Have you ever wondered about what makes a good application? Ever felt that your applications just aren’t working? Maybe, there is something that no ones been telling you? Relax, you needn’t worry; you just need to add an extra not so secret ingredient!
I believe that the effectiveness of a particular technique is very much dependent on timing. If you time a technique well, it is substantially more likely to work. When you examine the kumite of any good martial artist you will find that their timing is bang on. Good timing is good tactics and will allow techniques against even the strongest opponent. Effective application of kata is no different. Good tactics (timing) means effective application. There is no big secret to this, yet how often is this quite basic facet of good kumite actually used or even taught in kata application?
The following is an analysis of timing within the application of Bassai-Dai.
Below is a traditional technique for Bassai-Dai. Sensei Dan has responded to my arm grab by applying a very expertly painful lock on my wrist. From a timing perspective he always does this immediately, he’s not going to wait for the situation to become more complicated. He applies the technique when has a good chance of success, not after.
Sensei Dan is grabbed.
No hesitation – good timing!
He applies the technique when it has a good chance of success, not after.
However, we do need to consider the possibility that our initial opportunity has been lost – what then? Let’s assume the situation has become more complicated, in the picture below Sensei Dan has now grabbed me by both hands and is pulling me off balance. If I were to now go for the traditional wristlock it would surely fail (at least with my skill level). It would be bad tactics to directly go for a wristlock.
Caught! Off balance and missed my chance.
Thankfully, Bassai-Dai does provide applications to deal with this problem. In the picture below I have recaptured my right hand by grabbing it with with my left (aka the salutation of Bassai-Dai), I’ve then driven forward with the morote uke to regain by balance and reposition Sensei Dan’s wrist. I now have the opportunity to apply a wristlock of my own.
Drive forward after recapturing your hand.
Step back and lock his wrist.
The bottom line is this: If you want to apply kata effectively, you need to think tactically, as if you’re doing kumite. Good tactics are the secret to good application!
This post is more of a short reply to a reader’s question about the kata Enpi. In particular they asked about its Okinawan historical applications.
Firstly, it depends which applications are being referred to. For instance if we are referring to the opening movements (dropping to one knee etc.), in that case it would be near impossible to have an historical application as in all likelihood this sequence was an innovation of Funakoshi. That is why you won’t find this very distinct movement in any existing version of Wansu (The Okinawan version of Enpi). You can’t have an application to a move that doesn’t exist.
However, if you are referring to the use of the age-zuki to the throat, then yes, this does have a historical basis. In fact, this is one of the few historical applications that are still widely known in Shotokan circles, although the specifics of its timing, which allow it to be more easily landed, are not as well known.
At the end of the day it doesn’t really matter if a technique is historical or not, if it is useful, keep it, if not, dump it.
Kata application. If you want to get an argument going in the dojo, this is one topic that will do it. Online, it is no different. Theories abound as to how to apply kata. However, almost every one of them will claim some sort of historical basis. There is however a major problem, not all of these weird and wonderful theories can possibly be correct. Part of the historical research I have been conducting these last few years has been aimed at trying to unpick exactly how kata should be applied, at least from a historical point of view. To this end I consulted mainly Japanese texts of pre-World War 2. There is a surprising amount of material available, although it takes a great deal of work to track it down.
Heishu vs. Kaishu Kata
To understand the application of kata, it is important to grasp that there are two broad types of kata. According to the Goju-ryu master, Chojun Miyagi, kata can be split into Heishu (fundamental kata) and Kaishu (dynamic, advanced kata). The Heishu kata act as gateways, they develop in the karateka, the prerequisite skills and conditioning to access the advanced forms. Chojun Miyagi further explains that these kata are aimed at developing correct posture, breathing, power development and a fighting spirit.
In Goju-ryu this would be Sanchin kata, while in Shotokan we have the Tekki series. While combative applications obviously exist for these kata, their actual aim is to develop a strong base. A couple of years ago I posted on this point, regarding the Tekki kata. (It can be found HERE) It is interesting and perhaps unsurprising to note that Chojun Miyagi actually included the Tekki in his list of Heishu kata.
Kaishu kata on the other hand, have a much more pronounced combative aim and as such are performed in a much more dynamic manner. Their practise must always be accompanied by a good understanding of their combative application.
Kata vs. Kumite
Modern karate generally splits kata and kumite. In other words they are practised as separate exercises. However, prior to World War 2, this was most definitely not the case. Rather, the application of kata was the kumite training. This simplicity of training has quite a few implications. Firstly, it meant that they practised a lot of application. Historical sources suggest that each training session had both the training of kata performance and the kata application. I was not surprised when I looked at Funakoshi’s application of kata. His standard of technique was extremely high; he had much practise behind his techniques.
