Shotokan's Secret

There's a Wild Man up in Vermont who has done some remarkable things with kata interpretation.

Shihan Tom Frobel invited me to join the United Karate Associations International (UKAI), a group largely dedicated to kata interpretation. We meet every spring in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Frobel is a major feature of the group's agenda.

Here are two (only two) highlights of Frobel's activities:

• He has interpreted all of the standard Shotokan kata as spear-fighting lessons. I have video clips of Frobel demonstrating each of the heian katas using a bo (symbolic of a yari spear). I thought that showed some remarkable creativity.
  
  
• A couple of years ago he did a seminar on Tekki Shodan at the UKAI conference. He had us lie down on our backs to do the kata, and then demonstrated that the hand and foot gestures of the kata were grappling techniques from mixed-martial arts (MMA).

This is just the tip of the iceberg with Frobel. His interests know no limits.

Be sure to see the essay on the Fluid Shock Punch for more insight into Frobel.