My Bunkai Examples

[Noah_Legel]

Hello everyone,

I thought I would share two short videos of two examples of my own personal bunkai--one from the kata Anaku, and one from the kata Chinto. No one taught me these applications, so if they are terrible the only person to blame is me, but I feel that they are relatively straight-forward, they work off of harnessed natural reactions and they work for me. Of course, these are simply examples of possibilities since bunkai is not set in stone and people will find different ways to apply kata based on their training backgrounds, their methodologies and their personal preferences. My training partner in these videos had never seen the applications before, and doesn't know either kata, so I was teaching him at the same time I was recording which makes it a bit clunky, and for that I apologize. Usually when I am explaining things to a group I have planned out everything I am going to say and the explanation is clear, but when working one-on-one I tend to get a little informal.

Let me know what you think! Thanks!

 

[Makalakumu]

Those bunkai are a good start. I think there are more nage and shime waza in those moves that would finish off the opponent faster, however. Keep working it through and keep learning!

 

[Noah_Legel]

Those bunkai are a good start. I think there are more nage and shime waza in those moves that would finish off the opponent faster, however. Keep working it through and keep learning!

Thanks! I would love to see video, or at least read explanations of what you see!

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Let me know what you think! Thanks!

Looks like the applications would work. Since you asked for other examples, in Isshin-Ryu, we have the Shimabuku Tatsuo no Kumite, which describes the wrist grab and counters to it (Item 1, a-e).

http://www.msisshinryu.com/kumite/

1. a. Left hand hold right wrist
b. Two hands hold one wrist
c. Left hand hold right wrist, from outside position
d. Right hand hold right wrist
e. Right hand hold right wrist from top

I am no expert - on my own style or anyone else's. Please understand this is my own poor interpretation of what I've been taught.

My observations on the wrist grab are that most of the releases involve working the weak side of the grab - that is, the opponent's thumb. If they grab with their left hand, you work to your left (their right) and vice-versa. This brings whatever technique you apply to the opening between their thumb and fingers, not to the back of their hand where their grip is stronger.

With that in mind, the Kumite described in the link above shows several simple releases. One is to simply reach for one's trapped hand and grasp it by the fist with the other hand. Turn away (to the opening of the opponent's thumb/fingers) and pull back sharply. The hand releases. Follow with any combination, from backfist to face to reinforced elbow to solar plexus.

Another is to reach over the top when the wrist is grabbed by two of the opponent's hands, grab the trapped hand by the fist, and pull up, while stepping in, and direct the rising elbow to the opponent's face.

When the grab is a same-side grab (opponent grabs your right hand with his left, for example), a release can be as simple as performing a middle body block - crossing the center line as we do in Isshin-ryu and then applying torque as the trapped wrist rises in the side block to the right. Unless the opponent is a gorilla, the hand should release. I've had a few arm hairs ripped out doing this - even very strong people, while they can apply a lot of pressure, don't generally have the kind of strength to work their hand grip strength against my upper arm/body strength.

There are other techniques or bunkai which do not necessarily concentrate on the release as the primary or first response. Assuming the opponent does not have the upper body strength to keep your trapped arm down (not a lot of people have strength holding things down - we prefer to build strength lifting them up) one grasp their trapping hand (trapping their trap) and one can raise trapped arm, go under the opponent's shoulder on the side that they are grasping you with. Either they let go, in which case you are free and behind them, or they permit you to twist them down and kick their face off.

One hand applied to the grasping hand is also good for finger techniques such as prying up the little finger and simply breaking it. You could just punch them with the trapped hand, either one-handed or with a reinforced punch. Stomp on their foot and release while they're processing that. I've even see a kiss used as bunkai to distract and momentarily confuse an opponent. Box the ear with the open palm of the untrapped hand. Fingers in the eyes, same deal. Even step in on them and give them an ichi knuckle rake down the ribs; they're not able to punch you with their free hand if you step in on them. You could step in and do a testicle grab and see who can squeeze harder, for longer.

As to the bear hug, I'm not sure how many people are going to try to grab you in a bear hug and not try to enclose your arms as well. I'll leave any comments on that to others.

I will add, though that, wrist releases and releases from bear hugs are cool and good to study, but I can't recall the last time someone tried either one in a real-life self-defense situation that I saw or heard of. I enjoyed your videos though, very much. Thanks!

EDIT: Oh, and not to forget the ever-popular application of the Seuinchin kata - the down block. Since we apply reverse power when doing the down block into the seuinchin stance, we can cross the free arm over the trapped arm, turn, drop into seuinchin and clear the trapping hand with a power tetsui with the free arm/fist, using reverse power. The arm that normally does the 'down block' in Seuinchin is the clearing hand. That's actually one of the bunkai we use when we do the front and back-side of the kata.

 

[Noah_Legel]

Looks like the applications would work. Since you asked for other examples, in Isshin-Ryu, we have the Shimabuku Tatsuo no Kumite, which describes the wrist grab and counters to it (Item 1, a-e).

http://www.msisshinryu.com/kumite/



I am no expert - on my own style or anyone else's. Please understand this is my own poor interpretation of what I've been taught.

