Practical Kata Bunkai: Chuck Norris’s Chun Kuk Do’s Kong Sang Koon

[@claudes.whitacre1241]

There is a world full of Black Belts that still think that these moves are a series of blocks and punches. It's what I was taught. Only though videos like this did I learn what's really going on in Kata. Thank you Mr. Abernathy.

[@goodbuy7556]

true

[@michealtomelloso3912]

This is something new to me, l 've never heard of this and didn't know Norris had so many Black Belts, and l've studied Korean Arts, two styles along with some chinese, and now l'm also learning African Martial Arts on Video, this is very interesting👍

[@barrettokarate]

@@michealtomelloso3912 Norris has thousands of black belts via his organizations. In the 1960s and 70s he had promoted over 325 (including my instructor). After he founded UFAF in 1979/80 that's when the numbers really began to grow because he had an open door policy. Something that some of the older guys including his "lieutenant", Pat Johnson (Karate Kid referee/choreographer) didn't really like.

[@johnrandall125]

When I was studying karate I often asked my instructor for the practical applications of various kata moves. At first I did not overly question the long range blocking explanations that I got. Later I realised that my instructor did not really understand all of the applications himself and worse, bullshitted me on a few occasions. When I wandered into a newly opened nearby ju-jitsu dojo out of curiosity I realised everything they did had real, practical, testable application. I never returned to my karate dojo, practicing ju-jitsu from then until circumstances forced me to move to another town. Unfortunately one without a worthwhile ju-jitsu dojo. I regret to say I believe there is an awful lot of badly taught karate out there so it is refreshing to see competent and questioning instructors working to improve what should be a very effective and worthwhile martial art.

[@rcbmmines4579]

Shotokan practitioner here. I've been looking for Kanku Dai/Kusanku Bunkai everywhere and I find this. Amazing stuff! Probably the best application I've ever seen! Wish it could be more widely known.

[@KenpoKid77]

He has a DVD/download dedicated to Kanku Dai/Kusanku bunkai, very informative: iainabernethy.co.uk/shop/product/bunkai-jutsu-practical-kata-applications-volume-3-kushanku-kanku-dai/

[@AndoMierzwa]

Great, great stuff, sir!

[@MartyNozz]

I always love hearing the reaction from the crowd when they suddenly realized how vicious some of these bunkai are.

[@raymondfrye5017]

Vicious?...or brutal reality of hand-to-hand combat at its toughest in warfare? Karate, with hand-forearm and knee-shin armor, like knuckledusters and greaves, is the ultimate.

[@fabiocarraro6203]

Chuck Norris shook Iain's hand: now his pulling hand CAN generate power!

[@practicalkatabunkai]

Brilliant! Love it!

[@DarkPhoenixTSi]

The greatest hikate EVER!!

[@bongothom]

I don't want to sound like a salesman, but I started purchasing Mr. Abernethy's DVDs a few years ago and he totally revolutionized how I train kata. If you are serious about traditional karate, I can't recommend his material enough.

[@KenpoKid77]

110% agreed. His research on kata analysis and application is eye-opening, can't get enough of it.

[@akrocuba]

OUTSTANDING EXPLANATION, AS USUAL, OF HOW TO ACTUALLY USE KATA IN THE REAL WORLD!!! OUS! MUCH RESPECT!!

[@roloduarte3100]

What an honor teaching with Chuck Norris there, you deserve it Ian.

[@Ariel1Dominguez]

this sensei is a genious. Really apreciate the content. I´m really happy to have found this channel. great work. OSSU!

[@firebellyK]

I studied Tang Soo Do and got a black belt in Korea in 1986. I ended up in Las Vegas in 1987 and was looking for a school to train in. I found Bob Barrows school which was UFAF (Chuck Norris system). I joined the class and they honored my black belt. Within a few weeks I was teaching classes. A short time later Chuck Norris came to town for the UFAF convention. The Black Belts from our school got to escort Mr. Norris from the Barbary Coast hotel to Cesars Palace where he was staying. He was an extremely cool person. Very friendly. I’ll never forget that.

[@southpawmoose]

what a privilege to give such a presentation infront of Grandmaster Norris.

