodan — the full article, free in full.