Abernethy's interpretation of kata segment

[joesteph]

Iain Abernethy sent a link by email regarding one of his new DVDs, the link focusing on his interpretion of the end segment of a kata, Seishan/Hangetsu.

If you go to the blog: http://blog.iainabernethy.com/ you can watch him pick certain movements apart. One is that there's a misinterpretation of a crescent kick, that it's actually a low strike, not a high one, and the other is that what appears to be protecting the groin is actually dealing with an opponent about to seize your leg.

I'm presently learning a form that contains the latter move, the one that does seem like a groin block, and Abernethy's interpretation reminds me of a move I'd practiced in self-defense JJ.

[Jeffrey]

We have him coming to do a clinic in March I think. He is known for picking apart the bunkai in kata. It should be a good clinic.

[Chitsu]

I've got to be honest, and say that I don't think that the clip made a lot of sense to me.

In the Kata (Seishan) the kick (he is demonstrating as a technique to the knee) is a "Mikazuki-geri" or crescent kick.

In my experience, in seishan kata, it is a circular technique rather that a "tsuki" (thrust), and yet he seems to demonstrate it as a thrust (to the leg above the opponents knee) - which it would need to be to affect the leg sweep.

I have a feeling I know where he got the idea from though.

He was originally schooled in a wado group that continued to practice Suzuki sensei's "Ohyo Gumite".

Its the spit of a takedown that this group does as part of their Ohyo Gumite # 7

You can see Suzuki sensei do this at 1:13

Have a look and see what you think.

Chitsu

[sensei8]

Please remember that what he does is HIS interpretation(s), therefore, it's not necessarily yours. Abernathy has great things to impart to all of us, but, please, find your own interpretation(s) and make it yours.

[krypto]

In my karate club, we don't really do the crescent kick, so I'm just wondering what reason for the hand people are given when they are taught the crescent kick? Are they told the hand is used as a target or a grab or something else?

[Sokusen]

If you go to the blog: http://blog.iainabernethy.com/ you can watch him pick certain movements apart. One is that there's a misinterpretation of a crescent kick, that it's actually a low strike, not a high one, and the other is that what appears to be protecting the groin is actually dealing with an opponent about to seize your leg.

Why can't it be both? Isn't that the beauty of Kata?

[Chitsu]

Please remember that what he does is HIS interpretation(s), therefore, it's not necessarily yours. Abernathy has great things to impart to all of us, but, please, find your own interpretation(s) and make it yours.

That’s fine, but my interpretation is that of a technique using "crescent" kick at this stage of the kata (as it is done in the Kata) - not the pushing technique that he suggests.

This represents the down side of Bunkai-jutsu imo - namely modifying techniques in Kata to so they fit into a convenient form.

Its a kind of reverse engineering - starting with a scenario and working it back to how it could have come out of the Kata. I see little point in that - may as well join a Jujutsu club - they start with a scenario and work forward to a solution that isn't restricted - as a result, they are a lot better at it, than most karate-ka

Don't get me wrong, Kaisetsu, Bunkai - call it what you want is a very important part of your karate kata training, but when you start deviating away from the original form - this is where things get a bit iffy imo.

Also as I understand it, Mr Abernethys core Karate training is in Wado ryu - strange that, considering it is a style that does not utilise the process of Bunkai.

Chitsu

[Fish]

I went to one of Iain's seminars last year - it's well worth it. He is a Wado practitioner, as am I, but he comes at it from a pragmatic perspective. Personally, I find a lot of what he has to say makes sense to me. One of the things he (and other pragmatic ma's) teach is that the specific moves in Kata are mnemonic moves that train self defence principles. Therefore, the bunkai is relatively open ended since the principles can be applied in a number of different situations. Makes sense to me, since in a self defence situation you obviously can't predict exactly what your attacker will do: you can only anticipate and prepare for the likely range of attacks.

[Chitsu]

I think his style is "Wado-based" - not Wado itself - and there is a whole world of difference

Chitsu

[Chitsu]

TBH, it is pretty broadly recognised, that the whole "you must know Bunkai" thing has been driven by Shotokan practitioners - looking at traditional Okinawan styles like Goju-ryu - and trying to fill in the gaps.

Mr IA has conveniently plugged that gap, but at what cost?

Chitsu