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[kata's]
The two characters that make up the name Unsu are Un and Shu.
"Cloud" and "Hand" are their respective meanings. The word
could be interpreted as "Cloud Hands", "Cloud Hand",
"Hands in the Clouds", "Hands Like the Clouds", etc.
"Cloud Hands" is probably the best translation of the word Unsu. The
name can also be pronounced Unshu. 1.
From the natural stance
bring the right foot to the left and cross the wrists in front of the chest.
Using tension, slowly straighten the elbows until the arms are pointing out to
the sides and downward at 45 degree angles. The feet should be touching from
heel to toe. Bring both hands palms upward under the chin until the elbows
touch. Then spread the hands outward horizontally from their palm up position so
that they sweep out to the sides until you reach full extension. 2.
Step forward into cat
stance, lowering your body. Bring the hands down and slide them on the thighs as
you make two chicken head wrist blocks. Your elbows should be inward of your
hands and the fingers should point at a slight angle downward. 3.
Immediately execute a low
level pointed finger strike without changing the shape of your hand. Both arms
should be very tense in the armpits throughout these three steps. When you
strike, snap quickly. 4.
Step forward drawing a
circle on the floor with your big toe counter-clockwise. The circle should be
about 12-14" in diameter. Draw the circle on the floor slowly using only
the big toe. Move the toe out in front of the right foot, and then up, around,
and back into place. Once complete, pause slightly, then make another pointed
finger strike. Pause slightly before going onward to the next technique. 5.
Step forward again, making
the mirror image of the previous technique. 6.
The Four Directions
Punch - Step into a left front
stance without drawing the feet together. As you move execute a vertical knife
hand block and reverse punch in sync with the step. Shift your right foot over
about 2.5 feet as you turn to your rear and repeat the block / punch. Turn to
your left again and repeat. Turn around and repeat again. 7.
Drop down and Kick
- Drop to your right side and forward by not moving your right foot. When you
land you should be on your right elbow and hip with your left palm pressing into
the floor. Round kick overhead so that your target is at least even with your
head. Snap the kick back strongly. 8.
Flipping over by placing
the left foot just in front of the right shin. Raise yourself up onto both of
your hands as you pivot on your left foot, moving your knees to the right. Set
yourself down on your left elbow and then repeat the kick from leg's current
position. 9.
Double Block -
Stand up by pushing off with the hands into a horse riding stance. As you stand
up repeat the spreading hands action of the first technique. Bring the palms
upward with the fingers curled under and as you achieve the stance start
spreading them outward. 10.
High and low blocks
- Powerfully switch feet and assume a front stance. Simultaneously with stepping
back, fold the arms across the body. While stepping back forward with the other
foot, left chicken head wrist block to the front and right palm heel block to
the rear with the hips to the side. 11.
Repeat - Perform a mirror image of the last without pausing. 12.
Left
Reverse Ridge Hand - From the
right side chicken head wrist strike with your left hand behind your left
buttock, pull the right hand back sharply as you swing the left hand around
strongly with hip rotation to front. Throw a left ridge hand strike to the
temple with the left hand. 13.
Left Front Snap Kick
- Raise your knee up into your chest and front snap kick to your chin level.
Snap the kick back strongly as you pivot on your right foot the support leg and
turn clockwise 180 degrees. As you pivot outside block to the high level with
your right arm strongly with your foot off of the floor. Keep the support knee
in the position it was in during the kick. As you set your left foot down,
reverse punch with the left fist. 14.
Repeat - Turn 180 degrees pivoting on the rear foot and repeat the ridge hand,
kick, block, and punch as a mirror image of the previous four motions. 15.
Back to Start Position
- Stand up by pulling the front foot back to your rear foot into the starting
position with both arms out. Assume this position by crossing the arms at the
wrist in front of your chest and slowly lowering them while pulling them out to
your sides. 16.
Feint and Stab
- Turn to your left 45 degree angle and step forward with the left foot a half
step. Raise the left arm upward in a knife hand slowly. As you raise the left
hand, the right hand should be in a knife hand as well pointed downward to the
floor fairly close to the body. Bring the right hand up and the left hand down,
both in knife hands as you begin to step with the right leg. They should pass
each other palms inward. Step forward strongly with the right leg and punch from
a high hand position downward to the lower level (a dropping punch). 17.
