Okay, there has been some interesting topics posted over the last while here and I would like to try to open up some discussion and thinking on another line. I hope to do this without offending anyone.
What I am about to talking about is perhaps a different thought process for learning.
I am not saying this is better than any other approach just different.
Dana has posted the following:
“Seems like Kanbun and Max are the same type of guy - they can fight right out of the form.
Well I can't. But I'm not going to whine about it and walk away. I'm going to keep plugging away until I figure it out, and figure out how to present this stuff to those who come after me...no matter how they learn.”
So what we need is to develop an approach that teaches people to be able to fight out of Kata on their own.
This is not done spontaneously or without help.
STEP ONE
The first step is Kata. Obviously if we are going to fight out of Kata then we need it and the Kata we have should relate directly to our fighting.
So when we practice our kata we must practice it as fighting. Think about this as you do your Kata and train it that way.
STEP TWO
Next is to begin to learn principles of fighting.
Let us set some principles that we feel might apply and then as we train let us try very hard to ensure these principles are met in our training.
For now let us keep it somewhat simple:
1. You must replace their intent to harm you with your intent to stop them.
2. You must strike.
3. You should get off the line of attack whenever possible.
4. You must follow up until you are safe.
1. You must replace their intent to harm you with your intent to stop them:
Let us talk about this principle. This is mind set and Van has tried very hard to get through to people that without the proper mind set you have nothing driving what you are doing.
This principle is worded so that you cover the broad range of violence that might be required in your response – “stop them.”
The bottom line is your intent must thrust out and overwhelm theirs.
Think about this as you do kata.
Think about this every time you move in application.
2. You must strike.
Here this small phrase means more than the mere words. It is intended to imply the attack mind set. You must think of striking – attacking first and foremost and all the time. There is no defensive mind set!
3. You must get off the line of attack whenever possible.
Particularly for people of smaller size like Dana this HAS to be a major factor. I have seen small women being taught to stand their and trust their block. Sorry but the bigger stronger attacker has an advantage and getting off the line of attack is a must for anyone and particularly a smaller person.
4. You must follow up until you are safe.
This is very important for the real world. If you expect a one punch one kill to work you may well end up dead. The portion that says “until you are safe” means that if your one punch does end the threat then you should stop.
So okay now we have Kata and principles.
The next thing is to take this Kata and learn how to apply it with these principles.
Now how do we do this?
Well we need a place to start.
STEP THREE
This is where the help comes in. Some one has looked at the Kata and devised how they would use it. This gives us something to begin with and learn from.
Yes this means someone has set out a prearranged use of the Kata: Bunkai.
So we have:
Kata.
Principles.
Bunkai.
Let’s start with:
Seisan Kata.
The four principles set out above.
Seisan Bunkai – The traditional one.
We have the book, and interpretation and something to work with to take it farther.
DRILL ONE
The first movements in Seisan are ignored in the Traditional Bunkai (The opening and the Sanchin strikes) but most of it is used so “no worries.”
I hope you don’t mind but I am going to use the terms aggressor and respondent for this as I believe the respondent should always think of themselves as the attacker.
One:
Aggressor: Lunges in with a two handed grab for your throat.
Respondent: Slide steps back as they use a double open hand sweep to redirect the aggressor’s energy downward then strikes up to the sides of the neck or head in a double ridge hand strikes.
So let us take a look at this in relationship to the four principles and see if we need to adjust this in any way to fit what we are after.
1. Replacing their intent: Actually this will be based on the energy with which you performed the attack. Think about this and perform the move again and again until YOU ARE THE ONE IN CHARGE. You have taken control of their attack and their energy and you have redirected it in the direction YOU wanted. Then make sure that your double strikes are done with real intent by aggressively coming back forward. Let me be clear that Uechi is filled in other kata with absorb and close immediately so this is a Uechi principle but the close MUST be done with intent.
2. Strike: the first strike is the redirection to affect the aggressor’s body position. This is a good use.
3. Get off line: Here the off line is performed by absorbing and redirecting the aggressor’s force down into the ground.
4. Follow up until you are safe: Okay so here the Bunkai does not meet the desired principle and therefore must be adjusted. My personal approach to follow ups is that they must be: Efficient, Effective, Logical, Flowing, Follow a Logical Progression.
