Systematizing

If the kata of any martial art are to be construed as a system, there must be some common, guiding principles that apply across-the-board. Perhaps the originators of kata did not need any principles as their compilation(s) would have been wrought from practically applied combative techniques. Those which worked in battle would have been retained and incorporated into kata, which would then become the pedagogical vehicle. Granted, at some point back in history, some nascent guiding principles would have to have been applied, but we are many generations beyond that now.

The problem for modern martial artists is that the specifics of the original applications, and the principles applied therein, have been lost over, at least, the last few generations. Our only way to recover the original applications is to find the imbedded guiding principles and then use them as an analytical tool against each kata.  So, how are we to find these underlying principles? 

One way might be to find a key kata, one in which the principles are more easily discerned, to use as a guide. I find that in Goju Ryu this is Sanseiru and in kobudo it is Suishi kata. For me, these kata have a level of repetition that makes the structure and underlying principles easier to discern. Granted, it has taken many years of practice to draw this conclusion, which may be skewed by hindsight, but, at the least, it is easier to see the principles embedded in these kata and then expand that understanding to the other systemic kata.

So, (try to see this when you perform the kata) the basic repetition in Suishi is block, hit, thrust, take down, hit and skewer. This basic sequence, with various slight caveats, is repeated four times starting with the opening movements. The last two sequences vary a bit more, but are still based on the previous core movements.

What can we discern, principle-wise, from the structure of this kata? Perhaps, but not necessarily limited to; kata are compilations of complete sequences that begin with defensive motions, transition to controlling motions and end with lethal motions; both ends of the bo are used; sequences can be contiguous (transition) through directional changes; flowing, unpunctuated movement fosters maximal effectivity; defensive motions should tie-up and, possibly, injure an opponent and the opponent, within each sequence, only gets one attack (indecisive back and forth exchanges within a sequence are not pedagogically sound). There may be more guiding principles that can be gleaned and applied as analytical tools that, over time, will become part of your innate perspective and, therefore, no longer mentally segregated as "principles".

As in many disciplines, a wholistic analytical approach is what we're looking for and that is what a principle based approach should foster. Principles are the experimental tools, that can be modified and tested against the kata structure until the underlying meaning is clear. While there may be other approaches that might lead to the same understanding, the piece-meal, punctuated, individual technique method that has historically been applied does not seem to have rendered optimal results. We need to evaluate kata as a series of concise, combative sequences, not as a compilation of individual motions. This is an important analytical distinction; knowing where to segregate sequences (where one ends and the next begins) has a big affect on one's view of the embedded applications and the kata structure as a whole.

How will you know that your analyses are correct? We never will for sure, but it's rather easy to discern technical improvement through the sieve of variation testing. When you can no longer refine and improve the sequence bunkai and you have a consistent theme that runs through the kata, you're probably close to the original intent. Which is not to say that analysis should end there, prodding the model should be a constant training companion, for reassurance if nothing else.