Whats in a posture

Karate has the most intriguing body postures embedded in the Kata that they hold as the library of each style... and that is what fascinates millions of practitioners around the world and throughout history.

Each posture is open to interpretation and has infinite potential that is only limited by the mind and physical capabilities of the individual.  Many styles have what is called Bunkai, or interpretations that are pre-arranged and scripted in form, performance and duplication.

Bunkai (分解), literally meaning "analysis"or "dis-assembly", is a term used in Japanese martial arts referring to the application of fighting techniques extracted from the moves of a "form" (kata). - Wikipedia

Kata is a time-tested, prepackaged toolbox of kick-ass lessons – delivered through a bad-ass template of physical awesomeness – designed to save your ass on the street. - Jesse Enkamp

 

However this unlimited interpretation can have even greater potentials if you change or add components other than physical actions in relation to the physical actions of an opponent or training partner.  As you limit your mind and therefore physical manifestations in a single paradigm, you can never unlock all the potentials you can achieve.

Most times we only relate to the exterior of any given task, challenge, opponents actions, etc., we tend to overlook the interior as it is not presently or visually (our pre-eminent sense) presented.  As example someone tries to cause physical damage, control or pain by strike, kick or grab...we see this exterior action and react in like (typically in relation to the attackers outward action) and that limits us.  If we only consider or were trained to consider reacting physically to physical, we are always one step behind and inertia is on the side of the initiator.  And working only in the physical realm we are often times limited by size, speed, strength, age and all other physical attributes... thus limiting our full potentials.

If instead we train interior aspects we can then realize a broader scope of possibilities and potentials, even unleash them from the physical limitations.  For the interior, envision the physiological structures (not the physical human form) and the functionality.  By keeping this interior dynamic as the intention, goal or target, each posture or action in the Kata will take on greater scope, possibility and potential.

As this example, look at the posture of the Karate Warrior above;  we can read many physical possibilities such as blocking a kick and punch, a leg take-down, a neck break or even the legendary groin grab and yank method.  All will depend on your size, strength and ability to position yourself during the attack to physically accomplish this.  More-so it will all depend on how you were trained or conditioned to think of this posture, if at all... as you train to repeat a specific action for the posture and transition.

Kyusho is the inhibition of a physiological function, as we see the Kata posture pictured here evolve... this short instructional theme opens greater potentials for you.

Instead if we understand the internal physiology, functionality and accessibility, an infinite array of new possibilities will avail themselves and therefore your Potential will increase exponentially according to your innate attributes.  So what this eludes to is that instead of thinking solely on duplicating someones idea of what the end product of this posture is in mechanical actions, instead you access the internal body from the first action responding with counter inertia and action to each of the opponents actions... and in process your body finds this posture naturally.  This can be acaccomplishedd training with targets, tool and trajectories as opposed to specific actions for each posture...so let's look at this phenomenon.

Reticular Activating System

PS.  Shameless sales pitch here... this film clip was one from a film I produced on the art of Seizing and it explains one of the more crucial elements of Kyusho, being the affects of the RAS in the brain stem.  It is part of the Platinum subscriptions where this Vital information will be released on Vlog #10 and it explains a large number of neurological shutdowns (yes all can be related to Kata).  This is like no other body of work on Kyusho and will help anyone who learns, understands and applies the components into their personal style, achieve greater potentials for themselves and students.  Access Here

-ep