My kinda girl.

Karate Bunkai and the Modern World

Kata

Kata (型 or 形) (literally: "form") is a Japanese word describing detailed patterns of movements practiced either solo or in pairs. Karate katas are executed as a specified series of approximately 4 to 40 moves, with stepping and turning, while attempting to maintain perfect form. The practitioner is counseled to visualize the enemy attacks and their responses. A karateka "read" a kata in order to explain the imagined events. There are perhaps 100 kata across the various forms of karate, each with many minor variations.
-Extracted from (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karate_kata)

Personal intepretations of kata will be one of exercise, much like those practising Taichi, Wushu, Aikido, Silat etc etc

Katas are actual combat responses, albeit trained ones, to simulated attacks. We practise them through bunkai.

Trained responses to an attack is just like asking a short order cook to prepare "Steam Promfet"... repeat the tried and tested method of cooking the dish.. Perfect everytime! YAY!

...but wait..

What if the fish is NOT Pomfret?... er.... cook the same way?.... well maybe in cooking, you might get away with it... but in martial arts... NO WAY.

No one punch in the same way.
No one reacts in the same way.
No one moves with the same speed.
No one strikes with the same power.
...blah blah blah..you get the idea.

Kata gives you a story to recite by heart.
Bunkai gives you a script to perform.
Kumite puts you in the producer/director/lead actor seat.

We learn kata by heart to perfect our kihon (basic/fundamental) techniques, without which nothing will ever come to fruitation because we cannot even punch or block to save our lives.. true or not? Different katas give us a chance to practice different combination of kihon punches, kicks, blocks but most importantly you will notice about kata is the often neglected aspect...tenshin.

Wait..I did not forget about stances. Without good proper and strong stances, you should not even ben practising that level of kata. We have different katas that caters to different levels of training, so make sure you pick your choice of training katas that suits you and not over-expose yourself to too advance kata without proper training and waste time.. YAR. WASTE TIME.

Occasionally I will be asked to sit in for a judge in a kata competition, and the first thing I will notice about a competitor is the eyes when they approach the mat to begin their routine. They say the eyes are the windows to the soul... TRUE. I used to be able to stare down my opponents in the ring.. nowadays I just kinda squint at them.. hee hee *ahem..

Tenshin is the movement of the karate as he/she react to combat situations. Unfortunately, some aspects of karate is lost when different styles of karate emphasize on competition. See my above gripe about not having proper training in stances.

Try thinking like this, a skeet shooter and an air-rifle specialist. Skeet shooters react instinctively to targets being shot into the air, taking into account wind and velocity of the clay targets, they pull their trigger. The air-rifle specialist shoots in a controlled environment, zero wind and no outside distractions. Just the countdown and the number of shots they have to take. Put both together in a controlled competition and guess who is the better shooter? Now throw them in a war situation with just an M-16, guess who is likely to have more kills?

Another analogy, in a boxing match-boxers wear padded gloves and mouth guards, karate tournaments-karatekas wear padded fistguards, shin guards, foot guards, mouth guards. We fight in weight classes, below 65KG, below 75KG, 75KG and above, finally throw in a MMA/Muay Thai trained fighter-no guards . Now throw all 3 types of competitors into a bar brawl, who will come out alive?

Boxers will likely break their fists soon enough after a few punch (OH! You are a boxer and you disagree with me? Have you tried to make full contact with your boxer jabs and hooks WITHOUT GLOVES on HUMAN BONES!? Try first then comment on this article HOR!?)... *ahem...
Karate exponents will fare better due to bone conditioning but will not survive most probably not used to having different weights, types and class of fighters who can TAKE your karate kicks and punches, WHILE DISHING them out to you. Survive longer... but not for long either.
MMA/Muay Thai fighters are most likely to survive due to the fact that they fight and trained with all weight class and multi-type combat styles...beer bottle attacks..er...hmm... but they may not survived because some MMA fighters like ground grappling.. YAY!! Try having a roll in the hay on the ground during a bar fight brawl and you will find boots in your HEAD AND FACE while you trying to submit your single opponent...

Don't think I just type based on textbook analogies, I have been in bar brawls... I know karate, but I just split the scene... guess what, I survived... lol better fate then I can say for those who remained...

Ever seen hornets taking on bees? I have seen National Geographic Channel where a documentary was televised about 10 hornets, 10! taking on a colony of 3000 bees!

