Bradford Bushido Ryu
Shotokan Karate Club
(Est 1985)

Unsu

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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.

Directions for Unsu

 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.
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.

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.

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