Kata and Bunkai

Articles on USAdojo.com about kata training and the bunkai that makes kata necessary in the martial arts.

Willie Lim Classical Dimension

Willie Lim Unlocks Martial Arts Truths

Willie Lim likes nothing better than to unlock martial arts truths. He is demystifying martial arts, shattering illusions that many would like to keep...

Quest For The Truth – The Origin of Tang Soo Do’s Kata

This article is in response to John Hancock's article, Quest For The Truth : The Origin Of Tang Soo Do's Forms By Brad Dennison ~...

Taisabaki No Kata – The Body Movements of Form

By Dr. William Durbin ~ It has been acknowledged by most authorities, at least those who actually train in traditional martial arts, that Kata is...
Practicing Kata

Katas: Closing the Skill Gap

Although they are often derided by the uninitiated for their perceived lack of practicality, the katas are the key to ensuring karate remains a...
Kata

Are Kata Bi-Lateral?

Lately I have been involved in some discussion on why kata (forms) do not appear to be bi-lateral. If you stop and think for...
Kenwa Mabuni

Kata Training: Practice Kata Correctly

This translation originally appeared in Vol. 29, No. 1 of the Hiroshima University of Economics Journal of Humanities, Social and Natural Sciences. Translator's Introduction Over the...
Nagamine Doing Kata

The Function of Kata Training

History An elaborate code of movements of the arms and hands, and a flowing posturing of the body, "kata", meaning form, model or structure, uses...
Jou Tsung Hwa

Creativity, Culture, Power Plays and the Dao Of Movement

There are many fields of creativity in the realm of physical movement, but how serious are people in even attempting to reach the very...
Iain Abernethy

The Basics of Bunkai – Part 6

In this series of articles we've been looking at the basics of "bunkai" (kata application). The purpose of these articles is to introduce the...
Willie Lim Classical Dimension

Willie Lim: The Rebel Master of Kata Bunkai

Totally Tae Kwon Do magazine recently spoke to Master Willie Lim, a pioneer of the art in New Zealand and a revolutionary in the...
Iain Abernethy

The Basics of Bunkai – Part 2

In this second article, we'll be looking at the basic application (bunkai) for the knife-hand block or "shuto-uke". As we established in The Basics...
Willie Lim Classical Dimension

Willie Lim Kata Training is Outside the System

When I was training in TKD I was young and eager, an like so many others, interested only in the free sparring. In my...
The Pinan / Heian Series

The Pinan / Heian Kata Series as a Fighting System: Part 3

Welcome to part three of this series of articles. In the first part of this series we looked at the background of the Pinan...
The Pinan / Heian Series

The Pinan / Heian Kata Series as a Fighting System: Part 4

Welcome to part four of this Pinan / Heian Series of articles on the Pinan and Heian katas as a fighting system. In the...
Iain Abernethy

The Basics of Bunkai – Part 4

Welcome to the fourth part of the basics of bunkai series. "Bunkai" refers to the analysis and the practical application of the techniques of...

Kata and Pressure Points

By George Dillman ~ Kata can be compared to a song. The meaning of the song is stated in the lyrics and expressed in...