C'mon the sheer number of bee stings would have killed the hornets (Yar I know I forgot the species of bees liao, but they have stings one), but the hornets just killed the entire colony. Yar massacred. 300 to 1 odds. hmm...

I don't condone violence. Really I don't. I prefer looking girls and their figures, personally I am a shoulders, butt and legs man. But sometimes a man needs to do what a man needs to do (something like that lar, macho crap)..I will have to stand up for myself if I really need to. And I will.

PS: The reason why my blog is getting updated regularly these few days is because I am down with some crappy virus. So I cannot gym, train, run, ...you get the idea.. so I sit in front of my computer all day long...like as if I don't already.. wahahaha

Rob outz~

The Chronicles of Ka-Tia! The lingering scent of LCL injury

OMFG. I know knee LCL injuries are hard to heal but.. c'mon! It is taking too d*mn long to heal lor. I tried to sweep a student of mine last night... it was a textbook move, (it was supposed to have knocked his feet from under him and he will fall like NANG KA!), instead it only just destabilised him, and my knee replied with a really sharp pain... well more of a painful twitch but still PAINFUL!

I guess it was only prudent I did not insist to take part in this year's Pesta Sukan Karate Championships, not wise to worsen it at this stage of my life.

I need to fight. I am a fighter. But somehow I find the fire much more difficult to stoke as time moves on.. perhaps I am picking my fights now as opposed to looking for fights when I was younger...

Fighting comes from all aspects of our lives, fighting with our love ones, in your office, at the wet market with the "aunties" and "uncles", in the bus with the "aunties" and "uncles", and the MRT with the "aunties" and "uncles" (..heey..don't they look familiar??...hmm...)...

I think a person's fighting style reflects his life..

I dread the day will come when I am faced with an altercation with another person or a group of people (if they are wise, they WILL come with PEOPLE, if he comes with HIMSELF...., well anyway I digress.. LOL

....I wonder if I am fighting for my life, will my knee injury matter? or does it mean I will avoid fights simply because I have to protect myself... hmm.. (we fight because we feel the need to protect something...)**

**Don't start with your philosophy about fighting is not good, it doesn't prove anything...blah blah blah...**

..ahem.. I think no one in their right mind will ever want to fight, while those who decide to pick a fight or respond to a fight provocation can only have one thing on their mind, ANGER.

So I fight without a sense of anger, this way I can maintain control over my opponent(s), but when I strike...it will be filled all my pentup frustration, anger, emotions, etc etc, anything you can pack into a punch/kick... make sense to you?? hmm...you should pick a fight with me just to find out... wahahahaha

~outz

You say. I say. They say.

There are five principles of defense in Shitoryu karate, they are:

Rakka

Defense as attack. Using a defensive move as a form of attack. An example will be to use a vigorously applied Yoko uchi to block from the outside of a punch so as to break the momentum of the attacker. Hopefully in the process, you will injured his punching arm and break his rhythm and fighting spirit.

Kushin

Change in level. Good fighters think 360 degree angle from the left to the right, from the front to the back. Thinking fighters think 360 degree angle, left to right, front to back, also up and down. Example will be when an attack is low or aimed to draw the defender attention down, remember this blog's advice...

NEVER REACH FOR AN ATTACK
..if the attack cannot reach you, then cannot reach lor.
Ok, back to Kushin. Instead of reaching down and exposing parts of your body open for an attack, change the level of the defence. Drop into a low but stable stance for the block and if the distance and timing is right, counter. The counter may be made from a higher stance to take advantage of the attacker's lower attack level. (The attacker's level is low right? Otherwise why you bother to drop into a lower level to block eh?... Nothing better to do orh?)
An example of this will be dropping into nekoashi dachi to block + moto dachi to counter.

Ryusui

To flow like water. Ha ha. Personally I like this one. What!!?? You don't know the association of this phrase with regards to this blog and it's author??? What are you doing here??!!! Wahaha!
Ok, back to ryusui. Not much to say here except there will be days when your defence will need a gentle to the side. YAR. Martial arts not everything also Wack here, wack there one. Sometimes hor, use mouth can liao. Talk is also a form of sparring leh.
I have a personal thought about this, a coward talks but no action, a simple-minded person only knows how to punch his arguments across, a bully tries to talk but once he loses verbally he enforces his arguments with force... A gentleman on the other hand, is somebody who thinks they are "civilised" who do not resort to argument or force. Martial artists have the added advantage of "bargaining from a position of power".... meaning?
We can choose to be a gentleman, coward, simple-minded or bully. Wahaha!
No lar, we are very nice people. Fact is, we have more choices when it comes down to confrontations/altercations. We have a choice is better then none. Agreed?

