Kata – The Textbooks of Karate?

I was doing some “Master Po” bullsh*te on one of the Facebook forums today (where they seem to prefer that sort of thing to genuine information) regarding why kata were like books which is why I’m now subjecting you all (now there’s a presumption 🙂 ) to this far longer ramble on the topic.

The question was basically, in this modern age of accessible information, whether we still needed kata to train karate.

Obviously this started the usual flurry of “it’s not karate without kata” or “kata are the heart of karate” and the “why don’t you just go and teach kick boxing if you don’t want to do proper karate!!!”

These responses are usually very vocal and usually from the hard of thinking who, when pressed on the topic (or any topic really), could not give you any reason why these things are important, just that they “know” they are because someone higher up the food chain once told them so.

However, that doesn’t mean that the question and these responses are not worthy of consideration and some thought.

You will often hear it said that “Kata are the text books of karate” and without them all you are doing is punching and kicking. Again, it is not uncommon to hear this from people who actually do only teach punching and kicking (despite what they may claim), this doesn’t necessarily mean the words are untrue though.

This is why we should be wary of writing off the cliches that surround karate just because of who said them, the fact that many people don’t understand the why of what they say doesn’t necessarily make the words themselves meaningless (just the context of where they were said).

So, back to the book analogy…

To say that “kata are the textbooks” of karate is a bit misleading, kata were the workbooks of portions of the karate of the individual who originally developed them. They can be like any current class workbooks, they contain basic information and worked examples of what they are trying to teach and spaces for you to fill in and demonstrate your own understanding and that you have learned that lesson in homework (don’t forget to show your working! 🙂 ).

If you then take that “workbook” and call it a “textbook” what you learn from it are not the lessons it was trying to teach, which would eventually lead you to being able to solve other, unlisted problems on your own but you are simply parroting the worked examples and calling it wisdom.

Worse than that of course are the book collectors (only in my personal view obviously).

A book can be a real thing of beauty, it has a look and feel (and smell) that are tangible but the reality is that they are of worth because of the lessons they contain.

Many people have a shelf full of pristine first editions, they must never be touched, or looked at, as that would affect their value. If you were to examine it you may leave your mark on it and that would never do.

It is true that some people place far more value on a book that has never been used than a well thumbed third edition with turned over page corners and sticky notes protruding from some sections.

This would horrify the collector as all the beauty of the original work has been destroyed but I suspect the owner of that particular work has milked all the lessons from it they can, and will continue to visit it for years to come.

Real kata is much the same, it has a lived in look and feel to it, it may be a bit dog eared in places but you can tell immediately you look at it where the important lessons, the relevant pages or just best loved sections are, and if you come back later, that may well have changed with time.

The collectors kata will fit on the shelf perfectly with the rest of the set, if you ask the owner what’s in it they will tell you “all the wisdom in the world” but you can’t look at them as that would destroy the beauty and worth, they just need to be admired as a work of art.

If you were to look at my bookshelf you would see a sorry old mix of examples, some of which are thumbed nearly to death, some of which are as good as the day they were bought and some that are covered in dust as they are hardly touched any more. Some are new and some are second hand, and none the worse for that!

My kata are pretty much the same, some are thumbed almost to death as they have been examined, notated, pulled apart and reassembled as they have been studied in real depth over time. Others are a thing of beauty just to be looked at (or as close as you can get as a 60 year old fat man with a dodgy knee and hip 🙂 ).

Sometimes I may even have two versions of the same thing (who would have thought such a thing were possible? )

And again, some are second hand as (apparently?) some people are a bit better at understanding some of the lessons contained than me (who knew? 🙂 ).

Following on from a couple of recent conversations I’ve had I would like to point out (in case it isn’t obvious to anyone reading 🙂 ) that the stuff I write is only ever my opinion.

