UNSU Kata BUNKAI by Iain Abernethy (@practicalkatabunkai)

UNSU Kata BUNKAI by Iain Abernethy (@practicalkatabunkai)

Karate 27 Comments

Unsu Kata BUNKAI – A Brutal Beauty

In a captivating video by Jesse Enkamp titled “UNSU Kata BUNKAI by Iain Abernethy”, the raw intensity and beautiful brutality of Karate is vividly explored. Uploaded on August 14th, 2019, this video has attracted over 43,000 views, engaging viewers with its 3-minute 31-second run time.

Enkamp, known as “The Karate Nerd”, is joined by Sensei Iain Abernethy, the world’s foremost Kata application expert. Their discussion delves into the more lethal aspects of Kata, specifically the Unsu Kata, known for its sheer brutality.

Sensei Iain elucidates the yin-yang style of the Unsu Kata, which, while appearing beautifully elegant, conceals a dark, aggressive underbelly. He breaks down the opening movement, explaining how it can serve as a self-defense mechanism against an assailant’s attack. This involves defensively covering the head, creating space, and identifying the opponent’s position, ultimately resulting in a powerful counterattack.

Abernethy further dissects the Kata movements, emphasizing the importance of grabbing hold of the opponent’s head and the strategic role of each finger. The use of three fingers at the back of the jaw and the thumb’s potential for eye gouging makes for a potent combination. He then showcases how the circular foot movement in Kata can be used to establish a foothold and effectively take down the opponent.

The Unsu Kata, despite its aesthetic beauty, doesn’t shy away from ruthlessness. Indeed, as illustrated in this video, the Kata is designed with brutal self-defense techniques at its core. By tactically exploiting the opponent’s vulnerabilities, the Kata—whether it’s UNSU or UNSHU—proves exceedingly effective, regardless of the karate style practiced.

Conclusion

Through this engaging piece, Enkamp and Abernethy offer viewers a glimpse into the world of Kata, exposing its brutal core hidden beneath an elegant facade. This video serves as a critical resource for anyone eager to understand the practicality behind Kata movements, their origins, and their potential applications in self-defense situations.

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Jesse Enkamp: The Karate Nerd

Jesse Enkamp, commonly known as the Karate Nerd, is a renowned karate coach, author, and motivational speaker. Born into a family with a strong karate tradition, Jesse has dedicated his life to mastering and promoting this martial art. His influential online presence and innovative coaching methods have made him a leading figure in the world of karate. His passion for martial arts is infectious, inspiring thousands worldwide — from beginners to black belts. Jesse’s commitment to karate is not just physical; he explores its philosophy, history, and its application in daily life, making him an exceptional ambassador for this discipline.

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Practical Karate Applications in MMA and Fighting Sports

In the world of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and fighting sports, the practical applications of Karate have gained notable recognition. Karate’s blend of speed, precision, and strategy has earned it a respected status. Its techniques can break down an opponent’s defense and yield powerful strikes. Karate also equips practitioners with great timing and distance control, pivotal in MMA competitions. The wide-stance, quick in-and-out footwork, and solid body mechanics make Karate an advantageous fighting style. Fighters such as Lyoto Machida have successfully integrated Karate into their style, reinforcing its value in the MMA arena. Despite the misconception of Karate being a ‘soft’ martial art, it’s a proven technique in the fight world.

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The History of Japanese Martial Arts

Japanese martial arts originated from the samurai class of feudal Japan. They were designed for practical use in warfare. With time, they evolved into strategies that encompass spirituality, discipline, and self-improvement. Today, they are more about personal development than combat.

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27 Comments

  1. Traditional karate has alot of throws, and takedowns. Unfortunately the art was "watered down" and was mainly looked at as a sport. Which I really did not like. However, its great to see again, sensei Jesse and sensei Iain sharing there ideas and philosophy to all us karate nerds!

  2. Interesting to see a more brutal Kata. It's funny that vehicles and people doing stuff seems to follow you more than others in your videos. I was just thinking as I post this that maybe it's because you do a lot of your videos in lots of outdoor locations, and a lot of your indoor locations are busy ones, like full dojos.etc. So with more aggressive/brutal kata like this, would this have been made by practitioners in the past that were in more peril than in other time periods locals?

  3. It is a typical first class Bunkai explanation of Iain! Congratulation! This interpretation for the beginning of Unsu Kata has real practical relevance in close combat. Much better than the often demonstrated ballet moves of other authors. Thanks Jesse, thanks Iain. with kind regards Helmut

  4. Beginner Judoka here. I instinctively thought how familiar 0:45 looked to Ouchi-Gari before seeing the rest of the video. We are taught to step forward and draw a circle with our toe. How interesting!

  5. I enjoyed the video, but as Karateka who also happens to be a Judoka, I strongly disagree with this bunkai, particularly at the start of the Kata.
    You may argue whatever you want about the big circle motion of the hands, but to propose that the following movement is an Osoto Gari only denotes a not sufficient level of grappling knowledge.
    The movement is an O Uchi Gari, the big circle with the lead leg is something that every Judoka knows, which differs from the reaping leg motion of the Osoto Gar, which can only be successful if you stepped to his side while unbalancing him… If you don't follow this process and your opponent knows how to fight, you give him too much opportunity to suplex your neck to the ground, especially if you used a circular motion instead of reaping one (it unbalances yourself).
    And the fingers position is something that only grapplers could know, is the basic tutorial on how to grab and manipulate your opponent's clothes… Beginners always try to grab a full hand, making a fist, which is not optimal for Kuzushi (unbalance your opponent), the better way is to guarantee your last three fingers with a good amount of cloth and use the indicator finger and the thumb to direct the pull and push motion.
    Also, O Uchi Gari is a better following for that scenario of the guy rushing toward you and somehow you end up squared with him, in that distance, there's just not enough space to go for an Osoto Gari, and if the goal is to react as fast as possible that would be illogical.

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