Practical Kata Bunkai: Kanku-Dai / Kushanku Drill

http://www.iainabernethy.co.uk/ Here is a drill for the opening motions of Kushanku / Kanku-Dai. This video was filmed at a seminar in Scotland in June 2011. When looking at the drill, it is important to understand that the angles in kata give us the angle we need to be at in relation to the enemy. The angle does not, as is commonly thought, represent the angle the enemy is attacking from. Masters such as Mabuni and Motobu made reference to the meaning of angles in their writings, and it's obvious when you think about it. We all know angles give us technical and tactical advantages in conflict, and how else can you record the angle in a solo form? The only datum to measure from is your previous position or the centerline. And that's what we see in the Kushanku / Kanku-Dai. This drill therefore has us move to the side of the enemy when the kata moves to the side, and behind the enemy when the kata has us move behind. It's a drill to one person were we assume the angles of the kata; not multiple opponents at arbitrary angles. It's also important to note how the full kata motions are utilised in the drill. I hope you enjoy the drill and I'll be back with more soon. All the best, Iain