Customer Reviews

Bunkai-Jutsu

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This is one book about karate that every karateka in the world should own and read repeatedly.

Over the years of training I'd been becoming increasingly frustrated at the ineffectiveness of such things as "blocks", they are completely unnatural and take twice as long to execute as the punches and other attacks they are supposed to defend against. Well... Guess what. They aren't "blocks", they are "uke" which means "receiver". Ian's book is enlightening, an uke isn't just a block, it's a way of turning a natural human reaction when attacked to our advantage and are best used almost the reverse of the way traditionally taught.

And kata, those bizarre and useless dances we do every week? Um no... the kata really are the core of fighting, they really do teach some brutal and effective fighting techniques, but only if you understand how to read them. This is the real beauty of the book, it gives you a key to unlock the kata, a set of simple common sense rules which turn the kata into a reference library to be studied rather than a dance to be performed.

Finally, the book exhorts us to train all of the techniques encoded in the kata, that includes punches, kicks, locks, throws because it's only when we actually practice them that we are practicing karate. Until we do, we're perfoming kickboxing and techniques which are of dubious use in a real situation.

If you practice karate, of any "style" buy this book and read it.

Bunkai Jutsu is extremely well done. Iain Abernethy is one of the few authors who truly understands and is able to communicate that martial arts are at their core about combat. Kata is not dance practice nor is it aerobic training (though that may be a legitimate side benefit of performing it). It is the fundamental basis of a fighting art. Bunkai are the kata applications practitioners can use for real-life self-defense. Abernethy provides an easy to read approach to understanding and utilizing these applications.

If you know how to decipher them, all aspects of fighting can be found in kata, including kicking, striking, grappling, strangling, pressure point techniques, and throwing applications. The contents of this impressive tome include a brief history of kata, a treatise on the nature of real fighting, Iain's rules of bunkai (how to figure out what the kata is telling you), pre-emptive striking, entrance and exit techniques, ground fighting, the "true" use of blocks, the purpose of stances, kata-based sparring, and much more. This is all stuff you can use in real life combat. The section on vital points is illuminating.

This book is well worth the money even though it's a little hard to find and may take awhile to get (almost 4 weeks when I ordered it on Amazon). It is one of the very few books I categorically believe that every martial artist should own. I heartily recommend it!

Iain Abernethy really knows his stuff. He holds a godan (5th degree black belt) in applied karate from the British Combat Association, one of the world's leading groups for close-quarter combat and practical martial arts. He is also a yodan (4th degree black belt) in Wado-Ryu karate (English Karate Governing Body), a member of the Combat Hall of Fame, and a former national level kata judge in the UK. He is the author of four books on applied karate: Bunkai-Jutsu: The Practical Application of Karate Kata, Throws for Strikers: The Forgotten Throws of Karate, Boxing, and Taekwondo, Karate's Grappling Methods, and Arm-Locks for All Styles. Sensei Abernethy has produced numerous DVD's and videos on applied karate and kata bunkai and is a regular contributor to all of UK's leading martial arts magazines.

Lawrence Kane
Author of Surviving Armed Assaults, The Way of Kata, and Martial Arts Instruction

In this book, Iain Abernathy has tried to present karate practitioners with a Shotokan lineage with a "decoder ring" of sorts for their various kata. The result is a fascinating read to say the least. He begins with a basic history of the kata, explaining why they look the way they do now. Then he moves on to discuss the performance of the kata, from the beginning learning process to the various mental aspects. This section alone is eye-opening. The chapter on the rules of bunkai is one that all practitioners of karate should read. With rules such as "Every Kata Move Is Designed For Use In Combat", Abernathy comes across as a traditionalist; rules such as "Real Fights Are Sloppy Affairs" make him seem like a realist; and with rules like "There Is A Need For Skills At Every Range", he seems quite progressive. These various, complementary aspects give credence to the author's point of view by appealing to nearly everyone. Gradually, through these chapters, the reader can begin to see the pieces of the bunkai puzzle start to fall into place.

Next, we take a sort of side-journey to examine the basics of how real fights occur. This is necessary to understand the environment in which karateka will apply the bunkai. He then inserts a chapter on the "Magnitude of Kata", and we begin to see his interpretations of classical karate kata as he describes how the principles of kata come alive in real situations.