I am not a “purveyor of facts”, my remit is not to educate and inform, it is just to entertain (myself mostly and others occasionally), however if I occasionally post something that causes the reader to take a step back to think something through that they have previously just taken for granted then that’s very much a result in my (well thumbed) book!

“There are no blocks in karate”

This has become a sort of mantra during the rise of (what is seen as) practical karate.

It is based on the fact that all blocks in karate are too slow to be effective, don’t reflect the way people actually fight in the real world so are useless outside of the dojo, have you moving in the wrong direction, at the wrong distance, with the wrong timing etc. etc. You can write a good and justifiable list of why there are no blocks in karate…and you’d be entirely wrong!

Obviously there is a possibility I am mistaken here (much like Capt. Redbeard Rum “opinion is divided on the subject” 🙂 ) but I believe that there are plenty of blocks in karate, they are actually trained as what we call blocks in karate, are trained pretty much correctly in traditional styles and are almost entirely misunderstood by those that train them that way.

Of course you have to define what a block actually is (in my world).

People will point out that the word “block” itself is a mistranslation of the intention and it should actually be “to receive” or “reception”. This is true, however it masks a lot of what is going on by ignoring the fact there is typically always a blocking element in the traditional “block”

What I refer to as a block is anything that provides a cover and interception of an incoming technique to prevent it landing as intended so, like much of what I train/teach, the term is a lot more general than is typical in the average “1000 technique syllabus” where everything has a name and a (very) specific purpose.

What can be missed in the traditional labelled versions of a standard block is that it is already a full compound movement that includes everything you need to cover, defend, attack and finish in the one technique.

You will very often as a beginner to be taught to “block” and then as you start to advance you move on to “block and counter”, however if you are doing this it’s because you’ve missed that the “block” is the counter.

In almost every basic blocking technique there is a lead hand that is thrust out or raised (which typically becomes the hike-te) before the step, either forward , backwards or at an angle and “block” is performed.

If you look at this in the light of how people fight “in the real world” this initial, high speed, throwing out of the hand very much mimics the totally natural flinch or cover you see in a genuine confrontation where you have been caught off guard.

If you try it against more natural and realistic attacks you’ll find it is actually very effective as a block in as much as it covers and deflects with very little effort, and, with a little practice allows you to catch and pull the incoming limb, giving meaning to the hike-te as an active part of the technique. It doesn’t require a particularly high level of skill or accuracy to be effective, just a willingness to go with your natural reactions and to commit to the technique.

If you look at this part of the traditional block as your “block” you will quickly see that all the follow up parts and body mechanics of the labelled technique are in fact geared to placing you in the correct position to apply a full power counter appropriate to the situation (rather than the idea of the “block” being so powerful it will “discourage your attacker from continuing” 🙂 ).

It also make sense of the distance and timing issues and maximises the effects of both your and your opponents momentum.

This is not new news (and I certainly didn’t invent the idea) but it’s surprising how many never take the step back to see the blindingly obvious, both on the traditional and practical side.

Traditional moves and body mechanics developed they way they did for a reason, they should work with your natural responses but should give you, through proper training, the ability to maximise your effect and minimise your effort.

If you take the time to understand the fundamentals, karate is actually very simple and is (can be) very effective, but in that form it is neither flash nor elegant enough for some, or clever and complex enough for others.

At risk of being pretentious, if you scrape away the “art” you will find the art. 🙂

Me Too!

I was writing another article of my musings on the differences between self protection and martial arts and was struck by a thought on a part of self protection that is seldom discussed but I think is worth bringing up.

This is one of those topics that can be very sensitive for some and to garner absolutely no sympathy from others as it is seldom taken seriously, despite the fact that it can destroy livelihoods and lives in almost an instant.

Like all good practice in life, self protection starts at home, if you cannot take your own self protection seriously how can you possibly hope to talk with any authority on the topic to others.

I have been following a number of threads on some of the less well informed social media forums recently and there seem to be a number of bright young things who “hope to be a martial arts instructor” at some point in the future, without any comprehension of what that really entails.