Double block (or punch)
- Together as one technique pivot on your feet in place and punch / block to the
lower level to the rear without any chambering action and then pivot back around
to where you were to punch to the front again. 18.
Grab and Pull
- Turn to the rear and assume a unmovable stance by shifting the left foot over.
Make a slow left-handed vertical knife hand block. Bring the right hand up next
to the right ear in an open hand and
then scooping up in front of you as a palm heel strike. Rotate the hips to the
front strongly in sync with this action. Fold the fingers of the left hand in
and pull the left elbow a little closer into the body as you bring the left and
right palm heels together. This action should look as though you are grabbing
someone's arm in your left hand and then adding your right hand to the pull as
your left arm pulls them in. 19.
Front Thrust Kick
- Bring up the right knee under the arms while leaving their palm heels touching
then thrust front kick to the knee level strongly as you bring the hands back in
fists to your right waist with the left fist on top. Kiai. 20.
Two Punches As you retract the kicking leg's knee into your chest punch with the
left hand and as you step forward into a right front stance punch with the right
hand. 21.
Block down then up
- Look to the left 120 degrees and step into a horse riding stance while down
blocking strongly. Without any pause look to the left and fold for a left inside
block with the right hand in a ridge hand shape and block high. Shift in place 6
inches as you block. 22.
Sweeping Hand
- Turn to the left and assume either a rooted stance or a back stance with the
left foot in front. Also, you can either use a back hand block with the hand in
the shape of a knife hand, or you can use a vertical knife hand block for the
hand technique. 23.
Jumping Spinning kick
- Jump into the air off the left foot. Right crescent kick into the left hand as
you push off with your left foot. Your going to turn 360 degrees but only the
last 180 degrees with actually be in the air. Your left arm will be pointing to
the rear 180 degrees through the turn before you get off of the ground. The kick
is for the most part complete when you jump. When you jump, pull both knees and
feet up tightly into the body so that you make the rest of the jump in a
ball. Extend your limbs again only as you near the ground. 24.
After a brief pause step
forward with the left foot, and back hand block with left and right hands
turning them in a circle until the left hand is at the left waist and the right
hand is in front of the right shoulder. 25.
Upper Block Reverse
Punch - Pivot on the right
foot, turn sharply 180 degrees and put the left foot over into the front foot
position of a left front stance. As you pivot, focus the rising open hand that
precedes all upper level rising blocks. As you reach the halfway point of this
transition focus a left rising block upper level in mid-step. As you step down,
reverse punch with the right hand and kiai. The timing of the entire single step
is 12--3. Finish by returning to the both-arms-down-and-out posture of the
beginning of the kata.
Without any chamber, look to the right and step with the left foot across into a
new horse riding stance with the left foot in front. Block down with the left
knife hand in a large over head movement. Look to the right and make a high
level inside ridge hand block. Shift in place 6 inches as you block. Immediately
throw a punch with the left hand so that the elbow is nearly straight (don't use
a hook punch). Turn at the waist to throw the punch.
As you land, extend the rear leg as if back thrust kicking, but only at the last
second, then land on the right foot and left foot with the hands palm down on
the floor pointing in a triangle.
From the U punch, hook the back of the left hand using the back side of the palm
heel posture. The right hand does the same. Move both hands clockwise, keeping
the palm heels facing into the centre of the circle your hands are describing in
front of you. Once the hands are vertical with the right on top in front of the
face and the left on the bottom in front of the belt knot, they are really
facing to the sides now. Rotate your wrists so that they are back-end leading
again as you continue around this circle of doom one more time. This time, the
palm heel backside blocks (otherwise known as round blocks) never make it back
to the vertical position. Instead, pull them to your sides as you draw the
circle a second time. The left palm heel is drawn at the left waist, the right
is drawn over-hand style at the right shoulder.
Step forward a second time and repeat the action in mirror image.