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Disclaimer: Many of these articles express views that have been superseded and we no longer hold to be true. They are left on the website as a historical record of the development of Ryoute. Please read the FAQ for a more up-to-date version of our opinions. If there is anything not covered there please feel free to email us at info@ryoute.com

This article was published in the UK's Traditional Karate Magazine in May 2003. It was written as a basic introduction for karateka to Double Hand Grappling.

The aim of this article is to gain a better understanding of kata, the way of thinking that goes with them and most importantly their applications. This article is nothing more than a logical study of kata. It is aimed at both novice and advanced karate-ka. Those of you who have just started to train in karate may find the subject matter confusing, you will have probably conjured up images of powerful punching and spectacular high kicks. Those of you who are advanced karate-ka may find this article difficult to swallow but I will ask you now to 'empty your cup' and think rationally about what is being presented. The formula for kata could not be more simple, we have named this formula Double Hand Grappling.

How many times have you been told by your sensei that without kata there is no karate? We are told that we must look deep into the kata to understand them. We are also told by many respected figures that in time we will be able to apply these bizarre movements to real combat situations. But kata literally interpreted have very little effect in actual combat. It is possible to adapt techniques from kata to use in combat but in most cases you have to change postures and the shape of movements. So why practise them in the first place? This certainly puzzled me as I'm sure it puzzled many others. It is widely believed that kata contain real combat techniques that have been handed down from master to student. In this article we hope to gain a better understanding of what kata are teaching us. We will go beyond principles and concepts to look at the precise techniques as they appear in the kata. Our research suggests that kata were never intended for combat, and were used in an ancient form of grappling; similar to the numerous indigenous forms of grappling found in almost every ancient culture. In this article we will be keeping applications as close to kata as we can.

For nearly twenty years I have practised Karate. When I started at a young age I did not realise that this art would affect my entire being. Karate has given me great joy and happiness over the years. But, as I got more serious about training I met with confusion and frustration. What makes karate a unique art but also a confusing one is the kata. The kata seem to teach one thing and the applications pulled out of them often were barely related. The blocking and punching that I was taught did not make sense to me, all I needed to do was to step back to avoid oi zuki (it usually started half a mile away anyway so what was the point?) Yes, it's okay for the dojo and yes it's an art in its own right but it's not practical for self defence. Even when kata were being taught for practical street defence they still had to be radically adapted for the purpose. Here are two distinct mindsets, the block/punch mindset and the street self-defence mindset. Mindsets change kata and they also change the persona of the person practising them. Our mindset is a very important part of our development, not only in karate but also in life. The theory of 'Kyshu Jitsu Nerve Point Striking' does not make sense of the kata for me. Unless you are very skilled you will have a hard time trying to make nerve point strikes work in a real situation. What's more, when you come to examine the kata you will have a hard time relating them to nerve point striking techniques. Besides it is unlikely that they were ever recorded in kata, there are simpler methods of recording such things. The same goes for self-defence scenarios; you hardly need a kata to teach you how to hit someone in the face or apply a throwing or locking technique.

The gap between kata and application has lead many people to abandon kata or indeed create their own. I have done this myself in the past. Past lack of understanding caused me to change and adapt kata as well as creating my own. But there was always something missing. Many teachers will claim that there is nothing missing from kata and the key to finding their applications is in their repeated practise. I tried this formula all of my 'karate life' because I believed it would work but it never did. This is an example of dogma one of the biggest enemies to students in any discipline. When you start training you will not question your teacher because you are taught that it is not appropriate. But sometimes you will do well to challenge the rules.

Here we will look at the shape of things, in this case kata. When we analyse a kata we must consider many things but probably the most important thing to consider is the shapes of the movements. In the words of Martin Clewett, teacher of Zen Shorin Do Karate and one of the founder members of Ryoute:

When I say "The application should resemble the kata" I'm not talking about the exact size of the movements this can vary depending on who you are training with, I'm talking about the shape of the movements. The same is true for the speed of the movements this can vary depending on the strength of the person you are training with. But no matter who you train with the shape of the movements remains the same.

In my opinion the essential shape of kata movements survive much longer than the original speed and size. Also the essential shape of kata movements are much more directly linked to their application than the speed or the size. Things to avoid are interpreting the kata too loosely and interpreting the kata too literally (this is especially ridiculous given the number of generations between us and the creators). Kata are not like architect's plans. They are sequences of movements that have been past on from generation to generation of practitioner and unless purposely changed are likely to keep their essential shape.

