Cambridge Karate Club

English - Hands in the Clouds

This is an advanced and challenging kata, involving kicks from the ground, unusual techniques such as the mae-kekomi front thrust kick, and a 360 degree double kicking jump ending face down on the ground. The name comes from the first movement, which ends in a position known as kaiun-no-te, translated as "cloud parting hands".

Video links

Videos from YouTube.

Sensei Yahara

Three performances of the kata, at the JKA All Japan Championships in the early 1980s. Notice that the stance from which the spinning jump is performed is kokutsu-dachi rather than the fudo-dachi that we use in the club.

Luca Valdesi

A world kata champion. Compare this modern performance with Sensei Yahara's much more classical style. Notice also that he uses fudo-dachi before the jump.