The following was written by Robert M. Rivers, 5th dan Renshi in Motobu Ha Shito Ryu. This is an okinawan perspective on how they break down and use each form that they learn. Please read the following and answer the subsequent questions...
Some Questions...
1. Does your dojang address these levels of understanding in Kata? Why?
2. If so, how does it do this?
3. If you do something completely different, could you describe it?
4. How do you think what you do compares to this?
Kata is taught in no less than three phases, each phase having no less than three levels of understanding (LOU):
Phase I: Kihon
1. Block (inside), Strike (LOU)
2. Block (outside), Strike (LOU)
3. Crossing hand blocks (inside), the end of the block is the strike (LOU)
4. Crossing hand blocks (outside), the end of the block is the strike (LOU)
5. Initial front hand motion blocks (inside), the crossing hand strikes, the end of the block strikes (LOU)
6. Initial front hand motion blocks (outside), the crossing hand strikes, the end of the block strikes (LOU)
7. Evasion is the block, front side motion is strike, crossing hand is strike, end of the block is the strike (LOU)
8. Evasion is the block, the stance strikes, front side motion is strike, crossing hand is strike, end of the block is the strike (LOU)
Phase II: Tuite Basics
1. Open hands are grabbing/ manipulating, closed hands are grabbing/pulling
2. ANY time either of my limbs come back to me, there is a pull (not in the sense of pulling something) of some type. Not just the chambering hand
3. Understanding of the 5 classic wrist manipulations
4. Centerline theory of Nikkyo
5 Compound joint principle; Tendon tightening
6. Elbow, Shoulder, and neck manipulation basics
7. Setting up the joint lock happens in the transition phase (around the crossing hands moment)
8. (Oftentimes) The joint lock is occuring between 0 and 75% of the apparent block/ strike. The last 25% is (at times) the strike to the target produced by the joint lock's sympathetic reaction
9. Lock Inside, strike inside (LOU)
10. Lock Outside, Strike Inside (LOU)
11. Lock Outside, strike outside (LOU)
12. Lock Outside, strike cross body (LOU)
13. The above relate to a single joint lock method, first typically being the elbow. It then shifts to be applied to the wrist, then the wrist accentuated by the fingers, and so on.
Phase III: Kyusho Basics
1. Understanding of Traditional Chinese medicine cycles; promote, over-promote, destroy, diurnal; and Western medicine basics- autonomic system, carotid sinus, nerve plexus.
2. Common strike points
3. learning the resulting meridian attacks of the points. Re-learn Kihon LOU minding the meridians
4. Single strike (LOU)
5. Compound strike (LOU)
6. Compound strike in the cycle (LOU)
7. Compound 2, 3, 4, 5
8. Using Tuite to expose tsubo (kyusho points)
Some Questions...
1. Does your dojang address these levels of understanding in Kata? Why?
2. If so, how does it do this?
3. If you do something completely different, could you describe it?
4. How do you think what you do compares to this?