Nunchaku & Bo Katas

[TigerHeart]

I'm looking for YouTube videos or DVD to demonstrate nunchaku and Bo Katas. I can't find the right videos. Does anyone know? I'm studying Shotokan Karate.

 

[DaveB]

Shotokan as a rule has no bo kata though I think Kanazawa may have added some to his group.

Try looking for sho Shi no kun, I remember that being some people's starting kata.

 

[MI_martialist]

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Shotokan as a rule has no bo kata though I think Kanazawa may have added some to his group.

Try looking for sho Shi no kun, I remember that being some people's starting kata.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Shotokan as a rule has no bo kata though I think Kanazawa may have added some to his group.

Try looking for sho Shi no kun, I remember that being some people's starting kata.

Shi shi no kun is long. Tokamine is for beginners usually.

 

[Flying Crane]

And of course The usual good advice: if you are trying to learn these via video alone or as the primary method of instruction, you will have a lot of problems and it's better to shelve the idea and wait until you can find a good teacher. Mimicking the movement is easy, but doing it correctly and well, so that the kata is a good and effective training tool and not just a dance, is very unlikely through video instruction.

 

[TigerHeart]

And of course The usual good advice: if you are trying to learn these via video alone or as the primary method of instruction, you will have a lot of problems and it's better to shelve the idea and wait until you can find a good teacher. Mimicking the movement is easy, but doing it correctly and well, so that the kata is a good and effective training tool and not just a dance, is very unlikely through video instruction.

I'm currently in the martial art school. I just have a hard time remember the moves. Watching videos are easier way to study.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

I'm currently in the martial art school. I just have a hard time remember the moves. Watching videos are easier way to study.

Videos are a good supplement when you can get corrections from a qualified instructor in person as well.

 

[TigerHeart]

Videos are a good supplement when you can get corrections from a qualified instructor in person as well.

I do get correction from qualified instructors. I can't practice at home if I can't remember.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

I do get correction from qualified instructors. I can't practice at home if I can't remember.

Right, I was agreeing with you.

 

[MI_martialist]

I don't know if you are referring to Shushi No Kon Sho or not but this is a standard beginner kata..as can be seen by the name.

Shi shi no kun is long. Tokamine is for beginners usually.

 

[pgsmith]

I do get correction from qualified instructors. I can't practice at home if I can't remember.

I always tell my students that this is what their notebook is for. If you don't have a notebook, then you need to get one. Spend some time after each class writing notes on what was practiced and correction received. It helps to cement it in your memory as well as giving you something to refer to later. Much better than video in my opinion.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

I don't know if you are referring to Shushi No Kon Sho or not but this is a standard beginner kata..as can be seen by the name.

Forgive me. I saw 'shi shi' by mistake. Our system has three bo kata. Tokamine is the first and simplest. Then Urashi, then Shi Shi.

 

[Flying Crane]

I'm currently in the martial art school. I just have a hard time remember the moves. Watching videos are easier way to study.

Thanks for the clarification. I agree with PGSMITH, a notebook is a valuable tool. Writing your own notes makes you think about and mentally process the material.

Another option would be to film your instructor doing the segment of the kata that you are working on, as you progress. Of course this assumes your instructor agrees to it.

One problem with finding a video of someone else doing the kata is that even tho it may be the same kata, there are bound to be differences from one lineage/school to another, in how it is done. That could cause you some confusion. So just be aware of that pitfall.

 

[TigerHeart]

Okay, I was not clear in the first time. Without a good martial art instructor, I'm just wasting my time watching videos, because I would be totally lost and confused. My instructor recommended me a DVD that I bough at amazon. It's really good, and I use it as a reference or study guide. I noticed there are very little differences from what I learned from my instructor and what I saw in DVD. My instructor is not nit picky if did a little differences, as long as I understand the form. I like the instructor who explains to me on certain forms and how these relate to history and eastern culture. For example, as I learned about Bo, the Bo was used to stear a little boat. The movement of steering with a Bo can be applied as blocking lower kick and poking someone's else foot. Of course, a good quailfied instructor is very important.

