is a stance used in
karate
(; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...
. In
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
, ''hachiji'' roughly translates to "the character for eight,"
but in context means something more like "shaped like number eight." Note that this refers to the shape of the ''
kanji
are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese ...
'' for the number eight: 八,
not the
arabic numeral
Arabic numerals are the ten numerical digits: , , , , , , , , and . They are the most commonly used symbols to write Decimal, decimal numbers. They are also used for writing numbers in other systems such as octal, and for writing identifiers ...
"8". , the pronunciation of when the word is second in a compound, translates to "stance," referring specifically to the body's position from the waist down. The term "hachiji dachi" is frequently used interchangeably with , or "''shizentai dachi''", which translates to "natural stance" (literally, 'natural body,' or 'natural body stance'). In most styles, ''shizentai'' is identical to hachiji dachi.
Description
The following is consistent with the teachings of
shotokan karate. Different styles may vary slightly.
In hachiji dachi, the feet are shoulder width apart, toes pointing forward. The karateka stands upright, facing straight forward. While in hachiji dachi, the ''karateka'' is usually in a ''yoi'' (ready) position.
The ''yoi'' position is a preparatory position that gives a clear starting point for execution of other techniques. The main version of ''yoi'' means the arms are slightly moved forward, with fists closed. The fists point slightly to the centre line and are roughly half a shoulder width apart. The elbows should be bent very slightly.
There are many variations to the movements leading to the ''yoi'' position. Note that some kata have very different ''yoi'' positions. The basic Shotokan ''kata'' all start at the stance and with the ''yoi'' position described above. Examples of basic ''kata'' are
Heian shodan,
Heian nidan
The '' kata'' are a series of five empty hand forms taught in many karate styles. The Pinan kata originated in Okinawa and were adapted by Anko Itosu from older kata such as Kusanku and Channan into forms suitable for teaching karate to y ...
and
Heian sandan.
Other ''yoi'' positions are found mostly in intermediate and advanced ''kata''.
See also
*
Karate stances
References
{{martialart-term-stub
Martial arts stances (Japanese)