The official curriculum of Nihon Taijutsu includes a wide range of basic techniques and katas that are structuring the progression over the years. Some of these are studied from white belt when others are required for 4th Dan. The method is made to help the student understand the school and its principles bit by bit.
Nihon Taijutsu is composed of more than 350 techniques: atemis, throws, chokes, locks and sutemis. As a self-defense art, its goal is to enable the martial artist to answer any attack in an efficient and proportionate way.
The flow of a technique usually goes this way:
– Tai Sabaki (going out of the line)
– Atemi to disrupt the opponent’s structure
– Technique (lock, atemi, throw)
– Submission or final atemi
Some of these techniques appear in the katas, photographies of the discipline.
There are 12 katas in Nihon Taijutsu, structured in 3 categories:
– Basic atemi katas, done alone and giving the basic training for learning the katas with partners
– Fundamental katas with partner
– Japanese katas (Nihon Jujutsu)
Fundamental katas and Japanese katas are all done with one (or two) partner. The list can be found below.
Basic atemi katas:
– Nihon Tai Jutsu 1st Kata
– Nihon Tai Jutsu 2nd Kata
– Nihon Tai Jutsu 3rd Kata
For Nihon Tai Jutsu:
– Nihon Tai Jutsu No Kata Shodan
– Nihon Tai Jutsu No Kata Nidan (with two partners)
– Nihon Tai Jutsu No Kata Sandan
– Nihon Tai Jutsu No Kata Yodan
– Nihon Tai Jutsu No Kata Godan
For Nihon Ju Jutsu:
– Kihon Kata(Nihon Ju Jutsu)
– Ju Ni No Kata (Nihon Ju Jutsu)
– Hyori No Kata (Yoseikan)
– Tai Sabaki No Kata (Yoseikan)
The three basic atemi katas, Nihon Taijutsu no Kata Shodan and Kihon Kata are required for the 1st dan. The other katas come later in the curriculum.
Basic Techniques
In addition to katas, these techniques form the specific part of NTJ. They aim to facilitate the learning by taking as a basis eight wrist grabs. This enables to learn a broad range of defenses applicable to other attacks.
They comprise 3 series:
– Atemis
– Locks
– Throws
The atemis serie is learnt from the beginning, followed by the locks serie and the throws serie. All of them are required for the 1st dan examination.