Bunkai/Bunhae

Bunkai/Bunhae

Bunkai (分解), is a Japanese term which translates to "analysis"  or "disassembly".  In martial arts Bunkai  refers to the process of analyzing kata/forms. Bunhae is the Korean term associated with this process.  A primary element of Bunkai is extracting fighting techniques from the movements of a "form" (kata/poomse).  At  Drexel/YMAP,  Bunkai is utilized as a tool to give an enhanced context and understanding of the forms we are doing.  Students are encouraged to not just learn prescribed Bunkei but to develop the tools and curiosity to  explore independently.

Goals:

1- Understanding context of the techniques will increase a student's sense of intent while executing,  that should hopefully translate into a higher level of execution.  This eliminates a student simply performing a form out of rote memory while never 

2- This deeper dive into the forms will help a student to be able to transition more effectively into teaching  a particular form to less experienced students. 

"What, How & Why" all three of these are interdependent elements of forms study. You can't execute "what" you are doing if you don't know "how," or "why".  And if you know "why", but not "how", that is a dilemma, and so on.  Bunkei bridges that gap.

While we have certain fundamental consistencies in Bunkai, a vital element is the curiosity and personal inquisitiveness that each individual brings with them.  This personal sense of exploration into the Kata is part of what makes one flourish into a true martial artist.

Poomse/Kata/Forms were developed as self defense exercises, often to be done with a partner. Therefore, the case can be made that doing Poomse/Kata/Forms but never implementing Bunkai into practice goes against the reason for Kata’s existence 

The basic steps are:

1. Choose a form

2. Pick a sequence within the form

3. Analyze the movements of that sequence.

4. Apply the techniques in a self-defense scenario.