Enpi Kata Tutorial

www.shotokankarateonline.com/...
Enpi (燕飛) (Flying Swallow), also known as Empi.
Some historians believe Enpi was brought to Okinawa from China in the late 1600's by Wang Ji, who was an expert in Shaolin Fujian White Crane. The original name was Wansu which Master Gichin Funakoshi changed to Enpi.
The kata when performed well, resembles the flight of a swallow, sweeping down low, then back up high. This comparrison to the flight of a swallow is displayed in the three combinations of, age zuki (upper rising punch), grab and hisa geri (knee attack), soto uke (outside block), gyaku zuki (reverse punch) in kosa dachi (crossed leg stance).
The opening four moves are very fast and dynamic, but they should also be smove movements, just like the flight of a swallow.
There are lots of throws and takedowns inside this brown belt kata, and once again, there are several instances of simultaneous blocks and strikes.

[@tryan1975]

Absolutely brilliant video on Enpi! The most technical and thorough video I’ve seen on this kata. Well done! Please keep them coming Sensei!

[@manxwardies]

I love this Kata, though it destroys my old knees. Lots of great technical details to take in there.. Thanks!

[@danielreid3476]

In my opinion this is actually one of the harder katas in Shotokan. It's right up there with Gankaku and Unsu. Quick transitions and fast unnatural movements make it quite challenging. I still enjoy working at it, but it's definitely not a kata for an old man.

[@manxwardies]

Looking forward to Hangetsu to complete the set 🤞