A question to Karate instructors

[bushido_man96]

Actually, I have a few questions, and they can be to anyone in general that deals with these things.

1. Do you teach bunkai to the junior (children) students?

2. Can you give me an idea of how you go about your bunkai practice?

3. What is the difference between your "junior" syllabus and "adult" syllabus, if you have this seperation?

I am sure I will have more questions pop up as answers to these come in, and I appreciate your input. Thanks in advance!

[cathal]

I am merely assisting instructors at this point, but I can answer your qustions specific to our dojo. We don't separate children, youth & adults in our dojo as it is very small. But yes we do teach bunkai to everyone.

As for how we present that class what we'll do is begin by demonstrating the technique...next by demonstrating with a partner. For example, if we're doing the straight punch we'll have a punch be "struck" by a punch, or block it, grab, etc. We'll practice those movements to become familiar.

Then, we'll do practical applications. For a punch we'd press our fists against the partner and do the slow motion of the punch..the hikite, etc and then have them mull over different applications and test...then practice & practice & practice.

PM me and I'll give you more detail on one of our practice sessions called "5 Kata Kumite"

[tanuki]

I teach bunkai to all of my students. Without bunkai, there is the danger of the kata becoming a dance.

One of my black belts or myself teaches the bunkai as we teach the kata. Usually this is done by striking or providing a target as the case may be. Sometimes we may ask another student to play the role of the adversary.

Once a student learns a kata, we have them go through it while full speed attacks are done in all directions of the kata consecutively.

I should mention that I quiz the students on the bunkai of the kata at kyu examinations. I'll perform the move and then ask the student the meaning of the move.

We also use parts from the katas in yakusoku kumite. For example, one student would strike with a jodanzuki and the other would block with an open-hand agezuki and strike to the ear with shuto-uchi (from Pinan Yondan).

I'm sure that there are many other effective ways to teach bunkai as well.

[bushido_man96]

Thank you guys very much! Keep it coming, please!

When you do the bunkai, do you stick with the technique the way it is taught in the form, or do you modify it some?

[tke010]

Thank you guys very much! Keep it coming, please!

When you do the bunkai, do you stick with the technique the way it is taught in the form, or do you modify it some?

This depends on what you are teaching at the time. if you are just teaching the meaning for the kata, then you keep the moves of the form the same.

if you are teaching a move, and then someone asks you if that is what a piece of the kata they know is, then you yes\no and explain the move and why the modification.

I teach bunkai to my kids. Once the kids (10+yrs old) know what the moves are for, they forget them less.

The younger ones can't remember, but they like watching the techniques being explained each and every time.

the explanation also allows the younger ones time to kneel and rest.

[Shui Tora]

1. Do you teach bunkai to the junior (children) students?

2. Can you give me an idea of how you go about your bunkai practice?

3. What is the difference between your "junior" syllabus and "adult" syllabus, if you have this seperation?

My answers;

1.) No we do not teach bunkai to juniors.... Just seniors.

2.) It is fairly informal practice... We begin to analyse a certain kata... Everyone talks about their perception of how the moves go. Then we go through them and agress or disagree on how good each of them were.

3.) The difference between Juniors and Seniors Syllabus is that we do not include the 9 Funaksohi's Takedowns, we do not include pressure points, joint locks / manipulation and we do not include the more advanced kata (like Nihanchi and the Pinan Series)

Hope that answers your questions there Bushido!

[cathal]

What we do is learn the kata application. Then we have the students make up their own application and demonstrate that to us. Then we just have a class where we play around a bit with different applications.

[Mike Flanagan]

1. Do you teach bunkai to the junior (children) students?

I don't teach children, at least in part because I don't think its appropriate to teach decent bunkai to them.

2. Can you give me an idea of how you go about your bunkai practice?

The 2 important things we ask of any movement in kata are: 1. What is the power generation principle of this movement? and 2. What (if any) is the tactical principle of this movement? Having come up some possible answers we then look at ways of applying those principles in defences against realistic (ie. informal, non-karate) attacks.

Mike

[bushido_man96]

Thanks a lot. All of the information given here is great. I really apprectiate this help. I am going to try to put together a curriculum of some kind, in case I ever run my own school again.

[Zorbasan]

in my school (not an instructor) the only time the junior sylabus differs from the adult sylabus is when going for black belt. juniors have a kind of "probationary" black belt and have to retest when they turn 16.

come to think of it, i dont even know if the sylabus is different. maybe its the same and they have to do it twice.