Shotokan is History?

Why should Shotokan practitioners be interested in the history of Shotokan? Surely, history is just history?
The problem is that modern Shotokan has in many ways been stripped of a plethora of useful, yet very effective techniques. Much of this has been caused by the rise of competition karate. While certainly we have been left with a core of very effective techniques, they only represent a limited range of karate’s actual potential.

However – the good news is that there are a range of sources that clearly document many historical techniques. All is not lost!

This problem is not only found in karate, but in other martial arts. Here is footage of Lars Anderson, a Danish archer who has spent time researching old archery techniques. The differences and advantages of historical technique from an actual combat perspective are pretty amazing.

Bassai-Dai: The secret to effective application?

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!

Thank you to Dan and Joe for helping out!

Effective Bunkai: Heian Nidan/Pinan Shodan

More often than not, when an instructor teaches the application for the opening sequence of Heian Nidan/Pinan Shodan, you can be sure it will involve grabbing or trapping the opponent’s arm at some point.

Now don’t get me wrong, I suppose these kind of applications MIGHT work in certain, very restricted situations. I believe these kinds of techniques are best left for public demonstrations and shouldn’t be used in the dojo. Frankly, you’re better off catching flies with chopsticks.

I much prefer to use applications that stand up to more rough and ready conditions. Grabbing an opponent’s arm mid punch just doesn’t work for me.

Below is a more functional variation of the application. It is pretty straight forward- lower grades can learn this very quickly, plus it requires no punch catching and follows the kata very closely.

Please note I used the Wado Ryu version which replaces the kokutsu dachi with neko ashi dachi.

Thank you to Dan for the stunt work!

1. Your opponent grabs you by the collar.

2. Use the left hand to block his incoming punch, drive your right forearm into his face.

3. Grab his head (not his arm!!) and pull him into a punch. From here a wide variety of takedowns or locks are available to you.

Riai: The Heart of Budo Karate?

Riai is a concept very rarely used within karate circles, however in many ways it encapsulates the training methodology of traditional martial arts. Directly translating Riai is quite tricky, as no specific word exists in English – however I shall do my best!
It loosely translates as “Harmonious Principle”, in the sense that there is as much continuity of method regardless of context. This is best illustrated in Aikido (where the term is most commonly used), the Aikidoka is taught very early on that the method used in the bokken or jo is also used in the empty hand context.
Within Karate this feature is also found – methods and techniques using weapons have their open handed equivalents. However this is taken further: Kata bunkai for instance need to be relevant across various contexts, including free sparring and self defence. It would NOT be Riai if you only ever used certain techniques in ippon kumite but were unable to apply it in a free sparring context. In practical terms, a defence and counter of a mae-geri should work regardless of context, it either works reliably, or it doesn’t.

Why Riai is important for Budo karate
In competition karate the objective of training is to become skilled at fighting within a very specific and specialised context – the competition mat! This means working with very specific rules and limitations of techniques. In Budo karate on the other hand the objective is (at least on a physical level) being able to operate within ANY context. This essentially means that any technique (or weapon) is possible by both attacker and defender.

Now quite obviously the Budo karateka needs to be a generalist as opposed to the specialist competitor. This is essentially where Riai comes into play. By condensing our practise, whether it’s kata kumite or kihon, we practise multiple contexts at once, hence the need for “the mae-geri defence” to be effective regardless of context. In practise this should blur the lines of training – bunkai is for instance just another form of kumite. It is no different and should be approached the same way. If a defence against a punch developed from kata cannot be applied in a free sparring context, you must question its usefulness.

The ultimate benefit of Riai to the Budo practitioner is quite simply the development of more effective and reliable technique.

Andre Bertel: Bunkai-centric vs. Kihon-centric Karate

Recently, Andre Bertel wrote a really thought provoking article on the idea of kihon-centric karate (Please Read Here). In the article a number of points were made. The main point that interested me was his argument that the current focus in the West on bunkai instead of kihon is problematic. He reasons that this leads to a waste in training time as without adequate skill in kihon; the karateka is unlikely to be able to execute the technique effectively. As usual Andre’s views are pretty spot on and well argued.

However, what can be done about this?

One difficulty is that in many cases I think that Western karateka are justified in the move from kihon-centric karate. These karateka have simply never been taught realistic applications for kata, even when they have often been the direct and long time students of very high ranking Japanese instructors. To train kata without a set of valid applications would surely count as a waste of training time? If the Japanese don’t appear to have the answers (or are unwilling to teach them), it makes sense then, for Western karateka to move away from kihon-centric karate and to investigate applications for themselves. The traditional Japanese method of teaching overly simplified applications (whether intentionally or not) has not worked in the West.
Unfortunately this is not a satisfactory situation. As Andre has pointed out – we need good kihon, but we also need good application.
One simple solution to this problem would be for instructors (both Western and Japanese) to teach authentic applications from the start. For example, for the opening moves of Heian Nidan, many instructors tend to teach this as an arm catching technique or double block. Below are links to a few common examples:

Example 1 (Click Here)
Example 2 (Click Here)

Please note that I’m not endorsing or presenting these as a comment on the effectiveness of these applications, at the end of the day it is best to test these out for yourself with a resisting partner.

However, my concern from a teaching perspective is that these applications (which are not much different to that taught by many traditional instructors) just encourage poor understanding of maai and body mechanics, this in turn has a knock on effect, requiring the karateka to either deviate from the form, (such as stepping or shifting) or a poor kokutsu-dachi as the student tries to compensate by leaning forward, change the weight distribution etc. There is an argument that these variations might be fine for an advanced karateka that already has a strong grasp of the kata and underlying kihon (certainly, one of the clips is tagged “advanced”), but it certainly doesn’t do much good for a beginner who is still trying to master the most basic elements of the kata and of course, kihon!

If taught an appropriate the application, the beginner will fully understand and appreciate the need for a good kokutsu-dachi (especially in terms of placement of rear foot and the essential need for the more severe JKA style weight distribution) early in their careers, thus motivating them to work hard at getting this tricky stance right. Again, from an instructional point of view, this will mean less correcting of faulty kihon in later grades.

In summary, appropriate bunkai need to be taught that:
1. Assists the karateka in learning the form
2. Ensures good kihon
3. Are practical and useful

Adopting this strategy of teaching kata and bunkai can only be of benefit.

My Top Five Bunkai Myths

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.

The Bunkai Gurus Part 2

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.”

The Bunkai Gurus: Part 1

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.

Heian Sandan: Key Points

The third in the Heian series. I must confess that this is NOT my favourite kata to performs. However despite my prejudices, it is a very useful kata.

Performance: Fairly linnear footprint. LIke the other Heians this kata should never be rushed. Careful attention should be given to the kiba dachi’s as this can ruin the form. It is also best to keep the movements relaxed, yet compact.

Application. Many of the applications are not as obvious as the other Heians. My favourite must be the three elbow blocks. As long as you keep the rear hand as a guard this can be a useful chudan block during free sparring if a quick evasive action is included. Another good way to use it is as a quick locking technique. This requires good mastery of the hips in the kiba dachi and keeping the arms compact. See HERE for a visual version.

Technical: Heian Sandan acts as a useful gateway kata for Jion, Kanku Dai, Gankaku and others.  It helps to develop a good kiba dachi and introduces full rotational techique (i.e. spinning hammer fist).

 

Bassai Dai: Key Points

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.