Your own kata bunkai

[SaiFightsMS]

We have had a lot of kata discussion in here on various aspects of kata and its value or lack thereof.

 

I was laying on my bed last night looking at the ceiling thinking about something totally unrelated when part of tekki/naihanchi shodan popped into my head.

 

Starting from the downblock to the side. Now this application is in a seated position. The downblock turns into a hammerfist to the private areas. The cross body punch goes into the head of your opponent. You just hit him someplace that made him lean over remember. Now grab the hair with the same hand.

 

Remeber that headblock to a backfist? That turns into a downward strike across the back of the neck of the opponent you now have across your lap. Take into account that at one point that sequence in the kata goes through a cross footed stance. Those stances can indicate an application for a turn.

 

Now come up with your own example of how you would interpret a piece out of one of the katas you do.

[Sho-ju]

The bunkai you gave was taught to me. Are you sure you didn't hear it somewhere and just forgot about it?

[SaiFightsMS]

I was not taught seated applications.

[tommarker]

you know, sometimes two people can come up with the same idea

[Kirves]

Or maybe the move was just so obvious!

[SaiFightsMS]

I also like the reinfornced side block as a move where you smash down with your arm locking the opponents arm on the arm of your chair. Then grabbing their arm swing out with a hammerfist to the midsection. Like don't reach in front of me you dingbat.

 

Actually I will admit that I have used the headblock into a hammerfist to the face in sparring. And everytime I have pulled it off the other person was so shocked they stopped dead.

[tommarker]

Another Naihanchi 1 application (still staying very basic here) for moves 2-5.

 

oppenent attacks with right side punch. your left hand intercepts the attack and pulls the opponent off balance whilst you continue forward with a right hand chop to the collarbone/carotid. A low line side kick or stomp with the right foot is a happy accident, depending on how you teach the form.

 

The right hand sneakily slides behind your attacker's head and pulls them into a left elbow smash.

 

Left hand grabs some hair or ear, and slams them face first into your hip bone. Continue the pulling motion with the left hand (your left side low block) and allow your right hand to slide under their arm, which sets up an interesting spiraling take down, not quite a puter kampala from silat, but close.

[shotochem]

Tom, I like it.

 

Left hand grabs some hair or ear, and slams them face first into your hip bone.

 

After the face to hip technique keep th head in your hands right hand on top(cup and saucer0 holding both ears and with a quick hip twist snap the victims (bad guy) neck..

[tommarker]

guess this topic is too boring.

[Kakushiite]

Try this one.

 

First, let's remember where we are going to be in the kata. You are in a horse stance, the left hand will do a downward block to the left, and the right strikes across the chest, then the right foot steps across the left.

 

The attacker steps in with his left foot, and with his left hand grabs your left wrist, and then punches a right reverse punch towards your head. Let's make it a hooking strike as would probably be found in a non-dojo attack. Let's say the left arm is pulling you close, and he is a lot bigger so your range of easy motion is limited.

 

Think of your option of movement. You don't want to go to your left, as that is where the strike is looping in, and back is difficult because this big guy is pulling you towards him and he is stronger than you.

 

I think everyone would argue that going forward and to the right is a good place to move as it gets you off the line, and uses the opponent's energy of pulling you in, to an advantage.

 

So to get in the position to start the movement. Take your right thigh, and move it straight forward so the inside of your thigh is touching the outside of the left thigh of the opponent. (Remember we said the attacker stepped in with the left. Without the step, this technique will not work as described.) Once there, you will rotate counterclockwise into a horse stance.

 

Your left leg can swing back a half foot or so to your right, bring it to the front, or slightly outside the attacker's forward left foot. Make sure you drop your center of gravity as you get into your initial horse stance. Don't do the deepest, widest horsestance as that is for training. More upright with bent legs is best.

 

This movement is not part of the kata, but gets you to the point where you can begin the application which is pretty much identical to the kata.

 

Your block-strike combination will be slightly different. Instead of a one-then two movement, they go together. The right hand strikes up under the elbow with the ulna, as the strike comes straight out from, but net yet across your body. Perhaps the most critical part of the whole technique is that you do not rely the arm strength of your right arm. You use the body mechanics of your counterclockwise rotation. Remember you stepped forward, and then ROTATED into horse stance. Meanwhile, the left hand is reversing the grab by circling outside the grab (pinky to pinky).

 

The grab reversal can be done for four reasons. 1. the weight is dropped in horse stance enabling you to get under the arm. 2. You use your natural strength from your counterclockwise turn, as you step forward to get into horse stance to encircle the wrist. 3. Your right arm is beginning an arm bar on the opponent's left arm by striking hard and circular, one inch above the elbow. 4. prior to beginning the whole technique, your grabbed hand pushes straight down to the left (Slightly) with a palm heel. This separates the attackers palm from your wrist slightly and you exploit that space (and weakness) with your circular reversal of the grab.

 

When you are done with the arm bar, you should look EXACTLY as you do in the kata after the strike. The motion of the left arm in the arm bar is exactly the same as the downward block, except that it goes straight to chamber. The right strike is identical. Both are done together, not separate. When done fast, the attacker's strike never makes it near your head.

 

Now your right foot is pushed under the opponent's left thigh and behind his left foot. (Remember to drive your leg in hard on the first step.)

 

When you lift it, and start shifting your weight to your left to make your step, it naturally finds the inside bend of the knee. When you find it, you shift all your weight to your right foot stepping down, driving the knee to the ground.

 

In practice, please be careful with the knee stomp. You need to do it in SLOW MOTION and the attacker should NEVER, NEVER be surprised by it. If he is in a strong stance, and doesn't know his knee is about to be on the floor, you can do real damage. The only SAFE way to practice is for the attacker to voluntarily turn and kneel as soon as he feels contact. It is not a good idea to do this on the hardwood floor, as the kneecap can hit pretty hard. Best to do it on mats.

 

Please, if you teach this to your students, or show it to anybody, make sure they understand the safety issues and the need to communicate them as they pass it on.

 

This knee stomp does not exploit the natural bending motion of the knee. When your weight starts to come down, it is driving the knee in a direction that IT WAS NOT MEANT TO BEND IN.

 

If you do this fast and hard, it means SURGERY for your partner. So please be careful.

 

I would be grateful if anyone would give me feed back on this. Especially the ability to evade that strike. Please note that this would not be an optimal technique for someone who's strike is simultaneous with the grab. There needs to be the slightest delay. Grab, then strike. But no significant pause is required to make this work.