My observations on the wrist grab are that most of the releases involve working the weak side of the grab - that is, the opponent's thumb. If they grab with their left hand, you work to your left (their right) and vice-versa. This brings whatever technique you apply to the opening between their thumb and fingers, not to the back of their hand where their grip is stronger.

With that in mind, the Kumite described in the link above shows several simple releases. One is to simply reach for one's trapped hand and grasp it by the fist with the other hand. Turn away (to the opening of the opponent's thumb/fingers) and pull back sharply. The hand releases. Follow with any combination, from backfist to face to reinforced elbow to solar plexus.

Another is to reach over the top when the wrist is grabbed by two of the opponent's hands, grab the trapped hand by the fist, and pull up, while stepping in, and direct the rising elbow to the opponent's face.

When the grab is a same-side grab (opponent grabs your right hand with his left, for example), a release can be as simple as performing a middle body block - crossing the center line as we do in Isshin-ryu and then applying torque as the trapped wrist rises in the side block to the right. Unless the opponent is a gorilla, the hand should release. I've had a few arm hairs ripped out doing this - even very strong people, while they can apply a lot of pressure, don't generally have the kind of strength to work their hand grip strength against my upper arm/body strength.

There are other techniques or bunkai which do not necessarily concentrate on the release as the primary or first response. Assuming the opponent does not have the upper body strength to keep your trapped arm down (not a lot of people have strength holding things down - we prefer to build strength lifting them up) one grasp their trapping hand (trapping their trap) and one can raise trapped arm, go under the opponent's shoulder on the side that they are grasping you with. Either they let go, in which case you are free and behind them, or they permit you to twist them down and kick their face off.

One hand applied to the grasping hand is also good for finger techniques such as prying up the little finger and simply breaking it. You could just punch them with the trapped hand, either one-handed or with a reinforced punch. Stomp on their foot and release while they're processing that. I've even see a kiss used as bunkai to distract and momentarily confuse an opponent. Box the ear with the open palm of the untrapped hand. Fingers in the eyes, same deal. Even step in on them and give them an ichi knuckle rake down the ribs; they're not able to punch you with their free hand if you step in on them. You could step in and do a testicle grab and see who can squeeze harder, for longer.

As to the bear hug, I'm not sure how many people are going to try to grab you in a bear hug and not try to enclose your arms as well. I'll leave any comments on that to others.

I will add, though that, wrist releases and releases from bear hugs are cool and good to study, but I can't recall the last time someone tried either one in a real-life self-defense situation that I saw or heard of. I enjoyed your videos though, very much. Thanks!

EDIT: Oh, and not to forget the ever-popular application of the Seuinchin kata - the down block. Since we apply reverse power when doing the down block into the seuinchin stance, we can cross the free arm over the trapped arm, turn, drop into seuinchin and clear the trapping hand with a power tetsui with the free arm/fist, using reverse power. The arm that normally does the 'down block' in Seuinchin is the clearing hand. That's actually one of the bunkai we use when we do the front and back-side of the kata.

Thanks for the feedback, Bill! Some of what you describe is a little hard to envision, but mostly seems like additions to the basis of grab releases and we do work all of the grab releases that you mention, and some are included in bunkai, but this is just my own personal interpretation. The release in the Anaku application is working against the thumb and utilizing an outward middle block, just as you describe, and the scenario for it is one I have seen in a few videos of fights breaking out in sports arenas where someone holds down their victim's right arm so they can freely punch that person in the face without much fear of being struck with the (most likely) dominant arm. I really wish I had saved the links to those videos, but it's been a couple of months and I don't have them anymore, unfortunately.

I do, however, have an example of the waist grab without trapping the arms:

That happened a total of three times in this fight, and has happened in numerous other fights I have watched, as well as wrestling matches and judo matches. I'm pretty sure I have also seen it in a street fight video, before. Essentially, it is easier to throw someone without trapping their arms because they can struggle less against your grip, although you can manage it either way. Also, if you watch you can see Diaz's hands instinctively drop to try and break the grip around his waist, and that's the instinctive reaction I was working off of. The difference is that he didn't drop his weight to get his center of gravity below his opponent's, so he got thrown. The reason I considered this attack for that part of Chinto is because of the story of how the kata came about--if Bushi Matsumura was sent to arrest Chinto, he may very well have snuck up behind him and tried to throw him on the ground where he could be restrained, which would have resulted in Chinto defending against that attack and it would have been the first thing Matsumura learned from that encounter, so having it as the first thing in the kata would make sense. That's all speculation, of course, but I thought it was an interesting angle to look at it from.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

I understand now. I thought you were intending the defense from the bear hug as a self-defense technique. I just don't think it's commonly used by assailants in real SD applications, but I could be wrong.

