‎ Kobudo Kata...

 

 

Steven M. Franz‎  

Why do so many people run "made up" weapons kata when there is a plethora of Kobudo kata to learn that are not thrown together with no meaning, principle or purpose?

 

Top of Form 1

Charles E. James Because ... THEY CAN! Not being sarcastic or flippant but this way is way easier and if it is just for kata competition where presentation and such are used to judge then, why not?

 

Steven M. Franz Well...if anyone is passing off their made up weapons forms and calling it Kobudo then they are, in fact, lying to their students. I don't mind people making up weapons forms for tournaments because that is only a sport thing, not a real thing as I see it (and yes I compete). But, when I see someone advertising they teach "Kobudo" and I go into their dojo and see nothing that is actual Kobudo then they are lying to their students...but that's just how I see it. Personally I would never lie to my students.

 

Jon Poor Steven M. Franz Agreed! I've seen far too many schools give their student a weapon and simply have them mimic the moves. No knowledge of basics. OMG, you would have your students do basics for empty hand, why not kobudo! I've also seen kata with techniques that5 would NOT work if actually using the weapon for defense, etc.

 

Christopher Matsumura Rozek Good question. I agree with you too, why? I agree with what Charles said to except that if people are throwing things together without purpose or meaning I don't see how you could fair well when being judged.

Let's just avoid talking about the flashy "tricking" that people call kobudo competition and talk about more traditional competition. Because if we are talking about tricking, nothing matters, cheerleaders twirl flags and it looks all the same to me. I digress, to make your own kata, a basic understanding of the weapon, how to use it and what you are doing need to be there. Without that, there is nothing to judge and there is no purpose.

 

Charles E. James As to judging, I doubt seriously anyone judging kata competition actually use the understanding of how to use it and so on but tend to lean heavily on perception of the presentation with emphasis on what some call heart, i.e., yelling loudly and demonstration dynamic tension and so on but what the hey (you can't judge such things because there is no set criteria on such things, its one of those can't put it in a wheel barrow things)

 

Christopher Matsumura Rozek In the circuits I am involved in, a basic understanding of the weapon is a prerequisite. If you are a judge, your score should not be based on how cool something looks. If you as a judge have no clue about Kobudo, you should not be a judge.

 

Lonnie Kelley There are "flashy" techniques in some traditional kobudo. Maybe not any behind the back around the neck and up in the air stuff but there are jumps, spins, kicks, and other techniques that could help in competition while maintaining the traditional forms

 

Christopher Matsumura Rozek If it is traditional, it doesn’t have to maintain anything.

 

David Petrie Big Fish in little pan syndrome...

 

Michael Demeter We mix weapons into other kata All the time for fun. Ran Kusanku timbe last week. You get a chance to see the kata and or the weapon from a whole different perspective. Seunchin Tiji kun bo, Kusanku sai. Good times!

 

Lonnie Kelley I have done seuinchin as a sai kata and our style teaches a lot of our empty hand kata as weapons

 

Steven M. Franz Nothing wrong with that and I do the same thing as well as run the 14 Kobudo Kata I was taught empty hand too. That isn't what I am addressing with my question. I am asking why people don't just go out and actually learn Kobudo from an authentic source instead of making stuff up and then trying to call it Kobudo...that is the point. Now, that being said, if you are putting weapons in your regular kata and passing it off as Kobudo then that, too, is not correct...just saying.

 

Joe Sarlo Because most people don't train kobudo, especially in open circuit tournaments that look like circus shows.

Its also getting harder to find really kobudo/kobujitsu dojo's
Kobudo training is more then just wildly swinging a weapon around. Which you see quite a bit of on youtube.

 

Steven M. Franz But they can and should...that is sort of my point. There are actually a lot of good, authentic Kobudo teachers out there still today and there are seminars all over the USA on Kobudo as well. I am not expert on Kobudo, nor would I ever consider myself...

 

Joe Sarlo There are a lot more fake instructors teaching crap that claim to be experts.  They have no idea how to use a weapon or swing it properly, let alone judge. They look at a few books and videos and think they understand the weapon when they don't even know...

 

Kārł K. Wāgnër Because flash and trash sells.

