This stance is pretty simple, but there are some technical aspects to keep in mind. Start by placing your left foot forward about one shoulder width. The toes should be face only slightly inward while keeping most of the pressure on the ball of your foot. Take your right foot and place it one shoulder width behind you and slightly out to the side, such that your foot is pointing to the right and the majority of the pressure is kept on the outside of your foot. Unlike other stances, the majority of your weight (around two thirds) should be kept on your back leg.

Your back leg should be more than slightly bent so as to provide stability, while the front leg should be kept slightly bent. Keep your back straight and lean forwards ever so slightly. At this point, your hips should be set at about 45 degrees towards the front. The arms can be kept in any sort of guard motion.

In terms of offense, this stance is most effective when deliver angular strikes and powerful blocks to the arms or neck of an opponent. The Kokutsu Dachi also provides a strong base for grappling situations, and can be used to throw someone or perform a sweep. As mentioned previously, however, its greatest use is when acting as a defensive stance.

To prevent incorrect use of the stance, here are a few things to keep in mind:
1. While it is important to bend the back knee, bending it too far or putting too much weight on the back leg can put too much strain on the knee causing pain. If this occurs, try not to bend the back knee as much.
2. Don’t lean backwards as this severely throws off the stance.
3. A subtle thing to make sure of is that your hips are facing 45 degrees forward and are not set at 90 degrees.
4. Don’t keep the front leg straight, it should be slightly bent at all times.
5. Your back toes should be facing to the side; some students make the mistake of pointing them forward.

Now, what should be noted is that their are different ways to deliver this kick. The most common form is to kick with the sole of your foot. This is the general way to deliver a side kick, which is why there is little need for practice. The other way to deliver a side kick involves using the outside edge of your foot. This is accomplished by turning your foot inside towards you as much as possible when you kick. Kicking with the outside of your foot allows you to generate more power and deal more damage.

To deliver a side kick, start in a normal fighting stance. While looking to your right, take your right knee and bring it upwards as high as you can; the higher the knee, the higher the kick. Keep your leg in a tight formation close to your body. You will have to bend your left knee in order to maintain balance in this position. Then, simply kick your leg out toward your side in a thrusting motion. Be sure to turn your ankle inwards if you wish to kick with the outside edge of your foot. Once the kick has landed, bring your leg back to the position it was just in before you kicked. This allows you to either deliver a second kick or place it back on the floor.

Here are a few tips for the Yoko Geri:

1. Do not attempt to kick with the inside edge of your foot. This is improper technique and will do more harm than good.
2. Keep your arms close to you to help with stability. Flailing your arms around will cause you to lose balance.
3. Make sure you lift your knee as high as possible to deliver the best kick you possibly can.
4. When you kick to your side, make sure to kick straight and not on an angle for maximum power.

To perform this technique, start in a traditional GKR fighting stance. Make sure your hands are raised a little higher and normal so they are around the bottom of your jaw. Since your arms are raised higher then normal, it will expose more of your midsection. If you tuck your elbows in, you’ll provide your ribs with more protection. From this position, simply punch forward towards where your opponent’s face would be by extending your arm.

One of the main differences between the back strike and regular punch is that one has to rotate their arm before they punch forward. As your arm is moving towards your opponent, your palm and the soft part of your forearm should be facing upwards . The second difference is very important. When striking, one should aim for a little above the opponent’s nose. As your fist is about to make contact, relax your wrist instead of tensing it and bring it down as quick as possible so that you strike the bridge of your opponents nose with your knuckles. When done, bring your arm back to the position it began in as quickly as possible. With enough practice, one can develop very quick speed.

This strike can be performed with either your leading hand or your rear hand, though most people strike with their leading hand. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

1. Make sure you rotate your arm before you strike so that you can successfully strike the bridge of your opponent’s nose with your knuckles.

2. Don’t use this strike on other parts of the body. It will be far less effective and will likely do more harm than good.

3. Keep the arm that isn’t striking in a guard position so your body stays protected throughout. Also remember to keep your elbows in tighter to protect your ribs.

To perform this technique, start in a normal standing position instead of a fighting stance. Pull your left arm back against your side in the form of a fist, and raise your right arm above your head. Take your right arm and bring it across your body so that your forearm is facing outwards and at a 45 degree angle with your fist clenched. Raise your arm until your elbow is completely level with the top of your head. At the same time, push your arm out enough to where it’s about a foot away from your head. Rotate your arm upwards so that at the moment of impact the soft part of your forearm blocks your opponent’s attack. Just like a punch, the rotation should come at the last possible second for the extra power. As your left arm is being raised, you simply retract the right arm back against your side with your fist clenched.

Keep your left arm in the raised position until you actually start to bring up your right arm to block. Dropping the left arm too early will expose your head. Here are some tips to keep in mind:

1. If your arm is grazing your head at all, either push your arm out further or push it out sooner.
2. When your arm is in the blocking position, make sure your forearm is at a 45 degree angle and not horizontal. Likewise, if it’s vertical, you will have to move your arm too far to the side to block.

The stance is very simple to do. Start with your feet shoulder width apart and on an equal level from each other. Keep your weight balanced evenly between both legs to provide stability. Keep your toes facing slightly inward. This will provide friction for any hip rotation that may occur or any quick movement you make to convert to another stance. As for your knees, they should be slightly bent. Many people argue that they should be facing in one direction or another, so just go with whatever feels natural.

Keep your back straight, and keep your hips and shoulders facing forward. Your arms should be held out right in front of your thighs, with your elbows slightly bent. As for the width, they should be a bit less than a shoulder width’s length apart. Clench your hands together in the form of fists and position them so that the palms are facing one another.

