How much kata is too much??

[delta1]

How much is too much? When it upsets the ballance and becomes a hinderance to learning. Jigoro Kano proved that if all you are doing is learning kata, you are only learning kata. You aren't learning effective martial arts. Learning to do the moves is not learning to apply them, and at 119 kata's, I doubt they have time for anything more than learning what ammounts to a bunch of martial dance steps.

[ITSUKO]

My sensei has 17 years experience in karate too but he just tested for his third dan. He is young, very humble, and extremely good. He is a Pan-am and international referee in both kumite and kata. He keeps on reminding us to be humble, humble, and humble and don't show off. It seems this guy needs a lesson or so in this department.

[trekmann]

With so many Kata has he had time to learn anything else? In Taikudo I believe there are a total of 27 kata. I absolutely agree that quality over quantitiy is better.

[Red Triangle student]

I would say that you can never do too much kata, you can never totally perfect your style so practicing is compulsory to your karate.

[Guest]

Practicing often and knowing too many are two different things.

 

You are practicing too often when it begins to interfere with other, more important facets of your life.

 

You know too many katas when you can't perform one from beginning to end without winding up in a different yet similar kata before your finished.

[aefibird]

Practicing regularly is essential, but to truly know 119 kata then a person would have to do nothing but practice kata. It would take over the rest of their life. As with everything, there needs to be a balance.

[Ripper]

As I said in another thread; it is better to know a few katas than to learn as many as possible. Why? Because otherwise they just become dances without meaning.

 

KNOWING a kata is something else than doing a kata. When you know a kata you can understand the concepts of that kata (allthough we will never know the original intent, because we can't talk to the ones that made the katas) and can come up with a practical bunkai . At least that is my explanation, because maybe there never was a bunkai.