 

Albert Mady I have attended and will continue going to seminars outside of Isshinryu. I have enjoyed learning. Kata and skills from other weapons , I do so because I love to learn but more so I have learned more about my own system, it truly bothers me that many have put the Isshinryu kobudo on the back burner. To each their own.

 

John Kerker Proper Kobudo training will open up a new world in ones karate training.

 

Dimitris Giorkas I started training in Ryu Kyu Kobujutsu a couple of years ago. I always was curious about using weapons in shotokan katas...
Trying using sai and bo in most katas is giving me a new side of view...

But I agree that people who want to be serious in kobudo should take the time to learn original kobudo kata...

 

Dojo TokyoMushinkan Generally outside battlefield weapons (sword, spear, halberd, bow & arrow), a lot of the so-called Ryukyu Kobudo weapons probably aren't that old. Likely most Kobudo kata were made up after 1867 anyway. Many Bo kata and a couple Sai kata are probably technically and historically "authentic," but the Tonfa, Eku, Nunchaku, Kama, etc., probably not. Oh, don't tell my Ryukyu Kobudo teacher I said that, though LOL!!!

 

Dojo TokyoMushinkan Steven M. Franz i do not disagree

 

Victor Smith 

Most of you simply do not fade back far enough, you are too young, be thankful for that.

 Back in the beginning of the American Karate Experience (the only one I can reasonably speak about), perhaps only Isshinryu was complete with kata and kobudo components as part of the art. And for that matter who knew what was also uneven.

There were uneven distribution of any sources. 

Competition was a point that a lot of styles used to build upon. And those who competed often had no kubudo at all. For example George Dillman was an early kata and kobudo champion. He worked at acquiring as much knowledge as he could, from many sources. Of course that was before my time, I just read the stories about him.

There were almost no movies available, Those who wanted to compete often used other forms as a basis. For example I have seen empi done with many weapon, as a black belt weapons form, Then, there were those who simply made up their own, often on their own ideas. And as competition moved forward, other styles moved in. For example the Chinese stylists had advantages with unique weapons, lengthy acrobatic forms, etc. Then there were those who built forms to directly compete with what they had. 

The judges frequently had been around awhile, often with no on uneven weapons skills of their own. So looking good was a component of winning. At no time did anyone have to prove their skills, as proof of what they had.

Some areas instructors did try to gain other knowledgably instructors to help them. But there were those who were also sold a bill of goods about what was ‘traditional’.

It was of course all over the place.  And individuals followed many standards, some true to their style. Some….

The time arrived where VHS became available. Tons of tapes came out, with no ability to really evaluate what was shown. Those tapes certainly contributed to a messy picture.

Then onto DVDs, The internet, FB and all the rest.

Many groups no longer participate in Open tournaments. Those that do follow their own rules, ie Modern Kobudo competition.

For myself, I never hunted for anything, but working with many skilled friends, had a lot shared with me. For example at one time, I was practicing 20 bo kata from a variety of sources. I realized no one needs 20 bo kata rationally, and dropped way back. Isshinryu has always been my core.

Then again some do not care for others, Often I have experienced it myself. 

Then again I am not pushing anything, satisfied to have shared with my own students.

 

 

 

An example of often how Isshinryu discussion goes.

 

Romney Taylor  again what stance is being used in Chinto ? you be the judge : )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw0T6jekfMs

 

 Grandmaster Tatsuo Shimabuku demonstrates Chinto Kata.

 

Joe Lembke He is so incredible to watch, transitioning stances throughout the Kata. Sensei Romney what are you asking. About?

 

Andy Sloane Tatsuo Sensei never did a strict heel-to-toe/shoulder-width apart seisan stance, but that is what he taught. There is a difference between what Tatsuo did, what Tatsuo taught, and what Tatsuo allowed.

 

Raymond Dickey His stances in the videos often look 'wrong' compared to what I've always been taught, but as another master told me, 'Do what I say, even if you see me doing something different.'

 

Andy Sloane Raymond Dickey That's one of the problems we have in Isshin-ryu: some people are more willing to be loyal to what their teachers taught and not to what Tatsuo taught.   ** of course to me there is no higher standard than what my instructors showed me.

 

Bob Cherone AKA - Point of reference

 

Mark Radunz Heel/toe/shoulder width was the beginner standard.

