The use of Kata Technique – Section 3

Initial study of kata technique application potential involves using a standardized attack to learn how to execute the application in a given space of attack. While useful for a starting point it gives rise to the belief that this is self defense.

What happens in actual attacks, there is committed technique based on the nature of the attack.

Each individual is in the center of a sphere of control If an attack enters the opponents sphere of control with the correct angle of insertion it works. If the defender shifts either themselves or the opponent’s attack so that angle disappears it either forces the opponent to launch the next sequence of attack or presents a new angle of opportunity to counter attack.

This is where your work effort pays off. Moving from fixed attack to more fluid attack to random attack is a different skill acquisition on top of the initial application in order to accomplish the realization of the technique usage.

The following study of some of Seisan Kata’s openings is just the first step using fixed attacks as a research/development tool. I am exploring what I believe is the most common use of the opening section and basic potential in the side block.

Opening Seisan Kata 101.01 – The Old Standard

Attacker drives forward with their right foot and strikes toward you with their right fist.

Seisan Response - Technique 1. to 1.3

1. The defender moves the left foot to the center alongside right foot as that happens the arms cross before your centerline.

2. The defender then drives that foot outward into the left front stance. The arms uncross the left arm blocks to the middle side as a parry as the right hand chambers.

3. The defender then strikes into the opponents solar plexus with a right reverse punch as their left hand chambers.

This Seisan application works the interior line of Defense.

Breathing

1. Partial Exhale – Partial Exhale

2. Continuous Exhale

Force multipliers to consider

a. Makiwara long term study to develop a strike to drop the opponent every time

b. Crescent stepping to compress and then explode the movement dynamics to make the resulting block/parry stronger.

c. Perfect timing of blocking/chambering and striking/chambering to allow the body alignment to strengthen the technique.

d. Striking with the hard fist or the soft compression fist.

Where to strike presents an entire range of different applications for this technique.

Interior Line of Defense against a Right Strike
Opponents Solar Plexus
Opponents Face
Opponents Left External Oblique

The Interior Line of Defense against a Right Strike, offers another possibility to strike into their Left External Oblique and have the vertical hand canted to about 11 o'clock. This strike causes the opponent to bend forward. In fact if you combine this with the sucking block, the block draws them forward, the strike to the left external oblique canted to 11 o'clock, causes them to draw forward further, and then you can pop them with your left.

There are certainly other areas to strike, but I think this is a good sampling for this time

Opening Seisan kata 101.02 – Blocking that Sucks

Attacker drives forward with their right foot and grabs toward you with their right hand.

Seisan Response - Technique 1. to 1.3

1. The defender moves the left foot to the center alongside right foot as that happens the arms cross before your centerline.

2. The defender then drives that foot outward into the left front stance. The arms uncross the left arm blocks, to a point about 8” from the body which the attackers arm passes through, with a left side block that then slides back to their side as the right hand chambers. As the attacker is moving forward this motion draws them further forward than they intended with a sucking motion. This draws them closer to the defender.

3. The defender then strikes into the opponents jaw with a right reverse punch as their left hand chambers.

This Seisan application works the interior line of Defense.

Breathing – one continuous inhalation

Force multipliers to consider

a. Striking area is the jaw. While kata uses a standardized strike anyplace the striking hand can reach is a actualized striking area.

b. The uppercut works with the angle of striking from 1 o’clock to 3 o’clock.

c. Makiwara long term study to develop a strike to drop the opponent every time

d. Crescent stepping to compress and then explode the movement dynamics to make the resulting block/parry stronger.

e. Perfect timing of blocking/chambering and striking/chambering to allow the body alignment to strengthen the technique.

The sucking block is also used in our Bando short stick studies with the same principle and result, drawing the opponent closer for a following strike.

Opening Seisan kata 101.03 – Blocking that Presses

Attacker drives forward with their right foot and strikes toward you with their left fist.

Seisan Response - Technique 1. to 1.2

1. The defender moves the left foot to the center alongside right foot as that happens the arms cross before your centerline.

2. The defender then drives that foot outward into the left front stance. The arms uncross the left arm blocks, to a point about 8” from the body which the attackers amr passes through, with a left side block

3. As the block connects the defender uses the knee release to shift their body 20 % across the initial line of attack. As that happens they strike down with their blocking arm driving the moving opponent down.

4. ** note the following punch is a safety backup if the initial press does not succeed.

This Seisan application works the interior line of Defense.

Breathing – One Continuous Exhalation

Force multipliers to consider

a. The attacker is in motion. The defender using the knee release does not just block but blocks, redirects and downward presses in a fluid rolling manner. This redirects the attacker’s motion down.

b. The side-block press strikes down, with the bottom of the arm using the ulna as the driving focus, into the upper forearm about 1” before the inside elbow .

c. Crescent stepping to compress and then explode the movement dynamics to make the resulting block/press stronger.

d. Perfect timing of blocking/chambering to allow the body alignment to strengthen the technique.

This use of the block for press (osae) was inspired by reading Pat Nakata’s description of osae training with Chosen Chibana.