4 kyu¶

Introduction¶

4 kyu is the grade where the student clearly enters a more formed and more mature Kyokushin level. Here shuto becomes central as both a striking and blocking family, mawashi uke emerges as a more alive and guiding block, and kicking technique is carried up to jodan in several directions. At the same time, Sanchin no kata shows that the grade also requires deeper bodily coordination than before.

In Masutatsu Oyama’s teaching, karate develops when technique, breathing, posture, and concentration begin to support one another as a whole. At this level, that becomes clear: the student must be able to strike with the knife hand, block with more circular control, kick high with precision, and at the same time carry a more gathered inner structure through sanchin work. 4 kyu is therefore a clear transition from expanded basic technique toward real technical maturity.

What the student learns¶

At 4 kyu, the student learns to:

stand in a more formal and gathered way in uchi hachiji dachi and musubi dachi
use shuto as a main technical family
understand the difference between cutting, driving, and directed shuto paths
block more actively and guidingly through shuto-based blocks
begin to carry mawashi uke as a living whole-body block
kick to the upper level with better balance, control, and retraction
begin to understand the difference between high kicks in different directions and with different striking surfaces
continue in ura work while also meeting the more concentrated structure of sanchin
work at a higher level in formal partner training
carry technique with greater endurance, calm, and discipline in free fighting

Grading content¶

Stances¶

Uchi hachiji dachi¶

Uchi hachiji dachi is an inward-angled natural stance where the body is kept gathered and ordered. It teaches the student to stand formally and stably without becoming rigid, and serves as a clear foundation for technical readiness.

Musubi dachi¶

Musubi dachi is the closed, formal stance where the heels are kept together and the feet angle outward. It teaches order, form, and control in openings, endings, and transitions.

In Oyama’s perspective, stances are not merely ways of placing the feet, but expressions of bodily order. At 4 kyu, it becomes clear that even the more formal stances must be carried with balance, concentration, and intent.

Punches and strikes¶

Shuto¶

Shuto is the knife hand, one of the most central open striking surfaces in Oyama’s karate. It is used with clear hand form, stable wrist, and a directed path. At 4 kyu, shuto becomes a main principle, and the student must begin to show that the technique is truly carried by the body and not only by the arm.

Shuto sakotsu uchi¶

Shuto strike to the collarbone area. This trains a clearly directed path toward a structurally weak target and requires correct height and wrist line.

Shuto sakotsu uchikomi (shuto uchikomi)¶

Driving shuto technique to the collarbone area. This teaches the student to carry the technique more through the target than merely toward it, with clearer body connection and finish.

Shuto ganmen uchi¶

Shuto strike to the face. This trains direction toward upper targets, careful sense of height, and control in a faster and clearer path.

Shuto hizo uchi¶

Shuto strike to the side of the body or spleen area. This teaches the student to direct the technique toward the side of the middle section with clear body control.

Shuto jodan uchi uchi¶

Inward shuto strike to the upper level. This trains a more inward path, better guidance through shoulder and elbow, and clearer control in the finish.

In Oyama’s material, shuto is not a decorative technique, but a real weapon. At 4 kyu, the student should therefore begin to show that the hand form is correct, that the path is clear, and that the same striking surface can be used in several directions without losing precision.

Blocks¶

Shuto jodan uchi uke¶

High inside block with shuto. This teaches the student to protect the upper level with a directed knife-hand technique that comes inward and stays gathered.

Shuto jodan uke¶

High block with shuto. This trains clear height, correct hand form, and a more alive block than earlier simpler variants.

Shuto chudan soto uke¶

Outside block to the middle section with shuto. This teaches the student to protect the middle section through a path that comes from the outside and requires an ordered finish.

Shuto chudan uchi uke¶

Inside block to the middle section with shuto. This trains direction from the inside and clear coordination between arm, body, and level.

Shuto gedan barai¶

Low sweeping block with shuto. This teaches the student to move a low attack aside with an open hand and a clearly body-supported path.

Mawashi uke¶

Circular block. This trains the student to block, guide, and control in one continuous movement where the whole body participates in the circle.

In Oyama’s teaching, and in later Kyokushin understanding, circular blocks are not only protection but also control. At 4 kyu, this becomes clear as the student must now show that blocking can be alive, guiding, and body-supported, not only a mechanical stop.

Kicks¶

Jodan chusoku mawashi geri¶

Round kick to the upper level with the ball of the foot as the striking surface. This teaches the student to maintain a high kicking path with clear knee lift, correct foot form, and controlled retraction.

Jodan haisoku mawashi geri¶

Round kick to the upper level with the instep as the striking surface. This trains height, arc, and precision in a faster kicking path.

Jodan yoko geri¶

Side kick to the upper level. This teaches the student to lift the kick high to the side without losing side line, balance, or clear return.

Jodan ushiro geri¶

Back kick to the upper level. This trains rotation, backward direction, control of the gaze, and safe return in one of the more demanding kicking principles at this level.

