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If you only had one kata?


hansenator

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This might be kind of silly but I'm curious.

I hear and read about how, in the old days, someone might only know 2 or 3 kata. Sometimes a person would spend years on just one but would gain a deep understanding of it. And it's been said that each kata (or series of kata) contains an entire fighting system within it.

So I was wondering: If you were stuck on a desert island with only one kata, one which you would understand deeply and rely upon for your self-defense skills, which would it be?

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A deserted island might have dangerous animals on it, though, so a spear kata might be the most useful!

Deserted islands aside, I would choose Naihanchi.

Kishimoto-Di | 2014-Present | Sensei: Ulf Karlsson

Shorin-Ryu/Shinkoten Karate | 2010-Present: Yondan, Renshi | Sensei: Richard Poage (RIP), Jeff Allred (RIP)

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Some systems of Tai Chi have two forms. Wing Chun has three, Bruce Lee only learned two of these and he did ok. I think that the length of the kata doesn't matter, I'd go for my current kata Ananku.

Look to the far mountain and see all.

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You ask the impossible! :P

Give me a couple hours and I may return with an answer...

To search for the old is to understand the new.

The old, the new, this is a matter of time.

In all things man must have a clear mind.

The Way: Who will pass it on straight and well?

- Master Funakoshi

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Enpi (flying swallow) so I can fly off the deserted island :)

TBH, I'm not sure, off the top of my head, possibly Kanku Dai as most of the elements of the Heian Kata's were derived from this. So it covers strikes, kicks, throws, locks and grappling (that's not to say that the other kata's do not cover it).

-Ken

Tang Soo Do: 3rd Dan '18

Shotokan Karate: 2nd Dan '04

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For me it would be either Enpi or Kanku Dai. For basically the same reasons as wagnerk stated.

Then again, the eye gouging, nostril ripping techniques of Chinte would probably send a good message to my would be attackers.

To search for the old is to understand the new.

The old, the new, this is a matter of time.

In all things man must have a clear mind.

The Way: Who will pass it on straight and well?

- Master Funakoshi

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Kanku Dai

The past is no more; the future is yet to come. Nothing exist except for the here and now. Our grand business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what's clearly is clearly at hand...Lets continue to train!

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In Isshinryu we have the benefit of having a unique-to-our-system kata which contains pieces of all our other kata-- Sunsu. If I wanted complexity and variety of movements, I would most certainly choose Sunsu.

Though, personally, I'd probably go with our first kata-- Seisan. Seisan just holds a special place in my heart.

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