Self-Defense

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6th Dan Black Belts

SELF-DEFENSE OR WAZA

GOSHIN WAZA are ideas of self-defense techniques for combat situations designed to defend against strikes, with armed assailants (using contemporary weapons such as a club, knife, or gun), or unarmed assailants. GRAB ARTS are techniques used against common grabs and holds applied by one or more assailants. Waza and grab arts are practiced with a partner from a (hands down) rest position, to minimize the defensive reaction time against a surprise attack. Techniques include, checking, parrying, blocking, evading, striking, kicking, and poking vital targets or pressure points. Students practice head butts, elbows, knees, stomps, take downs, throws, joint locks, restraints, and finishing holds. Students must learn to avoid, check, strike, maim, or kill as deemed necessary to avoid being injured or killed. Waza and grab arts are exercises to improve entering, blocking and redirecting, kime (distance and control), yin and yang (power), continuous motion (follow up), effectiveness, and realism.

WAZA and GRAB ARTS are practiced in three steps to fuse mind, body, and spirit, until the techniques become animal instinctive. Students will be instilled with confidence, confronting, and even conquering their fears.

Mind - In front of a mirror, one step at a time, until the technique becomes instinctive.
Body - With a partner practicing kime.
Spirit - With a partner, until the technique becomes reflexive, practicing with realism for effectiveness

Each belt rank requires several waza and grab arts, which have one or more themes progressing in difficulty. Each waza and grab art is cleverly named in association with the main technique or concept for an added memory device.

THIRTY WAZA and THIRTY GRAB ARTS are required for Black Belt Level in the American Open Karate System under the American Karate Academies National Association. The student must perform every self-defense waza, by number or name, without hesitation.

	WAZA	BELT	AGAINST
1	Left Hammer Block	White	Right punch or push to body
2	Right Hammer Block	White	Left punch or push to body
3	Left Windmill Block	White	Right punch or push to body
4	Right Windmill Block	White	Left punch or push to body
5	Left Blitz	Yellow	Right punch or push to body
6	Right Blitz	Yellow	Left punch or push to body
7	Japanese Sword	Gold	Right punch or push to face
8	Chinese Sword	Gold	Right punch or push to face
9	Hidden Hand	Orange	Right punch to face
10	Tomahawk Chop	Orange	Left punch to face
11	Slicing Elbows	Green	Right grab or strike
12	Snapping the Twig	Green	Left grab or strike
13	Oriental Lever	Blue	Overhead strike (with object)
14	Chopping the Log	Blue	Straight kick to groin
15	Sweeping Tiger	Purple	Right roundhouse punch
16	Sweeping Leopard	Purple	Right roundhouse kick
17	Thundering Hammers	Red	Right lunge punch or jab to face
18	Twisting Leopards	Red	Right lunge punch or jab to face
19	Flashing Daggers	Red	Right lunge punch or jab to face
20	Locking Arm	Light Brown	Right high punch
21	Bending Arm	Light Brown	Right high punch
22	Cutting Sword	Light Brown	Right high punch
23	Betraying Stick	Dark Brown	Overhead club from 12:00
24	Breaking the Yoke	Dark Brown	Round club from 10:30
25	Judo Throw	Dark Brown	Side club from 9:00
26	Dance of the Mongoose	Dark Brown	Side/reverse side from 3:00
27	Circle of Steel	1st Black	Uppercut knife stab
28	Reverse the Slash	1st Black	Slash/back slash
29	Arcing Blades	1st Black	Knife threat
30	Rolling Hammers	1st Black	Knife stab or lunge
31	Cover the Flame	2nd Black	Front gun point
32	Turn the Flame	2nd Black	Rear gun point
33	Moment of Truth	2nd Black	Same side gun point to head
34	Have No Fear	2nd Black	Opposite side gun point to body

	GRAB ART	BELT	AGAINST
1	Front Kick	White	Front two-hand wrist grab
2	Roundhouse Kick	White	Opposite one-hand wrist grab
3	Side Kick	White	Same one-hand wrist grab
4	Back Kick	White	Rear two-hand wrist grab
5	Double Headed Serpent	Yellow	One-hand choke
6	Scorpion’s Sting	Yellow	Two-hand choke
7	The Mongoose	Gold	One-hand shirt grab
8	Praying Hands	Gold	Two-hand shirt grab
9	Double Hammers	Orange	Front bear hug (arms trapped)
10	Triple Sabers	Orange	Rear bear hug (arms trapped)
11	Head Smash	Green	Front bear hug (arms free)
12	Crashing Elbows	Green	Front tackle (arms free)
13	Spiraling Wrist	Blue	Rear bear hug (arms free)
14	Leaping Monkey	Blue	Full nelson
15	Double Wraparound	Purple	Front two-hand grab
16	Single Wraparound	Purple	Rear two-hand grab
17	Front Rooster Strike	Red	Front headlock (Guillotine)
18	Side Snake Hand	Red	Side headlock
19	Rear Bear Paw	Red	Rear headlock (Forearm choke)
20	Crouching Falcon	Dark Brown	Opposite wrist grab
21	Come Along	Dark Brown	Same wrist grab
22	Carrying the Cross	Dark Brown	Front two-hand wrist grab
23	Skippin' Chicken	Light Brown	Same front shoulder grab
24	Crane Beak	Light Brown	Same side shoulder grab
25	Crane Wings	Light Brown	Opposite side shoulder grab
26	Dancin' Chicken	Dark Brown	shoulder grab with chickenwing
27	Crushing Dragon	1st Black	Two-hand front choke
28	Crashing Eagle	1st Black	Two-hand rear choke
29	Dropping the Axe	1st Black	Two-hand front choke from guard
30	Prying the Limb	1st Black	Two-hand front choke from mount
31	Crescent Moon	2nd Black	Rear bear hug-front attack
32	Double Impact	2nd Black	Front choke-side attack
33	Side Kicks	2nd Black	Wrist grab-each side
34	Mirror Image	2nd Black	Shoulder grab-each side