Alternative View of Kata Training

[AnonymousOne]

An Alternative View of Kata Training

 

An Alternative View of Kata Training

 

I am not going to go into the “why” for the essential need for kata mastery. (Note I said mastery not just competent). I am simply going to outlay my experiences in experimenting with this for over 20 years since I decided to do things this way.

 

Pick a kata. Pick one that is difficult for you to perform. Think about the selection long and hard. Think about one that is evenly balanced and provides one with a lot of technique and covers many of the basic techniques. In my first departure into this type of training, I selected Kanku Dai. But maybe your school doesn’t practise that or you are not that advanced yet. Albeit, pick one that enables you to have a broad spectrum of technique. Perhaps you are training with a particular kata for contest, then use that.

 

The next step is to write down all you know about this kata. Pull it apart and put it back together again. Write down all the bunkai you have been taught and alternative applications you can think of that is your own creation. Ask yourself questions like:

 

The master that invented this kata, why did he invent it?

 

What is the central theme?

 

What message was he trying to transmit?

 

What are the benefits of mastering this kata?

 

How will I know when I have mastered it?

 

What are my weak and strong points in performing this kata?

 

How long does it take to complete?

 

Why are certain moves done the way they are done?

 

What are the weak points of the kata?

 

What are the strong points of the kata?

 

What muscle groups are trained in performing this kata?

 

What muscle groups are left out?

 

Why is this kata so important to you?

 

What will the consequences be, if you do master it?

 

If you do master it, how will that make you feel?

 

What will the consequences be if you don’t master it?

 

If you don’t master it, how will that make you feel?

 

Break Your Kata Down

 

Often in a dojo, a teacher will break your kata down into component parts, in order that you will be able to follow his instruction to the count. Know these well. Sometimes a teacher will have one count for one move. Other times he will have one count for a series of moves. However it is done, it’s important to know these.

 

Take these component parts, know them well enough to be able to follow along and get a good tape recorder, or computer with recording abilities, and make a training lesson. I cannot recommend highly enough this type of self training. If possible, make your training sessions far harder than you experience at your dojo.

 

I suggest making at least a 2 hour lesson.

 

First take the first movement of a kata. For ease and example, I will assume that first two movements of a kata are a down block (gedan barai performed in left zenkutsu dachi) and (then a step forward) lunge punch (oi zuki).

 

In your recording, count “Itch (pause) Ni. Both movements are performed to the count. Then start again. “Itch (pause) Ni. Then start again. “Itch (pause) Ni. Then start again. “Itch (pause) Ni. Then start again. “Itch (pause) Ni. And so on.

 

Perform this repetition one hundred times. Then reverse the order. Instead of starting with a left leading leg and left block, start with a right leading leg and right block. Then make your recording make you perform that 100 hundred times, as well. Also ensure that you balance left and right sides of your body for balanced muscular development. (In time you will be able to perform your kata just as well in reverse order).

 

Work your way through your whole kata this way. Have each component part performed one hundred times, on left and right hand sides.

 

You perform one component part 100 times. Then you perform the opposite way around one 100 times. Then move to the second movement and repeat the process. The then third, then the fourth etc etc, until you have completed the whole kata.

 

If this falls short of two hours, then start from the beginning again until 2 hours is up. By the way, do NOT have a rest period in that time. Train until you fall from exhaustion.

 

Training like that enables you to practise each component part over and over repetitiously and methodically.

 

When you perform each movement, imagine you are really under attack. Picture your opponent in your mind, block his attack and counter attack with full velocity. Focus your total power into the block and attack. First attack his attack with your block. Imagine you are breaking his arm or leg with your block. Then in the counter attack, you are launching yourself into it like a Kamikaze pilot. Your ability to do this will grow. Remember, this is war, not dancing! Practise as if you were actually in battle. That’s the only way!!

 

For me personally, I use a computer to make mp3 files and link them together to perform a two hour training session. I have a lot of fun just making them. I have an audio editing software programme that allows me to speed things up. So as I get better at something, I can easily speed the pace up to make it harder and harder.

 

So… now you have a completed audio instruction training programme of your kata broken down into component parts, to the count, for a very hard 2 hour training session.

 

Now comes the work. Simply start training to it. In winter I follow these training sessions in my dojo at home. In summer, or just nice days, I go outside and practise them in my back yard. I always take my CDs with me on a holiday, find a park or some other suitable place to train and follow along. This often sparks the interest of the public and they come and watch or ask me questions. It’s a great chance to share the benefits of Karate and encourage them to train.

 

As you progress and start getting fitter and better at the kata, speed the pace up. You may need to record another one at a faster pace. If that’s a case, rejoice because you are progressing!

 

Follow these “lessons” on the days you are not training at the dojo. Or if you can handle it, do it the same day as well.

 

Many years ago a friend of mine and I use to make a whole gasshuku (weekend training camp) audio’s and follow along. We used to find an appropriate facility and stay there all weekend. We often stayed in a factory that was empty on the weekends (we had permission Haha). We also went camping, or did it in the backyard or garage of one of our homes. We had a rule:

 

“When the lesson starts, no matter what, we finished it!”

 

This way we always had access to high quality and extremely hard training programmes. We did not need to rely on our sensei to motivate us.

 

So you have a broken down component part training session. Now also have a training session where you perform the kata in the normal fashion. That is, you start from the beginning of the kata and complete it until the end. Make a 2 hour kata lesson, non stop on that basis also.

