Practical karate?

[hansenator]

Having been in "impractical" karate classes myself, I take the term to mean that the focus is more on self-defense and usable skills rather than competitions and just going through the motions.

I could go on a rant but I think "practical" karate requires a deeper understanding of the history, context, and proper training methods than some people possess.

[sensei8]

Having been in "impractical" karate classes myself, I take the term to mean that the focus is more on self-defense and usable skills rather than competitions and just going through the motions.

I could go on a rant but I think "practical" karate requires a deeper understanding of the history, context, and proper training methods than some people possess.

Solid post, indeed!!

[wildbourgman]

Iain Abernathy's Bunkai;s are very thought provoking to say the least.

I think for a good explanation of his goal is on his you tube videos and clips. They give a good indication of what Practical karate is. Real world application of kata if you like.

Personally i really in enjoy his Kushanku / Kanku dai bunkai. His theory on the opening movement of the of the arms makes the most sense of all the theories i have ever heard.

Ian is doing some great work. My sensei in Shorin is doing a lot of work along these lines also. Steve Ubl is another guy that's getting some attention from Shotokan folks I know that were getting a little bored.

[elakirieluwa]

[sensei8]

Welcome to KF; glad you're here!!

[Mark B]

Just thought I'd add another point to consider regarding what is "practical " regarding karate practice.

A popular fad these days is for "practical" drills to be far too long. They "look" good as the opponent responds (as directed) to create a drill that allows a chosen sequence to be fully completed.

I feel this approach is flawed !! Anyone who has ever had the misfortune to experience real violence will tell you fights/physical confrontations just don't happen that way (unfortunately ). The speed of the altercation is many times quicker and of course not working to a script.

We see many examples these days that look simple, brutal and effective.

First of all nothing is simple in a real fight , and anything more than your most basic and efficient option will even come close to being so.

The next thing I would ask people to carefully consider is how often Uke responds naturally , rather than freezing in position until his script tells him to move. It's this compliance that makes the sequence look "simple and practical".

I realise there are always safety issues but I do feel karate of the "practical" type tend to hide behind that fact.

I rarely watch Bunkai demonstrations but if I do and it contains more than three elements maximum then I take it with a pinch of salt as it would be virtually impossible against an opponent who can handle themselves.

"Practical" is simple , well drilled techniques designed to end a situation in as few a techniques as possible