[@kbanghart]

If only Chucky didn't have the political views he does

[@Andrath]

@@kbanghart Why the hell does that matter? There's no politics in martial arts.

[@kbanghart]

@@Andrath cuz he spouts his crap in public all the time

[@Andrath]

@@kbanghart So what? He isn't allowed an opinion? How democratic of you.

[@kbanghart]

@@Andrath not if it's a stupid wrong opinion

[@michaelvendick2785]

This dude is amazing with his interpretation of kata bunkai. He brings to light what the movements actually mean, and they are devastaing!!! Its no wonder that the old masters tried to keep the meanings of the kata movements a secret. But the way he explains the centerline theory, your position to your opponent based on both of your centerlines, you want to be off your opponents centerline while having your centerline facing your opponent, makes so much sense. And once you understand that the Katas are all based off this simple principle, the meanings of the movements of the Katas start to open up and practicing kata becomes fun again and more relevant to your training than you ever imagined

[@kbanghart]

I agree, this is what I've been learning in my own dojo studying some Shorin-ryu. Great stuff.

[@QuestOfChris]

Excellent stuff. Not enough people look at Kata like you do, I always saw it like when boxers shadow box. People don't mock boxers for practicing against invisible opponents. What you are doing brings them to life and translates them to their original purpose👍🏻🙏🏻

[@MaurizioPappolla]

I Guess you are the best Karate teacher I never seen in action...finally Someone that gives a real self defense sense to the Katas

[@Ronin-101]

Sir, I was like kata is full of BS but you know you changed a bit of that and I'm researching more into kata now.

[@kbanghart]

I love kata. It's a great workout, and we get to see the practical applications of the moves. Plus it's fun to see everyone in the dojo working together.

[@TFSMikeRath]

That was the best way of showing what that kata is for! I loved your explanation, it must have been amazing to have so many high ranks cheering almost out of the, "OHhh! That's what it does." type of applause.

[@simonbuck8806]

As always, informative, practical and entertaining Iain.

[@garycleveland6410]

Mr Abernethy is an authority on the subject of kata.

[@donelmore2540]

I love Ian’s enthusiasm!

[@Ramin2340]

chuck norris, rener gracie and iain abernethy in one room. *faints*

[@grayalun]

That's so cool, I think the sport side of martial arts has diluted a lot of TMA's it's great to see the likes of Iain Abernathy showing the practical side of arts with the self defence side too.

[@lucaspatrick542]

Great practical instruction of kata always impresses. And of course two of my most respected legendary instructors! Great video. Thanks for sharing.

[@ghost180sx]

That's fantastic. I'm so glad that you have posted this about KongSangKoon!

[@dermotrooney9584]

Lovely stuff. Hope Norris played uke for the throws. Shaking his hand amazing but would be a dream come true to chuck Chuck.

[@amcconnell6730]

Chuck Norris doesn't hand out awards. Chuck Norris IS the award. :)

[@BryanParnala]

The award hands out chyck norris

[@thecarnosaurchannel2819]

Fisticuffs tells you to put the hand on the mark"" aka solar plexis. Also it helps to block with the upper parry

[@jkrnewengland]

Excellent - thank you for sharing!

[@matkasim]

Great explanation sensei

[@BryanParnala]

When Chuck Norris accidentally hit someone while doing the boogie... BUNKAI WAS BORN.

[@bewater5178]

Good explanation!

[@brycekeeney4995]

So good!

[@NaihanchinKempo]

Looked like fun times

[@Senseijefre]

Yo was that Rener Gracie at the end?

[@practicalkatabunkai]

The man himself :-)

[@kmdewhurst]

Is there a reason they don't call it Kanku-Dai? Am I right in guessing that all Tang Soo Do Kata that replicate shotokan kata have been given Korean names?

[@practicalkatabunkai]

Hi Kayne, There is! The name “Kanku-Dai” was the Japanese name given to the kata by Gichin Funakoshi when karate reached mainland Japan. Before that, it was known as Kushanku. Funakoshi felt a Japanese names - as opposed to Okinawan or Chinese names - would be better for the Japanese to use. The name Kong Sang Koon is a Korean rendering of Kushanku. This is simply the same process at work and Korean practitioners giving the form a Korean name. I hope that helps.

