Practical Kata Bunkai: Flow drill for the first quarter of Kanku-Dai / Kushanku / Kosokun

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This 25 minute video was filmed at a closed residential course in April 2014. In the film, I instruct the group in a flow drill for the first quarter of Kanku-Dai / Kushanku / Kosokun. It is my view that the first quarter of the kata instructs the karateka in the basics of limb control and manipulation so that the karateka has the skills to employ the methods found later in the kata. This drill is a time efficient way to practise those skills.

In the video I also discuss the problems with flow drills as a training method, why they need to be used sparingly, why flow is not desirable in real situations, and why I define flow as "the management of failure".

As with all videos of this nature, it can't encapsulate the entirety of a method. This drill needs to be understood as but one part of a wider training methodology, and it should not be mistaken for the totality of that methodology. The kata is a repository of knowledge and a supplementary form of solo-practise. The flow drill is a time efficient way to practise the core concepts with a partner. What is not shown in the drill is the exploration and application of the underlying combative concepts manifested in the kata and drill. The video does also not show the vital practise of applying the methods and principles in non-compliant scenarios (what I term as "kata-based-sparring"). For more details of the wider methodology please visit the website.

I hope that you enjoy the clip and find the drill shown to be of value. Many thanks to everyone for their support of these videos! It is because of their popularity that we keep making more :-)

All the best,

Iain