Offensive Applications
I believe the early karateka had an intimate understanding of the realities of fighting. As anyone who has any experience of violence will tell you, having the capacity to apply both defensive and offensive techniques is an important self-defence skill. The study of offensive kata application is now almost unknown by most Shotokan practitioners. In fact many will even claim that there are no offensive techniques in the kata at all. However, again from a historical point of view this is simply untrue. Reading almost any of Funakoshi’s early works revealed many applications that were offensive. References to offensive applications are also found in many other contemporary karateka’s work, such as Kenwa Mabuni and Chojun Miyagi. Examples of attacking techniques can even be seen demonstrated from Heian Sandan!
Concept vs. Technique
A quick google of “bunkai” plus various words such as “concept”, “theory”, “principles” etc. will reveal a treasure trove of theories and ideas that claim to unlock the secrets of how to apply kata. Inevitably, the principles hold supreme, in other words the kata is heavily modified to fit the principle when the kata is applied. The reasoning put is that they aren’t really techniques, but are really representations of principles.
An analysis of historical documents however suggests that in fact they didn’t modify the kata. There is an almost non-theoretical approach to bunkai. Instead, the early karateka applied kata in a much more contextual way. Rather than trying to force an application they instead paired the context with the best technical response. Hence in some cases they used aggressive, offensive techniques.
This is not to say that they had no tactical theories, they most certainly did, the Bubishi (Patrick Macarthy’s HAPV theory is quite helpful in understanding this, I recommend it) for instance is packed full of tactical advice. However these are not theories of application, but theories of fighting tactics. Due to this excellent understanding of tactics, consistently, the kata was applied with very little modification. This feature was be found across every karateka that I studied. None of them modified the kata on application. I think it is safe to conclude that the kata represent techniques, although a tactical understanding is needed to apply them effectively without modification.
However, it is the presence of offensive techniques that is most interesting from a Modern point of view. Their existence has solid historical evidence, yet Modern theories have almost entirely neglected them. This has certainly led me rethink how I apply my kata. Most Modern karateka are at most only look at a fraction of possible applications. They are seriously missing out!
Coming soon – I will be looking at a couple of specific historical applications.
One of the techniques I’ve always wondered about is the Kin – Geri (groin kick). Why is this quite obviously useful kick not found in kata? Certainly the Bubishi suggests the groin as a specific target. However, nowhere in the Shotokan kata do we find any technique of this sort. The standard mae-geri or keage-geri for instance could work, but plainly would need modifying for ideal use.
I believe that the kin geri was central to Shotokan’s primary kata – namely Kanku dai.
The problem is: It is no longer there – it did a disappearing act about 70 years ago. A close look at Funakoshi’s “Rentan Goshin Toudi Jutsu” (1926) reveals just where the Kin-geri originally fitted in kata. In Kanku-dai there was no Keage-geri. Instead we find a Kin-geri/Uraken uchi combination.
Key Features of Funakoshi’s Kin-Geri:
It is angled as a midway Mae-geri and keage-geri, with toes down.
The foot is loaded in a similar way to Tekki shodan’s Nami-gaeshi, so that the sole of the foot is visible from the rear.
The Uraken is paired with the kick
The kick is delivered at the gedan level, slightly off the centre line.
The body is tilted back slightly away from the target.
From an application point of view it makes far more sense than the modern Keage/Uraken combination – in fact I am at a complete loss as to why this changed. The name-gaeshi loading of the foot makes it quite unique and provides several simple, yet effective options for the application of Kanku-Dai.
Below is my attempt to duplicate the kick as found in Kanku-Dai and Heian Nidan circa 1926:
Photo 1. Loading from the front (the sole should be visible from the rear)
1. Myth:The Kata applications have been lost in time.
Fact: While there is some truth to this, there are however many instructors that have been taught them and continue to pass down old style applications and their associated tactics. The difficulty is that they are far and few between and you certainly won’t find them teaching the applications on a public forum like youtube. 99% of what is presented publicly is anything but representative of old style karate, yet is often claimed as such.
2. Myth: Kata applications were created to be used against untrained fighters only.
Fact: Instructors who make this claim confusingly also peddle Myth number one. If you claim myth one you can’t seriously claim number myth number two. We know for a fact that many of the old school kareteka used to spar against one another – using bunkai as they went. Here is a modern day version by Lyoto Machida (View Here) – a classic application used against an experience and highly trained fighter. Some of the best techniques are ones you can use in free sparring.
3. Myth: The Kata “Tells” us how to apply the movements.
Fact: Any application of kata is merely an interpretation. Certain movements may lend themselves more fully to certain applications, however this is highly dependent on the karateka’s knowledge/understanding of techniques and tactics. Instruction in old style methods will also help the karateka to realise very useful applications.
