The launch my my FREE Kata Lab Lite online class series has met with better than expected success. It seems you want more. So, I’m in the process of filming the next online course. This course will continue to introduce you to and have you explore the spiritual aspects of Kata. (See Endnote # 1)
Here’s a sneak peak at what lies ahead in my Kata Laboratory FREE online classes: (From “What’s Ahead” class video):
Curious? Want more – now? You can see some teaser articles and videos using these convenient links:
Remember to Think * Sweat * Experiment with Kata in my Kata Lab.
Try a FREE mini Kata Lab Course – Kata Analysis Using Time As A 4th Dimension Of Distance. Very innovative, exciting all for FREE in the comfort of your own home, using your system’s kata! Enroll for FREE using this convenient link: https://kata-rx.teachable.com/p/course-1-kata-laboratory-introduction
Sensei John Szmitkowski
Endnotes: 1. I stress that kata has “Three Battles” or aspects, a physical aspect, a spiritual aspect and an environmental aspect. Thus analysis of kata, a process called “Bunkai” must be conducted on the same three levels. You may find more using this link: https://senseijohn.me/2013/05/20/kata-lab-101-three-states-of-bunkai/
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Our emotions are the most identifiable aspect of our spiritual state of being. Daily events routinely shape and alter our emotions. We can also directly modify our emotions from within.
Most of us seek to suppress negative emotions in the hopes that a positive emotional state will manifest. This kata lab uses kata to modify emotions, not by repressing them, but by acknowledging and expelling them so as to embrace a more positive emotional state.
Kata is uniquely capable of serving as an emotional modifier. The bunkai (analysis) of this phenomenon of kata is a foundation for understanding the spiritual aspect of kata. (See Endnote # 1) This edition of the kata laboratory utilizes my kata deconstruction procedure explained in Kata Laboratory # 2130 to explore how kata can modify our emotional state. It is therefore necessary for you to be familiar with the kata deconstruction procedure. There is a link to the article provided above and a video below.
I submit that certain kata, due to their essential qualities, are natural emotional modifiers. Examples of such kata include, but are not limited to, my Sacred Trinity of Kata (Sanchin, Seienchin, and Suparunpei), Hakutsuru, Gekisai, Kanto and others. All kata; however can be utilized to modify emotions. See Endnote # 2) The kata deconstruction technique provides an excellent platform upon which to construct bunkai (analysis) of the spiritual aspect of any kata.
Once you begin to understand the manner in which kata modifies emotions, you open the door to understanding the spiritual nature of kata. Emotions functions as the gateway to understanding this spiritual state.
I have created two types of emotional deconstruction techniques, the “General Emotional Deconstruction “ and the “Targeted Emotional Deconstruction.”
The general method is very basic. In my experience, I find that while this method is fun, it is extremely fundamental. As such, I have relegated the exact methodology of this procedure to Endnote # 3.
The Targeted Emotional Deconstruction is more difficult and requires more advance preparation than the general method; however, the benefits of performing this deconstruction protocol are profound.
In this type of deconstruction you start with an emotion, and progress through the kata deconstruction so as to end with the opposite of that emotion. The emotion you commence with would be representative of your emotional state at the time of practice. For example, assume that you have had a difficult day and are aggravated. To start the procedure, you would take the state of aggravation and expand it to its highest emotional state. In the example shown below, this state may be represented by an emotional state of fury. This step is crucial in so far as it does not repress your negative emotional state; rather it, acknowledges and expands it. This allows you to fully acknowledge the emotion so as to ultimately dispel it.
You would then identify the opposite of this state so as to target the desired ending emotional state. In this example, tranquility would represent a desired state opposite to the state of fury. You then deconstruct the kata so as to work your way through the range of emotions between fury and tranquility. The table below provides an example using the eight sequences shown in the deconstruction of Gekisai kata.
Example:
Targeted Emotional Deconstruction – using the state of aggravation as the existing emotional state, the following example starts with the emotion of fury and ends with the emotion of tranquility. The chart below uses the eight sequences of Gekisai Kata identified in the video example.
SEQUENCE #
EMOTION
1
Fury
2
Aggressiveness
3
Anger
4
Aggravation
5
Slow Burn
6
Calm
7
Placid
8
Tranquil
As you gain proficiency in this technique, you no longer have to perform the kata as deconstructed. Eventually, you can perform the kata within the traditional pattern and express the various emotions as you do so.
Kata Laboratory (Recommended Reader Experimentation):
The following is my procedure to utilize my kata deconstruction procedure to modify your emotional state. The within allows you to begin to experience kata not as a physical endeavor, but as a spiritual art. Using the table above as a guide,
1. Identify either your current emotional state or choose an emotion you wish to explore. Using the Gekisai example, let us use “aggravation” as such an emotional state;
2. Identify the extreme manifestation of that emotional state. Again using the Gekisai example and the state of “aggravation”, the extreme state might be “fury”;
3. Identify the extreme opposite emotional state. In the example, this state may be a state of “tranquility”;
4. Based upon the number of sequences in the kata you wish to perform, identify the same number of transitional emotional states between the two opposite states. In the Gekisai example, the above table shows these states;
5. Now, perform your kata, deconstructing each sequence. As you progress through the sequences, perform each sequence so as to symbolize each emotional state. To the casual observer, your emotional state associated with each sequence should be readily apparent in the manner in which you perform the sequence.
6. Repeat as often as you like, experimenting with differing emotions and different kata to see how kata affects your emotions.
Here is a video to assist you with your experiment in using kata to modify emotions
Closing:
Using my kata deconstruction method to explore the manner in which kata can modify your emotions has direct, positive and tangible effects. It also has intangible benefits awaiting your discovery.
you can use kata to modify negative emotions when they creep into your life;
you can increase the health effects of positive emotions by increasing them through your kata practice;
you recognize the effect your emotional state has on your physical self;
you begin to understand how emotions affect your overall state of being;
your understanding of the above acs as a foundation for your continued exploration into your spiritual state of being.
most importantly, you begin to practice kata bunkai (analysis) in both the physical state and the spiritual state.
Please remember, the mandate of the kata laboratory is
Cum superiorum privilegio veniaque (With the privilege and permission of the superiors)
Sensei John Szmitkowski
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First, the spiritual bunkai of kata does not refer to religious, or supernatural states. Rather, spiritual bunkai refers to the method by which kata affects internal non-physical process which include, but are not limited to emotions, states-of-mind (mushin, zanshin, nenjuushin and the likes) and internal states of awareness.
Second, exploring the spiritual bunkai of kata is markedly different from exploring the physical bunkai of kata. One area of divergence is that physical bunkai always requires a partner whereas spiritual bunkai need not require a partner, but always requires visualization.
2. If you fully understand the three states of kata, namely, the physical, spiritual and metaphysical states, then you can readily understand how any kata can modify emotions. For example, the translation of the kanji for the Gekisai Kata in our example can demonstrate the three states. Gekisai translates as “To destroy”. Applying this to the three states we see that:
physical state – to destroy your opponent in battle;
spiritual state – to destroy your own negative mental and emotional states;
environmental state – to destroy your preconception that you exist independent of your external environment.
Each and every time you perform Gekisai (or any other kata) you are simultaneously present in each of the above three states.
