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General

The forum to address/discuss constructive topics that are not covered by the other forums.
Solicitation for charity is STRICTLY PROHIBITED.

Iain Abernethy's picture

Introduce Yourself!

Welcome to members new and old! Please post a few lines to introduce yourself to all other members!

It would be great if people would make their first post their introduction. It’s only polite, after all :-)

All the best,

Iain

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shotokanman70's picture

Rules for Bunkai #2: Break the Form!

If we agree that Kata application should be effective then there are certain rules or principles we can agree on for kata bunkai. My #2 rule for bunkai is that we need to "break the form". We often see kata bunkai where the kata is being applied "as is" without consideration for the nature of natural movements. Shotokan Kata are typically done with an erect posture, long stances and unnatural footwork. We can't fight like this. We need to break the form to apply the kata. Funakoshi 18th precept in his niju kun reads, "Apply kata exactly. Actual combat is another matter.

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shotokanman70's picture

Rules for Bunkai #1: Use Realistic Attacks

The analysis or breakdown of kata in known as bunkai. My #1 rule for bunkai is that it should help us practice against realistic attacks like we see "in the street" (non-consensual violence). There is a lot of great material out there but there is a lot of less-than-great material as well. This video is the first in what I hope will be a series. In the video, I provide examples of bad bunkai that break this important rule. I do not mean to be offensive but I think it's important to identify ineffective practice even if it comes from people who may be highly regarded.

 

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DaveB's picture

Motubu vs Sumo

Hi folks, been a while since I've posted here. Just a quick question: can anyone remember where we get the story of Choki Motobu losing repeatedly to a sumo wrestler, after which he concluded that Karate was not for use against trained fighters. I cannot for the life of me find a source for imthis tale.
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Frazatto's picture

What do we know about the kata Saifa?

I'm trying my hand at Saifa now, I have a pretty good idea about the flow of the kata but some details are puzzling me.

When I was going about Gekisay, it helped to understand how they come to be and the intention behind it, but I'm finding some strange and very superficial info about Saifa.

Despite being a "modern" kata, we don't know who created it? And it maybe Miyagi's attempt at another kata, since only his lineage of Nahate practices it, is that right???

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shotokanman70's picture

Blue Belt (5th kyu) TEST

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvcY1b1kH70

 

My student, Sumin, tested for her blue belt / 5th kyu in Jan 2023. The test was close to 2 hours and covered a wide range of skills including ukime, kihon, pad drills, kata, tegumi, kumite, nage waza, newaza, live training and more. 

 

Andy

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Black Tiger's picture

Machida Karate

I watched a YouTube video

I was impressed with the Kata. Has anyone got any experience of these kata or able to provide more details on the list of Kata in the syllabus etc

 

https://youtu.be/q-UOEwPJ6pk

 

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Finlay's picture

Back to basics - punch

Hello,

So I was going over myTKD forms with my original teacher for the first time in many years. One thing that he spotted was I was turning my fist over way too early, which is akin to not twisting it at all.

In TKD and I guess in karate the punch is meant to twist through the target so the twist is the last part of the punch.

I occurred to me while practicing this that I had stopped doing it because other arts that I study don't punch like that.

So, is the twist on the punch.

- bona-fide technique that increases the damage created by a punch

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Frazatto's picture

The "real" bunkai, is it REALLY lost? (not a rant, honest question)

Following Iain's presentation on Miyagi, I was reading Toguchi's books and I'm kind of profoundly disappointed (and my day is ruined hahahah).

It starts very promising like other books alike, it tell us some things that collaborate our contemporary views on the subject and it even have some very interesting pictures of techniques I thought I knew but, as it is always the case, there is more to be learned....

But then.......we get to the application section and it's almost childish and it's not an isolated case.

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Marcus_1's picture

Seminar 7th May

Can I just say thank you to Iain, David (for organising and letting me come along), Brian and Harry for yesterday's seminar.  That was my first seminar experience and I absolutely loved it.

It was so good to finally start to understand the kata's methodology better.  After so many years of going through the stages of a kata, doing the moves as shown by the instructor and told "this is a block, it's like the other block but with an open hand" (or similar), it was great to see that the knife hand in kata are actually striking to the neck, a way to get around a guard.

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