Gankaku Shotokan Kata 👊🏽🥋😊

Demonstration of Gankaku Shotokan Kata. Gankaku (Crane on a Rock) features four side kicks in quick succession and is the highlight of the kata.
Traditionally, the kicks are all side snap kicks, however, side thrust kicks are now common since Luca Valdesi made the kata popular a decade ago or so.
It requires great composure and extremely good balance when demonstrating. I will be the first to admit, my balance isn’t perfect and it’s not a kata I practice regularly. It is a beautiful kata, however, with explosive techniques, impressive kicks and slow moves performed on one leg. When done well, there’s a flow to the kata that’s difficult to master, requiring the karateka to transfer from one stance to another. This is particularly true at the start when the spin on one leg is executed, from back stance to horseback stance before sliding the front foot into front stance.
I demonstrate the whole kata at the start and at the end of the video, showing it from front view and then back view respectively.
I break down the kata into four combinations and show them from various angles, front, back and sides. This helps the viewer to learn the kata themselves.
Enjoy ☺️
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