Heian Sandan Practice Companion
Mat Manual companion guide to "Heian Sandan Fights Sideways." Print it. The article explains why the third kata fights sideways and where students stall. This book builds the kata chapter by chapter: the full 20-movemen…
| Art | Shotokan Karate |
|---|---|
| Family | Karate |
| Level | beginner |
| Format | deep-dive |
| Topics | forms, fundamentals, training-plans |
Mat Manual companion guide to "Heian Sandan Fights Sideways." Print it. The article explains why the third kata fights sideways and where students stall. This book builds the kata chapter by chapter: the full 20-movement chart with stance checks, kiba dachi (horse-riding stance) standards, stamp-and-elbow drills, and test-day self-checks.
Name: ______________________________ Dojo: ______________________________ Current grade: ______________ Instructor's count version (note any variation): ______________________________
BEFORE ANYTHING: SCOPE AND SAFETY ☐ Kata practice is solo form work. Partner checks in this book run at agreed speed and light, agreed pressure, with either partner able to stop any rep with one word. ☐ Kiba dachi depth is built inside a pain-free range. Pain in the knee or hip during the sideways chapter means stop, shorten the stance, and report it, per the stance-health standards in this library. ☐ Practice space rule: a full kata's floor length in every direction, checked before the first rep. The sideways chapter travels further across the room than students expect. ☐ This book teaches one count: 20 movements, kiai on the final movement, movement 20. Your instructor's version governs in your dojo. Note variations in Part 1 and train the version you will be graded on. ☐ Application study (bunkai) is not this book's ground. For bunkai method and readings for the Heian kata, use the First Bunkai Workbook (guide-shotokan-08). This book stays on practice, mechanics, and stalls.
Part 1: The Kata Card
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Name | Heian Sandan, "Peaceful Mind, Number Three" |
| Place in the series | Third of the five Heian kata; follows Heian Nidan, precedes Heian Yondan |
| Movements | 20 in the count taught here (schools split combined double blocks and stamp-and-elbow counts differently; record yours above) |
| Kiai | Movement 20, the final movement, in this count |
| Main stances | Kokutsu dachi (back stance), kiba dachi (horse-riding stance), zenkutsu dachi (front stance), feet together in the opening chapter |
| Signature material | Combined double blocks, morote uke (augmented block), nukite (spear-hand thrust), tettsui uchi (hammer-fist strike) on a spin, fumikomi (stamping step) with yoko empi uchi (side elbow strike) and uraken uchi (back-fist strike), closing mawashi zuki (roundhouse punch) with ushiro empi uchi (back elbow strike) |
| Embusen (floor pattern) | Opens across the side line, works forward, fights sideways, closes toward the front; starts and finishes on the same point when performed correctly |
| Typical grading place | Middle kyu grades in most Shotokan syllabi; your school's ladder governs: ______________ |
| Performance time guide | Roughly 30 to 40 seconds at grading tempo in most schools; your instructor's expectation: ______________ |
Heian Sandan Practice Companion
Mat Manual companion guide to "Heian Sandan Fights Sideways." Print it. The article explains why the third kata fights sideways and where students stall. This book builds the kata chapter by chapter: the full 20-movement chart with stance checks, kiba dachi (horse-riding stance) standards, stamp-and-elbow drills, and test-day self-checks.
What's Inside
- Part 1: The Kata Card
- Part 2: The Full Movement Chart With Stance Checks
- Part 3: The Four Chapters
- Part 4: The Kiba Dachi Standard
- Part 5: Kiba Dachi Conditioning
- Part 6: The Double Blocks Lab
- …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: Heian Sandan Fights Sideways — the full article, free in full.
- Your next stepBassai Dai Practice CompanionShotokan Karate · advanced · deep-dive
- Pairs withHeian Nidan Practice CompanionShotokan Karate · beginner · deep-dive
- Same problem, different artTaegeuk Yi Jang CompanionTaekwondo · beginner · deep-dive