For many people, the status of their martial art is something of great importance. For others, it’s not important at all. Is your art sport, or does it have a deeper meaning for you? . Having success in an arena or being able to break boards, ice, bricks etc., or to fight in a controlled…
Tag: Bunkai
“Do not think of attack and defense as two separate things.”
“Meotode” (夫婦手), an uchinaaguchi (the native Okinawan language) principle literally meaning “husband and wife hands”. In the case of an actual fight both hands should always be used together, which is essential in close-quarter pragmatic karate. It is a way of maximizing strategical advantage in a physical altercation by utilizing both arms and hands equally,…
“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance; it is the illusion of knowledge.”
“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance; it is the illusion of knowledge.” – Stephen Hawking or David J. Boorstin . What is knowledge? It is the thoughts, ideas, understanding, facts or information acquired through learning and practice. . What is ignorance? Lack of knowledge, or information about something. . Knowledge improves if we…
Your bunkai needs to be effective, it must be applicable to real situations.
When you analyze kata, breakdown the movements within, your bunkai needs to be effective, it must be applicable to real situations. The kata were created for this reason. . Some of the applications put forward as interpretations of kata movement vary from the wonderful to the ridiculous, and unfortunately it is often hopelessly inadequate. ….
Symbolic gesture or combative function?
When people don’t understand things, they often find it easier to create their own explanations. We see this all the time, in every part of society. . To psychologists, this behavior is known as ‘rationalization’. If something doesn’t make sense, then make it make sense. Karate is no exception. And salutations in kata is an…
You must train against uncooperative and resisting opponents.
You must train against uncooperative and resisting opponents. . A lot of martial arts techniques and applications just don’t work against a non-compliant resisting opponent. Especially so when applied in the ways that the vast majority of people try to apply it. . How many times have you seen bunkai or partner drills with an…
Which “box” are you in?
Should we differentiate one form of karate and its bunkai from another, rename it perhaps? As an example: Sport Karate (Bunkai), Children’s Karate (Bunkai), Practical Karate (Bunkai)? (And probably more)….. Which box would your karate fit into? . Personally, I really don’t like the modern sport karate bunkai, the type shown recently at the Olympics,…
Karate is a mess.
Karate is a mess. . Even today in the 21st century people still refute what karate is, and sometimes what it isn’t. The majority of modern karate is plagued by dogma. No one seems to know what they are training for and in which context. . Practitioners cling to other people’s ideas with almost religious-like…
“If there is no kata, it is not karate-do, just kicking and punching.”
The practice and purpose of kata in the martial arts is being debated (ad nauseam) once again. Do you believe that kata is the foundation of karate, or do you believe kata is an outdated method of practice that is not relevant today? . “[..] If there is no kata, it is not karate-do, just…
Don’t rely on a “label”. It probably isn’t the right one.
In the West, where in some cases teaching Karate has become a business, a simple method of “teaching” to large groups of paying customers without much effort was needed. The “3 years spent on one Kata” idea was brushed off since Western consumers generally don’t have that kind of patience and want quick progress, new…
Kata, the management of failure.
“We learned karate that was to be used in real-life situations. If you don’t continue to train with that sense of there being a real opponent, you won’t be able to respond in that kind of situation.” – Takeshi Tamaki 10th dan Shogen-ryu . Kata, the management of failure. . What does this mean?…… In…
“In reality, it is often much easier to defend against an attacker at close range!”
“The first contact is the key. Rather than attacking each other at a distance, the point is how to reduce your own risk. So I make contact most of the time. I want to reduce the possibility of being attacked by the opponent as much as possible. [..] I don’t think you want to let…