3. The General Emotional Deconstruction is performed as follows:
General Emotional deconstruction)
using kata deconstruction technique:
start with an emotion
perform the first sequence so as to emulate and reflect that emotion
after the sequence, walk a few steps in any direction, as you walk, be “mindful” of different emotion,
perform the next sequence so as to emulate and reflect that emotion
repeat until the kata is complete
Example:
General Emotional Deconstruction – the following example illustrates the wide variety of emotions that can be used in the deconstruction process. The emotional range is limited only by the imagination of the performer.
The chart below uses the eight sequences of Gekisai Kata identified in the video example.
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A dream is an answer to a question we have not yet learned to ask. Fox Mulder, The X-Files, (Paper Hearts episode, S4, E 10)
Background: Kata is always within you. In fact, you intentionally train to have kata within you. If a time comes when you are confronted by an attacker, kata rises to the surface and you can successfully defend yourself. The kata sequences that you instinctively use in your defense will vary based upon a great number of circumstances. Nonetheless, your training in kata will pay dividends in an actual street scenario. This kata lab explores that actuality. This Lab also functions as an introduction to the advanced concepts contained in Kata Lab # 4210: Kata Within You – Advanced. Experiment:
Do not pre-select a kata for this lab. Your kata should be as spontaneous as possible;
Do not “spontaneously” perform your “favorite” kata. To do so defeats the purpose of this Kata Lab.
As you go about your day be aware of the fact that your kata is brewing inside you, waiting to let itself out; At a random point in time (you may also use a timer as in previous kata labs), let the kata out;
Perform the kata as you require at that specific time. For example, in Kata Lab number 2230, you performed the kata in a “life and death” scenario. This time, perform the kata as your specific needs may require, examples include, performing the kata to rejuvenate yourself if you are tired, or performing the kata to “stretch your legs” and “get your blood flowing” if you’re lethargic;
The kata that bursts forth from within you should be as random as possible based upon your physical and psychological needs at the time.
Conclusion: This is a very basic kata lab to acquaint you with the idea that at all times, you are your kata and your kata is you. As you go about your day, kata simmers within you waiting to be called forth to help you through your day. This lab also provides a firm foundation for Kata Lab # 4210: Kata Within You – Advanced and for other more advanced labs that follow. This week’s featured video is
Bonus video from my new “Underground Bunkai” series:
Cum superiorum privilegio veniaque (“With the privilege and permission of the superiors”)
Sensei John Szmitkowski
For information on my “no-risk”, kata seminars, please visit the seminar page using this convenient link https://senseijohn.me/seminar-kata/
You’ve heard it in the dojo, you’ve read about it in books, magazines and blogs. It’s mentioned in videos on You-Tube. Heck, I even posted an article concerning the idea that “Practice makes perfect.” https://senseijohn.me/2010/07/19/practice-does-not-make-perfect/
Well, I say “Do NOT ‘perfect’ your kata!”
To ‘perfect’ means to, “make (something) completely free from faults or defects, or as close to such a condition as possible.” Kata is one “something” that it is utterly impossible to perfect. Consider the following.
First, let’s start with the kata itself. I submit it is impossible to perfect a kata. Initially, how is a perfect kata to be defined. Is it one that is technically correct, free from faults or defects? If so, then a perfect kata is one that is merely pretty and lacks any functional utility. It must be remembered that kata is a dance, the highest form of dance in my opinion, but a dance nonetheless. What differentiates kata from all other forms of dance is one crucial element. Kata has at its core a martial purpose. It is designed to facilitate self-defense (see endnote # 1) So, to consider a kata as perfect merely based upon technical correctness of the performance is incomplete. Surely, a performer that performs a perfect kata in the dojo or a tournament but cannot defend him or her self with the sequences and techniques from the kata is but a perfect dancer.
Second, kata exists merely as a concept. It is enlivened only through the actions of a performer. In so far as the performer is an imperfect being (as is all humans), the kata can never be perfected. As to this point, I am reminded of a saying from one of my instructors, “Kata is to be thought of as clay in a mold.” Even assuming, arguendo, that the mold (the kata) is itself perfect, the clay (the performer) contains individual imperfections. Through the performance of the kata, repeatedly subjecting the clay to the mold, one hopes to remove as many perfections as possible; however, given the nature of flux of the imperfections, this is impossible. (See Endnote # 2)
Third, as regular readers are aware, I steadfastly maintain that kata contains three individual aspects, a physical aspect, a spiritual aspect (the manner in which kata affects your state-of-mind, emotions and psyche) and an environmental aspect (the manner in which kata is affected by environment and vice-versa). When most teachers talk of “perfecting” your kata, they limit themselves to only the physical aspect of kata. By doing so, they avoid the most difficult aspect, the spiritual aspect. This aspect is difficult on several fronts. To start, I submit each kata contains within it a specific state-of-mind required for the performance. A full discussion of this point is beyond this article; however, you may gleam an idea of a specific kata’s proscribed statement of mind from the translation of its name. Examples include, the Kanto (Fighting Spirit) kata of Goshin-Do Karate, Taikiyoku (To build the body and the spirit) Geikisai (To Destroy) and Seienchin (Calm in the storm / storm in the calm). Thus this state of mind must be “perfected” within the kata – a monumental task at best. One’s mind, states thereof, including emotions and psyche can never be “perfected.”
In addition, even though a kata is relatively short in duration, it is exceeding difficult for the human mind to maintain itself in a “perfect” mental, emotional and psychological state for such a duration.
Fourth, looking at my environmental aspect of kata, two points must be borne in mind when considering the notion of “perfecting” your kata. It must be remembered that a kata was once a creation of its inventor. You can easily research the inventor’s physical characteristics at the time of creation. You may also discover insight into his general mental state (such as whether history tells us he was depressed, quick to anger, starving as in the case of a few post WWWII masters, or an alcoholic). You may not be aware of the impact of the creator’s environment on his kata creation. The kata would have been created taking such terrain into account. As such, the only way to “perfect” such kata is to perform it in its intended (read “perfect”) environment. Not sure? Take any of the various Kobudo oar kata as an immediate example. Most contain sequences involving using the oar to throw sand and /or soil into the eyes of the kata opponent. True, the kata can be performed in a dojo; however, such performance can not be “perfect” unless sand or soil is actually thrown and not merely simulated. Additionally, while you may “perfect” a kata within the sterile environment of a dojo, you may not be able to duplicate such perfection outside of the dojo, on uneven terrain, in clothes and shoes, with variations of temperature and climate.
So, if, as I say you should NOT “perfect your kata,” what then should you do. Let us turn to that great “master of Okinawa football” (hey, now-a-days, if it isn’t Okinawa, it’s not “authentic”), Coach Vince Lombardi of the Greenbay Packers (the team was originally from Okinawa and imported by US servicemen after WWII). 😇
Coach Lombardi once told his team,
We will relentlessly chase perfection knowing full well we will not achieve it, but we will relentlessly chase it and in the process, we shall find excellence.
Applying this to kata, I urge you to forget “Perfect your kata” and instead, “Excel at your kata.” To excel takes into account all the variables contained within my three aspects of kata. You can excel at kata regardless of your age, health and physical limitations. You can excel at kata even if you are not in an ideal mental or emotional state. In fact, I submit you should use kata to modify your dilatory emotional state https://senseijohn.me/2013/10/06/kata-lab-221-kata-as-an-emotional-modifier/ You can excel at kata in any physical environment, terrain or climate. By doing so, you will understand not only the martial aspects of kata and be able to defend yourself (with kata sequences) in the process, but also the “life-giving” aspects of kata. (See Endnote # 3)
So, stop accepting axiomatic advice and “Think * Sweat * Experiment for yourself. Don’t perfect your kata.” “Excel at your kata.”
