Bunkai and MMA video

An interesting video comparing kata bunkai and MMA fight footage. You may recognise the guy whose footage they have used at 26 seconds :-) Personally, I think that karate can stand alone and does not need to validate itself through comparisons with MMA. However, there is no doubting the popularity of MMA and the efficiency of its training methods so I can see why someone may wish to make the comparison in order to point to how karate can and should be practised. The video is interesting, nicely put together and I find myself in full agreement with the text that accompanies it (copied below). It is right that kata alone is not enough and that the information in the kata needs to be drilled and pressure tested if kata’s true value is to be realised. My take on that can be found here: https://iainabernethy.com/article/four-stages-kata-practise

Text that goes with video on YouTube: “Kata (traditional forms) are just movements of the human body. They are muscle-memory building tools used to get your body coordinated and at the same time learn movements that can be applied in a combative situation. Just like a boxer shadowboxes as a means to practice alone, a karate person practices kata. The only difference is what happens afterwards: training to apply it.

We agree that 99.9% of karate schools don't go beyond just learning the forms. But with the right method of practicing and pressure testing the movements, karate can work. This video provides examples of similar movements found in Okinawan Karate, an art that's hundreds of years old, and modern MMA.”