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Three Bunkai Drills for Naihanchi / Tekki Shodan

This video quickly recaps three drills for the bunkai of Naihanchi / Tekki Shodan. The first drill strings together four of the key strikes in a way that encourages consistent contact with the enemy’s limbs. Karateka should also drill the strikes in alternate sequences and the purpose of this drill was to provide an illustration of concept. The second drill follows the order of the kata, except that multiple elbows are thrown in order to include the various ways the kata can get us past the enemy’s limbs if they block (either going back or forward a move). The final drill again follows the order of the kata and addresses the sequence where one of the arms is held horizontally. None of the drills are meant to be applied “as is” and at the event students progressed to the free flowing and unscripted application of the methods found in the drills. 

The depth of the Naihanchi / Tekki cannot be overstated. As Hironori Otsuka said, there is “something profoundly deep about the kata” and “it will take more than a lifetime to master.” There are therefore innumerable drills for this kata; including applications, flow drills, semi-live drills, live drills, impact drills, etc.

Viewers also need to appreciate that this is just four minutes from a full weekend of training and therefore it is not possible for this video to fully explain the drills and the wider methodology in which they sit. I nevertheless hope the video is of interest.

All the best,

Iain

PS The YouTube link can be found HERE

Practical Kata Bunkai: Three Bunkai Drills for Naihanchi / Tekki Shodan