There is a 1000 and more books, video, clips, ect on Bunkai on the web, a lot of it free, here's the real catch, everybody has a different understanding of what a particular move or technique in all of the Hyungs, in TDS yes we really call them Hyungs not Katas, Bunkai is the hottest Marking ploy going these days, google bunkai and you'll see for yourself. Don't get me wrong, I think it is important to understand indepth the hyungs, lets be real the Questions will never and should never end for anyone, no matter what the rank or history.
Bunkai is like the History of TDS, it has many versions.
Here is one link
http://www.downloadkarate.com/index.asp?Sec_ID=156
It's true that there's a big market for bunkai analyses—but the reason isn't an artificial need created by some cynical motivational researcher working for a big ad agency. It's the result of a correct perception by a substantial minority of karateka that there is very important technical content in the kata they've learned which they aren't privy to, and which they realize is important to master. To the extent that alternative bunkai for a given kata have real combat-application consequences, there is bound to be disagreement about which are better than others. But that doesn't mean there aren't somewhat objective, measurable guideliness for evaluating them.
For example, Bill Burgar, in his book
Five Years, One Kata on bunkai for the Gojushiho kata, argues that it is possible to, as he puts it, `reverse engineer' kata—his characterization of bunkai analysis—in an optimal way by appealing to certain benchmark criteria that could, in principle, be given operational definitions. A bunkai for a given kata subsequence will be higher-valued, from Burgar's perspective, to the extent that it meets the following simplicity criteria maximally:
(i) it is simple to perform under stress;
(ii) it is simple to learn;
(iii) it is simple to maintain;
(iv) it is simple to execute under a wide variety of external conditions.
In addition, bunkai should identify applications which
(1) are proactive (as vs. reactive);
(2) forcibly keep the initiative with the defender;
(3) maximize safety;
(4) maximize redundancy (robust even if initial application is unsuccessful);
(5) works under the influence of a massive adrenaline such;
(6) piggybacks on instinctive behaviors;
(7) takes maximal advantage of the attacker's predictable responses;
(8) unbalances the opponent;
(9) leads, rather than follows, the mental responses of the attacker;
(10) makes maximal use of movement which require little or no practice to stay functional;
(11) operate at realistic fighting ranges;
(12) avoid complex movements;
(13) makes significant use of transferable skills.
Burgar uses this checklist repeatedly in his book in explaining why certain technical interpretations of kata movements, i.e., certain bunkai, are to be preferred over others. There's no mystification involved; the way he presents bunkai analysis, it's basically an engineering problem. There may be different advantages to the relatively small number of bunkai that score high on Burgar's checklist, but the key point is that there are rational bases for rejecting certain kata apps while retaining others.
And all that is indendent of actual
experimentation, with practice partners, of alternative bunkai. It's not like we simply have to listen to experts debate the advantages of doing it this way or that way or the other way. Will that block/deflection readily allows a muchimi transition to a controlling lock?
Try it out, with a progressively less compliant uke, and see whether you can
impose compliance on him/her via the technique. If you can, then it's robust an deserves to be advocated as a high-value bunkai of that part of the kata.
You see what I'm getting at? We don't
have to confine ourselves to bemoaning the proliferation of bunkai analyses; we have everything we need at our disposal to check out those analyses or any others we like and come to some plausible conclusions about whether they're really up to snuff...
robertmrivers said:
There are a bunch of books out there concerning bunkai and changing perception in general. One is "The way of Kata". This book has a great decision making matrix in it that is a modern development of the internal bunkai principles. The other book to read, if you get the chance...is "My Journey With the Grandmaster" by William R. Hayes. He is a first generation student of Eizo Shimabukuro and really puts into words ways of changing the way you can look at kata.
For my money, the granddaddy of all the current active research on realistic kata bunkai is Iain Abernethy's
Bunkai-Jutsu: the Practical Application of Karate Kata (Neth Publishing, 2002). It was very obviously the inspirational touchstone for Kane and Wilder's
The Way of Kata, which does, as you say, offer (like Burgar) a set of criteria for evaluating the combat utility of various alternative bunkai for a given kata subsequence. I believe that every book on bunkai of the past half decade is seriously indebted to IA's work. And let's not overlook the tremendous contribution of Rick Clark, whose book
Seventy-five Down Blocks is a real tour de force, showing the incredible combat versatility built into kata moves based on the simple, `basic down block' movement.
robertmrivers said:
Truth be told...bunkai isn't even the right word...but I am not going to say it or it might be Grandmaster Jim Bob's next best selling book!!
Awww, c'mon, RMR. That's like telling a joke but refusing to pass along the punch line! What word are you thinking of??
