Jissen no Kata
実戦の型 · Jissen no kata
Literally: „Form of real combat“
A form of real combat in Ashihara Karate, required by AKI for first dan. After a block, the defender grabs the opponent's shoulder, pulls him in, and counters with an elbow.
Quick Facts
About the kata
Jissen no Kata is an advanced form in Ashihara Karate. Ashihara Karate International (AKI) is the only one of the five kata types it keeps in a single version, Jissen no Kata Ichi, and the AKI grading syllabus requires it only at first dan. According to AKI, it is performed faster than Kihon or Shoshinsha no Kata, with more techniques following one another in quick succession. The AKI kata guide describes it in ten numbered steps, with the same structure as the school's other kata: the fighting stance kumite no kamae, eight answers to hand and foot attacks, and a final technique. It differs in what the defender does after the block. In Shoshinsha no Kata he retreats by drawing back the front leg; here he moves into a position the guide numbers as third and does not have elsewhere, grabs the opponent's shoulder, pulls him in, and counters with a strike and an elbow. Against a front kick, he applies a series of hook strikes not described for the beginner forms in the guide. How many forms Jissen no Kata has differs by organization. AKI lists one; an instructional DVD by the Japanese NIKO, with Hidenori Ashihara, contains two, Sono Ichi and Sono Ni. We have not been able to document the course of the second form from publicly available sources.
Meaning of the name
AKI translates jissen as "real combat," adding that it also means extreme combat, so the form is performed "as if to the death." The NIKO DVD gives the Japanese writing 実戦の型 and the English Practical Fighting Kata, i.e. a form of practical fighting. The Danish club AKF calls it a self-defense kata.
Differences between styles
AKI has a single form of Jissen no Kata, the NIKO DVD two. In NIKO, per the Okayama branch, it ranks among the advanced kata coming only after Kumite no Kata 1-5, alongside Nage no Kata and Kihon no Kata; in AKI, the syllabus places it at first dan. The Danish club AKF calls it even more aggressive than Kumite no Kata: in one movement, the defender moves sideways and forward and takes control before the opponent finishes the attack.
Bunkai – applications
Per the AKI guide, in steps 2 and 4, against a straight punch to the body, the defender blocks with soto uke or gedan barai, grabs the shoulder, pulls the opponent in, and strikes with a punch and an elbow hiji uchi. In step 6, against mae geri, he pushes the arm aside and follows with an uppercut, a hook, a straight punch, and mawashi geri. In step 8, against a roundhouse kick to the body, he combines a double block with elbow and knee, grabs the shoulder and pulls the opponent in, while landing a low mawashi geri, a knee strike hiza geri, and a maki komi nage throw. The form ends with a strike, pulling the opponent in, and a downward elbow hiji otoshi.