Shotokan Kata: Tekki Sandan

The series of Tekki kata were derived from the older, original Nifanchin kata. Nifanchin was brought to Okinawa via Fuzhou, China, at some point in the long history of trade between the two kingdoms. It was broken into three distinct segments, possibly by Ankoh Itosu, Tokumine Pechin, or Motobu Choki.

The kata are performed entirely in the kiba-dachi stance, or "Horse stance". The name Tekki itself (and the older Nifanchin) translates to "Iron Horse." Contrary to popular belief, the kata are not designed to teach fighting on a lateral line or against a wall. Rather, they are intricate strategies of attacking and defensive movement, done in the kiba-dachi, for the purpose of conditioning the legs to develop explosive power. If one rotates one's torso a few degrees to one side or the other while performing Tekki, the result is the Hachi-monji, or figure eight stance. This has been called the basics of all karate.

In the earlier days of karate training, it was common practice for a student to spend 2-3 years doing nothing but Tekki, under the strict observation of their teacher. Motobu Choki, famous for his youthful brawling at tsuji (red-light district), credited the kata with containing all that one needs to know to become a proficient fighter. Tekki Sandan in the third of this series of kata.

See also

Bunkai, Kata, Shotokan