The Go-Button: Come to the Dark Side.

I notice some places within Kata that would be good starting points for touching upon other areas that are lacking in mainstream Karate - namely the notion of being taken by surprise, or as it is commonly called, being Sucker Punched.
I use these areas that involve some turning, especially from a somewhat downward position in Saifa to an over-head 'hammerfist' type movement, not to train the physicality necessarily, that is just a small part.

The mental aspect is what I want to touch upon, overcoming that surprise instantly by acting instantly.
It doesn't really matter where you go, what you do, you just do it, don't freeze. The point of physical repetition is to ingrain something, but something cannot be ingrained without context or content.
Instead of thinking, as most Karateka would when performing this movement from Kata, you take it out of the context of the Karate Dojo and look at it from another angle. Not shift, turn, Osai Uke, Tetsui Uchi - No, that is broken thought, too many pauses, too much thought in general.

It is far simpler to think 'MOVE' or 'SWING' than it is to go through all that. The principles of motion, if trained properly, will be there in their base form helping the movement along.
That part is only 1% of the equation, being such, it doesn't really matter how it looks or how 'pretty' a person can make it, this is not about scoring points or impressing judges. Different sort of training.

The point is also not about not taking damage, at least not with this drill, you are already damaged, the point is to just go - don't take anymore damage if possible.
It seems to work fine with some areas of Kata, others are a bit more pre-emptive. Best to really look at what is there though, examine it from every angle possible and see what can go where.
I refer to Rory Miller's Matrix a lot (See Meditations on Violence, and even a section in Loren W. Christensen's Fighter's Fact Book 2).

There is a place for everything and everything has its' place. I also refer often to the idea of developing a 'Go' button.
That is worked into this drill as well; there is an aspect in the mind that needs to be automatic, flipping from Prey to Predator in an instant.
In order to understand this it is best to understand just what a Predator is while at the same time providing an 'off' switch.

The 'Go' button, as you can see, is not just about moving instantly with little thought to the complexities of the technical process, it is a mental thing.
Most people have this built-in thing that prevents them from, say, hitting as hard as they really can, or from hurting.
Social engineering has taught us that these things are bad, they are not acceptable, and while this may be true no one told the other guy, or they did and the programing just didn't take as well as it should have.
At that point it doesn't really matter what is wrong with the other guy; what matters is the fact that anything that is programmed into the persona can be reprogrammed.
What this means is that a person MUST give themselves permission to DO DAMAGE, to HURT, to MAIM, or TO KILL in some rare instances.

This is not as easy as it sounds, and not as pleasant a thing to deal with as most people are used to.
The illusion is ingrained, the Dojo is a happy-go-lucky place where everyone gets along, everyone has a good time, that is great, but should those curtains be drawn one may find an empty room as people run to the restrooms to puke; no one has the stomach for reality.
This is human nature, like the aversion to poking out eyeballs, even a simulation in training.
There are all sorts of things floating around in that space between the ears, 'Is it okay?' 'Is it right?' 'Is it normal?'
Followed by the 'Man, I think I'm going to be sick!' 'I can't stop myself from crying!' or the histerical shaking, the cold sweat and clamy hands with wide unblinking eyes.

To give permission, to flip on the Go Code is not as simple as one might think. To become the Predator is, quite literally, to become the Predator.
Even if you are the victim of an ambush or on the receiving end of a Sucker Punch, a victim you may be, but a victim's mind you must shed.
Yes. You have to intend to hurt the other person. To break bones, to scratch, to poke, to maim, whatever it takes, they are no longer human and, on some level, you have to WANT to do damage.
That is treading into some dangerous ground, and it can be a definite soul-killer if you let it get to you that deep. Easier said than done.

Does the Lion respect the Lamb? Maybe it appreciates its' taste after the kill, I'm not sure, I'm not a Lion.
That is pretty much irrelevent, and these are just some things to think about for the next time you step onto the Dojo Floor, realize the flaws in your training, and just what is missing from the mix.
This is just the tip of the iceburg.