One Minute Bunkai: Ananku #1

The Kyan Ananku Kata has two Shuto Uke performed at the beginning of the Kata at 45 degrees. The bunkai expressed here is a concept from this repetition of two Shuto Uke where you begin at one angle in relation to your opponent’s attack, then you deny him balance and stability. When pulling him by the hair (if no hair is present you simply use the tips of your fingers like fish hooks to catch and control, the “ear cavity” and both eye sockets” are places where your finger tips can be placed for control points (think of it like putting your fingers in a bowling ball). When pulling in him down you simultaneously deliver a knee smash to the back of his skull and/or neck while at the same time deliver a crushing Shuto-Uchi strike to the his adam’s apple/throat area. This is a devastating defense with a very nasty fall, so if you practice this please be very careful as your partner has little ability to stand up and maintain his balance when his head is being pulled down and behind him. Do not worry about the execution not looking exactly like the technique performed in the Kata as Shuto Uke is a very versatile and complex technique with many many ways in which it can be executed. The main principles taken away from this Kata move are the following:

1- You enter in one direction and finish in another.
2- You use the strong points of Shuto-Uke in that both the back hand and the front hand can be used simultaneously to either block and/or strike (as sin the parry-pass concept).
3- When using Neko Ashi Dachi (cat stance) you can always deliver a kick off the front foot (use tip toes Tsumasaki Geri to soft cavity spots on the lower body) and/or a knee smash which is the case in this example.
4- Most people think the front hand is always the principal player in Shuto-Uke but this is not the case, there rear hand can be the principle technique as is the case in this example where it delivers the final strike to the throat (form the rear hand Gyaku-Te).

One of the KEY points in this example is to be flexible and to think outside of the debilitative restrictions artificially taught today by the deficiencies of “static karate practices” and “sports competition karate” which does nothing to demonstrated real world life and death combat. Be limber on your feet and move fast, change directions, and never oppose force with force, always deflect it. This example demonstrates “old style Karate” in that you always move out of the way, take control to deny your opponent balance/stability, and you continually keep his brain occupied by changing the circumstances to confuse him. And always, always use overwhelming actions to ensure that you finish the job as soon as possible.