HERE IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE ESSENTIAL SHAPE OF SOMETHING BEING PASSED ON FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION

Each star is a hand drawn copy of the one preceding it. The lengths of the sides and the angles of the corners of the first star and the last star are very different. However the fact that there are 10 corners and 10 sides and the corners point inward and then outward remains unchanged. So the structure of the star remains unchanged (it remains a star). The same is true for kata, the size and speed of the movements may change over the generations but the essential shapes of the movements are less likely to change (unless changed deliberately).

In this article we present the kata in a non-combative format. The reason for this is that we believe that the kata teach us a non-combative formula. Karate history is not very substantial. There are not many written records. The one thing that we are left with is the kata. We believe that kata form the blueprints of a non-combative art and that they belonged to an indigenous religion which developed a unique form of grappling. This unique form of grappling may have originated in Indian and then later developed in China. It may have been influenced by the teachings of the Shaolin Temple before reaching Okinawa.

Kata probably represent a mixture of different personalities, this would explain why there are so many different kata. As the art developed in Okinawa it probably mixed with the native fighting system and culture. Eventually the kata spread to Japan, and from there, around the world developing into the art we know today.

We think that it was the Chinese that developed the majority of this unique form of double hand grappling, and that many kata were produced as a result. We believe that contained within the kata are techniques designed for use in engagement matches. Although there is much research yet to be carried out, our theory is that this simple double hand formula will fit most of the shori kata (see note 1). These kata teach literal applications and although some kata shapes may have been changed, distances altered and techniques added, the principle of the double hand formula can still be widely applied. This formula we have given the name Double Hand Grappling.

The bunkai contained in kata teach two person drills also known as tegumi drills. These drills train you for engagement matches (randori). Here are some of the principles that you learn from these drills:

(In no particular order)
1. Methods of posturing (stance work)
2. Methods of pulling
3. Methods of pushing
4. Methods of escaping from grips
5. Methods of unbalancing a person using leg presses
6. Methods of locking
7. Methods of pinning
8. Methods of throwing
9. Methods weight of distribution
10. Methods of checking
11. Methods of grappling
12. Methods of holding
13. Methods of twisting
14. Methods of turning
15. Methods of trapping
16. Methods of timing techniques
17. Methods of footwork

Now lets take a look at some of the basic postures that occur in most kata. We intend to show you how the bunkai can be interpreted and not deviate from the essential shape of kata.

Figure 1 shows the rei salutation.
Figure 2 shows the cross hand configuration demonstrated in the yoi movement.
Figure 3 shows the final position of the yoi movement, representing a double hand grip. This movement is common to most kata, the exceptions we will discuss in further detail at a later date. Let's see how to put this movement into practise

Figure 4 shows the same position as figure 2 but this time the arms are gripped. The hand positions can be either right over left or left over right. In figure 5 the yoi movement is completed and the grips are reversed. From this position it is possible to use the many double hand grappling techniques found in kata. This demonstrates the basic Double Hand Grappling formula of double hand grappling.

In figure 6 we can see jui uke zenkutstu dachi. Figure 7 is the same as figure 4. In figure 8 the person on the right has been pulled forward causing him to lose his balance. His response is to move forwards in jui uke, this enables him to keep his balance and remain stable. He is then safe to respond with his next move. From this we can see that jui uke is a simple part of the Double Hand Grappling formula.

Figure 9a shows shuto uke in niki ashi dachi. This may vary depending on what style you practise. Figure 9b can follow from figure 8 for example. There are many responses that can follow from figure 8. Figure 10 shows the completed shuto movement crossing the arms of the other player, placing him in an unnatural position. Notice how the position of the hands in shuto twist the other players hands out of position.

Let's now look at another typical technique that is found in many kata. Nukite, knife hand.

Figure 11 shows nukite performed on its own. Figure 12 shows the shuto response in figure 10. Figure 13 shows a follow up to shuto uke, in this case a nukite. In kata it is common for nukite to follow shuto uke. The player's balance is disturbed with shuto uke in figure 12 which places him in position for nukite. The player steps forward into zenkutstu dachi and applies nukite to temporarily lock his opponents arms.

We have shown a few of the most common movements in kata being applied using the Double Hand Grappling formula. There are plenty more kata movements that we could have shown in this article but we simply don't have the space. This is the tip of the iceberg. We hope we have given you a taste of what is to come. When you get the formula right kata movements are not that hard to understand. The opportunity is here to finally understand kata, it is up to you whether you want to take it. To find out more about Ryoute email info@ryoute.com.

Notes: 1) At this point it is prudent to mention the research of Nathan J Johnson author of Barefoot Zen. To our knowledge he is the first person to have proposed the idea that a kata might have a double hand grappling application. He has thoroughly researched the kata Naifuanchin and has a full set of applications for it. Our research has produced a more general formula that we believe extends to many kata.

Geoff Thompson
"It's always nice to see people pushing the boundries of the art."