So let’s take a moment here there is no rush this is your time to think about all the fighting moves this and other Kata have taught you and the principles you have decided to use.
At first why not work with two other people so that you can put your heads together and have one person to watch and see how your thoughts work. To make this productive for yourself you must participate and make sure they work for YOU.
So where are you? You have the aggressor pulled off balance forward and your hands are along the side of his head or neck.
One thing you never want to do is lose an advantage you have gained, so whatever you do cannot give them their balance back.
Well we want to be off line and the move we have already used was to slide back and redirect their force down into the ground.
You have them bent over and your hands at their head or neck.
Why not do it again only this time drive their head into the ground.
So now they are on the ground and open to dropping knees etc.
OR ……….. How about driving an elbow into the side of their head back and forth one after another never losing forward momentum?
If you work with others you can help or may be even take turns coming up with something new.
At the end you have an entire move for this portion of the Kata that fits YOUR principles and YOU have helped create a portion of it thus learning something about the Kata and yourself.
So now work what you have figured out until it truly fits what you want and you can do it with the required intent to meet principle one.
NOTE: You must always ensure that what you are doing is done with the proper mecha8incs to make it WORK! Keep at it until you shift the application to work for YOU!
Two:
Aggressor: Drives a straight punch to the respondent’s head.
Respondent: Uses a bent arm Boshiken to deflect the punch and strike to the chin of the aggressor.
Principle one will always be up to you!
Does this fit principle two? Yes there is a distinct focus on the strike.
Does it fit principle three? No and for a smaller person they are often over whelmed by the stronger attacker.
So what to do? Well the principle says get off line so all we really need to do is shift a little to get off the straight line attack.
The last principle is to follow up and it is not there but the Kata simply continues with multiple Boshikens so, heck, why not?
Now you could even take this a slight step farther and change the karate reverse punch used into some more realistic straight line of force attack if you wanted. This would alter the attacks to a more street version.
Okay so now you have seen how to approach the traditional Bunkai and shift things to fit fighting principles that will keep a smaller person safer in the application.
So now work your way through the Bunkai and make any shifts required to fit the principles.
There may be some difficulties you will face in the traditional Bunkai when the Wauke is used to block before the strike. This does not fit the principle two we had set out.
Soooooo why not shift things so that either the Wauke is used to strike or the strike is done AS you do the Wauke. Play with and find what YOU like.
Drill Two:
Okay now you have done some work on Seisan and the Bunkai and you have begun putting some things together that fit what you want with some help.
So let us start where we began and this time think up a different attack for the aggressor to use. Think of street like attacks.
Working with your partners and the principles see how you can strike as you get off the line of the new attack and then how to logically follow up. Put your heads and training together. Take turns leading what is figured out.
You can do this as many times as you like until you begin to feel comfortable seeing how the moves may fit the principles against a particular attack.
Drill Three:
Jiyu Bunkai Night of the Living Dead.
Okay for this one you will have to have a little faith and have worked on drill two for a while.
Pick about four or five attacks that you have found are countered nicely by the moves of Seisan (from drill two.)
Have the respondent stand with their eyes closed.
The aggressor will start of the chosen attacks in VERY slow motion and at half way to contact they will say “begin.”
The respondent is going to use Seisan to defend themselves.
For example, in the first attack by the aggressor the respondent will have in their mind the sweeping down of the open hands and the double ridge hand strikes.
When they hear the word begin the respondent will open their eyes and (in slow motion) apply THAT move of the Kata to protect themselves and then they will ad follow ups.
This is done in slow motion to allow the respondent time to THINK.
This is done in groups of three so the aggressor and the observer can provide feedback on whether the respondent lived up to the four principles of self protection they chose.
If they did not repeat the move until whether the response they used is altered to work or they find one that does.
IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU TRY TO STAY AWAY FORM ATTACKS YOU HAVE ALREADY STUDIED A RESPONSE WITH “THAT” MOVE FOR.
NEXT …… The respondent again closes their eyes only this time they think of the NEXT move in Seisan and THAT is the move they will apply.
* From here you simply work your way through the Kata move after move.
I think you will be surprised with the creativity the respondents can have.
Having worked UP to this point increasing the thinking about the Kata and the uses for the Kata in relation to the fighting principles will have advanced their thinking because they will have looked at how to effectively apply the kata and they will have also learned how NOT to.
