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Glossary
- Kai-he
- Opening and closing.
- Kao
- Shoulder stroke.
- Karate
- The Japanese external martial art based primarily on kicks, punches, hand strikes, foot sweeps, and a few throws. Karate is primarily an empty-handed martial art, with limited weapons training. The major styles of karate mentioned in this book are: (1) Japanese karate, primarily a hard style that concentrates equally on kicking and punching, its four major branches being Shotokan, Goju, Wado, and Shito; (2) Okinawan karate, an original form of karate based on training for raw physical power; (3) Shorin Ryu karate, a major Okinawan hard style based on short stances, low kicks, and power punches. It is one of the major antecedents of Shotokan karate; (4) Uechi Ryu karate, a major Okinawan hard style known for using muscular dynamic tension techniques in training; (5) Korean karate or tae kwon do, which emphasizes kicking (especially high kicks); historically originating from Northern Shaolin.
- Kata
- (kata is Japanese; in Korean: hyung; in Chinese: tao lu) A form; a set of prearranged choreographed martial movements done either alone or with a partner or partners.
- Katana
- A Japanese curved samurai sword.
- Kendo
- The Japanese art of swordsmanship, where participants practice with lacquered armor and swords made of bamboo.
- Kenkyusei
- A special research student in Japanese martial arts—especially in judo and karate—usually the student must be a third-degree black belt or above.
- Ki
- See Chi.
- Kickboxing
- An external martial-based full-contact competition sport done with boxing gloves, which combines boxing skills with karate kicks.
- Kong jin (kong jing, kung jin)
- Empty force. The energy technique of hsing-i where practitioners are purported to knock people down without touching them, solely by projecting energy.
- Kou bu (k'ou pu)
- The toe-in step of ba gua walking.
- Kundalini
- A meditation method of India that uses energy work to unravel the mysteries of human consciousness and “enlightenment.”
- Kung fu (gung fu) family
- A Chinese surrogate family structure based on martial arts or meditation. The teacher symbolizes the father, the students become the children, the people who studied earlier become older brothers/sisters, new arrivals are younger brothers/sisters, and so forth.
- Kuntao
- An Indonesian martial art that has extremely strong Chinese influences.
- kwa
Also known as kua. The area on each side of the body extending from the inguinal ligaments through the inside of the pelvis to the top (crest) of the hip bones.