Not saying it’s not a good ambition, and you may be doing it for all the right reasons, just be aware of what you are really letting yourself in for.

Most people these days are (or certainly should be) aware of all the side issues involved in being an instructor from the point of view of duty of care and safeguarding for their students (and not just the children).

Some take it seriously, some pay lip service to it, as long as they have a policy filed somewhere and a clean DBS* check that’s good enough (and some just don’t bother in the hope it’ll never be a problem).

This is all well and good but what very few really consider is the topic of safeguarding for the instructor him or herself (but mostly him).

The reason I single out the “him” is that in the current climate particularly it is very easy to believe men are capable of anything and any accusation is readily (and pretty much immediately) accepted as true where as people are less likely to point the finger at a woman without a good body of evidence (I’m not saying it doesn’t happen but it does require more than the merest hint).

What you need to be aware of as a potential (or existing) instructor is the risk you put yourself at with every student interaction you make.

You need to not only have good intentions and behave in an appropriate manner but you need to seen to be publicly whiter than white (a laundry rather than racial reference before anybody asks 🙂 ).

This means that even innocent interactions have to be looked at from the point of view of the potential for interpretation, by either a student or a third party.

In most places the instructor is looked up to, in some places even put on a pedestal (although I’m not sure that’s healthy from either side), so it is unsurprising that occasionally a student can develop a crush on their instructor (or more). This is a real problem for an instructor and is not something that can just be ignored.

It may be flattering up front, particularly if you (the instructor) are young and pretty (or just old and foolish 🙂 ) but it needs to stop before it starts. Every piece of harmless banter, every kind word that is open to interpretation can lead you further down a path that can wreck your life forever.

It is a shame but it is true in the world in which we live these days that, as far as social media is concerned, the first hint of any potential scandal is absolute proof of guilt.

Even should it prove to be unfounded the damage will already be done, as far as the internet is concerned, being not guilty of anything just means that in the eyes of 80% of the world that you “got away with it”.

So as an instructor (or potential instructor) you have to set absolute boundaries on your interactions with students, never be flexible on them, and never take your eye off the ball for a second.

It only takes one word from even a well meaning student with a “Sensei crush” to destroy a reputation and a lifetime of work.

You only survive in the world of martial art instruction on reputation, once that’s gone you’ve got nothing (even if you are the best in the world).

It is a fact that is often missed by many is that instructors are only human too and are subject to all the same temptations as everyone else but if you cannot compartmentalise those parts of your life I would suggest that you may want to think twice about how much you want to do it.

As I said previously, if you can’t prioritise your own self protection how can you teach students how to do it for themselves?

Like I say, this is just an aside from another article I am in the process of writing (which may be a little more light hearted 🙂 ) but I wanted to get this down as I believe it’s worth thinking about.

(*DBS Check is a UK certification, it is short form “Disclosure and Barring Service Check” which should be a minimum requirement for any martial arts instructor, it is a criminal record check to ascertain if you have any previous convictions which should disbar you from interaction with children or vulnerable adults.

However, like many things it is often taken out of context as meaning an instructor who is DBS checked is 100% safe, whereas all it really proves is than they haven’t been convicted of anything…yet. Don’t have nightmares 😉 ).

The “Buying a Black Belt” Fallacy

It’s been a while since I had a proper rant and it is nearly Christmas (season of good will and all that 🙂 )

I saw a cartoon pop up on my Face Book feed today which caught my eye, mostly because it’s one I use myself quite frequently as it contains (what I think is) a meaningful message, however the words had been changed to what someone thought was clever marketing but actually was totally meaningless (the definition of “clever marketing” I suppose), however it did its job I guess as it attracted my attention.

Whilst this is just a crass piece of “traditional” propaganda designed to make one group look good at the expense of those around them (whilst achieving the exact reverse, obviously) it does highlight an extension of something I have discussed before.

The notion that in some places you “earn” your black belt and in other places you are just “buying” it.

