002-3000: Summary and Uses

Summary 
 Yakusoku Kumite translates as “promised sparring” - more colloquially it’s known as a pre-arranged sparring drill. The purpose of these sequences is to build an understanding of the techniques in Kata and how they are applied with a partner. Some syllabuses will not introduce sparring until later in training (usually around 6th Kyu Green Belt), however analysis and drills from Yakusoku Kumite are valuable. 
 Yakusoku Kumite Ich & Ni 
 These are derived from the Taikyoku Kata and are performed moving forwards and backwards. These movements keep the opponent directly in front of the student in defiance of a key rule for reading or interpreting Kata - “Keep your opponent in front of you but do not be in front of your opponent”. These exercises are provided to allow a student to develop their hand eye coordination and work with a partner in close proximity and to provide resistance to blocking techniques. 
 Yakusoku Kumite San, Yon-hon Kumite, & Go-hon Kumite 
 These are derived from Kata from Gekisai Ich and beyond. The Uke or defence in these sequences should always have the defender moving offline from the attacker. The techniques in these sequences can be seen as Kata Bunkai for use in Self Defence and Kumite.