First Chain Playbook
Mat Manual companion guide to "The First Punch Is Not the Point." Print it. The article explains what the jab is for and why the reverse punch travels through the space it makes. This book builds that one chain, kizami…
| Art | Shotokan Karate |
|---|---|
| Family | Karate |
| Level | beginner |
| Format | playbook |
| Topics | sparring, fundamentals, training-plans |
Mat Manual companion guide to "The First Punch Is Not the Point." Print it. The article explains what the jab is for and why the reverse punch travels through the space it makes. This book builds that one chain, kizami zuki (jabbing front-hand punch) into gyaku zuki (reverse punch), by distance and by partner reaction, then runs it through a four-week build from shadow work to free exchanges where the chain is the only way to score.
Name: ______________________________ Dojo: ______________________________ Grade: ______________ Start date: ______________ Lead side (circle): Left / Right Current week (Part 11): ______________
BEFORE ANYTHING: PARTNER SAFETY AND AGREEMENTS ☐ All partner work in this book runs at agreed speed and agreed contact, stated out loud before each drill. Either partner can lower the speed or the contact at any time with one word, and the drill obeys instantly. ☐ The jab is thrown at a real target line. That is the point of it. Control is what makes a real line safe: jodan (high level) jabs stop at the agreed contact for your dojo and grade, and students whose schools do not allow head contact throw jodan jabs to a held guard or focus pad, never to a partner's head. ☐ Head contact follows your dojo's rules for your grade, with headgear where your school requires it. No drill in this book overrides house rules on head contact, ever. When in doubt, both punches go to chudan (middle level) targets and a pad or guard for jodan lines. ☐ The reverse punch is the power punch in this chain. It is thrown with full hip turn at controlled contact. A reverse punch that cannot be controlled does not count as a rep, however well it landed. ☐ Jamming drills (Part 7, Card R5, and Part 14) put a partner inside your punching space on purpose. They run at half speed until both partners have passed the card at that speed. Nobody jams at full speed in the first cycle of this book. ☐ Stop on any pain, dizziness, or loss of control, from either partner, with no argument and no finishing the set first. Log what happened in the session log (Part 16).
Part 1: The Chain at a Glance
One chain, two jobs. If a rep does not show both jobs, it was two punches, not a chain.
| Punch | Job in this chain | Body action | What success looks like |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kizami zuki (jabbing front-hand punch) | Measure the distance; move the guard | Small. Front hand, short travel, hips mostly square, snap out and back | It touches the guard or target line, or tells you honestly that you're short; the partner's guard moves |
| Gyaku zuki (reverse punch) | Score through the space the jab made | Big. Rear hip turns fully, rear heel and hikite (pulling hand) work together, front hand's return feeds the turn | It travels to center or under the lifted guard and lands at controlled contact while the opening is still there |
Chain law: the second punch answers the first punch's result. The five honest results, and their answers, are the whole read in this book (Part 7 drills them one at a time):
| Jab result | Reverse punch answer |
|---|---|
| Guard lifts | Gyaku zuki chudan, under the lifted hand |
| Parried outside | Gyaku zuki to center, before the hand returns |
| Partner leans or steps back | Step in, gyaku zuki; the step is part of the punch |
| Jab falls short | No reverse punch. Close distance, start again |
| Jab is jammed | No reverse punch. Angle out, rebuild guard, reset |
First Chain Playbook
Mat Manual companion guide to "The First Punch Is Not the Point." Print it. The article explains what the jab is for and why the reverse punch travels through the space it makes. This book builds that one chain, kizami zuki (jabbing front-hand punch) into gyaku zuki (reverse punch), by distance and by partner reaction, then runs it through a four-week build from shadow work to free exchanges where the chain is the only way to score.
What's Inside
- Part 1: The Chain at a Glance
- Part 2: How a Rep Counts
- Part 3: The Three Distances
- Part 4: Distance Drill Cards
- Part 5: Jab Quality Cards: The Honest Jab
- Part 6: Core Chain Cards by Distance
- …and 22 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 First Punch Is Not the Point — the full article, free in full.
- Your next stepSanbon Zuki Drill BookShotokan Karate · beginner · playbook
- Pairs withDefending Combinations PlaybookShotokan Karate · intermediate · playbook
- Same problem, different artCombination and Counter Playbook: Drill Cards for the Second Attack, Reaction Maps, and the Six-Week BuildKodokan Judo · intermediate · playbook