If you are a serious karateka, you will know that the art has changed considerably since its original beginnings on the island of Okinawa. Since then, many people, mostly serious practitioners of the art, have lived, studied, and trained extensively throughout Japan and Okinawa. What they discovered during that time reading ancient texts and talking to old masters has changed the way many practitioners are challenging the type of martial art and some of the techniques related to so-called self defense techniques that do not resemble actual aggression. unprovoked royal blood and gutsy fights found in the street or alley outside the comfortable environment of the dojo (training room). They are beginning to question the real effectiveness of some of the techniques, especially the kata of the established foundations of modern sports karate.
The buzzword circulating today is combative, a seemingly more effective, straightforward, and easy-to-learn fighting system based on military principles that also covers topics like pressure tests on how to handle fear and adrenaline, etc. Yes, I am in favor of adding these subjects to your existing curriculum because I think it is important to know them. But, there still remains the indisputable fact that ancient methods, as taught a century or more ago, predate the advent of sports karate; in fact, it included joint locks, throws, ground work, grabs, takedowns, strangulation, pressure points, and hitting in certain areas to damage vulnerable anatomical areas of the human body. Well guess what? All of the above techniques are found in kata, however their existence has been lost over time, until relatively recently. Students and teachers, thanks to pioneering research by some dedicated professionals, are now sitting down and taking notice trying to discover the same techniques that you will find in the combative training curriculum. In the karate of yesteryear they have been there all the time. I just had to know where and how to look for them, sometimes it is not easy to find the true meaning of a particular application, I admit.
And therein lies the dilemma of where to start, what is the secret key that will unlock this treasure trove of hidden techniques, the true bunkai, the actual application and analysis of the kata technique. I will state here and now that many people have tried, but due to the complex nature and time involved, they have stopped trying too hard to learn, they said.
Practical Kata Bunkai
Originally, kata contained the fighting concepts and principles for a complete fighting system, the truth is that today many of the practical aspects of karate have been lost in time. Unfortunately this has led many students to ask karate kata why I am doing this move, how does that technique relate to actual self defense outside of the dojo? In many cases, the response they often get leaves them confused and disappointed. This situation often leads to disappointment, so that, in turn, the student either leaves the club or completely abandons the training.
Whatever the reason, get rid of the myth that kata is useless, has nothing to offer or is worth bothering about, you would be wrong. In fact, for the vast majority of karateka around the world, nothing they are learning today is much like what the old masters taught. The younger students did not understand and made little connection to the many underlying traditional concepts. Even the techniques were often different, as the emphasis was on sports karate and recreation rather than personal survival. It was not deemed necessary where scoring a point was the name of the game. The essential deadly short-range techniques gave way to distance fighting and the ippon, scoring techniques as practiced in sport karate where hitting the opponent is not allowed. However, now is neither the time nor the place to consider in depth all the various philosophical forms and elements that make up Karate. Kata is skill training, but you need to balance your training program. However, kata does not keep all the secrets. Try to find the roots of karate practiced in the ancient ways, but discovering the true meaning and applied applications is still a relatively unknown discipline in the Western world.
Until the introduction of sports karate, coded rituals (Kata) were passed down through the centuries and served to teach the fundamentals of self-defense. The fixed forms of kata had served as the primary vehicle through which the secrets of the ancient masters were transmitted. Knowing the katas but not their applications or principles behind those applications is like listening to a song without understanding the meaning of the words; it’s useless.
Study the past and you will better understand the future, and furthermore, it will provide important lessons about much of the original learnings made by the ancient master, because these questions about kata will always exist. Ancient traditions of the karate style offer an original legacy of codified defensive techniques and principles intended to identify human weaknesses in the human body (suitable targets) for attacking.
Now this kind of advice may seem like a lip service to you, but in an effort to uncover the truth like other karateka before you. You will need to find a reason for a particular existence within the kata you are studying and perhaps you will find a cure for your disappointment. Be patient and you will achieve it all.
Be careful.