Neko-ashi Dachi By Hasegawa Brothers

A valuable lesson from the Hasegawa brothers

How to properly build Neko-ashi Dachi - a cat stance? Who are the Hasegawa brothers? What is good in Shito-ryu style? Find it in my article.

At the end of 2014 I was lucky enough to train with the famous Hasegawa brothers from Shito-ryu.

Shinichi Hasegawa and Katsuhide Hasegawa are simply unsurpassed and legendary masters, instructors of the Japan Karate Federation (JKF). Together with their third brother, Yukimitsu, they are five-time WKF World Champions in team kata. They are stars. But they do not suffer from star fever at all. They are open and friendly, answering all questions and trying to help.

Katsuhide Hasegawa helped me as well. My personal request to Sensei concerned neko-ashi dachi. Shito-ryu karate is remarkable precisely because in this style the neko-ashi stance is used extremely much, along with shiko-dachi. One may say, the calling card of the style. Therefore, in this particular style these stances must be perfected to perfection, and there must be a clear methodology for their application.

FACTS

Weight distribution between the front and back legs is 2:8.

The angle between the straight line and the foot of the supporting leg - no more than 30 degrees.

The height of the centre of gravity is the same as in Zenkutsu-dachi, i.e. very low.

In shitoru (as well as in shotokan) posture is usually half body position (hanmi) but may be frontal (shomen); but in goju-ryu this posture is always frontal like others (shomen) - this is the comment of Atsuko Wakai Sensei.

REPARATION

To stand up in neko-ashi correctly first stand in a formal musubi-dachi stance (the stance we do our bowing in). Then move your feet a little closer together, so that the angle between them is 30 degrees.

POSITIONING

Now freely raise your left foot above the floor to about knee level. Your torso should remain perfectly straight, without leaning backwards. MY ADVICE: IT'S BETTER TO LITTLE BIT LEAN INWARDS. Form the toe correctly, highlighting the transverse arch of the foot (koshi or jyosokutei).

STANDING AND UNUSUAL SENSATIONS

Start squatting on the right foot until the transverse arch of the left foot naturally touches the floor. This will result in an unusually low stance, but that is how it should be.

Remember to turn your hips and whole body in a half-turn of 45 degrees. It will feel like your pelvis is going backwards, but in reality your right thigh will be exactly above your right heel.

CHECKING

Now, it remains to be checked if we have chosen the right length of the stance. To do this, put the knee of your right foot forward on the floor and place it next to the foot of your left foot. If the knee and foot line up, the stance is perfect. If not, you should correct it and get back into the stance.

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