kata application

[Aefibird]

bunkaiseeker said:

Hi Aefibird!


This is what our club used to do as well and I believed this way for a long time. However, after seeing people like Patrick Mc Carthy or reading "Karate's Grappling Methods" by Iain Abernethy or Elmar Schmeisser's "Channan: the heart of the Heians" I have come to the conclusion that this is completely wrong.

There IS at least one workable application that looks exactly like in the kata. And if you have to fudge the kata movements to make a bunkai workable then it is typically because you envisioned the wrong attack. And this typically happens when you use a "standard karate" "picture perfect kihon" type of attack.

Noty to take away from any of your points (which are good) but I was presenting ONE example of bunkai training that my club did - not all our trainin sessions are like that. As I train with a man who has been in the martial arts for decades then we train in all sorts of fighting methods - including kata application that (shock! horror! ;D) actually looks like the kata it was taken from, one of my favourites of which is the end section of Gojushiho-Sho.

I don't mean to sound rude - but you did rather take my words a little out of context. I was presenting one example from a part of one class.

Oh and BTW, I agree with your book recommendations, especially "Karate's Grappling Methods". I also like "Throws For Strikers", by the same author.