 

[Noah_Legel]

I understand now. I thought you were intending the defense from the bear hug as a self-defense technique. I just don't think it's commonly used by assailants in real SD applications, but I could be wrong.

It may not be common, but that technique is taught in wrestling and enough people have wrestling experience (at least in America) that I would rather know how to defend against it than not. It can be a self defense technique if anyone were to grab you from behind and try to throw you down, of course, but I will admit that it was the historical possibility that led to the idea--I wasn't looking for that defense originally.

 

[Makalakumu]

Thanks! I would love to see video, or at least read explanations of what you see!

I'll post some vids later this month. I have some in production.

 

[Yondanchris]

Thanks for sharing....it's nice to see you are looking at the Bunkai and not just trying to breeze through the curriculum.

The first technique reminds me of an American Kenpo Technique "Darting Mace":

[video=youtube_share;FnO3TxF0R1Q]http://youtu.be/FnO3TxF0R1Q[/video]


and the second video reminds me of 2 American Kenpo Techniques: "Scraping Hoof" and "Spiraling Twig"

[video=youtube_share;95KTBpiGyjs]http://youtu.be/95KTBpiGyjs[/video]

[video=youtube_share;bAHkA9lHAmM]http://youtu.be/bAHkA9lHAmM[/video]

It is hard to describe the similarities through text (at least for me), so I hope you can see
my perspective and possibilities from the basic attacks represented in your videos.

 

[geezer]

I do, however, have an example of the waist grab without trapping the arms:

That happened a total of three times in this fight, and has happened in numerous other fights I have watched, as well as wrestling matches and judo matches. I'm pretty sure I have also seen it in a street fight video, before. Essentially, it is easier to throw someone without trapping their arms because they can struggle less against your grip, although you can manage it either way. Also, if you watch you can see Diaz's hands instinctively drop to try and break the grip around his waist, and that's the instinctive reaction I was working off of. The difference is that he didn't drop his weight to get his center of gravity below his opponent's, so he got thrown...

Thanks for posting your videos, and especially for adding this MMA clip. To answer Bill's observation, Yes, people with a wrestling background will try to grab you around the waist from the rear and slam you down like this. And if they can get in position, it often works. In the dojo/dojang/kwoon it's easy to counter, but in reality, the common defenses taught for this aren't practiced against an attack executed with speed, intent, and aggression. Look at this repeating clip, and you will see what I mean. Once you get behind a guy and set your grip, you don't give the defender a chance to drop his weight or break your grip. And even if he does drop his weight, you, the attacker, can do a double back heel drop and pull him over backwards in an instant. Also, for the defender, breaking someone's grip around your waist before they can throw you isn't that easy either, ...if they know how to grab you.

Better to learn about arm drags, duck-unders and just not let somebody get behind you to begin with!

 

[Bill Mattocks]

To answer Bill's observation, Yes, people with a wrestling background will try to grab you around the waist from the rear and slam you down like this.

I don't think so. Respectfully. Never seen it happen.

 

[geezer]

Bill, I expect that's because you have the common sense not to let an attacker get behind you. I mean, you used to be a LEO right? And, by your own admission, you aren't exactly a skinny guy either. Not exactly a good subject to pick up and slam down. Anyway, it does occur frequently in competitive grappling arts, and I suppose it could occur in a bar-room brawl or street attack where your attacker has buddies behind you.

 

[Gentle Fist]

koka

 

[Tony Dismukes]

I don't think so. Respectfully. Never seen it happen.

I've seen it a number of times in grappling and MMA sparring. (I haven't seen it in a street assault, but that's probably because most serious wrestlers in training are too exhausted from their training sessions to be going out and picking fights on the street. )

In general, a skilled grappler is much more likely to apply a body lock underneath the arms rather than a bear-hug over top of the arms. You get much better control that way, whether you're working from the back, the front, or the sides.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

I've seen it a number of times in grappling and MMA sparring. (I haven't seen it in a street assault, but that's probably because most serious wrestlers in training are too exhausted from their training sessions to be going out and picking fights on the street. )

In general, a skilled grappler is much more likely to apply a body lock underneath the arms rather than a bear-hug over top of the arms. You get much better control that way, whether you're working from the back, the front, or the sides.

Right. I agree. But I do not grapple or engage in MMA sparring, so realistically, it's never going to happen to me. I probably won't be suplexed, either. Just sayin'...

About the only self-defense scenario for a bear hug that I can imagine would be a bear hug to immobilize a victim while his attention is distracted by say an accomplice; for the purpose of immobilizing the victim, not throwing them to the ground. If applied under the arms and a throw is not immediately undertaken, they've made a very serious mistake, IMHO. If applied over the arms, still a mistake.

And in any case, my size is such that no one but Andre the Giant is going to put a bear hug on me. If your fingertips can't touch when encircling me, you won't be 'hugging' anything. And picking me up and throwing me down? Not likely. Trip, yes. Throw, certainly. Pick me up? Make sure you have your insurance card handy when you try it.