Ippon Kumite Playbook: Honest-Distance Drills From One-Step to Semi-Free
Mat Manual companion guide to "How to Practice One-Step Sparring So It Transfers." Print it. The article explains the staged system and what honest distance means. This book runs the practice: attack and defense cards,…
| Art | Shotokan Karate |
|---|---|
| Family | Karate |
| Level | intermediate |
| Format | playbook |
| Topics | sparring, fundamentals, training-plans |
Mat Manual companion guide to "How to Practice One-Step Sparring So It Transfers." Print it. The article explains the staged system and what honest distance means. This book runs the practice: attack and defense cards, distance setting, partner ladders with gates, and logs that grade honesty alongside technique.
Name: ______________________________ Dojo: ______________________________ Current grade: ______________ School's attack menu and staging notes: ______________________________
SAFETY, BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE ☐ Speed and contact are agreed before every set and stated out loud. Either partner or the instructor can lower them at any time without discussion. Raising them needs the gate standards in this book, not enthusiasm. ☐ Stop signal agreed: ______________. Any rep ends instantly on the signal, from anyone in the room. ☐ Protective equipment per school rule for the stage being practiced: ______________. Equipment is checked before the first rep, not after the first contact. ☐ Head-level attacks are controlled to the school standard at every stage. Control is graded before speed, and a student who cannot control a head-level attack at slow speed does not throw it faster. ☐ Kicks in the menu are thrown only by students whose falling and receiving partners are ready for them; sweep or leg-contact variants follow the school syllabus and the ukemi standards in this library. ☐ No surprises. In basic and ladder stages every attack is announced. Unannounced work belongs to free sparring under school rules, not to this book's drills.
Part 1: The Ladder Card
| Stage | Format | What is fixed | What is live | Gate to the next stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gohon kumite (five-step) | Same attack ×5 steps, counter after the fifth | Attack, count, distance start | Nothing beyond travel | Distance and blocks hold across five steps without drifting |
| Sanbon kumite (three-step) | Same format ×3 steps, levels may mix by arrangement | Attack(s), count | Level mix where arranged | Rhythm holds at three steps; levels read correctly |
| Ippon kumite (one-step) | One announced attack, block, counter, zanshin, reset | Attack announced, start line set | The single exchange | Part 19 gate standards in full |
| Jiyu ippon kumite (semi-free one-step) | Announced attack, live timing and distance | Attack announced | Timing, distance, defender movement | Instructor sign-off per school |
| Jiyu kumite (free sparring) | School rules | Ruleset only | Everything | Outside this book |
Ippon Kumite Playbook: Honest-Distance Drills From One-Step to Semi-Free
Mat Manual companion guide to "How to Practice One-Step Sparring So It Transfers." Print it. The article explains the staged system and what honest distance means. This book runs the practice: attack and defense cards, distance setting, partner ladders with gates, and logs that grade honesty alongside technique.
What's Inside
- Part 1: The Ladder Card
- Part 2: The Attack Menu With Defense Cards
- Part 3: Setting Honest Distance
- Part 4: The Exchange, Beat by Beat
- Part 5: Partner Ladders
- Part 6: Speed and Contact Scales
- …and 27 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: How to Practice One-Step Sparring So It Transfers — the full article, free in full.
- Your next stepCounterattacking PlaybookShotokan Karate · intermediate · playbook
- Pairs withMaai Training PlaybookShotokan Karate · intermediate · playbook
- Same problem, different artSparring Range PlaybookTaekwondo · beginner · playbook