4. Myth: The movements in kata are actually all secret locks and throws.
Fact: While it is true that there are many locks and throws etc in kata, sometimes a punch is a punch and a kick is a kick. There is a real danger in over interpretation. A good example is when instructors try to use a gedan beraai or downward block as a dozen varieties of throws and locks. It is all good in theory, but the practise of this is disaster. While there are multiple uses of the gedan beraai, over-interpretation just leads to a range of second rate techniques that aren’t really worth spending time to learn.
5. Myth: The kata are composed entirely of defensive techniques.
Fact: It is important to be able to take the fight to our opponent. Relying on pure defence doesn’t always work, sometimes the best dfence in an offence, hence the kata provide a wealth of very direct attacking techniques. Any karateka with experience of sparring/fighting should understand this.
I came across a recent post by Andre Bertel (Read here) which I thought really nailed the essence of good bunkai. He emphasises the need for simplicity while avoiding over theorising the techniques. There is a definite truth to this point. Bearing this in mind here is my brief take on a few of the more able guru’s.
Patrick McCarthy
I’ve had the opportunity to train with him on a couple of occasions now. He is extremely knowledgeable and an excellent instructor. His research into the “Bubishi” – aka ” The Bible of Karate” is incredibly helpful. Every karateka should have a copy of this text. He is also the originator of the HAPV theory.
He teaches a range of applications from beginner focused right through to the more challenging techniques. Another strength of his instruction is to provide the karateka with an understanding of the relationship between weapons and the empty hand.
Angel Lemus
Angel is the author the “One-Minute Bunkai” channel on Youtube. Sensei Angel takes a different approach or flavour to application. Although at once very traditional, he also presents very simple, yet direct bunkai. There is no distracting discussion or over-theorising; he simply gets on with it.
Vince Morris
Vince was once a student of Sensei Asano, Vince has certainly got “old school” budo credentials. I remember coming across a book on application that he co-authored with Aidan Trimble. It was my first glimpse into an alternative way of looking at bunkai. Although I have never trained with Sensei Vince, he is on my list. His applications are clean and on the most part very useful. Sensei’s Patrick and Vince have a similar style of bunkai. My only gripe is that they tend to focus on applications that are better suited to karateka of a bigger build. (Although to be fair, when I have approached Sensei Patrick about this in a seminar, he has able to provide me with an excellent alternative right on the spot!)
There are some differences between these instructors, some teach specific drills to develop the bunkai. I think this is fine as long as they don’t water the simplicity of the application down. Others are more simplified in their approach.
You might notice that there aren’t any other names on this list. In fact you might even notice I’ve missed a couple of well known names. This is on purpose. I’ve only covered ones I’ve thought worth covering. The bulk of instructors that popped up on my Youtube search were pretty poor. They generally make the following mistakes:
• Base their applications on over complicated theories
• The kata “tells” them things
• The mechanics of the kata don’t support the technique
• Flashy over engineered techniques that are anything but practical
The bottom line is: Let the buyer beware! There many fakes out there, don’t get caught out by the clever theory or the over complicated techniques. These are just short cuts and frankly a way to avoid real training. To quote Andre Bertel:
“Sweat, blisters, calluses and bruising are prerequisites.”
I am still laid off from any meaningful training due to crappy health. This is just a ridiculous state of affairs! However, on the positive side, it does mean that I get to do a touch more writing. One subject that is near to my heart is bunkai. It is an interesting subject. Some more knowledgable people out there suggest we should rather use the word Oyo, which is believed to be more accurate. As I only have the bare smattering of dojo Japanese I can’t vouch for which word is more apt. For ease of use I am going to stick to the term bunkai for now. If any readers can suggest why oyo might be a better usage, do let me know. I’m quite open minded!
However the real subject of this post isn’t the semantics of bunkai/oyo. Rather it is about the recent proliferation of bunkai experts that have sprung up online – especially on youtube. The great thing about youtube is its awesome democratic function. Anyone can post up a video on just about any subject they fancy. Which is great, as this can be informative, entertaining and thought provoking. When it comes to the teaching of bunkai however, I do have a few concerns. For what I hope are obvious reasons, it is really important that as karateka we can trust these techniques.
First, they more often that not present their bunkai as something the kata “tells” us to do. Seriously? What they should really be saying is that it is how they have “interpreted” the form. Naturally karate who believe that the kata is “telling” us stuff will say that I just don’t understand the language of the form. Sorry, but then why does the kata “tell” different people different things? Sneaky kata! Just come clean and say its how you see it, people will respect you more.
However, to be fair, I’m being picky, whether the kata told them or whether they made it up, in the grand scheme of things, semantics don’t matter that much, the bottom line: Is the technique a valid bunkai?
