Iain Abernethy - The Practical Application Of Karate

In the first podcast of 2009 we will be discussing my views on the history and applications of Chinto / Gankaku kata. This includes a discussion on the kata’s history and the key aspects of its application. The history of the kata has not been definitively established, but it is widely thought that Sokon “Bushi” Matsumura created this kata following a period of instruction from a shipwrecked Chinese martial artist by the name of Chinto. This podcast recounts the story of the kata’s creation and examines the impact this has on how we should view the kata, and how we should apply it. This podcast also compares Chinto to other kata – such as the Pinan / Heian series, Kushanku (Kanku-Dai) and Passai (Bassai-Dai) – in order to explore the kata’s unique nature. Examples of the bunkai (fighting applications) of the kata are also discussed. We also cover some historical information about Matsumura’s recorded distain for certain methods in order to see how the modern versions of the kata may contain elements that wer