bunkai

[billycamaro]

can anyone tell me what exactly bunkai means , i mean how do you explain a kata ? or is it that you just say this is a low block to block a kick this is a high block to block a punch ? what are sensei's looking for? thanks for any help.

[1kickKO]

Bunkai is the meaning of the moves that you are doing in a kata, and what the moves are. A kata is a set of premade moves to help with your fighting, and katas have been passed down from generation to generation of karate masters and their students. Kata is a very traditional thing, and some choose to do it, and some don't..it just depends upon the style/instructor.

[Shorin Ryuu]

That is a pretty decent explanation.

 

Bunkai just means "application" and is the reason why you are doing kata. Most beginners view kata as a collection of pre-set moves. Their interpretation of these moves is usually basic. Punch. Kick. Block. That's okay. That's really what most beginners know, so it shouldn't be expected to be anything different.

 

Later on, Punch, Kick and Block become more refined. Blocks turn into strikes or throws. Kicks and punches become strikes of varying kinds with deliberate aim. Grappling becomes heavily emphasized.

 

But advanced interpretation of kata does not simply mean a more advanced set of moves. Timing is also important. Not only timing with respect to a chain of movements combined to form a specific sequence, but also how fast each movement is performed is important in showing if you understand what is going on. Breathing is also important and must be timed correctly with your "timing" and execution.

 

Biomechanics is also a huge part of kata. Sometimes it is less the specific technique and more of a biomechanical principle that should be taught. Then, there is the breathing and energy aspects of it as well that can be studied.

 

All of these things form an integral part of what it means by "bunkai". More often than not, bunkai is referring specifically to just the application of it on an opponent and is just one piece of the puzzle. However, to really get a good grasp of the bunkai and of the broader principles behind it, you also have to study these other aspects of kata. They not only complement the bunkai as separate entities, but also complete the bunkai as part of the bunkai itself.

 

I don't mean to offend anyone, but unless the kata is done with all these things in mind, it is not "traditional". Doing the kata just for the sake of doing the kata (whether for spiritual reasons or demonstration or just for grading purposes) is not "traditional". Much of that is a relatively new innovation started in the 1900s as karate became open to the public.

[MASIsshinryu]

Well said, SR.

 

BC: keep in mind also that there are often many bunkai for a given technique / set of techniques. Often, as one progresses though the experience of learning a kata, you will be taught increasingly complex bunkai for the same series.

 

None of them are wrong, although some instructors assign an "Official Bunkai" to a given technique, at given levels of experience.

 

An understanding of the more reasonable bunkai for a given series is critical in your efforts to visualize your opponent(s). This is what makes the difference between learning from each time you execute a given kata, and simply "doing kata."

[vertigo]

It seems to me that understanding the applications of the movements in kata helps me ALOT.. for example, when first learning heian nidan, it was rather tough for me to visualize how certain movements were effective. Then, one day in class (I'm in a class with only a handful of orange belts and mostly white belts), Sensei decided to cover almost every application in the kata, with me as the 'attacking dummy'... My kata's never been the same since.

[senna_trem]

Thank you for your good reply SR. That helped me out quite a bit and I didn't even ask the question!

[koryu]

As stated in previous replies, bunkai is simply the application of the moves of the kata. Although, there are different levels of bunkai. There is the basic, or obvious, level where every application is almost identical as to how it is performed in the kata (a block is a block, kick a kick, and so forth). Then there are more advanced interpretations where movements vary and get more intricate (blocks become strikes, stance movements become throws). Then there are the "Secret" interpretations of the kata (blocks charge meridians, while strikes attack vital points along meridian channels). A person could study one kata for years and still not understand all the posibilities of the bunkai. The possibilities are endless for even the most basic kata. Study and understand as much about a kata as possible, and you kata performance will improve.

[billycamaro]

thank you everybody

[ShotokanKid]

I'd say kata is prearranged forms and bunkai is what your doing when you do kata

[uchinadi]

Hello!

 

Bunkai-jutsu is very complex, in Okinawa is called 'Bun Bu Kai Setsu' and have 3 parts:

 

a)Omote (basic or obvious, block, kick and punch)

 

b)Ura (advanced with throws and grappling)

 

c)Okuden (secret maybe kyusho-jutsu)

 

When I study Bunkai of Kata very much with time (many years) I be can invent my techniques about this Kata (anyone) and this waza is called 'Oyo ', 'Oyo-jutsu' or 'Oyo-bunkai'.