This week’s featured Kata Laboratory video:
Bonus video: Here is a sneak peak at the newest video series “Underground Bunkai” which features my senior black belt, Sensei Jimmy DiMicelli, Go-Dan, Karate-Do NO Renshi.
Respectfully submitted, Cum superiorum privilegio veniaque (“With the privilege and permission of the superiors”)
Sensei John Szmitkowski
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ENDNOTES:
1. Within the concept of self-defense, I include not only the obvious defense against an aggressor, but also physical health, and mental and emotional health.
2. This concept is the same as a chapter in my Kata Laboratory Book that addresses my concept that it is impossible to perform any kata exactly the same way twice. As of this writing, I have not released a free “teaser” of this chapter. This chapter discusses the multitude of variables and state of flux referred to in the article in great detail.
3. I draw a kata analogy to a concept from kendo (the art of the sword), “Satsujin no Ken (the sword that takes life) and Katsujin no Ken” (the sword that gives life”). I submit that the same applies to kata; Satsujin no Kata and Katsujin no Kata.
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I am pleased to announce a new project – “Underground Bunkai.” Underground Bunkai is a series of articles and videos that will support my Kata Laboratory project. Kata Laboratory offers specific training methods to allow you to explore my three aspects of kata (See Endnote # 1). The Underground Bunkai project will show specific applications of the Kata Laboratory methods as they apply to various kata.
The approach of Underground Bunkai is unique. It provides you with insight not only as to the specific kata sequence analyzed, but also as to how to use that analysis to aid in your practice of the kata of your style of martial art. The videos will prominently feature my senior black belt, Sensei Jimmy DiMicelli, Go-dan, Karate-Do No Renshi.
Here is a sneak peak at a video that shows the concept of time as a fourth dimension of distance. A detailed discussion of time as a component of distance is contained in my full Kata Lab project (See Endnote # 2). Generally we think of distance in terms of three physical dimensions of length, width and height (see footnote # 3). We disregard the element of time, which is the fourth dimension of distance. The video uses the Goshin-Do Karate Kata Gekisai to illustrate how time affects distance. Enjoy.
Respectfully submitted, Cum superiorum privilegio veniaque (“With the privilege and permission of the superiors”)
Sensei John Szmitkowski
For information on my “no-risk”, kata seminars, please visit the seminar page using this convenient link https://senseijohn.me/seminar-kata/
My seminars are the ONLY seminars that allow you to pay at the conclusion, thus insuring your complete satisfaction!
ENDNOTES:
1. My three aspects of kata are: the physical aspect (which includes practical application of kata technique and methods to integrate kata analysis within your martial arts regime), the spiritual aspect (the manner in which kata affects your mental state, emotions and psyche, and vice-versa) and the environmental aspect (the manner in which the environment affects your kata). Videos within the Kata Lab project provide a visual guide to supplement the written training methods.
2. The exact concept is the subject of Kata Lab # 3130: Maai – The 4th dimension – Introduction and Kata Lab # Maai – The 4th Dimension – Advanced Concepts. I have not posted “teasers” of these two labs on this blog.
3. To understand the three dimensions as they apply to distance in the martial arts, let’s look at a straight right punch that starts in chamber and ends at your opponent’s nose.
You think of the distance in terms of an angle from your right chamber to your opponent’s nose. In fact, it is a three dimensional path described by the angle as follows: Length is the distance directly from your right chamber position to your opponent’s left side of the body; Width is the distance from the chamber position directly to your opponent’s center mass; Height is the distance from your right chamber position to the height of the nose along your opponent’s left body line.
These three distances merge into one path that is represented by a straight line, in the form of an angle, from chamber to nose.
Sensei John is now on Facebook, under – FLY FISHING DOJO, you are invited to send a Facebook friend request.
You may wish to view my other blogs – my fishing blog which includes my fishing journals and the interrelationship between martial arts protocol & ideology to fishing http://flyfishingdojo.com
and the Goshin-Do Karate blog at http://defeliceryu.com
So, you just finished a kata seminar with the latest karate-do Master. Long in advance of the seminar, you pre-registered and paid your $ 100 plus dollar fee. The Master showed those select few of you his or her previously undisclosed, “hidden” application of kata sequences. According to the Master, “You now know the final bunkai for the kata.”
Well, not true on several fronts.
First and foremost, the word “bunkai” does not mean the physical application of kata sequences. It means analysis. Analysis is an on-going process;
Second, what was shown to you was an application of a kata sequence. You learned. You did not analyze anything yourself. You merely mimicked someone else’s application;
Third, what you learned is merely a physical application of kata sequences. You have not investigated my remaining two aspects of kata (and by extension, kata bunkai). Namely, the spiritual aspect (the manner in which the kata affects your state-of-mind, emotional state and psyche and vice-versa) and the environmental aspect (the manner in which your surroundings affect the kata and vice-versa).
The second point self-explanatory and the third is answered by my entire 200 plus page Kata Lab project. So, lets look at the first point. To aid my answer, I would like to once again “invite” the eminent physicist Dr. Richard Feynman into my Kata Lab. (See Endnote # 1).
Dr. Feynman once observed:
An experiment that confirms your theory does not prove that it is right, only that it is simply not proved wrong. It can never be proved right. Because in the future there could be a wider range of experiments that proves your theory wrong.* So, we are never sure we are right. We can only ever be sure we are not wrong.
* (reference was made to Newton’s law of planetary motion which was accepted correct until 100 years later when the planet Mercury’s motion proved it wrong).
So, for your seminar fee, what exactly did you get in terms of bunkai (analysis of kata)? You received something (see point two) that is not only inconclusive (see point three), but also, temporary, momentary and subject to change. Dr. Feynman would say you were shown an application that, for now, is “not wrong”.
How is this so?
The application you were shown is based upon the Master’s understanding of the kata sequences. This understanding factors in his or her physical limitations and abilities. Your use of the application is affected by your own physical capabilities and skills (which differ from those of the Master). Based upon your own individual characteristics the Master’s application may be utterly useless to you. Unless, of course, you, “Just keep practicing, one day you’ll get it right.” Even if you are able to perform the application, as your physical health changes your ability to perform that application will change. Thus what you learned as, ahem, “bunkai” needs to be revisited. If you do not revisit the application and make necessary adjustments, including finding an entirely new application, you will reach a point of stagnation. “I could perform this application in my younger days, or when my knees weren’t so bad.” Such statements are ridiculous.
Kata is not meant to be stagnant. It is meant to be fluid. It changes according to the performer. An analogy is the “Clay in the mold” interpretation of kata. Kata is the mold which will form you, the clay. As each lump of clay is different and will change over time, the mold (kata) will affect each lump differently. As to bunkai (analysis of kata), I submit that Dr, Feynman’s observation be modified as follows.
A bunkai (analysis) that confirms your understanding (of kata) does not prove that it is right, only that it is simply not proved wrong. It can never be proved right. Because in the future there could be a wider range of bunkai that proves your understanding incomplete. So, we are never sure that our bunkai is right. We can only ever be sure we are not wrong. (Sensei John Szmitkowski modifying Dr. Richard Feynman).