Next, we move on to the actual, technical aspects of fighting contained within the kata. Atemi (striking) is first, with Abernathy describing the attributes necessary for effective striking, how they apply to kata, and some basic training tools. Then, since we've already been exposed to the basic striking tools, he gives us a list of anatomical weak points of which to strike. If I may be critical here, while I can't dispute that the points he describes are vulnerable to attack, he seems to imply that striking some of these points will lead to certain death. Like most traditional karateka, he seems to assume maximum possible, versus realistic, damage. The next chapter is on pre-emptive striking, in which he explains that the famous quote "There is no first strike in karate" doesn't necessarily exclude pre-emptive striking. He makes a pretty convincing argument, even using further quotes from Funakoshi to back up his claims. A rare chapter on entering and exiting techniques follows, which also covers attacking the eyes, throat, and groin. Following that is a chapter on throws and takedowns (including, yes, those found in kata), and then a chapter on the joint-locks of kata. I particularly enjoyed this section, as the opening of Pinan Yondan has been driving me nuts for years. Also in that chapter, he addresses distractions to set up joint-locks, and some "sticking-hands" type movement found in the katas. Next is "Karate on the Ground", which includes both striking and grappling. The "true" applications of blocks follows, much to my appreciation. Apparently, the term "uke" doesn't necessarily mean to block, but also to counter, to receive, or to respond. With this definition, many so-called blocks now make more sense, as demonstrated in this book. After that is a chapter on stances, including their use as obstacles to the attacker. The book finishes up with a chapter on kata-based sparring. The variety of sparring should give instructors limitless ideas for adding variety and valuable lessons to their karate classes.

Overall, a very good book. I wish I'd had access to it when I was a blue belt. The book is easy to follow, well-written, and really succeeded in piquing my curiosity about bunkai. There were classic quotes from the old karate masters throughout the book, adding some authenticity to the context. This is a book I'd highly recommend to any karate practitioner who feels unsatisfied with the explainations they've been given for their kata.

The author has written an exellent book about the Bunkai of Karate Kata. In my opinion it is one of the best books concerning to this theme. He gives a lot of insights into the understanding of the real application of the old Karate katas. He goes back to the main ideas of Okinawan Karate masters who developed and saved Karate Katas. He also explains the difference between real application and sports Karate. I think every Karate student, who is interested in a deep understanding of Okinawan Martial art must analyse Ian Abernethy`s work to find his own way in Karate study and practice.
Helmut Kogel M.D., Professor of Surgery
5th Dan Karate, Kobudo Renshi, 2nd Dan Nihon Jujutsu, 1st Antas Combat Arnis, Reg.Director IMAF Kokusai Budoin

Bunkai-Jutsu (Book)
Author: Iain Abernethy
Skill level: Intermediate to Advanced
Available from: Summersdale Publishing

This is the first book that I have ever read that exposed me to the concepts of real Bunkai (analysis) of the applications found within kata. Since, I have read other books that outline various reverse engineering methods of kata but this book is the measuring stick by which all others of its kind should be judged. No matter where you decide to get your information on Karate applications I would strongly recommend this book be added to every library. I have owned this book for a couple of years now and I have referred back to it many times. It serves as a excellent filter to see what is real and functional in Karate and self defense.

Mr. Abernethy has done a great job putting together a book that builds a solid foundation on which kata can be reverse engineered by any Karate student. A process that is necessary to attempt to understand what was truly meant by the moves in these forms. Ultimately, it is what Karate is really all about.

The end of this book also includes a list of suggested readings as well as an excerpt from another of Abernethy's books named "Arm Locks for All Styles".

My concerns for this book are that the reader should know that training from a qualified instructor is necessary to benefit from this or nearly any book on the martial arts. Learning from this medium takes patience and a certain amount of fundamental understanding in order to build. This work is a great start on any path to understanding kata but cannot stand alone. In order for this book to work we must study from many sources and a proper instructor to help you put these thoughts together would be invaluable.

