thunderman

Right now I'm practicing the first two Taikyoku katas, but when sparring it seems folks don't really use blocks. I'm just curious how these katas are supposed to work in practice. Ok, lets break this down. Firstly kata (or kata with bunkai) were usually developed for self-defence situations rather than sparring. I think it was Anko Itosu who said something like “It is not intended to be used against a single assailant but instead as a way of using the hands and feet should one be confronted by a villain or ruffian.” This indicates, at least to me, that kata were developed not for a single assailant (ie sparring match) but for use in a self defence situation (confronted by an attacker). Therefore kata will not address the more modern sparring practice that is common in most clubs today. Something I think you have already found out (when you said “folks don’t really use blocks”. If you are after bunkai to Taikyoku kata I would say that you will may be disappointed to know that the kata were developed by Gigo Funakoshi not too long ago and from what I believe, the Karate of this time was already predominately “block-punch-kick” karate. Gichin Funakoshi Ten No Kata seemed to be have developed during the same era and its bunkai is presented by Gichin himself as “block-punch-kick” karate. That being said the movements in the kata still are traditional karate movements that are found in older kata, so you can definitely use the sources above (Iain Abernethy, Patrick McCarthy etc..) to gain practical applications to the kata. However I do not see this helping with your sparring in class.

From my background in criminal law, I would like to add that whilst there as an assault, in order to use self-defence you have to prove that you were in immediate danger too. I obviously do not know the facts in the fullest, but depending on what OP believed at the time can determine whether it would be self-defence situation under UK Law. If OP honestly believed he was in immediate danger then he is, by law, allowed to use force. I can see both sides of this: 1) That the spitting was a prelude for further immediate violence; (and therefore self-defence is available) or 2) That the spitting was the beginning and end of the assault and once the spit had occurred there was no danger to the OP (and therefore self-defence would not be available). This is a very interesting scenario for my legal brain

“Once a kata has been learned, it must be practiced repeatedly until it can be applied in an emergency, for knowledge of just the sequence of a form in Karate is useless.” – Gichin Funakoshi There is the man himself saying that it is "useless" to practice kata without being able to apply it. Therefore I still find it strange that a lot of places teach kata, dare I say it.. in a useless manner.