This particular piece of marketing would have us believe that the general public are just falling over themselves to buy a black belt without making any effort (unless of course you are strong enough to train with them 🙂 ).

The reality is that the general public couldn’t really give a sh*t and that very small proportion who are interested in the martial arts have no idea what a black belt is other than what we tell them it is once they have expressed an interest.

My first response if someone asks me how quickly they can get a black belt is to say “tomorrow, just go into a shop and buy one and print yourself a certificate, it’s easy”. That is all it takes if you genuinely just want to “be a black belt” and, to be frank, from what I have seen of some training these days, you may just as well 🙂

It is a much discussed old chestnut as to what “being a black belt” actually means (Cue a lot of pontificating and general martial arts bullsh*t from people with black belts at this point 🙂 ).

The reality, in my own opinion obviously (which is no more valid than anyone else’s), is that the black belt has very little meaning outside of your own group and is just a measure of having achieved an acceptable grasp of the fundamentals of a style and how to operate within it.

The simplest analogy is it’s like getting a driving licence, up to the point of passing your driving test all your training has been about vehicle handling, rules of the road, how to interact safely with other road users and mostly, how to pass a driving test. Very few people pass the test as “drivers”, it’s not until after that stage you really learn anything about driving and if you were to see getting the driving licence as a goal and stop once you’ve got it as many do with a black belt, most people reading will appreciate how good a driver you will actually be.

If you training has been of any value then the level you have reached should be broadly comparable to the same level elsewhere if the principles of what you have learned have a sound foundation, much like learning to drive in one country and then driving in another, it may be a little uncomfortable for a short while and you may have to make adjustments but the fundamentals are the same and it’s not that hard.

Now it’s easy for me (and countless others) to say that the black belt is not important and it should all be about the training, and that is true(ish) past a certain point.

However, the majority then go on to make 95% of their teaching about passing the next grade, and the next, and next. It is hardly a surprise then that students see the acquisition of grades as the norm and the black belt as the coveted target.

What I hear increasingly these days, although it’s always been there (it was one of the first things I heard said back in 1977 as a white belt “only Kanazawa’s stuff is any good, the rest are rubbish!” and if you think about who else “the others” would have been at that time…) is that it is all about standards.

This should be true (although not the only criteria) but it seems to have become the defining call for any and every group, “we are very hot on standards, if you train with us you will only get the best, everyone else is rubbish and is just in it for the money”

Now, they can’t all be right (and by the same logic, they can’t all be wrong I suppose).

However over a very long time and exposure to people from many paths and backgrounds my experience has been that those who are most vocal about how high their standards are are by and large pretty well at the (and I apologise for having to get technical at this point 🙂 ) piss poor end of the market.

There seems to be an inverse correlation in as much as those who shout loudest have the least to offer and as long as you can make the right shapes on grading day you will eventually get to black belt.

I have a horrible feeling that most of these people actually have no idea how shockingly bad they are, they joined a group, they were told this truth all through their training career, they have never looked outside (why would they, they are already training with the best) and when it comes to being their turn they just pass on what they know to be true.

And that is the saddest part, it’s not that there are people out there cynically exploiting karate to make their fortunes (good luck with that 🙂 ) but people out there who genuinely don’t know the difference.

So the way I look at it is this, do you charge for classes? do you charge extra for gradings? do you sell belts? do you charge more the higher the grade gets?

If you do any or all of the above then your students are buying their belt (and it turns out that that is not the route of all evil! 🙂 ).

That doesn’t mean that the training doesn’t have value, it may be the best in the world (it may not) but the fact that anybody who comes to you only gets taught by you because they part with cash means you have no right to point the finger at others.

If you are shouting about standards without actually knowing what everybody else does perhaps you should spend some time looking outside and (if my experience is anything to go by) should certainly be looking in the mirror more often too.

