Do you still remember and practice the early kata?

[baronbvp]

I find that I still have to go back and practice the early kata and kihons as I progress. I like it, but it seems my plate gets full because I have more to remember and practice. Any advice? My sensei can bang out each one like he's done them every day for 20 years. It's beautiful to watch -- perfect form, fast and powerful.

[Meguro]

Maybe your sensei did bang them out every day for 20 years. A bb doing a white belt kata and a white belt doing a white belt kata are two different things to behold.

[CompactDinnerFork]

Maybe your sensei did bang them out every day for 20 years.

I Agree but you should still practice them as much as you practice your higher katas. Never let the quality of your kata slip.

[Master Jules]

Maybe your sensei did bang them out every day for 20 years. A bb doing a white belt kata and a white belt doing a white belt kata are two different things to behold.

Perfectly stated.

[swdw]

Another way to look at it- how can you teach what you don't remember?

[Red J]

I find that I still have to go back and practice the early kata and kihons as I progress. I like it, but it seems my plate gets full because I have more to remember and practice. Any advice? My sensei can bang out each one like he's done them every day for 20 years. It's beautiful to watch -- perfect form, fast and powerful.

There is nothing like a high ranking black belt doing the first kata. Poetry in motion. It's something to strive for and there is only one way to get there.

[MASIsshinryu]

Don't just practice them every day, LEARN from them every day. Break them down, work through the concepts and find mor bunkai in them.

[Grenadier]

You should always practice all of your kata. They are the foundation for the more advanced kata, and should never be forgotten.

Just because one passes the kata requirements for a particular rank, does not mean that he has mastered the kata. If anything, none of us, no matter how advanced we are, will ever master a kata, but at least we'll be better off getting closer to that ever elusive level of mastery.

Furthermore, as you progress in skill / experience, you're going to discover, that even the most basic kata can have different interpretations, and that the bunkai / oyo (interpretation), will incorporate more advanced techniques. What you thought was a simple inward nagashi block, might be interpreted as an arm break / elbow dislocation, and so forth. What you previously thought of as a simple side stepping motion could now become a throw, etc.

You should never forget the older kata you learned, since it's entirely possible, that as you get higher in the ranks, that each test will be a cumulative one. I've seen those testing for their shodan fail, because they made too many errors on the simple taikyoku kata, and even those testing for more advanced dan rankings fail, because they forgot certain steps in various Heian / Pinan kata. Very embarassing to the one taking the test, but if they overcome such embarassment, they come out of it a LOT wiser.

Finally, if you decide to enter the world of martial arts teaching, there's no choice, but to stay sharp. Furthermore, the more you instruct others in the more basic kata, the better your own kata will become, since your eyes are going to be opened up to all sorts of mistakes you made, and couldn't previously see. This isn't an insult to you in any way, shape, or form; rather, it's something to look forward to, when the time is right, and to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

[gojoinstructor]

I agree with all the posts so far. You have to practice all kata. I have a phrase that I use with my students when I see them slipping on their lower belt katas. "You can't build a strong house without a solid foundation"

[Master Jules]

"House built on sand soon wash away".....