Sanbon Zuki Drill Book
Mat Manual companion guide to "Three Punches, One Idea". Print it. The article teaches sanbon zuki (three-punch combination) as a pressure chain: oi zuki (lunge punch), gyaku zuki (reverse punch), then kizami zuki (jabb…
| Art | Shotokan Karate |
|---|---|
| Family | Karate |
| Level | beginner |
| Format | playbook |
| Topics | fundamentals, sparring, training-plans |
Mat Manual companion guide to "Three Punches, One Idea". Print it. The article teaches sanbon zuki (three-punch combination) as a pressure chain: oi zuki (lunge punch), gyaku zuki (reverse punch), then kizami zuki (jabbing front-hand punch), one forward step per punch. This book trains that chain. It gives you the combination cards against a retreating partner, the four reaction variants, and the progression sheets that take the chain from solo kihon (basics) to constrained kumite (sparring).
Name: ______________________________ Dojo: ______________________________ Grade: ______________ Start date: ______________ Current stage (Part 5): ______________
BEFORE ANYTHING: PARTNER SAFETY ☐ 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. ☐ Punches are thrown at real targets at controlled contact. Control is graded in every drill here; a punch that cannot be controlled does not count as a rep, however strong it was. ☐ Head contact follows your dojo's rules for your grade, with headgear where your school requires it. Students whose schools do not allow head contact train jodan (high level) punches to touch a held guard or pad, never a partner's head. ☐ Check the floor behind the retreating partner before every set. The defender in this book travels backward and at an angle; the space behind and to both sides must be clear. ☐ Stop for dizziness, a twisted ankle on a retreat step, or any contact that lands harder than agreed. Reset, name what happened, and restart at a lower speed. ☐ This is a beginner book for students who already know oi zuki, gyaku zuki, and kizami zuki as single techniques. If any one of the three is new, learn it alone first. Do not learn a single punch inside a chain.
Part 1: The Chain at a Glance
One chain only is trained in this book, in this order. Do not reorder it to suit a set.
| Step | Technique | Stance and step | Target line | Job in the chain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oi zuki (lunge punch) | Step forward into zenkutsu dachi (front stance), same side as the punching hand | Jodan or chudan (middle level) as called | Force the first answer: block, move, or get hit |
| 2 | Gyaku zuki (reverse punch) | Step forward, opposite hand punches, hips rotate into it | The side the block left open, usually chudan | Punish the block: the arm that stopped punch one is in the wrong place |
| 3 | Kizami zuki (jabbing front-hand punch) | Step forward, front hand punches as the step lands | The line the partner is retreating on, or their new line if they angled | Punish the escape: land while the partner is still stepping and resetting |
Chain law: no gap, no reset, no extra step between punches. A pause between punches turns one chain into three single punches, and the cards in this book score it that way.
Sanbon Zuki Drill Book
Mat Manual companion guide to "Three Punches, One Idea". Print it. The article teaches sanbon zuki (three-punch combination) as a pressure chain: oi zuki (lunge punch), gyaku zuki (reverse punch), then kizami zuki (jabbing front-hand punch), one forward step per punch. This book trains that chain. It gives you the combination cards against a retreating partner, the four reaction variants, and the progression sheets that take the chain from solo kihon (basics) to constrained kumite (sparring).
What's Inside
- Part 1: The Chain at a Glance
- Part 2: How a Rep Counts
- Part 3: Combination Cards: The Chain Against a Retreating Partner
- Part 4: Reaction Variants: The Four Answers
- Part 5: Kihon-to-Kumite Progression Sheets
- Part 6: Stance, Breath, and Hikite Checks
- …and 18 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: Three Punches, One Idea — the full article, free in full.
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