Of course, if you already think what you do is “the way it should be done” (and I certainly think that way otherwise I wouldn’t do it like that) then the mirror probably won’t help much, but looking around and understanding the why of the way others may do something (rather than “we don’t do it that way so they are obviously wrong!”) may help enormously.

What’s the worst that can happen?

So, Why “Bunkai B*stards”?

A brief explanation (at least by my standards 🙂 ) of a group that I am co-founder of, along with Andi Kidd and Brian Bates. The “Bunkai Bastards”

It’s always going to be a bit contentious, using what can be classed as a swear word in your name/title but then, anyone who is too offended to see past that is probably not going to like much of anything else we say or do anyway (and so probably wouldn’t read this either) and so it acts as an initial filter if nothing else.

“Bunkai” is the big buzz word going around at present from those looking for more than is offered in traditional karate, although the reality is that 90% of what you see isn’t bunkai at all but “Oyo” (or Oiyo or Ohyo depending on your flavour). That is to say the bulk of what passes under the heading of bunkai are in fact drills and kata applications presented as finished product for practice of skills.

Nothing wrong with that, there are some very good offerings out there on that basis (and some less so) but how do you judge? (more on that later).

It’s an old chestnut and one I’ve banged on about many times but the term doesn’t mean what most people think it means. Bunkai in it’s correct translation (as related to karate) is to take apart and analyse, to look for a deeper understanding, it does not mean “application”, so typically when people tell me they are “going to learn THE bunkai to whatever kata” they really are not.

The skill of bunkai is to have a deep enough understanding of the subject (inter-personal violence) and a matching ability to see past the labels given to techniques and on to the principles of movement, body dynamics and strategies that kata can give you and to have a willingness to think outside the box of received wisdom.

If you can start to pick your kata sequence apart, or look at a physical problem, find a solution and then relate it back to kata, then you are starting to “do the bunkai”, anything else is just learning drills and techniques.

Now, I’ll readily admit that for 90% of those karate-ka who are looking for “practical” karate this is probably enough, they don’t have the interest to go deeper (that’s what they go to an instructor for) and are just looking for something that “feels” real and is an “off the peg” solution. We are really only targeting the other 10%.

Does that mean we have all the answers, certainly not, but we do at least ask all the questions. Many of our answers will not be your answers. What works for me as a 6′ 3” 16st man may well not (in fact almost certainly won’t) work for you as a 5′ 3” 8st woman. That is because, despite the way it is often sold, technique is not magic, but understanding can be.

So for the bunkai side of our label we are actively encouraging the development of the “bunkai mind” through guided learning, the setting of practical tasks, peer review and feedback, active discussion and (of course) examples from our own learning. The positive of 3 of us coming together after many years of following our own paths is that you get access to more than one viewpoint, which is essential.

The ethos of setting up “Bunkai Bastards” as a business, which given we take money off people (albeit not much) it has to be, is that if we do it right we should quite quickly put ourselves out of business, because if we are doing it right then you should very quickly not need us any more. We are sort of the Nanny McPhee of the bunkai world.

Now the “Bastard” side is probably easier to explain.

First and foremost we are using the term in it’s original meaning, in as much we are none of us the “children of any acknowledged father”, by which I mean we have chosen to not hang our flag on following any particular name or sensei.

We all of us train with many people, some well known, some not so much so, but nobody is beyond question just because of who they are, and that very much includes ourselves (in fact if you are not questioning what we tell you we are definitely doing it wrong 🙂 )

We also have an attitude (ask anyone who’s trained with us) that may well warrant the label in the more current version of the usage of the term. We don’t play fair or by the rules, there are not places we won’t go or points we will not pass. Again, if we were we would only be doing part of the job.

Finally, we like the name just because it’s a cool name that reflects the right level of irreverence for they way we approach things.

I’ve said it before and I’m not one to not repeat myself (see 🙂 )

“You can take what you do seriously without taking yourself seriously”.

If you are curious enough to want to know more go to:

www.bunkaibastards.co.uk