The Way of Least Resistance

Gichin Funakoshi in the 1930s The pinan or heian series of karate kata are among the most widely practised in the world today - largely thanks to the efforts of Gichin Funakoshi in popularising karate in Japan in the 1930s and onward and later that of his organisation, the Japanese Karate Association (JKA) in spreading karate (specifically, Funakoshi's shotokan style) throughout the world. The 5 heian kata of shotokan are substantially the same as the "original" series, apart from 2 main differences: they were "renamed" from the original "pinan" to "heian"; and the order of the first two kata was reversed. Other minor technical differences abound but, I would argue, no more so than as between any schools of karate in the shorin tradition today. So who created the "original" 5 pinan?  Are they based on some traditional Chinese form? It is commonly agreed that the author of the 5 pinan was karate master Yasutsune "...

Introduction I have often spoken of kata as teaching "principles" rather than "techniques". It occurs to me that one of the best ways to illustrate what I mean is by reference to the most "basic" kata in karate. Why these kata? Because even if they are less "realistic" than more advanced kata, the methodology remains the same: they achieve their effect through "principles" not through "actual technique". In this regard it is important to note that kata are not intended to comprise "shadow boxing" routines with movements you would (or should) actually use in a civilian defence situation. Rather kata put your body through specific movements designed to promote motor learning and essential kinaesthetic awareness . This kinaesthesia and motor learning is central to so many different aspects of martial technique that I often compare these "fundamental" movements to to stem cells : ie. they are "...

Many years ago I had the good fortune to meet and train under Professor Bata Milosevic of the Belgrade University, a researcher of medieval Balkan fighting methods and the founder of "Svebor" - an attempt to collate these fighting methods into a modern system. I recall Professor Milosevic making the following statement: "When you fight, you fight like your grandfather fought". By this, I think the professor meant that when you are faced with the pressure of a real attack, any semblance of "style" goes out the window and you fight according to your primeval instinct. While I greatly respect the professor, I disagree with him in this regard. I see any default to "instinct" under pressure (and a corresponding abandonment of any sense of "style") as a sign of insufficient training . Doubtless, Professor Milosevic was drawing on his own lengthy experience as an aikidoka, noting how differently some practitioners of that martial art react w...