[@kmdewhurst]

practicalkatabunkai Thanks Iain, that was very helpful. The reason I mentioned Kanku and not Kushanku was that I thought that Tang Soo Do's katas originated from the Funakoshi versions of the kata. Also, I believed that Chun Kuk Do was based in Tang Soo Do. Do you know if these statements are incorrect?

[@barrettokarate]

Kayne Dewhurst You are correct, Tang Soo Do's versions of the forms did originally come from the Shotokan versions. The first person to use the term "Tang Soo Do" was a Korean named Won Kuk Lee, who had earned a fourth dan under Funakoshi. He opened up a school in 1944 called the Chung Do Kwan, where he taught Funakoshi's versions of the forms. Several years later another Korean, Hwang Kee opened up a school called the Moo Duk Kwan, and called his art Tang Soo Do also (originally Hwa Soo Do before renaming it in the early 1950's). The latter school is through which most Tang Soo Do stylists trace their lineage back to. Anyway, Hwang also taught the Shotokan version of the forms (with some slight modifications), claiming that he learned them from a Japanese book on Okinawan karate he found. Most people believe that book was Funakoshi's "Rentan Goshin Toudi-Jutsu". Chun Kuk Do's base art is Tang Soo Do, but not traditional Korean Tang Soo Do. In the mid-1960's, Norris began cross training in Shotokan and Shito-ryu, and modifying the art he had learned, including the forms. Norris also trained under the late Ki Whang Kim, a high ranking Tang Soo Do and Tae Kwon Do master, who held a black belt in Shudokan karate. So the forms that Norris taught were slightly different than the ones he had learned in traditional Tang Soo Do-Moo Duk Kwan. I know my reply was quite lengthy, but hopefully I answered your questions. My instructor received his black belt from Norris in 1977, and Chun Kuk Do's version of Kong Sang Koon is slightly different than the one I was taught, and my teacher taught the forms exactly as he was taught back in the day.

[@senseikayne]

barrettokarate thanks, that was very informative! You answered my question excellently. I guess the choice to go with a Korean name seems unusual to me because westerners typically still use the Japanese names. I wonder why he felt a need to give it a Korean name...

[@raunakchakraborty6118]

legend

[@AndreyBurashnov]

Dear Ian, please tell me when we find ourselves to the right of the opponent at the beginning of the kata, and not to the left as in the video, then all the following movements in the kata should be mirrored? Or are the movements universal? Will the right knee strike be like this anyway?

[@myfavourites3643]

Great British master of kata

[@AngloSaxon1]

Great stuff

[@DysmasTheGoodThief]

I’m enrolled in a UFAF school and I learned that arm grab the other day during warmups. What are the odds

[@eclarkey9335]

Like the Music Iain.. (The rest of it is pretty OK too)

[@harageilucid4352]

This is what i dont understand about kata: if you dont know what the moves of the kata represent then you could practice that kata 100,000 times and it would never translate into actually performing that sequence on someone who was really throwing a punch at you. Once you know what the moves mean, you can just practice the actual moves with a training partner and dispense with the kata. Since theres no law keeping us modern people from practicing martial arts (we can practice openly and keep the techniques preserved via illustration, manuscript, and even video) is kata necessary? Is there anything that kata does which something else doesn't do better?

[@practicalkatabunkai]