Overall:
I really enjoyed this book. Reading it was eye opening and allowed me to put many concepts together that were previously very separate. I have since read several other books about the nature of Karate and even though I have said this before in this review Mr. Abernethy's work as a benchmark by which all other material is compared. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from him in the future.

At $26.85, this book is a great resource for Intermediate to Advanced skill levels, and would be a wise purchase for all martial artists but specifically to Karate instructors.

Respectfully submitted,

Nicholas Guinn
3rd Degree Black Belt - Applied Shotokan Karate
5th Degree Black Belt - Aikijutsu

December 9th, 2008
Owasso, Oklahoma, United States of America
Copyright 2008 by Nicholas Guinn

In this extremely well-written book, sensei Iain leads us to the world of Okinawan karate in a new and unique way. With Funakoshi's "Karate-Do Kyohan: The Master Text" and Sugiyama's "25 Shoto-Kan Kata" we have the key. With "Bunkai Jutsu" we have the lock the open the door and unlock the secrets of this great martial art. While some of the presented bunkai might be a subject to different views, the importance of kata is described brilliantly. Should I say more? Just get this book!

Having read this book I immediately booked Iain Abernethy for a seminar. Where had this guy been all my Karate career? He, without doubt is the man that made Karate make complete sense to me, showing it's brutal effectiveness at all combative ranges including, hold on you Karate "traditionalists', including grappling and groundwork. Iain has a knowledge of Karate's projanitors and the arts history that is second to none and has modelled his teaching methods on what they have been telling us for over a century i.e. Karate is a self-protection system designed for the real world and not the sports arena. Having trained with him on many occasions now, I can tell you that he continues to study and unlock some incredible bunkai from the kata he studies.

I highly reccommend that if you are serious about learning Karate as the practical, pragmatic and brutal protection system that men like Sokon Matsumura, Itosu and Azato created it to be: you should study Iain's superb publications and attend his superb seminars at every opportunity. He has established himself alongside the likes of Vince Morris as one of the world authorities on kata bunkai.

Andy O'Brien
Author of "The Little Bubishi: A History of Karate for Children"

The book is undoubtedly interesting, the text is good reading, but the pictures in the kimono are just so stereotypical that they distract the reader from the interesting content of the book. I guess we are all just so used to the bunkai performed in these classical forms that what the author shows, although it is new, does not come accross very well because of the way pictures are taken.

I have found this book useful. In fact, as one was stolen from me, I am about to buy a second copy. So, respect is due to the author, however the heavy emphasis on grappling makes me wonder whether or not such applications are being read into the kata even where none were intended.

For example, the author mentions the grappling interpretation for the first technique of the Bassai dai kata, which includes seizing the threatening fist of an attacker and applying a wrist lock, and then using a body turn to take the attacker down. To me, this is a very far-fetched interpretation. First, the initial Bassai technique is to step forward, almost jump forward with knees touching each other, weight on the front leg and the rear leg resting on the toes, whilst performing something between a front uchi uke reinforced by the rear hand and a front uraken reinforced by the rear hand. This, to me, just can't be a grabbing technique, because, first, it is the result of a strong forward movement, a jump so to say, placement of full weight of the body on the front leg, and a strong swing forward obviously reinforced by the rear hand. This could be a strong controlling movement, a diagonal strike to push the opponent off balance (as per the author's very interesting interpretation of uchi uke and soto uke), or, which has occurred to me recently, a very strong variant of a front uraken (backhand) designed to stop the charging attacker in their tracks, than grab the nearest hand or arm, and turn into an opposite uchi-uke as a form of takedown.

All in all, I am not sure that the author does not start from the assumption that in each kata there must be a predominance of grappling techniques; at least his interpretations seem to suggest this. I am not an expert in karate, but from what little I have learned, it seems a bit exaggerated as an interpretation.

This is a truly necessary book for the modern karate practitioners or those just interested in karate as a cultural art. Very good book.

To tell the true, I expected a little more...every serious Karate black belt who works bunkai, should know the content of that book. And if has also another background (Judo, Jiu Jitsu, Ryu Kyu Kempo, etc.) maybe he doesn't find anything really new ...
It could be more detailed, covering more Kata situations. I think this is just a beginner book, but is a good one!
Anyway is a good book and I enjoyed it.