Embedded Files
Saved by Go Shin no Kata
2020/03/28Keeping Your Head on Your Shoulders
The Go Shin no Kata are a series of two-person self-defence drills. They are highly formalized (some may even call them contrived), yet I can honestly say that in one of the few instances in my life I have had to defend myself against a physical assault, the attack I faced was a Go Shin no Kata attack.
One Saturday afternoon, many years ago, I was walking along a crowded sidewalk just outside a busy mall. In the distance, I saw three guys running in my direction. I don’t know why they were running, but as they passed me, one of them whipped his arm out and took a swipe at my head. I was a yellow belt at the time, and having recently learned Go Shin no Kata Shodan, I dropped down and ducked under his swinging arm. The trio continued running, and that was the end of this curious incident.
Since that day, the Go Shin no Kata have held a special place in my heart. I enjoy teaching them, and I’m delighted to offer the following tips to help you make your Go Shin no Kata strong and effective:
Go Shin no Kata Shodan
- When ducking under the palm heal strike, don’t hop. Simply lift your legs up sharply and let gravity pull you down.
- When shoving the attacker to the ground, apply force simultaneously, and in roughly equal amounts, to both their shoulder and their knee. This will ensure that they fall cleanly, and that they will end up properly laid out on the ground before you (just the way you want them).
- The target of the flying stomping kick is the attacker’s lower spine*.
- In the interest of safety, the attacker should not get up from the ground until after the defender or the group leader has called yame. You most certainly do not want your training partner getting up prematurely while you are flying through the air executing the stomp.
Go Shin no Kata Nidan
- This is the most complicated of the five Go Shin no Kata. Both participants should strive to make each block and each dodge a reaction to their partner’s attack rather than a precognitive movement.
- The defender’s shuto strike should target the attacker’s head. The attacker must spin and drop to duck under the strike.
- After blocking the attacker’s groin strike with your knee, grab the wrist and shoulder to trap the extended arm, and keep some pressure on the elbow as you take the attacker to the ground.
- Be careful not to put an excessive amount of weight on your training partner’s elbow when you have it pinned to the ground.
Go Shin no Kata Sandan
- This Go Shin no Kata has an especially formal opening sequence designed to reposition the attacker one stride away from the defender and slightly offset. When the attacker steps forward during this repositioning maneuver, it should be their right leg that steps in, and their foot should land right beside the defender's foot.
- Before driving the attacker down to the ground, make sure you are oriented parallel to them. You should be directly beside them and in close so that you will be able to maintain control of them as you take them down.
- As you apply the elbow submission, keep your head up and maintain good posture so that you can remain well aware of your surroundings at all times. In a real situation, you never know who else might join the attack!
Go Shin no Kata Yodan
- The hook punch that you execute after dodging the attack is actually a one-knuckle punch. When you make your fist, the middle knuckle of your middle finger should be protruding (supported at the base by your thumb). It’s that middle knuckle that is being driven into the attacker’s side.
- As you throw the hook punch, your forward leg shifts to the left so that you finish the punch in a shoulder-width front stance. If you do this properly, your leg will knock the inside of the attacker’s leg outward and start to unbalance them.
- After the hook punch, there is a very important intermediate move whereby you bring your legs closer together as you rise up out of your front stance. This is intended to push the attacker’s leg outward further still, and unbalance them so much that they can barely stand up.
Go Shin no Kata Godan
- The attacker’s first punch is a throat punch*.
- After the knee strike, bend your wrist upward as you roll the attacker’s arm into your body to trap it.
- When you pull the attacker down to the ground, don’t let them lag behind you. Keep them close to you all the way down or you may lose control of them.
- These types of shoulder submissions work especially well if you bring the attacker’s arm slightly across the line of their body (i.e. towards their opposite ear) rather than simply forward and parallel to the line of their body.
Force Applied Forward
Force Applied Across (better)
Maybe it’s my love of patterns, but for some reason, I’ve always felt that the Go Shin No Kata are like the Monopoly railroads of our kata repertoire. They may not be like our other forms, but they’re definitely fun to collect!
* A note about dangerous techniques: Most karate techniques are designed to stop an attacker without permanently injuring them. That being said, there are some more damaging techniques that we occasionally practice within the context of carefully controlled drills. Even in the most extreme situations, these techniques would be a last resort – or maybe not even an option at all – but that doesn’t mean other people won’t try to use them against us. This is why it’s important for us to study these attacks, understand how they work, and learn how to defend against them.
Report abuse