Here’s two questions frequently asked by beginners regarding kata: “It’s a bit like choreography without music isn’t it?” and “What exactly does it mean?”
Surely it has to have some meaning because otherwise we’d just be prancing around to no music in white pyjamas which would be very weird.
If I’m honest, I never understood the point of kata during my own karate journey because my previous club never taught me the ‘why’. In fact, I saw kata as just a means to achieving the next belt right up to my black belt 2nd dan when I left.
Around this time, YouTube started to become popular and gave everyone an opportunity to learn from new instructors online. Iain Abernethy was at the forefront of these instructors and is now recognised worldwide as an expert on bunkai, the practical application of kata.
But I don’t see kata as just being about bunkai. In fact, I believe there are many reasons why kata will help you excel as a fighter. Here’s seven points for you to consider when practicing kata:
1. Balance and footwork. If you build a house on sand, no matter how nice the house looks, it will soon sink and soon be useless. Placing your feet in the correct position, for how you want to move, is essential for good balance. Good balance will give you more power. If you are off balance, you’ll find that it’s difficult to generate as much power as when you have good balance. You’ll be slower in attack and defence. You could also stumble and/or fall over which will leave you vulnerable to attack. Kata teaches good balance and foot placement, an important lesson to learn for beginners.
2. Stances. The practice of the stances found in katas will help you transition from one position to another, attack and defence, with speed, balance and power. There’s a stance for every kick, punch, block and throw so practising how you move from one stance to another will improve your sparring. When practising kata, don’t rush these transitions. A slight pause between each move will ensure that you finish in the right position and help you to recognise the power you create. This pause also gives you an opportunity to check your balance and footwork.
3. Focus. You need immense concentration to remember the correct sequence of a kata. Emptying your mind of distractions will help you to focus on the moment. This will enable you to move with certainty and confidence. Focussing on just one thing, without distraction, is also a life lesson for our young students.
Now, with each move, imagine that an attacker is about to strike and react instinctively.
4. Relax and tense. To attack and defend successfully, you have to teach your body when the right moments are to relax and tense. If you are too relaxed, your attack will be flimsy and you risk damaging your hands and feet. If you are too tense, your movement will be slow and you will tire easily. Imagine driving a car with one foot on the accelerator and one foot on the brakes and you’ll see it as a pointless exercise. So you must relax when moving and tense on impact to be an effective fighter.
5. Speed and agility. Once you have the previous four skills, you’ll find that you are faster and more agile. This is essential to strike with success and to avoid being hit
6. Solo training is better than none at all. Think of kata practice like a boxer views shadow boxing. Continual sparring can actually limit your progress because it’s difficult to learn new moves while trying to avoid being punched in the face. There’s also the risk of being injured while sparring which will impede your progress. Once your solo form is good enough then the next stage is to work with a partner.
7. Bunkai/practical application. The original reason why kata was created. You’ll find an abundance of close quarter combat strikes, defences, throws and joint locks in kata. The fun part is discovering what the katas are telling us and learning how to apply these techniques on a partner.
So with these seven points in mind, you should apply the following methods for practice of kata:
1. Practice your kata with an emphasis on balance and footwork, as mentioned in point one.
2. Learn which stance you should adopt for every move in the katas you know and pay attention to the transition between stances. Remember, every move in each kata starts and finishes with a stance and the transition between should be smooth and efficient. Also consider your height because many transitions should be made with knees bent and your height lower.
3. Practice your katas with an empty mind. It’s a small but very effective way to improve your mindset and skills.
4. Practice your katas with an emphasis on relaxing and tensing at the exact moment.
Once you’ve applied these four methods, you should notice that you’ve become more controlled, balanced, faster and agile. You’re now ready to work with a partner and that’s where the fun begins!
Your understanding of kata and new found skills will turn you into a much improved fighter.
