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Old 08-01-2008, 02:19 PM
meguro
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  #17  
Quote:
Originally Posted by tmd View Post
Maybe we should have the Bunkai taught as we go rather than only at higher levels or at special classes which seems to be the norm.
Osu!tmd, this is the direction kata intruction and practice should take if it is to go beyond individual dance steps. You need practice working with a partner to learn how to apply the techniques. Imagine trying to be proficient in judo or wrestling just by going through stylized motions against an imaginary opponent-which is what kata practice is today. It can't be done.

Brazilian Berserker, I don't want to give the impression that I am a kata expert. I am not. I did have the experience to train a few days with a Goju Ryu kata specialist in Japan who taught me the way he had been taught. It was eye opening! I regret not having spent more time learning from him as I was caught up in knockdown tournament fever.

Quote:
Originally Posted by SHIDOKANATLANTA
the reason there is no bunkai taught, is because no one has a clear concise method of how it should be taught.
Osu! SHIDOKANATLANTA, I do believe there already exists a clear and concise method. It lies outside of traditional Japanese Karate practice-in other words any style influenced by Gichin Funakoshi. Wasn't it Funakoshi who, when introducing karate to Japan, modified the dangerous elements in kata (by de-emphasizing vital point targeting, joint locks and throws) to make it a safe medium for developing character in schoolage students?

Consider sanchin dachi. Most interpretations of this stance hold that its purpose is to lower the center of gravity and create a stable platform. From a close-in fighting perspective, the hooking motion of the forward leg of sanchin dachi is a stylized depiction of a takedown technique: uchi mata.
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