THE ANATOMY OF MOTION:
Combat Analysis of Traditional Karate Kata
by Dan Anderson
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THE ANATOMY OF MOTION: Combat Analysis Of Tradional Karate Kata creates a setting by which every student of karate, whether novice or expert, can unlock the secrets of tradional karate kata. For many years the exact fighting applications of the kata actions have been guesswork. Now with this ground breaking work, the secrets of the oriental karate kata begin to unfold.
As Professor Anderson's books on sparring have scientifically explained the art of kumite, this book now does the same for kata. Regardless of what discipline you study, this book is an invaluable aid to the study of the forms of your discipline.
Book Review just in - 21 November 2005
The Anatomy of Motion
A four time national karate champion who has won over 70 Grand Titles, Professor Anderson is a guy who really knows how to spar, yet like many martial artists he had a hard time seeing value in kata. Despite the fact that these forms were historically created to document practical, real-life fighting applications, he had always viewed kata as something for people who won't or can't fight...until now that is.
This fantastic book documents his epiphany that kata fundamentally do have martial value. Every movement of every kata contains some sort of fighting application that can be used for not only for sparring but also for real-life self defense. The challenge is that the creators of these kata intentionally hid much of their meaning. What looks like a punch, kick, or block may, in fact, be something else entirely (e.g., throw, choke, lock, release). Using Anderson's motion application principle and his numerous outstanding examples, readers can begin to decipher fighting utility in their own kata.
This book is great on many levels. First off, it covers essential fundamentals (e.g., stances, punches, blocks) in an imaginative and very useful way. My favorite example is the three cardboard box rule method of demonstrating proper body alignment and balance for common stances and techniques. Second it has some truly stellar research, including many rare historical photos, that reinforce his points. Third, it's packed with excellent photos that demonstrate a variety of applications for each movement of three common karate kata: seisan, naihanchi, and saipai. Finally, it covers the essential difference between kumite (sparring) and shobu (fighting), something many martial artists tend to overlook.
If you are a fan of Iain Abernethy's books or my own work, this well-written, very worthwhile tome will not disappoint you. Highly recommended!
Lawrence Kane
Author of The Way of Kata and Martial Arts InstructionLetters from purchasers:
"Hi Dan,
Well, I've had the book for about a week and thought I'd give you my impressions. As always, the book is well organized and laid out. I enjoyed the brief historical intro as it set the stage for what followed.And what followed was very, very good. The bunkai of the Kata were well photographed and clearly depicted the actions from the Kata as were the practical applications. The "3 cardboard box rule" was an innovative way to explain proper body alignment as well as graphically depicting how balance is broken and base disrupted.I think the training methodology in Kata is crucial. Just showing a possible Kata application and then relying on the Kata to train that response is foolish. The applications have to be broken out and drilled with a partner in order to build the kind of "stimulus-response" action that the human nervous system demands. I have heard since 1969 that Kata is the "dictionary" of karate techniques and I think that's true. I think they are a mnemonic device that allows us to remember techniques and practice them. This was probablky crucial to early Karate practitioners as literacy was not a wide spread phenomenon.
Side note : I started off in Shotokan, Goju, and Isshin ryu and have loved classical Kata from the beginning. I don't know why - I just always have and, in my younger days, won several first place trophies. For the last 10 years or so I've done Kenpo and FMA ( they just seemed to work well together with the emphasis in both arts on "Flow" ). With that in mind, I organized the techniques into Kata so that A) I could practise the techniques in one fell swoop and B) I could run down the list of techniques for any given belt level and practise them at will. In time, the Kata I devised did, indeed, become my dictionary. I hardly even bother remembering the individual technique names anymore because the inherent mnemonic quality of the Kata renders them unneccessary. My guess is that much the same thing happened with the early karate practitioners.
I think it's also interesting to note that sparring is not , really, fighting. It builds speed, timing, distancing,...etc that are all useful attributes for fighting but falls short of preparing someone for combat. Especially today. The practice of techniques pulled from the Kata against a progressively resistant partner closely resembles the Police training model we use to simulate the real world through scenarios or " Reality Based Training (RBT)". Throw in flow drills to teach the student to pull off the technique in movement and you have a complete package for teaching effective, street-oriented combat.
I was asked by a colleague what style or techniques had gotten me through 27 years of police work relatively unscathed. As I thought about it I realized that, though I had studied my way around the Pacific Rim, what had gotten me through the tight spots was my initial karate training with it's heavy emphasis on basics and Kata. I had seen officers through out the years get hurt or in trouble because they lost focus. lost control, lost their ability to breathe. Kata trains absolute focus. Kata trains control. And I've seen cops at the end of physical altercations need oxygen from FD because they hyperventilated and Kata trains breath control ( Sanchin, again, leaps to mind but all Kata do it to some extent ). Kata trains a lot of the attributes that have helped me during my carreer in law enforcement. I'd like to think that it was my blinding speed or devastating technique that got me through, but I'm afraid the answer is somewhat prosaic - basics and Kata.
Well, thanks for letting me spout off. I'm looking forward to the next book and/or video and I'm already planning for NC next year.Best,
Steve (DA note: Steve is a policeman)"I enjoyed the book. I wish they handed them out when I first started Karate, it would have stopped alot of confusion."
Jeff Burger
"I just got my book yesterday and I looked through it and read most of it. Looks like you've covered everything. I loved it! I thought it was really well put together and very insightful. There are some that I remember you teaching us and some new ones. It even got me really excited about it and made me realize how much I miss training. I guess I'm just going to have to get back into it. Thanks again for a great class. I had a ton of fun. And once again great book!"
Steve Barnes
Book Reviews
It is a few hours later and I have read your new book from cover to cover. Impressive and a good display of kata interpretation. There are a few techniques that I recognized from stuff that I do and a couple that are variations. This will be a book that I recommend to my kempo students as a must have even though it doesn't talk directly about pressure point attacks. Over all, another book well done.
Mish Handwerker – Handwerker Ryukyu Kempo
www.ryukyukempo.usI've just downloaded the book and spent that last 30 mins or so skimming through it. It's awesome! I really am incredibly impressed. Definitely the most in-depth book on kata application that I've seen. I'm really looking forwards to spending some quality time going through it all in detail. Congratulations on a book which is certain to be a massive hit!
Iain Abernethy
www.iainabernethy.com
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