Thus, there are no absolutes in kata bunkai (analysis). Any analysis is merely temporary. It is subject to the changing dynamics and needs of the individual practitioner. Your changing health, age and capabilities all affect your analysis. Your non-physical characteristics may have a more profound impact on your kata analysis. Your mental state, emotions and psyche play a major role in how you analyze your kata. (See Endnote # 2) Further, there is a greatly overlooked and often entirely missed factor that contributes to your analysis. This factor is the manner in which the environment affects your kata. The impact of terrain, weather, temperature and other such environmental factors cannot be discounted.
My “visit” with Dr. Feynman now concluded, it is time once again for me to “Think * Sweat * Experiment” with my kata. Maybe one day I’ll get it “right.”
2. Kata can and should be used to modify emotions link https://senseijohn.me/2013/10/06/kata-lab-221-kata-as-an-emotional-modifier/
and video:
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and the Goshin-Do Karate blog at http://defeliceryu.com
With family health issues and my relocation to New Jersey from Arizona, I fell behind in creating videos. I have finally caught up with a backlog of videos; particularly videos in my Kata Laboratory category. To better serve you and enhance your understanding of some of my previously posted Kata Labs, I added a few videos.
But first, I think it is worth to again share with you my most profound kata experience among one of the herds of wild horses that call the Lower Salt River, Arizona home. Enjoy
These videos represent some of the last ones filmed in stunning Arizona scenery.
The idea for the Random Sanchin Kata Lab had recently occurred to me while watching a chess tournament online. You can read the background story in the article “Kata: My Curse?” using this convenient link: https://senseijohn.me/2014/09/22/kata-my-curse/
I’ll soon be on the road back to New Jersey and will have more articles and videos (always filmed outdoors, in Nature’s Dojo). Until then enjoy and thank-you for following my blog.
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Sensei John Szmitkowski
You may wish to view my other blogs –
my fishing blog which includes my fishing journals and the interrelationship between martial arts protocol & ideology to fishing http://flyfishingdojo.com
and the Goshin-Do Karate blog at http://defeliceryu.com
“What becomes authentic (traditional) when you live in Purgatory?” (Chef Roy Choi interviewed on Anthony Bourdain, Parts Unknown: Last Bites)
Background:
There are those that feel that Sanchin Kata is “too easy.” Personally, after forty-three years of Sanchin, I find this a ridiculous statement. But, let’s see. In lieu of presenting a new approach to bunkai (analysis), this Kata Lab will offer a challenge. Before giving up on Sanchin (or Kata in general) as “too easy”, try this Kata Lab. As my father would say, “I bet you a dollar to a donut” you can’t perform the lab correctly on your first attempt. If you cannot perform this Kata Lab on the first attempt, keep practicing Sanchin Kata (and your other kata) just a little bit longer; another decade or two should be adequate.
Experimental analysis (Recommended Reader Experimentation):
You have one “simple” task – perform your Sanchin Kata in reverse order (stepping backward, start with the last moves).
You can cheat if you need – perform the kata as you normally would to first refresh your recollection of the moves.
I bet you can’t do it correct the first time you try it.
To assist you, I have prepared a short video (filmed at the beautiful Lower Salt River, Arizona).
Once you achieve success, try performing Tensho Kata in reverse.
For Future Reference:
I have an advanced, master level, form of this Kata Lab.
As to this Kata Lab you should consider the following points and use them for future reference in the master level Kata Lab.
The movements of reverse Sanchin are calculated or intentional;
Even though the movements are performed in reverse order, the breathing pattern is exactly the same, to wit: a step & single move, a step and single move a step and a triple move, a step and a triple move, a step and a single move and a step and a single move;
Given the above, of the three battles of Sanchin (physical, spiritual and metaphysical battles), only the physical aspect of the kata is changed in reverse Sanchin. For those needed a refresher on my definition of the three battles of Sanchin, please see Endnote # 1.
Conclusion:
You get from Sanchin (and every other kata) exactly what you put into it. If you consciously (or unconsciously) put in boredom, stagnation and dullness, that is what you will receive in return. You set your kata boundaries and must live within them. If you are bored with Sanchin and other kata, blame yourself. Period.
If you look at your kata with a wide open imagination, innovation and a pure spirit, you will always find more and more below the surface. Remember, the mandate of my Kata Laboratory – Think * Sweat * Experiment!
Cum superiorum privilegio veniaque (“With the privilege and permission of the superiors”)
Sensei John Szmitkowski
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Here’s a dirty little secret. Martial artists, karate practitioners and even my circle of Goshin-Do colleagues may disagree with what follows.
Bunkai, a Japanese term for the analysis of kata, is a closely guarded secret of karate practitioners. For a price (seminar fees, videos, books, etc) the purse strings around the secrets of bunkai can be loosened. So what is the dirty little secret about kata analysis?
Simple.
Anyone, even those without five minutes of traditional karate lessons, can engage in kata analysis. Bunkai is for anyone.
How? First you need to know a kata. A fortiori, anyone can and should acquaint themselves with Sanchin Kata for free right here on this blog. Link: https://senseijohn.me/sanchin-book/
Next, you need to understand what bunkai is. Karate practitioners often mistakenly define the term bunkai as the practical self-defense applications of kata movements. This is limited and wrong. Bunkai is defined as “analysis.” Karate practitioners, to their detriment, limit their analysis of kata solely to the practical applications of the self-defense techniques within the kata movements.
It is my goal to broaden the concept of kata bunkai to include omitted aspects of analysis. In their bunkai practice, martial artists tend to ignore two fundamental aspects of kata. These aspects are the spiritual aspect of kata (the manner in which kata affects your mental, psychological and emotional state) and the metaphysical aspect (the manner in which kata connects you to the environment).
My non-martial artist readers can readily appreciate the value of kata analysis beyond the physical analysis of kata.
In my over four decades of karate-do, I have observed the application of time spent on kata bunkai (analysis) by martial artists is roughly:
Physical bunkai – application of self-defense technique within kata movements – 88%
Spiritual bunkai – the aspect of the ritual that is kata (how it affects our mind and emotions) – 7%
Environmental bunkai – the manner in which our environment affects kata and kata affects the environment – 5%
Those non-martial arts readers that avail themselves of my free Sanchin, can engage in analysis from an entirely different perspective. The time spent on such analysis would downplay the self-defense application and emphasize the remaining two aspects. Further, once a karate-ka (practitioners) have sufficiently studied the physical aspects of kata bunkai, they must expand their study. It might look something like this:
Physical bunkai – application of self-defense technique within kata movements – 5% (mostly from curiosity in the case of a non-martial artist; for karate-ka, this is to maintain a “sharpened-sword”)
Spiritual bunkai – the aspect of the ritual that is kata (how it affects our mind and emotions) – 50%
Environmental bunkai – the manner in which our environment affects kata and kata affects the environment – 45%
I’ll post future submissions to illustrate the idea that anyone can perform kata bunkai (analysis) and guide the non-martial arts reader through the process.
Featured Video:
Until, then, I remain ,
Sensei John Szmitkowski
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Background:
There are numerous karate-do techniques involving any number of striking surfaces with the hands, feet, knees, elbows, fingers and the like. These techniques are combined with any number of stances to form a posture.
These postures are linked together in a cohesive manner to form sequences which are combined to form a unified pattern called kata. This is the physical aspect of kata.