Teni (Tenshin)

Change in direction has always and should always be the first choice when it comes down to reflex training. Why? A simple shift in body balance can deflect even the most powerful and committed of attacks. Adding blocks and yelling just makes it look cooler.. wahahaha~!
Example of Teni is side-stepping using shiko dachi and blocking with nagashi uke or osae uke.

Hangeki

Two flavours for this. 1st delicious flavour is Sen no sen. Attack at the point of attack. Huh!!?? Wait..let me explain. Erm... attack when the attacker attack... er... clear? er...
2nd yummy flavour is Go no sen. Attack after the attack has completed. Huh!!?? Why? I mean if the first attack ended with no contact, well, shouldn't we as nice guys let the matter rest?
NOOOOO.....

Attack me orh? Miss me orh? Too bad!! *All this while, I will most likely be counter attacking. Who ask you to miss me in the first place?... wahahahaha... Once you attack me, I am not nice guy lor, I will be your worst nightmare...

...I will your toilet paper cut!

~outz

The Chronicles of KarTia (Leg-pain) - Return of the knee

Waha!
Wahaha!!
Wahahaha!!!
Wahahahahahaha!!!!

My knee is back.
During the period when my knee was injured, I had the opportunity to concentrate on developing my reliance on my left leg which was my genetically weaker leg.
Also, I had to readjust my training regiment to rely on hands to compensate for my un-usable leg during this period of time.

Ahhhh... my little blog reading grasshoppers.. you are starting to see my point now...
I have recovered from my injury... A stronger man then ever... buahahahahahahaha!!!

~Still the committed one.

Bad Bacteria!! Baaad Bacteria!!!

I just came back from SKA because I wasn't feeling well. My stomach was cramping like hell and I was feeling sick. Slowly at first but it gradually got worst until I was practically doubled over in pain.

First thoughts was that I had indigestion but it turns out to be false as I did not have anything to eat throughout the whole day. Then it struck me, Food Poisoning!! 2 things lor, either the bowl of Cheng Tng at Ten-Mile Junction around 3pm or drinking water at SKA's water cooler around 6.30pm...(Yar lar, today quite pathetic, busy busy) I think it is the latter leh.... oh gosh, I tried to call Mr Wong to warn him about it, but he never return my call..

Well, anyways, I was running a 37.8 temp and was curled up in bed because it was sooooo painful lor. I was drinking a lot of fluid so I can flush the crap out from my system. Finally Pam got me THE SOLUTION! 1 x tab - Synflex + 1 x tab - Muscle relaxant = K.O.

Ahhhhhh............ I felt so much better in the morning.

Can you imagine something so small like microscopic bacteria infection can cause so much damage over a short time... What is the use of being a good martial artist?

~sigh, I guess I have to relook at my life motto.

"I would rather fight standing up then lose lying down"
-Robert Sim

~outz

Casting for Commercial!!!

Oooooo! Oooooo! How exciting!!! I hope I get call up for casting tomorrow morning! Thats the first step. Then If...IF they like me, then I get to be on a commercial leeeeeh.... Wooo hooo!... Cross your fingers and wish me luck!

Oh yar..if you were wondering what kinda of commercial, well, its the TV kind and erm...they wanted me to do a FLYING KICK!... YAR.. I know if Seow is reading this.. He will call me and go.. "Oei! Sim! Your knee like that you still want to FLY ah!??"

Ok lar, I know ..I know.. but If I can heal in 19 days for my grading, I can heal in 10 days for my commercial shoot right... hor?...

I damn (Hokkien) Gien Pung - Desperate for rice... I WANT TO HAVE A TVC UNDER MY PORTFOLIO... I WANT...I WANT....

I WANT!!!!

ok.... tomorrow morning must ask Mr Wong to see if I can go... Wahahahahaha!

**Supplementary Blog: Oh,..so it was not for a TVC.. how disappointing, STILL, a print ad is as good as any.. Bwahahaha