 

I highly recommend using these training audio’s, alternatively, for 3 years on one kata.

 

In that time you will know that kata extremely well and your technique should be looking good. But within this 3 year journey, you will learn so much more about your kata. By concentrating on it, analysing it, pulling it apart and putting it back together again, you will glean from it all sorts of things. You may well come up with alternative bunkai that no one else has thought of. That’s ok, that’s what you are looking for. Be careful about what you will learn, some will consider you a heretic! Haha. Don’t worry about it, its your knowledge!! If it works that’s great.

 

Now about bunkai…

 

Yes your teacher will teach you this. If you are fortunate to have a like minded training partner, practise your bunkai with them in the same strict regiment. Make a tape and practise the bunkai over and over and over and over and over and over!!

 

Make sure that you master every possible movement. Not just the movement of the kata, but the actual application in a combat situation. This is one of the most neglected areas of Karate training. Too little is applied to this. I know dojo’s may have you practise them a few times every now and then. But you want to get to the point where those movements are a total reflex in battle conditions, and that takes a lot of work and repetition.

 

Stance development

 

One of the more difficult parts of kata performance is moving into and out of correct stance. Make a tape with just the leg movements. As you perform this, watch your leg positions very carefully to ensure proper form. If you are as crazy as I am, carry a weight behind your head and resting on your shoulders as you perform this. This additional load is great training.

 

In time, you will be able to “feel” the correct stances, rather than observing them. The look of a kata is greatly enhanced by have good performance of the stances. You can tell an awful lot about a karate-ka’s ability, simply by watching how he moves in and out of stances. Our school advocates low, deep stances which plays havoc on your legs but quickly builds strength and mobility.

 

An alternative way of developing stance is, as our school often does, is to get a person to sit on your shoulders as you perform your kata stances. This is damn hard work. I have seen many a student pass out or vomit from this type of intense training.

 

Summary

 

Make a lesson on:

 

Component Parts of Kata (with high repetition of component parts)

 

Whole Kata from start to finish

 

Kata with stance only (perhaps holding weights)

 

Bunkai (applications) with partner

 

I feel, in time, a student training this way will not only glean and awful lot of knowledge but there martial abilities will be permanently changed in a overwhelming way.

 

I will not share what I believe it has done for me in the interests of humility, but I highly recommend a student give this a serious “shot” for at least a 6 month period to personally analyse the results. I believe it will turn the sceptics into believers and every student that I have ever seen that has trained this way all report, in varying words “My kumite abilities, have grown in leaps and bounds”

 

It is suffice to say that after years of experimentation for myself, that kata is the central theme of my training now.

 

If you are unsure about the benefits of training in Kata assiduously or if you are even sceptical, give it a real try for at least 6 months to a year and then analyse your abilities. I think you will soon see why so many advocate it.

 

As always, I recommend training daily.

 

Kata IS the heart of Karate.!!

[vertigo]

Very nice post, AnonymousOne. I agree with pretty much all of your points, it sounds like you have outlined a tough kata regimen, one I'd be hard pressed to find time for with my schedule , but still I'd have to agree that if you went through all of those ideas, you would really know your kata well, inside and out.

 

It is still a little tough for me to think about putting 3 years into kata, after 6 months of training.. but I know, eventually as those months turn into years, this will make sense... to start really grasping the idea of kata.

Kata IS the heart of Karate.!!

Hear hear!

[ShotokanKid]

Very good, a sempai at my dojo always says kata is the heart of karate.

[Chirath]

Another great article well done

[yamesu]

Yeah, wicked article,

 

After about 12years of karate training, Kanku was the kata I finally decided to devote myself too as well!

 

Im still learning from it to this day.

 

OSU.

[strangepair03]

Outstanding post.....Really opens up the mind...Thank you again for this post.

[CloudDragon]

Great post, reminds me of why kata are important, and reminds me of the real depth they have. Great post.

[Killer Miller]

Good article. However, you are missing one important component of Kata training/development. Yes, it's important to break down components of kata and develop them individually. It is also important to work on Kata at full speed and work on breathing timing that applies to kata movements. Both as you state well. The important part you are missing in your article that is critical for complete kata development is "phrasing" of kata. This is after you have reasonably developed the above basic components of kata. Phrasing of kata is where you take two or three (could even be four) components of a kata and develop them as a phrase - just like a musician works of phrasing of passages for speed and fluidity. So just like stated above, you take now take your kata and work over and over on your first phrase... Then the next phrase and next phrase. Now you truly have a meaningful and complete kata workout.

 

Learning kata is truly an art. I also believe in the 3 yr time span to to truly learn a kata. But you can work on more than one kata at a time - I think this is where eveyone get confused on this concept. The outside movements can be learned in a month or two - the easy part. However, to fully learn the inside movements and application of a kata, this truly does take years.

 

- Killer -

[Jag-Isshinryu]

That's a really interesting look into kata, especially for someone such as myself who has only began. It's hard enough to learn something so drastically new, especially without knowing why you are doing what you are doing.

 

Sure, the Sensei teaches you the whys and history, but thinking about it yourself and why you're doing it really open the kata up for your personal understanding and appreciation.

[G95champ]

Agreed that kata is the meat that makes one good at karate. Looks like you put a lot of work into it. I think most of us do that in some fashion or another.

 

I try to focus on 2 or 3 kata durring a few month stretch. But then I need a change lol.