This Black Belt Course is the only course of its kind in the world. You will learn everything a Karate Black Belt knows. It contains the following:

• Section 1: Black Belt Basics

• Section 2: Black Belt Kata & Bunkai

• Section 3: Black Belt Blocks & Counters

• Section 4: Black Belt Kumite

This course is shot from multiple angles, including slow motion, close ups and freeze frames with annotations, to provide you with an immersive experience. Common mistakes are also highlighted, allowing you to self-correct.

Section 1 – Black Belt Basics

This Black Belt course includes all the Basic techniques you need to get your Black Belt.

We will show you how to increase the speed and power of your punches so that they won’t be seen by your opponent until they are getting up off the floor!

Kicks include the front kick, roundhouse kick, side kick, hook kick and spinning hook kick.

Basics are the building blocks of Karate. Once these have been mastered, they can be used for Kata and then modified for Kumite.

Section 2 – Black Belt Kata & Bunkai

Kata means “Rules”. Everything in Karate is contained in these Katas. For students new to martial arts a Kata looks like a dance formed from a set of the Basics you have already learnt. However, each Kata is really a fight with imaginary attackers. These Katas vary from 16 moves to over 70 depending on your grade and you need to master a Kata for each Karate Grade. They are as follows:

• Pinan Sandan – Green Belt (5th Kyu)

• Pinan Yondan – Purple Belt (4th Kyu)

• Pinan Godan – Brown Belt (3rd Kyu)

• Chinto – Brown Belt (2nd Kyu)

• Kushanku – Brown Belt (1st Kyu)

• Perfecting all the above – Black Belt

• Passai – 2nd Dan

It isn’t just a matter of learning the moves though. A grading panel will be looking at your vision (where you are looking) your combinations (as the Katas are performed at different speeds), your preparation to each move (as each move needs to be complete to show a full understanding) and your stances. We will take you, move by move, through how to perform each Kata to a World Championship level.

Bunkai is taking Kata to the next level. A Kata cannot truly be mastered until you understand the Bunkai. It is performing the Kata but with the imaginary attackers actually being there and attacking you. This will give you new insight into the importance of every subtle move of the Katas. It takes the Kata from looking like a dance to looking like a fight. All students and all instructors need to understand this to become true experts at Karate and it is an aspect of Karate that is rarely taught.

Although you will not be tested on Bunkai in a grading, if you understand them fully, your Katas will be World Class. Bunkai to the following Katas is included:

• Pinan Sandan

• Pinan Yondan

• Pinan Godan

Section 3 – Black Belt Blocks & Counters

Between learning your Basics and learning to free spar in Kumite, the logical step is Blocks & Counters. These are set drills to teach you a number of ways to Block & Counter an attack. Other than increasing your defensive and offensive repertoire, Blocks & Counters get you used to attacks coming towards you so that you react effectively and don’t panic. On this Black Belt course you will learn:

• Advanced Ipon Kumite. This defends against the same attacks as Basic Ipon Kumite but the defences are more advanced. Advanced Ipon Kumite is usually reserved for Brown Belts and above.

• Ohyu Kumite. These advanced combinations need to be learnt by both attackers and defenders. They differ from other Blocks & Counters as it is normally the attacker who wins.

Section 4 – Black Belt Kumite

One of the cornerstones of Karate is Kumite or free sparring. With everything you have learnt from Basics, Kata and Blocks & Counters, Kumite will come to you naturally. There are two main styles of Kumite and in this Black Belt course we will cover them both – continuous sparring and competition-style point scoring sparring.

You will learn where to strike your opponent to cause maximum pain and how to avoid your opponent from hurting you. You will also learn how to confuse your opponent and make them fear you before you have even thrown a punch. Many fights are won before a punch is thrown. If this is not possible, we will teach you how to win a fight with only one punch!

• Continuous sparring is arguably more realistic than competition sparring as the fight does not stop until one party surrenders or taps out. This should ideally be within just a few seconds. In this Black Belt course you will learn the top 20 rules that will ensure you success every time.

• Competition sparring demands more control and crisper techniques in order for the judges to recognise the points. Here we will share the top competition techniques as used by World Champions.

Get My Black Belt: Wado Ryu Karate (Part 1), Beginner to Orange Belt is also available on Udemy.