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Kushanku / Kanku-Dai Bunkai (video) from Kansas, USA

This video was filmed when I was teaching in Kansas, USA in October 2011. It covers a bunkai drill from Kushanku / Kanku-Dai for the sequence commonly labelled as “Shuto, front kick, back fist, ‘outer-block’, double punch”.

The sequence controls both of the enemy’s arms and opens them up for a shuto to the base of the skull (or a palm-heel to the kidneys). The initial motion also disrupts the enemy’s posture and opens them up for a kick to the inner thigh and a hand strike to the head. If the enemy is still functioning, the kata tells us that we can drop back to lock their arm and locate their head for a double strike.

The key to this sequence is keeping continuous control of the enemy’s arm in order to ensure that the path for the strikes is kept open. This control also ensures that the karateka has a tactile awareness of the enemy’s movements and hence is best placed to quickly adapt while maintaining a position of advantage. A few examples of how this sequence can flow into other methods found in Kushanku / Kanku-Dai are also given in the video.

I also briefly compare the sequence as it appears in Pinan / Heian Yodan and discuss how the kata shows a right side bias (i.e. encourages people to predominately strike with what is likely to be their naturally strongest hand).

I really enjoyed this event and I have a few more clips that I’ll share soon. I hope you enjoy this video!

All the best,

Iain

PS If you prefer to watch the video on YouTube please click HERE

Practical Kata Bunkai: Kushanku / Kanku-Dai Bunkai (Kansas, USA)