Bunkai is slightly different to day to day techniques. For instance in kumite, our overriding concern would be whether the technique actually works or not. While effectivness is important for bunkai, a second criterion also stands. We need to remind ourselves that in bunkai we are applying the form itself. If the technique wildly deviates from the form, you’d be hard pressed to call it a bunkai, effective maybe, but not bunkai.
However, any application of technique will almost always have some element of deviation from the form. For instance does punching to the head instead of the body disqualify the technique? Common sense suggests that a variation would be permissible. For me, the guiding factor is that the underlying mechanics of the kata should support that technique, hence punching low, middle or upper levels would all be valid as the mechanics of the punch wouldn’t be altered.
This means that it is important that the instructor has both a good understanding of the application and a solid grip on the performance of the form. It doesn’t need to be competition neat, but the mechanics need to be there in spades.
In Part 2 I’ll be discussing a few of the gurus out there.
I consider this kata to be the epitome of Shotokan karate. It is very basic but very dynamic in its movements. Although a beginners kata, there is much to be learnt from this form.
Performance: It has a rough “H shaped” footprint, which tends to take up plenty of space. Each technique should be fully completed without rushing the form, especially the shutos at the end.
Application: For beginners there is plenty of practise of upper, middle and lower blocks. At an intermediate level the oi-zuki becomes quite useful. This is very under utilized in free sparring, however if executed in an explosive manner at medium to close range there is a suprisingly good chance of it landing. The key to this is to go in low (don’t ever let the hips rise) and hard.
Technical: Like the other Heians, this kata is a “gateway” kata that will build a platform for the more advanced forms, especially the “heavier kata” (such as Jion, Sochin and Kanku Sho). It makes sense if you training any of these forms to first warm up with Heian Shodan. At an intermediate level you should focus on having full “hamni to shomen” action of the hips in the oi- zukis. This will help develop solid power.
Wow it’s been ages since I last posted. It’s also been way too long since I’ve had any quality training, largely due to a bit of poor health. So I thought it time to engage in a bit of “Keyboard Karate”. Below is a profile of Bassai Dai. Rather than giving any kind of dubious historical background etc, I decided to stick to more practical aspects. I plan to do a few more these for other kata. Hope it is helpful!
Kata: Bassai Dai
Performance: It has a fairly linear footprint and can be performed in a somewhat confined space. The movements should be conducted in a crisp, strong manner. There are a few variations between Shotokan organisations. For instance some prefer to raise the knee in the opening movement, while others omit this.
Application: This is one kata that really foxes a lot of people. For instance the first Ude-Uke is mostly interpreted as a block (Which it can be!), however the rotational movement that goes with the block better facilitates an elbow lock. In this sense it has a direct relationship with the ude-uke used in the Goju kata Shisochin. Have a look HERE at 26 seconds for a more “hands on” explanation. I’ve found that the strong hip action really helps to drive the elbow lock, even with much larger training partners. Even if the lock isn’t 100% successful, you’ll find that you’ll have repositioned him for an easy head shot with the rear hand. The kata has numerous wrist locks, finger locks and an interesting interpretation of irimi nage.
Another under utilised application of Bassai Dai is that of tai-saibaki. This is a pity as they can be quite handy in free sparring.
Technical: Bassai Dai helps the karateka move the body as a single unit. This is facilitated by the relatively close positioning of the arms throughout the form. It is important to keep control over one’s stance when performing, especially the kokutsu dachi’s.
There are many approaches to the application of kata. Some are weird, some are wonderful. My approach is that the application should ideally be applicable to and trained with, a resistant opponent. My reasoning for this is quite simple, resistance is a key feature of any real encounter and therefore any application approach that doesn’t factor this in, is sorely lacking. Think of it, would an untrained version of you simply let someone arm-bar, punch or kick you, without some kind of resistance – Hell No!! You don’t need training to resistant techniques – the untrained “compliant” attacker is a myth.
My experiments in training with resistance have led me to make several conclusions:
Good quality technique reduces the opportunities to resist.
It is so obvious, but without mastering the form properly, application is just that much more difficult.
Choosing the right technique at the right time also reduces opportunities for resistance.
There is a pattern in how opponents resist: Exploit this with a secondary back up technique
Don’t blame others. If a technique hasn’t worked because of your training partners resistance, don’t blame your partner (e.g. But, he wouldn’t of resisted like that in real life!!). If resistance gets in the way, it’s your job to deal with it.
A half applied or hesitant technique has a greater chance of failing.
Of all these points I think #4 is the most challenging. The mental challenge far out ways the physical challenge. It is very bruising for the ego when a technique goes wrong, hence the temptation to rationalise it away is an easy way out. Ultimately, this will impede the karateka’s ability to progress in their capability to apply the kata.
Project Mawashi 