“Kata, as a demonstration, is but a shallow and limited usage of kata” – Donn Draeger (1922-1982)
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If you promote your martial art as self-defense, or pragmatic with combative real-world methods of training, then you MUST demonstrate and include high intensity realistic training….. Obvious right?
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But….. BAD GUYS DON’T STAND STILL.
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If you going to demonstrate ‘bunkai’ from kata, you MUST show techniques where the opponent is resisting. Of course, when you first demonstrate them, you have to ‘stand still’ (relatively), to perform them. Static training and practicing gives you time to understand the technique and allow you to coordinate your response.
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But you also have to demonstrate performing your response where the attacker is not static, where they are moving to another position. Otherwise, this is NOT reality. Attackers don’t just HOLD, or place their hands on you, or your wrist, your clothing, neck, or whatever else they manage to grasp. They try to make you comply, pulling or pushing against you, usually viciously, brutally, possibly even before the punches start flying.
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There will be his momentum and mass to deal with. His aggression moving forward towards you, or away from you, to the back, to the side. There could be a push, punch, grab, a head-butt, or perhaps a hidden weapon. Do you think you will have the time to respond to all of this with your neatly performed multi-faceted response that you practiced on a stationary, compliant person?… Guess what?….. NO YOU WON’T.
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An attacker is NOT going to stand still and hold his arm out for you, or remain in one place for you to apply your multi-faceted technique on him. It’s just fantasy.
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Complicated applications, which look great when performed on a person standing still, would just fall apart in a real-world confrontation.
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There HAS to be resistance, unpredictability, and failure demonstrated and practiced. You have to show what would happen when the attacker is resisting, pulling, pushing, twisting, grabbing, moving to a different position. Even if you are lucky enough, or skilled enough, to get a ‘shot in’, your attacker will respond to this, therefore you have to show his response. His limbs, head, torso are now in a different place to when the confrontation started.
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In a real physical self-defense situation, your opponent is going to both resist and be uncooperative, or do something completely unexpected. He will NOT allow you to do what you want with him.
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Let’s get real…… Try it. A resisting attacker. 
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 Image featuring Donn Draeger (left) training with Ōtake Risuke sensei. From the book “Katori Shinto-ryū”.
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