Bunkai (analysis) is used to understand the kata. The majority of practitioners limit their bunkai to the overt moves and sequences in kata. The transition from sequence-to-sequence, posture-to-posture that occur with a kata are often ignored in bunkai.
This Kata Lab looks at the physical aspects of those transitional movements.
Kata Lab: (Recommended Reader Experimentation)
To assist you in the process of this Kata Lab, I have a video after the procedural outline.
Select a kata that you are familiar with utilizing bunkai to perform the physical applications of;
Perform the kata slowly, paying particular attention to the transitions between movements;
As to the transitions, notice the shifting of weight, body movements, and hand positions;
Exaggerate the transitions so as to identify and define postures within these transitions, define a stance, and hand position;
Again perform the kata slowly, this time inserting the transitional postures into the kata as if they themselves were overt moves;
Perform the kata full speed, once again, insert the hidden postures into the kata as if they were overt moves. Does the kata maintain it’s “flow” when performed in this manner? If so, then your identification of the hidden postures was accurate.
Analyze the kata transitional positions with a partner, pay particular attention to your previous analysis to determine the extent to which the transitional postures enrich your application. The transitions should allow you to see new self-defense application possibilities.
Closing:
Including the transitional postures in your bunkai (analysis) of kata will enrich your understanding of the application of the physical movements. You will begin to see new possibilities. Better still you will see self-defense possibilities that those who do no analyze the transitions will be ignorant of. Thus, your arsenal of defensive possibilities surpasses theirs.
Additionally, the understanding of the physical aspect of the transitional movements will begin to foster a desire to understand the transitional postures from a spiritual (psychological, emotional and stat-of-mind) aspect and a metaphysical (the manner in which the kata connects you to the environment) aspect.
Please remember, the mandate of the kata laboratory is
Cum superiorum privilegio veniaque (With the privilege and permission of the superiors)
Sensei John Szmitkowski
If you enjoyed this Kata Lab, please visit the online store to help fund more kata experiments.
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Background:
I thought it would be interesting to take you behind the scenes into the making of a Kata Lab. I have already written many of the lab “experiments,” my training is a continuing, daily process. Therefore all lab experiments can never truly be written; many remain unwritten and pending discovery.
Recently, I had an idea that led to a new addition to my Kata Lab syllabus. The working title is “Blink-Of-An-Eye Bunkai.” Here’s how this future Kata Lab submission developed. I’ll outline the general process and then provide the working example of how training Ananku Kata led to the development of the Blink-Of-An-Eye Kata Lab.
Sensei John’s Kata Laboratory Development Process:
Step One: Train!
Without exception all Kata Labs, in fact all posts on this blog, begin with kata training. It is utterly impossible to create a kata lab sitting idly at the computer. There must be daily, even hourly, kata training. I regularly take a ten to fifteen minute “kata-break” from my work routine.
I always have a clipboard loaded with blank paper and index cards, a voice recorder and sometimes, even my laptop handy.
As kata training is for the sake of training and not writing, I do not develop an idea during such sessions. Rather, I simply spontaneously record something that I may notice about a particular kata or an idea that may simply pop into my mind. These notations are either a few words or a sentence or two. After the session, I pin the index card to a large cork board for future development.
Working Example: I was performing the Goshin-Do Karate-Do (hereinafter “GDK-D”) Ananku Kata. A thought came to mind. I grabbed my clipboard, made a brief note on an index card and continued training. The thought pertained to the transitional stages that occur in the first four moves of Ananku Kata. These transitions from one kata move to the next contain brief, almost hidden, postures. These brief postures are worthy of bunkai (analysis). The movements are described in Endnote # 2 and # 3. There is also a video below.
Step Two: Think & Sweat:
Prior to a training session, I’ll look over my note cards. Some more than others tend to grab my attention. These notes stay at the forefront of my thoughts as I practice. If any ideas develop from the brief notes they are written down. Over time, I hope that the idea developed from one specific kata will ripen into a generalized concept that applies to any kata.
Working example: Intrigued by my notes on hidden postures in transitional moves, I practice my kata very slowly, paying particular attention to the transition from one kata movement to the next. An awareness as to postures that result from the combination of body shifting, hand and foot postures occur when moving from one kata movement to the next. These postures occur very briefly, in the blink-of-an-eye. They occur so quickly that they may not even be postures in the truest sense of the word. As they occur within the “blink-of-an-eye” practitioners are not even aware of their existence. No attention at all is paid to them. They are often ignored in in both kata and kata bunkai (analysis) in favor of the more overt or apparent kata movements.
Step Three: Experiment:
Now that I have developed a concept, I must determine how it relates to kata outside the GDK-D curriculum. If the concept does not apply to a broad based audience, it cannot become a Kata Lab topic.
I am fortunate to have been exposed to kata from styles of karate-do other than GDK-D, most notably Goju-Ryu and some Matsumura Shorin-ryu kata. In addition, I have learned fifteen kobu-do kata (Matayoshi-Ryu, Yamani-Ryu and Uefuichiku Kata). I use this kata base to test the concept developed with the GDK-D Kata.
It is at this stage that the overall kata laboratory starts to take shape. Through these extraneous kata (including the kobudo kata) I strive to find a procedure for anyone to analyze my concept using the kata of their particular style of karate-do.
Working example: I begin to slowly and methodically practice the kata outside of the GDK-D system. Again I pay particular attention to postures that occur when moving from one kata movement to the next. With this particular kata lab, kobudo kata with the bo were extremely helpful. I can only speculate that the length of the bo, which magnifies hand movements exponentially under normal circumstances, helped to intensify the effect of these hidden postures.
Step Four: Design a Practice Procedure For Others To Follow
I document the steps that any kata practitioner can use to analyze their own specific kata and still be able to understand the overall concept and subject of the Kata Lab. I also consider whether a video would be helpful to the reader. If so, production on the video begins.
Working example:
Here is the video I produced as a companion to the “Blink-Of-An-Eye Bunkai” Kata Lab.
Step Five: Administrative Matters Of Writing a Kata Lab
Now is the time to write up the Kata Lab itself. This process is similar to writing a monthly lesson plan for the Dojo where each class is designed to form a cohesive whole. The Kata Lab must be given a name which conveys the subject of the lab. Hopefully, the name of the lab will contain a catch-phrase that makes it easy to remember. Once the lab is written it must be fit within the overall kata lab syllabus. The numbering of the Kata Lab is determined from this step.
Working example: With continued practice and thought, I understood two things, first, practitioners concentrate bunkai (analysis) on the overt, apparent moves of the kata, not in the transitional postures and second, these postures occur so briefly (in the blink-of-an-eye) that they were hardly present at all. So, how to convince practitioners that movements that occur in the “blink-of-an-eye” are worthy of bunkai (analysis)? Simple. I’ll use a phrase that was embedded into my psyche throughout my training in the GDK-D style.
According to Shihan Thomas DeFelice, Ku-dan (9th degree black belt) Karate-Do No Hanshi, Goshin-Do Karate-Do,
“Life and death in the street occurs in the blink-of-an-eye.”
Thus, if the above was correct, it is logical and necessary that our bunkai (analysis) must extend to the kata movements that also occur in the blink of an eye. For, surely, if one’s own life depended upon such a brief interval, then one’s analytical attention must be drawn to it.
Step Five: Finished
If all is done correctly, a Kata Lab that a reader can practice themselves has developed and been uploaded to my blog. A reader can use the Kata Lab to assist his or her own kata experience. Better still, the reader may desire to use the Kata Lab as part of a class within their Dojo.