 

I was told of how Marines questioned him when they noticed the difference between what he taught and what he did. They showed him their Seisan, TS, said "Hai,  Seisan." Then they showed him what he did and he again replied, "Seisan." When he realized the confusion he did the beginner version, and said "Seisan." Then he did what they had seen him do and as he patted his chest said, "MY Seisan."

 

We were taught by Harrill Sensei the beginner version and then he introduced tests to determine an individual's Seisan. Some people actually did best with the beginner version.

 

Mine has my rear foot about one fist length behind the heel with the width being shoulder width.

 

Mike Baker Romney Taylor Thanks for your response. I thought he was using kiba dachi stances in the opening sequence for example during the punch, but I may be mistaken. Because I have been training on my own outdoors for some years, stances are not my strong point and I am trying to upgrade that.

 

Romney Taylor There are kiba dachi / shiko-dachi in some places , as well as seisan, however the way I was taught Zenkutsudachi is the primary stance , this might seem like a small distinction , but it changes the method of stepping and transitioning , and IMO, makes a big difference.

THE DIRTY SECRET THAT KATA WORLD CHAMPIONS DON'T WANT YOU TO KNOW (!)

 

By Peter Damen

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According to Jesse Enkamp, Karate Nerd of the famous website KARATEbyJesse.com, the snapping movements of many kata world champions are insanely impressive.

 

I agree with him.

 

For instance, Rika Usami, female kata world champion, has tremendous speed and kime in her techniques.

 

But how do these champions get that crazy snap in their techniques?

 

Apparently, Jesse had the same question.

 

In an article on his website titled ‘How to “Snap” Your Karate Techniques Like Rika Usami’ (http://www.karatebyjesse.com/rika-usami-karate-technique-s…/), Jesse explains that the snapping techniques can be compared to the sound of a cracking whip.

 

Later on in his article, he explains that according to Yoshimi Inoue, the sensei of world champions like Rika Usami and Antonio Diaz, three distinct principles provide an optimal technique, namely; speed, timing and balance.

 

Jesse then tells at the end of the article that if you want to snap your techniques, you have to focus on correct technique (speed, timing, and balance) in order to generate enough power to crack your body like a human bullwhip.

 

Great advice.

 

Some time after reading this article, I saw an interesting video on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2WyOBRDNBo) where karate techniques were explained, and the aforementioned world champion Rika Usami demonstrated the beginning of kata Pinan Nidan.

 

That's when I noticed something VERY remarkable!

 

The snap that should come from the first technique in Pinan Nidan, a technique known as "otoshi uchi" (at 7:15 min in the video, and again on 7:21 min), did not seem to come from the technique - but from a slap of her right hand on her left forearm shortly before she executed the technique

 

Unfortunately, it went so fast I could barely see it!

 

In order to examine it better, I subsequently downloaded the video, and observed the corresponding movement frame-by-frame (see figure 1) and my suspicion was clearly confirmed.

 

While turning to the left to make the otoshi uchi, it is clearly visible that during this process, Rika slaps her right hand on the sleeve of her left forearm (red arrow in figure 1) before very quickly bringing her right hand to hikite and making an otoshi uchi with her left arm.

 

Incredible.

 

Subsequently, I checked a number of other videos of Rika Usami (in which she performed katas like Kosokun Dai and Chatanyara Kushanku) and noticed, after frame-by-frame analysis, that the snapping sound was often not the result of the execution of a correct technique (with speed, timing and balance), but the result of slapping the gi in various places.

Jesse Enkamp

 

When I saw this, I started looking at other top kata athletes on YouTube.

 

My discoveries may surprise you...

 

For instance, I found a video on YouTube in which the Vietnamese top athlete and former world champion Hoang Ngan Nguyen performed the kata Anan (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=362xQmlj1zA).

 

Using a frame-by-frame analysis, I saw that her techniques were often accentuated by striking with a completely flat hand on her karate gi.

 

This is particularly evident in figure 2, in which a number of consecutive images around the time point 0:49 min are shown.

 

In the sequence in this figure, it is clearly visible that Nguyen, before pulling her left hand to hikite while performing a shotei uchi (palm strike) with her right hand, slaps her flat left hand on her karate gi at the height of her abdomen (red arrow in figure 2).

 

That's not all!

 

Take a look at the following video of world champion Antonio Diaz (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxTMP5_kA3Y), which shows him performing shuto uke (knife hand strike) in kata Chatanyara Kushanku (around the time point 0:50 min). Look closely.