Another reason this stance is used to practice techniques is because of its versatility. It’s easy to move and explode from this stance, whether you’re blocking, kicking, switching stances, etc. Here are some things to keep in mind:

1. Make sure to keep the knees bent. This aids with stability and power.
2. Keep your elbows tucked in by your sides. Likewise, your hands should face inwards towards each other.
3. Don’t turn your feet inwards too much, they should only be pointing inwards ever so slightly with your toes gripping the floor.

To perform the Mawashi Geri, start out in a traditional fighting stance. Take your right knee and lift it out to your side until your upper leg is parallel with the ground. Keep your lower leg raised so that it is on the same level. Your leg should be bent such that your foot is hidden behind your knee from a front angle. Keeping your leg raised all the way through, swing your knee forward. As it reaches its target, swing your lower leg outwards toward the target. As you deliver the kick, you will find that you have to rotate your body. To do this, rotate on the ball of the foot of your support leg and rotate your hips at the same time. The more you rotate, the higher you will be able to kick, and the more open you leave yourself for an attack.

Now, just like the front kick, the round kick should not be delivered with your toes. The ball of your foot delivers the most powerful kick, so as you kick your leg towards your target, curl your toes upward and deliver the kick with this part of your foot. When you strike your target, pull back as quickly as you can. A lingering foot can easily be grabbed if your opponent recovers quick enough. While kicking, most like to keep their hands in a guarded position, which helps them block in case your opponent decides to attack your groin area, and to provide stability.

To become more comfortable with the kick, work on your flexibility. The more flexible your legs, the greater the range of your round kick. The round kick is also not meant to start off a fight, as many people lack the quickness to land the kick before the opponent can make a move. This is why it’s good to couple the Mawashi Geri with other strikes. Here are some things to keep in mind:

1. Keep your leg raised at all times. Dropping your leg throws off your technique and can make it seem more like a front kick.
2. Don’t swing your foot out too early, as this will cause you to lose power when the time comes to deliver the kick.
3. Keep your arms in a guarded position. This will help protect you and keep your balance.

The short punch is hands down the easiest performing strike in GKR. Start in a standing position with both hands in the shape of a fist pulled tightly against your waist. Your palms should be facing towards the ceiling. Then, simply punch forward towards your opponent. Keep your hands and wrist tensed as tightly as possible; keeping them soft can hurt your wrist. Do not rotate your wrist at all. Keep your arm extended with your fist pressed firmly against your attacker. Another tip is to tighten your elbow and keep it as close to your belly button as possible and keeping your stomach tight at the same time. This way, if your opponent tries to close the distance again, your arm acts as support and the distance cannot be closed.

This technique should be practiced often, preferably against something heavy, to develop wrist strength and power. Without a lot of practice, this strike won’t have much of an effect. Here are a couple of things to remember:

1. Keep your arm horizontal when delivering the strike. This is absolutely vital to the success of the strike.
2. Keep your wrist tight and develop your wrist strength. A lack of either can result in damage to your wrist.
3. Take advantage of the few moments you have to hit the opponent with a counter strike. The short punch will throw them off guard so they will not be expecting it.

Just like the Uchi Uke, this block can also be used as a strike depending on the situation. The objective is to parry your opponents strike across your body. Here are some tips to keep in mind that should help:

1. Resist the urge to turn your hips too early. The timing can take a little while to get down.
2. Lower your arm as you bring your arm across. Keeping your arm too high exposes the area under your armpit.
3. Do not swing your arm too far. You only need to block the attack past your body and that’s it.
4. It is very important to not rotate your forearm until after the attack has been blocked. Blocking with the hard part of your forearm can result in significant damage to you.

Similar to the Long Forward Stance, the fighting stance is one shoulder width apart, but it’s only one shoulder width long. Keep you knees slightly bent and in a relaxed position. Keeping your legs straight reduces your reaction time when performing an attack, as your knees will have to bend to perform an attack from this position anyway. Also, keep the weight distributed evenly between each leg. Not only does this allow you to switch your weight easily, but it prevents you from opening yourself up to an easy attack. For example, if you put too much weight on the front leg, then it’s easier for you to fall forward. Likewise, if you have too much weight on the back of your leg, a push from your opponent could send you falling backwards.

Your hips and shoulders should face at a 45 degree angle away from your opponent. This reduces the angle at which your opponent has to strike. Your back should remain straight at all times. The heel of your back foot should be off the ground so that your foot is resting only on the ball, and your foot should be facing forward. Your front foot is also facing forward with the heel off the ground. Keep your hands up at all times to guard your torso and face.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind:
1. Remember to keep your knees bent. This keeps up your reaction time and allows you to explode forward for an attack.
2. Don’t put too much weight on either leg. Also, keep your front knee from bending too much, as this opens your leg up to a kick from your opponent.
3. Keep your hips at a 45 degree angle. Any more and your back is exposed, and less and this opens up your front.

There are two ways this kick can be effective. You can either go with a quick, snapping kick or a hard thrusting kick. If you choose to go with a quick, snapping quick, make sure it is quick enough so that your opponent does not have time to react to it. If you choose to go with a thrusting kick, this kick will have more momentum behind it and can be used to throw your opponent back or at least put them off balance.

The great thing about the front kick is that it is effective no matter where you strike the person. It can be used to target the stomach, chest, groin, or shins, causing serious damage in any of these areas, and can be coupled with other strikes for a deadly combination. Here are a couple of tips to keep in mind:

1. Form is everything. Don’t try to kick without bringing your leg up all the way first as this will deliver a weak straight legged kick.
2. It is important to maintain your balance throughout the motions. While this is not hard normally, if one is performing successive kicks it may become a problem.
3. Keep your toes curled up. Striking with the ball of your foot deals the most damage.