Thanks for the comment. I’m pressed for time, but here are my thoughts on your questions: YOU WROTE: “Once you know what the moves mean, you can just practice the actual moves with a training partner and dispense with the kata.” There are three main reasons while kata has a continuing role in karate and similar systems: 1) Continuity and Organisation of Information The kata (when correctly understood) provide the syllabus of karate. Throwing away the kata would be like throwing away the text book. It is what structures our study. We learn the drill for the first few motions of the kata, then the drill for the next few motions, and then the next, and so on. The drills build on each other and the kata presents a logical and productive learning order. Get rid of the kata and we lose the central organisation of the system. YOU WROTE: “we can practice openly and keep the techniques preserved via illustration, manuscript, and even video” Physical motions are most effectively recorded in a physical medium. Training kata require that you actually move through the drills being recorded (not so for a book of video). The fact kata is physical also means that you can record things you can’t see (thoughts, feelings, alignments and all other manner of “subtleties”). Books and videos are unable to record these things as effectively: they can describe it, but you can’t experience it from the media itself. Book and videos can be thought of as “external media” i.e. they are separate from the martial artist. Kata are “internal media” in that they are infused within the martial artists who practise them. This gives kata a big advantage. Kata move from the bodies of the experienced, to bodies of the less experienced, creating sound movement “habits” as they go. Kata can provide physical training and mental rehearsal. Again, books and videos can’t do that. Reading and watching isn’t training. Despite advances in technology, the human body remains the best medium to record physical actions. 2) Supplementary Solo Practise The kata provide a way of training when we don’t have a training partner. The kata are NOT a substitute for partner work or an alternative to live practise. They do, however, have a role to play when there is no training partner. The practise of kata - with the correct mindset and visualisation - will support the partner work we are doing; which is also based on the kata. If we do away with the kata, we lose an effective form of supplementary solo practise. Other solo training methods are also important (bag work, physical conditioning, etc) but kata is a key one for us karateka due to its direct connection to partner drills; and even the live practise that results from those partner drills. 3) Intent Every single form of training is flawed. We practise hurting people all the time while doing all we can to ensure no one gets hurt. If we are not calling ambulances to the gym/dojo every session, they we are making some compromises in the name of safety. The way all martial arts get around this is to utilise a “training matrix” (kzbin.info/www/bejne/kJ62q2Omd9OAlc0, kzbin.info/www/bejne/iKHTf32MbZeYqM0 and iainabernethy.co.uk/content/training-matrix-elbowing-and-knee-combination). Basically, this means we use a mix of training methods - all of which have their own flaws - but which when used together will give us all the attributes we need. Working with a partner gives us a real body to work with (vital!), but the flaw is that we “pull” techniques - i.e. cranks and locks are applied slowly and with care, strikes to vulnerable areas are not driven into the target, etc - and at the back of our minds is the ever-present desire not to harm our training partner (an important and often unseen issue). This can create dangerous habits and, most importantly, a faulty mindset. Where kata can help is that it provides a “moving visualisation” where everything is done with full intent. Visualisation has loads of scientific backing, and when you combine that with the actual movements then you have a potent support to partner work, which helps correct the inherent flaws of that partner work. The HUGE flaw of solo-kata is that there is no body to apply the methods on. It’s not doing partner work OR kata OR live practise OR pad-drills, etc. but instead doing all of them in a holistic training matrix so all the elements support each other and correct each other’s inherent flaws. For karateka, kata done with visualisation, and an intense intent, is what we use to correct the flaw of partner work which sees the mental “safety” being ubiquitously “on”. It therefore has an important role to play. I hope that all helps. I’m not saying kata should be mandatory for all martial artists. Other systems have differing approaches to the above issues. However, we traditional karate types have directly experienced the role of kata in karate and that is why we value it. I hope some of that comes across in the above text. All the best, Iain

[@AyeJordan7]

@@practicalkatabunkai is there a chance that taewondo has a little bit of grappling in it,since it’s part of karate,the upper block,single arm block,those arnt really blocks I know that but I think there’s a great chance taekwondo has grappling moves

[@krazylevin]

Awesome

[@justinstuart8382]

Where is he?

[@practicalkatabunkai]

Wherever he wants to be! :-)

[@GavKeith]

All the dealdy techniques is in the kata...

[@raymondfrye5017]

That is the purpose of the kata: how to perform a deadly technique without killing somebody in the process. In Ancient Rome they would do just that: send criminals and "P.O.W.'S" to test combat techniques on each other. You can understand why the "sport" died out. Regards

[@goodbuy7556]

HOW i get to train this, when every body is like age uke is block from oi tsuki to the face? I than I am stupid D: D: D: i am really concerned for karate REALLY!

[@akungsuyono45]

❤❤

[@danielnewstead7527]

Savage