In Oyama’s perspective, height itself is not what gives technique its value, but that height, direction, striking surface, and body control are still held together. At 4 kyu, it is therefore more important that the kicks are clean and safe than that they merely look impressive.

Kata¶

Taikyoku sono ni ura¶

Taikyoku sono ni ura carries the ura principle further in an already known basic form and requires the student to maintain structure and direction even when the relationship to the original form changes. It teaches the student that basic patterns should not only be memorized, but understood.

Sanchin no kata¶

Sanchin no kata marks a clear step of deepening. Here the student must carry tension, posture, direction, breathing, and concentration in a more gathered and inward form than in earlier kata work. In Oyama’s line, sanchin is not only a kata, but an expression of fundamental bodily unity, where technique, trunk, breathing, and mind are bound together.

At 4 kyu, the combination of Taikyoku sono ni ura and Sanchin no kata is very telling: the student must both understand basic form more deeply and begin to carry a more concentrated, mature technical structure.

Kumite no waza¶

Sequences¶

Kumite no kata sono yon

Explanation of the steps¶

At this grade, no separate list of individual stepping terms is given. Instead, a named partner form is specified: Kumite no kata sono yon. This means that the progression lies in the student moving further in formalized partner training and having to show better timing, better control, and clearer order than before.

At 4 kyu, the student should not only be able to follow a structure, but begin to carry the partner form with greater security, better reaction, and clearer technical presence.

Physical requirements¶

2 x 20 push-ups¶

Two sets of twenty push-ups. This trains arm, shoulder, and trunk strength, as well as the ability to repeat work while maintaining control.

2 x 20 sit-ups¶

Two sets of twenty sit-ups. This trains abdominal strength, trunk endurance, and the ability to maintain quality across several work blocks.

2 x 20 squats¶

Two sets of twenty squats. This develops leg strength, stability, and endurance in the lower body.

That the requirements now consist of two sets of twenty shows that the grade clearly demands both capacity and endurance, not only isolated performance.

Kumite¶

Jiyu kumite: 8¶

At 4 kyu, the number of rounds increases to eight. This means that free fighting now places clearer demands on technique, calm, and the body’s ability to hold under longer pressure.

Respect, self-restraint, control, and correct basic technique remain essential. But at this level, it becomes even clearer whether the student can carry their form even as fatigue grows and pressure becomes more tangible.

Terminology¶

The student should know related terminology in:

Japanese
English
their own language

At 4 kyu, this mainly means that the student should recognize and use the names of uchi hachiji dachi, musubi dachi, the shuto techniques, the shuto blocks, mawashi uke, the high kicks, Taikyoku sono ni ura, Sanchin no kata, and kumite no kata sono yon. Terminology helps the student understand instruction more quickly and carry the progression more clearly.

What the instructor looks for¶

The instructor mainly looks for:

that the formal stances are held with order and concentration
that shuto is formed correctly and used with a stable wrist
that the student clearly distinguishes between different shuto paths and targets
that sakotsu uchi and uchikomi do not blend together
that the shuto blocks are held at the correct level and with clear structure
that mawashi uke truly becomes circular and body-supported
that the jodan kicks maintain height without losing balance
that chusoku and haisoku are not confused in mawashi geri
that jodan yoko geri and jodan ushiro geri are performed with control, not only ambition
that Taikyoku sono ni ura holds together with understanding
that Sanchin no kata is carried with concentration, posture, and gathered power
that jiyu kumite is carried out with respect, calm, and endurance

At 4 kyu, assessment is therefore not only about technical scope, but whether the student begins to show real technical maturity, control, and gathered bodily support.

Common mistakes at 4 kyu¶

Common mistakes at this grade are:

allowing the formal stances to become empty positions without bodily presence
forming shuto with too loose a hand or a bent wrist
confusing different shuto techniques in path or target
performing uchikomi as if it were the same technique as uchi
making the blocks too large or too loose
performing mawashi uke with the arms but without the body’s circle
raising the jodan kicks without clear control or retraction
failing to clearly form chusoku and haisoku in high round kicks
losing the side line in jodan yoko geri
rotating jodan ushiro geri forward without real orientation
performing Sanchin no kata externally and hard without inner order
becoming so tense in kumite that technique, rhythm, and breathing deteriorate

At this level, it is common for the student to want to show advanced technique through height, power, or drama. In Oyama’s line of thinking, the path instead lies in technique becoming clearer, cleaner, and more gathered.

Summary¶

4 kyu is the grade where technique becomes clearly more mature, more formed, and more unified.

What has previously been built through expanded variation is now carried further through shuto as a main principle, more alive blocking, high kicks in several directions, Sanchin no kata, and a higher level in both partner training and free fighting. The grade is important because the student now begins to show whether the technique truly holds as a whole.

The central point at 4 kyu is not only that more advanced content is added, but that the student begins to carry karate with greater precision, control, inner gathering, and technical maturity.