And that is how the forthcoming “Blink-Of-An-Eye” kata lab came to be. Look for it to be posted in a short time. Once posted, I will provide a link here.
Step Six: Oops, Not Quite Finished:
The last step is to extend, if possible, the Kata Lab into the remaining aspects of bunkai. You may recall that I submit that there are three aspects to kata and that bunkai (analysis) must extend to those aspects. The three aspects are the physical aspect (combat applications), the spiritual aspect (state-of-mind, emotional and psychological concepts) and metaphysical aspect (the performer’s connection with his natural environment).
Working example: The “Blink-Of-An-Eye” Kata Lab above is a physical Kata Lab. My next task is to extend the “Blink-Of-An-Eye concept to the spiritual and metaphysical aspects of kata. And, so, the entire process begins anew, again. And, again. And, again.
Please remember, the mandate of the kata laboratory is
Cum superiorum privilegio veniaque (With the privilege and permission of the superiors)
Sensei John Szmitkowski
If you enjoy this Kata Lab, help fund more with one of our unique products encouraging you to “Think * Sweat * Experiment” with kata.
1. Dr, Frank N. Furter (The Rocky Horror Picture Show)
2. The first four overt movements of the GDK Ananku Kata are (facing North) in ready posture (you may also refer to the above video):
pivot West to a cat stance, raise hands to the challenge position;
pivot East to a cat stance, raise hands to the challenge position;
mawate 180 degrees facing West to a left front stance with a left open middle block followed by two punches to the solar plexus;
mawate 180 degrees facing East to a right front stance with a right open middle block followed by two punches to the solar plexus;
3. The brief, hidden postures that came to mind are (You may also again refer to the above video):
pivot West to a cat stance, raise hands to the challenge position;
First hidden posture: as you begin the next move, you rotate back to North with both open hands lowered as in hache-dache position, then you continue to
pivot East to a cat stance, raise hands to the challenge position;
Second hidden posture: as you prepare to pivot, you look over your left shoulder to West, transfer your weight from your left leg to your right leg, lower your left open hand and bring to your right open hand to semi-center line (to cover your left middle block) – equals: a left cat-stance-like posture with left hand low, right shoulder height*
mawate 180 degrees facing West to a left front stance with a left open middle block followed by two punches to the solar plexus;
Third hidden posture: as you prepare to pivot, you look over your right shoulder to East, transfer your weight from to your left leg, lower your right open hand and bring to your left open hand to semi-center line (to cover your left middle block) – equals: a right cat-stance-like posture with left hand low, right shoulder height*
mawate 180 degrees facing East to a right front stance with a right open middle block followed by two punches to the solar plexus;
* the exact stance that is inferred in the posture depends on how far the front foot is retracted in relation to the rear foot, full retraction with feet touching (an implied heisuko-dache, ready stance), partially back (an implied kokutsu-dache, back stance), no retractions (an implied rear-leaning stance).
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In that instant, you must not only execute the physical techniques of self-defense, more importantly, you must be able to psychologically transform your mental state. You must instantaneously be able to convert from your mental state immediately prior to the attack to a life-or-death mental attitude; in less time than a beat of your own heart.
In the fictional story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the mild mannered Dr. Henry Jekyll used a potion to transform himself into his antithesis, Mr. Hyde. Similarly, in an attack scenario, you must be able to transform from your mental state prior to an attack, a Dr. Jekyll state, to a mental state of self-preservation (at all costs if necessary), a Mr. Hyde state.
Unlike the fictional Dr. Jekyll, there is no potion you can take advantage of to facilitate this transformation.
Or, is there?
Subject to one caveat, I submit that the transformative potion is kata. The sole caveat is that, like the experiments of Dr. Jekyll, you must experiment and develop a protocol for the transformation. For almost four and a half decades, I have already experimented. The result is this kata laboratory.
Kata Lab Experiment: (Recommended Reader Experimentation)
I suggest you keep the following preliminarily notes in mind,
This lab works best with a partner; however, if one is not available, a timing device with an alarm may be substituted;
This lab should NOT be part of a formal karate class (as physical energy levels & emotional acuity in class should be already be elevated, such time is not appropriate);
You may wish to preselect a kata to perform prior to commencing. With practice, you can have your partner call out a specific kata to perform as part of his/her command. This will add to the elements of surprise, spontaneity and transformation. Eventually, the performance of a specific kata should be completely spontaneous based upon your attendant circumstances and environment.
As to environment, same may dictate that your kata be performed using my deconstruction technique (please see above precursor reading). For example, if you are in a closet or tight space when your partner gives the command, or the alarm goes off, perform the kata in that space! What? You don’t think you can be attacked in an elevator, or other tight environment?!
Procedure For Practice:
Prior to beginning, ask a partner to arbitrarily give a command for you to perform a kata. (if a partner is not available, arbitrarily set an alarm on a timing device);
Go about your normal routine (but do not practice karate), talk, walk, read, play, anything but karate-do training. Do not confine yourself to one room. Go about a “normal” routine. During this time, do not anticipate the command to start kata. Rather, maintain your usual relaxed state of mind (the Dr, Jekyll state). Thus, the more distracting the activity prior to kata, the better;
When the command is given (or the alarm sounds), immediately begin your kata as if your life depended on overcoming an attacker. In the blink of an eye, you must transform your mental state into one of “kill-or-be-killed” (the Mr. Hyde state) Again, environment may require that the kata be deconstructed or pattern otherwise adjusted;
Once your kata is finished, you must have accomplished your goal of surviving the attack. Then, after assuring yourself that all threats have been neutralized (a brief Zanshin state of mind), you MUST then immediately transform back to your normal, relaxed state-of-mind (again, the Jekyll state).
Repeat the process of using kata to transform from a mental Dr. Jekyll state to a Mr. Hyde mental state and returning to a Dr. Jekyll state.
Here is a video I made to assist you. For your viewing enjoyment, it was filmed in the beautiful Lost Dutchman State Park and Lower Salt River, both in Arizona.
Benefits of performing kata as Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde:
This kata laboratory is designed to foster an immediate transformation to a defense-orientated combative state of mind. Without such an attendant state of mind, physical technique is quasi-impotent. Therefore, like the involuntary adrenaline induced reflexive “fight or flight” response, you must be able to transform your mental state. You must then be able to transform out of the defensive state and return to your default state of mind. With diligent practice, you can gain proficiency in this transformation.
Closing:
Using kata as a transformative potion to modify and shape your state of mind is a fundamental concept to my ideology of Jiriki Kata-Do (Wellness from within though kata). Once proficient in this transformation, the utility of modifying your psychological state through kata is unlimited.
You may at last begin to see not only the life-taking (Satsugen No Kata) properties of kata, but also the life-giving (Katsugen No Kata) properties as well. Maybe.
Please remember, the mandate of the kata laboratory is
Cum superiorum privilegio veniaque (With the privilege and permission of the superiors)
Sensei John Szmitkowski
For information on my “no-risk”, kata seminars, please visit the seminar page using this convenient link https://senseijohn.me/seminar-kata/
1. Stevenson, Robert, Louis, The Strange Case Of Doctor Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (Vintage Books, New York, NY 1991) p.80.
