UNDERSTANDING KARATE SHOTOKAN KATA

Been learning Karate Shotokan kata for some time? Tired of practicing kata without understanding it's meaning or usefulness? How does practicing Karate kata makes you a powerful Karateka?

If you want to know more, welcome! This website will serve to make your Karate training an awesome journey of self-enlightenment.

This website focus on the meaning and bunkai (applications) of Karate kata, and the original purpose it was created for, ie. close quarter fighting, though you may call it self defense or self protection in modern day context.

Although there are at least 26 Karate Shotokan kata, this website will focus on only a chosen few, which have many of the most deadly Karate bunkai. Not many Karateka spend a lot of time actually "studying" Karate Shotokan kata, preferring to spend time on developing their physical presentation instead of discovering the cryptic meaning (bunkai) behind the complex arm and legs movements taught by these forms.

This website will provide historically accurate kata interpretation and bunkai, linking kata to effective Karate techniques, including pressure points strikes or the art of kyusho jutsu. I hope the information here will reaffirm the usefulness of Karate Shotokan kata for a Karateka to learn deadly fighting techniques.

Please visit the page on Karate kata videos to download free Karate kata videos for your training and understanding. I have an extensive collection of Karate video clips, street fighting video clips and self defense video clips for you.

View the Karate Shotokan kata videos and see if you can recognize any of the kata movements in my collection of Karate video clips. Since the original purpose of Karate is for fighting or self defense, there is also a page on Karate women and Street Karate, because Karate give women the skills and confidence to overcome dangers from those with criminal intention.

Karate, like any other form of martial arts, should evolve with times. And you should always have a few layers of self protection capability, eg. primary, secondary and backup.

So, there is a page on choosing a self defense product which you can use to augment your self protection capability. Knowing a powerful empty hand combat skill like Karate will definitely give you the extra edge should you decide to carry a weapon for self protection, with both complementing each other quite well.

KARATE KATA REMIND US WHY WE ARE HERE. TO LEARN EFFECTIVE FIGHTING SKILLS.

This website will introduce Kissaki-Kai Karate and provide detail explanation on how and why we are different from the typical JKA or SKIF style Shotokan Karate.

I would like to urge all Karateka to honestly examine why you are learning Karate and are you reaching your goals with your current training regimen or style. Do you want to acquire deadly street fighting techniques from practicing Karate Shotokan kata?

If you want to learn classical Karate for close quarter fighting or self defense as shown in this website, you are most welcome to train with us or attend one of our skill path seminars. Just email me your area of interest and I'm sure you'll have a challenging and enlightening experience learning and training with us.

Finally, please join our self defense forum in Karate Facebook Page and share your views freely. I will also show you the results of few interesting special polls on Karate or other martial arts every now and then. So bookmark this site and come back often.

A powerful Karateka is a complete all-rounded fighter, skillful in atemi-waza (striking), nage-waza (throwing or takedowns), kansetsu-waza (joint-locks & manipulation), shime-waza (choking), ne-waza (ground fighting & submission) and usage of human pressure points (esp pressure points strikes). Learning and understanding the true meaning of Karate Shotokan kata will teach you all that.


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UPDATES:

Sensei Dan Loh joined us as a contributor & writer. Dan is a Karateka with 20 years training in Karate and also enjoys training in boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts and Filipino stick fighting.

Will Yap has joined us as administrator, contributor & writer. Will is a practitioner of Crazy Monkey Defense (CMD) and holds a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ). His writings on ground fighting will add a new element to this site.

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