 

[TigerHeart]

So, why there are small differences in katas in every dojo and video. Is it because the history?

 

[Flying Crane]

So, why there are small differences in katas in every dojo and video. Is it because the history?

Could be many reasons. No two people are exactly alike, so even students of the same teacher will be slightly different, even without trying to be.

It could be that someone deliberately splinters off and makes some changes that he feels are appropriate,for various reasons.

It could be that someone just didn’t learn it well and isn’t very good at it.

And after it is taught for a few generations, those little differences become bigger with every transmission.

This stuff simply changes. It isn’t not the same as it was generations ago, even when people try to keep it the same.

 

[jks9199]

There's a story about a particular kata in one style of karate. At one point in the kata, they would take 3 steps back, then continue the kata. At some point, the students wondered why they made that move; it didn't seem to serve any purpose or have any explanation. They asked their teacher -- he didn't know, just "that's how we always did it." He asked others, and nobody could figure it out. Finally, they got an opportunity to ask one of the most senior students... he thought about it... then he realized the answer. "In the old dojo, if we didn't take those three steps back, we ran into the wall before we finished the kata."

Sometimes, that's the only reason for a change... it was a practical adjustment and it no longer serve the purpose. But it's there, now...

 

[JR 137]

So, why there are small differences in katas in every dojo and video. Is it because the history?

Flying Crane and jks9199’s answers are some I was thinking about. To add...

Chojun Miyagi (founder of Goju Ryu) reportedly taught the same kata differently to different students; he altered them somewhat to better fit the individual. He could do that, as he and/or his teacher developed many of the kata in Goju Ryu. Earlier students had more variations in kata than the students near the end. This would account for some variation in Goju Ryu lineages.

And he didn’t teach every kata to every high ranking student. In fact, I read the only student he taught the complete kata syllabus to was Meitoku Yagi. If this is true, the others must have learned the other kata from Yagi and/or someone outside Goju Ryu, causing more variation.

Then compound that with student’s splintering off, starting their own organization, and making changes that they feel better teach the principles and applications of the kata, and you’ve got variations.

Mas Oyama (founder of Kyokushin) studied under Gichin Funakoshi, Funakoshi’s son (Shotokan), Gogen Yamaguchi (Goju Kai), and a Korean student of Miyagi. He used some kata from Shotokan and Goju when he made the Kyokushin syllabus. Over the years he altered them to better fit his ideals. He heavily modified a few of them to better fit his system, namely Gojushiho (which he renamed Sushiho) and Kanku. He also less heavily (but not subtly) modified Yantsu from Shito Ryu’s Ansan/Yansu. Shito Ryu’s version is longer with several more turns/direction changes. To me it seems like shortened it to eliminate some redundancy, but that’s speculation on my part.

 

[Tez3]

For example, as I learned about Bo, the Bo was used to stear a little boat. The movement of steering with a Bo can be applied as blocking lower kick and poking someone's else foot.

Staffs have been used as weapons since time immemorial, I doubt they needed to be invented from a stick to steer a boat. Sounds akin to the flying sidekick being used to kick a man off a horse.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

There's a story about a particular kata in one style of karate. At one point in the kata, they would take 3 steps back, then continue the kata. At some point, the students wondered why they made that move; it didn't seem to serve any purpose or have any explanation. They asked their teacher -- he didn't know, just "that's how we always did it." He asked others, and nobody could figure it out. Finally, they got an opportunity to ask one of the most senior students... he thought about it... then he realized the answer. "In the old dojo, if we didn't take those three steps back, we ran into the wall before we finished the kata."

Sometimes, that's the only reason for a change... it was a practical adjustment and it no longer serve the purpose. But it's there, now...

My students often do a triple bunny-hop in the middle of one of the kata I teach. Why? To mock their instructor, of course. I frequently start that kata too close to the right wall, and have to bunny-hop (okay, I could step, but it's much more entertaining as a bunny-hop) to my left to finish demonstrating the kata.