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Had I mastered mere technique without theory, I would have ended up merely a simple recorder, mechanically teaching what I learned without creative development of ideas. (See Endnote # 1)
Background:
All too often, western karate-do curriculum teaches kata as separate and distinct from kumite. Many Dojo have segregated the two topics so that they are taught in separate training sessions. A typical example of a three day a week training schedule often goes something like this: Monday night: stretching, conditioning and drills, Wednesday night: kata night (which includes, basics, (possibly) physical bunkai and kata drills) and Friday night: kumite night, which includes jiyu-kumite, ippon kumite and kumite drills.
Rarely, if ever, have I seen Dojo that integrate kata and kumite to the extent shown in this Kata Lab. Incidentally, this Lab was standard procedure at my Issho-Dojo where the idea of Kata-Kumte-Ichi was omnipresent. To integrate kata and kumite takes work, effort, frustration and dedication.
The purpose of this Kata Lab is to provide a basic means to start the integration process. While basic, for the uninitiated, it will provide quite a challenge. If the reader applies determination and sweat, this Kata Lab will bear fruit. It will allow the practitioner to progress to the next levels of physical bunkai of kata beyond the ken of the majority of karate-ka.
Experiment: (Recommended reader participation
This Kata Lab is best performed with three people, two participants and one acting as a moderator. Naturally, all three should change roles throughout the Lab.
The two participants should face each other, slightly askew (not in a direct line) and at a greater distance than normal for kumite practice;
Each participant starts to perform either the same kata or each perform a kata of their choice;
It is IMPERATIVE that the kata be performed with the mental attitude and physical commitment as if your life was at stake! You must perform the kata as if you are in a real street fight!;
At a random point in the kata performance, the moderator calls out a command for the two performers to engage in kumite;
The kumite is limited to only about 30 to 45 seconds (no dancing or “sparring”);
The kumite MUST be performed at half speed and half power;
After the time limit for kumite, the moderator will signal to stop kumite – the performers freeze in place and in whatever direction they are facing;
The two performers then return to performing their kata, BUT they begin at the point where they left off and finish the kata (they begin in whatever direction they are facing regardless of the direction they started the kata);
Therefore, while engaged in kumite, they performers must be mindful of their kata, specifically where they paused the performance for kumite.
Keep in mind:
The emphasis is on the kata, not the kumite. It is for that reason that the kata is to be performed as a fight and the kumite at half speed and power;
The moderator MUST pay attention to the kata so that he can:
– insure that each performer re-starts the kata from where they left off;
– the kata is performed correctly
– as such, there is as much pressure on the moderator as the performer.
Here is a video I filmed at the spectacular Lower Salt River, Arizona which gives you the general idea of interrupting your kata. The video uses a “natural makiwara” in lieu of kumite, but the concept is the same.
NOTE: you may notice that due to variations of the kata being performed and the random nature of the moderators command to engage in kumite, the performers may be some distance apart. This will be overcome in the future by combining this drill with my kata deconstruction technique. Do not adjust the kumite time, if the two performers can not either close the distance or figure out an alternative means to engage in kumite (hint) the fact that they could not adequately engage in kumite in the 30 to 45 seconds is their problem.
Closing:
This Kata Lab is a challenging means of integrating the idea of “Kata-Kumite Ichi”, Kata and kumite are one. When one is performing kata, one is engaging in kumite and vice-versa.
The Lab also provides a spring board for more difficult kata and kumite integration using my kata deconstruction techniques.
Most importantly, the performers will be able to use techniques from kata in actual jiyu kumite. No more “Sparring combinations” that are not grounded in kata. Kata-Kumite Ichi.
While physical bunkai (analysis) of kata greatly improve, spiritual or mental bunkai will begin to be fostered. The proper mindset for kata will begin to take root and grow within the performer.
Please remember, the mandate of the kata laboratory is
Cum superiorum privilegio veniaque (With the privilege and permission of the superiors)
1. Toguchi, Seikichi-Sensei, Okinawa Goju-Ryu: The fundamentals of Shorei-Kan Karate. (O-Hara Publications, Burbank, CA, 1976) p. 17
Sensei John is now on Facebook, under – FLY FISHING DOJO, you are invited to send a Facebook friend request.
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Go – smell a pine tree; liberate your weary lungs from gasoline fumes. Go – find a rosebush and with unembarrassed lips give it a soft kiss. Whistle at a bird! Be the village idiot, Shamelessly human. (See Endnote # 1)
In my experience, most karate-ka practice kata exclusively within the Dojo. Their sole sojourn outside of the Dojo is the floor of a tournament venue. By remaining within these sterile, static environments, karate-ka deprive themselves of the most wonderful kata experience, to wit: kata in nature.
Practicing kata in nature opens the door to what I call the environmental aspect of kata bunkai (analysis). This aspect relates to understanding the connection of the kata, and the performer to the natural environment. Each (environment & performer) affects the other through the performance of kata. The environment affects the manner and feel of the performance. Conversely, the performer leaves his mark on the environment via the performance; “footprints in the sand”, if you will.
The purpose of the within Kata Lab is extremely simple – experience your kata outdoors. Experience, understand and absorb your kata outside of the sterile, static Dojo environment.
Kata Lab Experiment: (Recommended Reader Experimentation)
Select one kata that you will practice. I recommend a kata that you wholeheartedly enjoy performing;
Perform the kata wearing different clothes (unless you are outside at a nudist colony, PLEASE wear clothes). Ask yourself,
How does a jacket, hat or gloves affect kata?
Does wearing winter boots differ from summer sandals, if so, how?
Perform the kata in different environmental conditions. These conditions should take into account varying surface, atmospheric and other factors. Experience and understand how the various conditions affect your kata. For example, does your kata change when
performed in a park, on a grassy hillside?
performed when you are by yourself or around an audience (especially an audience of non-karate-ka!)
performed in a city parking lot with gravel, noise and observers watching you?
performed in the darkness of night versus the light of day?
Also consider how your performance affected the environment – did you leave footprints in the sand, bend a tree branch, have a crowd of onlookers applaud (or jeer) your performance, and the like;
As your awareness of the effects of the environment on kata increases, repeat the lab experiment with your other kata
Benefits of performing kata in nature:
initially, performing kata in nature prepares you to better defend yourself in the event of an attack;
allows you to begin to absorb the kata within yourself, wherever you may be (you are in the kata and the kata is in you!);
stirs the desire to perform your kata wherever and whenever you desire, regardless of whether you have privacy or not;
begins to foster an understanding of how you interact with your external environment;
leads to an understanding that you affect your environment and your environment affects you, each are intertwined and each leave a mark upon the other by way of the shared kata experience;
ultimately you are one intertwined with your surroundings.
Closing:
Practicing kata outdoors in nature initially serves a martial purpose – you may have to defend yourself outside the Dojo, in adverse conditions (ice, sand, hot, cold, windy conditions). Therefore, it is prudent to practice such defense in those conditions. Because of your experience, you begin to understand the impact of environmental conditions upon your kata. Eventually, you come to understand, via the kata, how you interact with your environment and it interacts with you – this is the environmental aspect of kata.
Consider this:
A lemon doesn’t consider
itself to be “bitter.”
A snail does not know
it is “slow.”
A skunk does not think
he makes such a “stink.”
An onion does not try
to make you cry.
Nature largely ignores
man, with just cause.