 

Antonia adds an extra slap on his chest before every shuto uke technique (see figure 3).

 

But the movement seen in photographs 1 to 5 of figure 3 is completely unnecessary, since the shuto uke is performed in photographs 6 to 8!

 

From a budo perspective, this is a completely irrelevant movement with the sole purpose of generating a snapping sound in order to create the impression that this snap comes from performing a shuto uke.

 

I think this is remarkable to say the least.

 

Undoubtedly, there are many more examples of elite karate-ka in the international field of kata that perform this type of slapping on their karate gi, and since the above mentioned people are at the top of the international kata world, they are obvious role models for many karateka. For this reason I have mentioned these top kata performers in this article.

 

But I would like to emphasize that these international players are obviously exceptionally skilled athletes, who have trained for many years to achieve international excellence in kata.

 

However, I find it disappointing that they use these kinds of "tricks" to enhance their performance, because they should not need to use these tricks. This is to say, they are very talented and can compete at the world top even without it.

 

This trick, slapping your karate gi, is in my view comparable to the loud exhalation many Shotokan karate-ka performed a number of years ago during kata competitions. Just like slapping, some breathing may be heard in support of your technique - but it should not be given priority over the correct execution of a technique.

 

Now, some people might think that what is discussed in this article is a distant reality, only carried out in international kata competitions.

 

Wrong.

As I pointed out above, these international athletes are role models for many karateka. They are admired, and hence copied, by local kata performers all over the world on a daily basis.

 

To illustrate this, I would like to refer to the following two videos, in which the same local kata performer can be seen in 2011 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tydAa?yXU4E) and a couple of years later, in 2014 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRzZSzhD9gM).

 

When the execution of these two kata is compared, it's clearly visible that slapping the karate gi has been learned in this period of time, from 2011 to 2014.

 

Moreover, even in the karate schools where I teach, I have to deal with students that emulate, or want to emulate, this slapping behavior. It's very difficult for me as a teacher to prevent students from doing this, since, as they say themselves, it scores during competition.

 

In conclusion:

 

I think the snapping sounds that are heard and seen in the above mentioned examples have nothing to do with a correct, fast execution of a technique or kime - but solely with slapping the forearm, chest or side of the body.

 

In my view it is strictly a show element, theatrical support, which I think does not belong in karate.

 

Moreover, it devaluates real kime - and this fact should be included into the final decisions of trained referees.

 

Judges should take due account in their assessment since it is clearly defined in the kata rules of the World Karate Federation, WKF, (cf. Article 5), that the "Use of audible cues (from any other person, including other team members) or theatrics such as stomping the feet, slapping the chest, arms, or karate gi, or inappropriate exhalation" is counted as a foul.

 

Kata is not a dance or theatrical performance, and fortunately this is also clearly stated in the competition rules of the WKF.

 

Therefore, I sincerely hope that this kind of theatrics will disappear from the kata discipline, so that I (and others) can concentrate on teaching the proper execution of kata, in which the martial values and principles prevail.

 

Finally, I hope that this article will motivate judges to assess kata correctly regarding the theatrics described above, and will give a positive contribution to the kata discipline of karate - which for many karate-ka is so much more than a sport alone.

 

 

 

 

Victor Donald Smith Everything old is new again, Way back in 1974 when I was a beginner, my seniors used to describe this happening to me, for understanding how the world works. I imagine way back someone figured it out as a way to pop up public performances. Not really new, but you can get new articles out of republishing old ideas too.

 

 

Jim Keenan For those who value kata as performance art, performance enhancers are natural additions. 40 years ago, one of the nationally ranked weapons competitors privately shared with me one of his secrets for bo kata. He taped cardboard sheets against his ribs. When he did his hits, they made a loud "crack!" Very impressive to the audience (and judges).

It's useful for actual martial arts practitioners to know about and understand how these things work. (They are show tricks, rather than indications of martial skill.) I can tell you exactly how to alter your gi to get amazing CRACK! on your gestures. I can tell you exactly how you need to alter your movement to maximize that noise. For me, though, this is all wasted and off the point. It causes people to focus on something other than martial skill and can create both short term bad habits and long term injury.

I do not practice or teach kata as a dramatic performance