Antidote to Jittery Jitte: Repetition and Realism

Today I did Jitte kata many times. Once the moves of a kata become ingrained I can relax into them. There is no thought of what comes next, only the "do-it-now" urgency of simulated combat. I never liked the bunkai that emphasized defense against bo. I am largely self-taught in kobudo but occasionally an advanced kobudoka friend will give me pointers on sai, nunchaku, and bo. Watching someone who knows how to fight with a bo makes you realize how pathetically unrealistic are most of the bunkai against bo among karateka for this kata, including Nakayama Sensei's exemplified in the clip above.

I prefer Didier Lupo's more practical applications portrayed below. His approach is more simulated combat than idealized combat. The next time you are tempted to imagine your Jitte is defense against a bo, resist. Stick to thinking of more practical applications like strikes, throws, and more strikes.