(See Endnote # 2)
Please remember, the mandate of the kata laboratory is
Sensei John Szmitkowski
Cum superiorum privilegio veniaque (With the privilege and permission of the superiors)
1. “Nature Lesson for Sheila“, from: Rhodes Dennis, Spiritus Pizza & Other Poems, (Video Links Media, Provincetown, MA 2000) p. 95.
2. “Hubris“, Id. P. 71.
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October 22, 2014: UPDATE: I filmed a video to assist you with this lab. It was filmed in the stunning scenery of the Lower Salt River, Arizona and a New Jersey snow storm. Enjoy
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Je pense que donc je suis. (I think therefore I am) -Jean Paul Sartre
Our emotions are the most identifiable aspect of our spiritual state of being. Daily events routinely shape and alter our emotions. We can also directly modify our emotions from within.
Most of us seek to suppress negative emotions in the hopes that a positive emotional state will manifest. This kata lab uses kata to modify emotions, not by repressing them, but by acknowledging and expelling them so as to embrace a more positive emotional state.
Kata is uniquely capable of serving as an emotional modifier. The bunkai (analysis) of this phenomenon of kata is a foundation for understanding the spiritual aspect of kata. (See Endnote # 1) This edition of the kata laboratory utilizes my kata deconstruction procedure explained in Kata Laboratory # 2130 to explore how kata can modify our emotional state. It is therefore necessary for you to be familiar with the kata deconstruction procedure. There is a link to the article provided above and a video below.
I submit that certain kata, due to their essential qualities, are natural emotional modifiers. Examples of such kata include, but are not limited to, my Sacred Trinity of Kata (Sanchin, Seienchin, and Suparunpei), Hakutsuru, Gekisai, Kanto and others. All kata; however can be utilized to modify emotions. See Endnote # 2) The kata deconstruction technique provides an excellent platform upon which to construct bunkai (analysis) of the spiritual aspect of any kata.
Once you begin to understand the manner in which kata modifies emotions, you open the door to understanding the spiritual nature of kata. Emotions functions as the gateway to understanding this spiritual state.
I have created two types of emotional deconstruction techniques, the “General Emotional Deconstruction “ and the “Targeted Emotional Deconstruction.”
The general method is very basic. In my experience, I find that while this method is fun, it is extremely fundamental. As such, I have relegated the exact methodology of this procedure to Endnote # 3.
The Targeted Emotional Deconstruction is more difficult and requires more advance preparation than the general method; however, the benefits of performing this deconstruction protocol are profound.
In this type of deconstruction you start with an emotion, and progress through the kata deconstruction so as to end with the opposite of that emotion. The emotion you commence with would be representative of your emotional state at the time of practice. For example, assume that you have had a difficult day and are aggravated. To start the procedure, you would take the state of aggravation and expand it to its highest emotional state. In the example shown below, this state may be represented by an emotional state of fury. This step is crucial in so far as it does not repress your negative emotional state; rather it, acknowledges and expands it. This allows you to fully acknowledge the emotion so as to ultimately dispel it.
You would then identify the opposite of this state so as to target the desired ending emotional state. In this example, tranquility would represent a desired state opposite to the state of fury. You then deconstruct the kata so as to work your way through the range of emotions between fury and tranquility. The table below provides an example using the eight sequences shown in the deconstruction of Gekisai kata.
Example:
Targeted Emotional Deconstruction – using the state of aggravation as the existing emotional state, the following example starts with the emotion of fury and ends with the emotion of tranquility. The chart below uses the eight sequences of Gekisai Kata identified in the video example.
SEQUENCE #
EMOTION
1
Fury
2
Aggressiveness
3
Anger
4
Aggravation
5
Slow Burn
6
Calm
7
Placid
8
Tranquil
As you gain proficiency in this technique, you no longer have to perform the kata as deconstructed. Eventually, you can perform the kata within the traditional pattern and express the various emotions as you do so.
Kata Laboratory (Recommended Reader Experimentation):
The following is my procedure to utilize my kata deconstruction procedure to modify your emotional state. The within allows you to begin to experience kata not as a physical endeavor, but as a spiritual art. Using the table above as a guide,
1. Identify either your current emotional state or choose an emotion you wish to explore. Using the Gekisai example, let us use “aggravation” as such an emotional state;
2. Identify the extreme manifestation of that emotional state. Again using the Gekisai example and the state of “aggravation”, the extreme state might be “fury”;
3. Identify the extreme opposite emotional state. In the example, this state may be a state of “tranquility”;
4. Based upon the number of sequences in the kata you wish to perform, identify the same number of transitional emotional states between the two opposite states. In the Gekisai example, the above table shows these states;
5. Now, perform your kata, deconstructing each sequence. As you progress through the sequences, perform each sequence so as to symbolize each emotional state. To the casual observer, your emotional state associated with each sequence should be readily apparent in the manner in which you perform the sequence.
6. Repeat as often as you like, experimenting with differing emotions and different kata to see how kata affects your emotions.
Here is a video to assist you with your experiment in using kata to modify emotions
Closing:
Using my kata deconstruction method to explore the manner in which kata can modify your emotions has direct, positive and tangible effects. It also has intangible benefits awaiting your discovery.
you can use kata to modify negative emotions when they creep into your life;
you can increase the health effects of positive emotions by increasing them through your kata practice;
you recognize the effect your emotional state has on your physical self;
you begin to understand how emotions affect your overall state of being;
your understanding of the above acs as a foundation for your continued exploration into your spiritual state of being.
most importantly, you begin to practice kata bunkai (analysis) in both the physical state and the spiritual state.
Please remember, the mandate of the kata laboratory is
Cum superiorum privilegio veniaque (With the privilege and permission of the superiors)
First, the spiritual bunkai of kata does not refer to religious, or supernatural states. Rather, spiritual bunkai refers to the method by which kata affects internal non-physical process which include, but are not limited to emotions, states-of-mind (mushin, zanshin, nenjuushin and the likes) and internal states of awareness.
Second, exploring the spiritual bunkai of kata is markedly different from exploring the physical bunkai of kata. One area of divergence is that physical bunkai always requires a partner whereas spiritual bunkai need not require a partner, but always requires visualization.
2. If you fully understand the three states of kata, namely, the physical, spiritual and metaphysical states, then you can readily understand how any kata can modify emotions. For example, the translation of the kanji for the Gekisai Kata in our example can demonstrate the three states. Gekisai translates as “To destroy”. Applying this to the three states we see that:
physical state – to destroy your opponent in battle;
spiritual state – to destroy your own negative mental and emotional states;
environmental state – to destroy your preconception that you exist independent of your external environment.
Each and every time you perform Gekisai (or any other kata) you are simultaneously present in each of the above three states.
3. The General Emotional Deconstruction is performed as follows:
General Emotional deconstruction)
using kata deconstruction technique:
start with an emotion
perform the first sequence so as to emulate and reflect that emotion
after the sequence, walk a few steps in any direction, as you walk, be “mindful” of different emotion,
perform the next sequence so as to emulate and reflect that emotion
repeat until the kata is complete
Example:
General Emotional Deconstruction – the following example illustrates the wide variety of emotions that can be used in the deconstruction process. The emotional range is limited only by the imagination of the performer.
The chart below uses the eight sequences of Gekisai Kata identified in the video example.
Kata To Modify Emotions – Filmed in the scenic Superstition Mountains, Arizona, his video uses Gekisai Kata to demonstrate how kata affects your emotional state: https://senseijohn.me/2013/10/06/kata-lab-221-kata-as-an-emotional-modifier/
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