The Blood Kata
Many times people perform a Kata for it's actions and other benefits such as exercise, coordination, exhibition and even Bunkai or martial techniques.
The techniques typically start as a defense, then a counter attack which is fine, however with a change of context in your Kata, you can also change your possibilities and escalate the worth as well as potential for that Kata.
Context
Let's take the contextual aspect even further by thinking of the Kata as a map or representation of the inner message of that Kata. As an easy Kata to see a very simple and dynamic representation of inner mapping as well as processes for attacking these inner aspects... we will use Kata Seiuchin.
Now there are many variances and subtle differences in each styles rendition, so we will not focus on this, instead we will focus more on the generalized actions of the Kata.
The Map
Looking at the images below (fader on upper left corner to dig deep into the anatomy), we can see the blood vessel map, along with the heart. If you also work the faders to see the organs, you will see the position of the Liver and Spleen, two crucial blood organs just at the bottom of the rib structure all around the torso. Just behind those organs (on each side) lay the Kidney's, also another blood related organ.
The Depiction
The first few actions of the Seiuchin Kata depict this map, it shows the heart as the fist and palm position to start the Kata that sink down the front of the body depicting the main trunk of blood vessels supplying these organs and legs (these are called the "Superior Mesentric Vein" right side front of spine and the "Superior Mesentric Artery" on the left front of spine.
The hands then rise and split to each side in outward and downward arcs not only depicting that the hands are the tools to utilize on these blood structures but also symbolic or mapping the "Jugular" and "Aortic" Arches). There are far more structures worth mention, but to intensive for this writing.
They then circle around and trace in upward and inward arcs just at the base of the rib structure, thus depicting the blood organ map (as mentioned above).
The hands rise up beside each other on the central axis up toward the head depicting the "Carotid Artery" and "Jugular Vein" on each side of the neck. The clenching fists (depicting Seizing and/or Tearing (the meaning of the Kata name in many styles), are the application to these vessels.
The fists then descend down the center line arcing downward and outward depicting the final mapping of the blood vessel split from the trunk of the torso to each leg.
I have composed a video podcast of this topic to show in far greater detail this depictional map of the blood system for our Platinum Subscribers - Click Here.
The attacks are broken down and bunkai'd in this complete Kata Breakdown of the Blood attacks in this Kata Click Here (also in the Platinum Service never public).
#Kyusho -ep
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