The jumps were not originally in the kata. They were added in order to make it start and finish on the same spot. We are independent and this is not a priority for us. Our main focus is practical oyo/bunkai for self protection. The three jumps serve absolutely no purpose and we dropped them in the 1980s.

You may also note that we still use the one knuckle fists with the two arm punch behind and in front near the end of the kata. Shotokan changed this to regular fists when a senior instructor injured his knuckles when striking behind.

I graded to 1st Dan in 1994 and 2nd Dan in 2002. I am working on grading to 3rd Dan next year.

@@shodanmartialartsacademy1181 wish you luck sensei, oss!

These kata were originally called Pinan, when Itosu Sensei created them in Okinawa. When karate was introduced to Japan in the 1920s, they were renamed Heian in the Shotokan style. In many styles, they are still called Pinan.

@@shodanmartialartsacademy1181 ohhh okay Thanks for your information🙂