Kibaken

The Tekki and Kibaken kata are not only very hard on the kahanshin and shisei, but also enhance a physical understanding of muchiken. Not to mention their very effective close range applications for self-defense, and tanden training, which in Okinawa is compared to Sanchin kata in Naha-te (from a Shuri-te perspective).
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In Italy earlier this year I enjoyed privately teaching Kibaken-shodan to my friend and Shotokan karate colleague Silvio Cannizzo at his home. This kata is very beneficial for long-term technical development much like the five Junro. Today I spent an hour (prior to teaching the small adult class at St. Chad's) sitting continuously in kiba-dachi focused on the Tekki and Kibaken series. Definitely time well spent for technical training. Advice to anyone... Don't be put off these kata by the shameful renditions on the internet. The jelly-legged kiba-dachi of most people doing Tekki & Kibaken is literally disrespectful to such `grounded' kata. My question is "Why is it that so many people have crap fundamentals?" Why does someone do kata when they have yet to learn basic stances properly and control of their COG (centre of gravity)?

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Kiba-dachi in Shotokan-ryu is a kihon tachikata, and must be done properly, regardless of the context... If kiba-dachi cannot be made strongly as its name translated suggests, one is not ready for the Tekki kata, and therefore even more unfit for Kibaken.

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Tomorrow morning will be focused on the bunkai/oyo-jutsu of these kata, and going by "the burn" tonight, I'm really looking forward to the 'Early Birds' training. OSU!

© André Bertel. New Zealand, 2010.