Do you still remember and practice the early kata?

[bushido_man96]

I make time for a "kata practice" day usually once a week. I will perform every kata I know one time back to back. It really doesn't take that long(right now it's only about 20 min) and it keeps them fresh enough that I can perform them whenever I need to.

Not to mention that this can be a great workout!

[tekki]

I don't mind doing the "lower" kata sometimes. even as you get to a higher level, you can still improve your performance of them, and they are great to practice when you don't have the time, space energy or whatever to do the more "advanced" forms. Moreover, every school I have ever been a part of expects higher ranked players to keep up all the kata, as we do them in class from time to time, knowing that we can still benefit from doing them throughout our karate careers.

[ramymensa]

We have to go through all of them from time to time so it's impossible to forget them

[kilogreen]

I have been training tonight and i went through all the heian katas (shodan, nidan, sandan etc...)

My club trains on a few days of the week and different days are for different levels of pupils, but i still enjoy going through the basic punches and kicks and all the first katas too. Then there are the other nights where i can really let rip in the freestyle and practise high grade katas and team kata too.

Its the best of both worlds for me and one wouldn't be as enjoyable without the other. they compliment each other in every way, Hard-soft, Fast-slow.

I use the basics as fitness and also strive for perfect technique, where as in the higher grade stuff i learn and experiment with techniques..

Its great....Oss

[patusai]

I really can't add anthing more that what was already posted. I would like to throw my 2 cents in though. You can't perfect them unless you practice, practice, practice them.

[cross]

I really can't add anthing more that what was already posted. I would like to throw my 2 cents in though. You can't perfect them unless you practice, practice, practice them

What sort of benifits would you expect to recieve from perfecting them??

[patusai]

I really can't add anthing more that what was already posted. I would like to throw my 2 cents in though. You can't perfect them unless you practice, practice, practice them

What sort of benifits would you expect to recieve from perfecting them??

I suppose that those who believe in kata will find benefit in perfecting kata while those that do not believe in the usefullness of kata would find none no matter what the answer is. I am not trying to convince anyone to do it my way. It is, just that, my way.

[cross]

I suppose that those who believe in kata will find benefit in perfecting kata while those that do not believe in the usefullness of kata would find none no matter what the answer is. I am not trying to convince anyone to do it my way. It is, just that, my way.

Ofcourse, i was just interested to what benifits YOU find personally?

[patusai]

I suppose that those who believe in kata will find benefit in perfecting kata while those that do not believe in the usefullness of kata would find none no matter what the answer is. I am not trying to convince anyone to do it my way. It is, just that, my way.

Ofcourse, i was just interested to what benifits YOU find personally?

Exercise, moving meditation, stress relief to start with. I do kata three ways. Highest speed I can possibly do and still maintain reasonable and acceptable (acceptable to me at least) form, at the speed I was taught to do it, and slowly with dynamic tension throughout.

As as old man I find that this works well for me. A younger man would need much much more perhaps but for an older man with the physical limitations that snuck up on me I find comfort in kata. It probbly also is in my head too. I had kata drilled into me. I believe the practice of kata held off the stroke or heart attack that will someday find me. Sometimes life is stressful in many ways and for meany reasons. I hear that that the stress that results does not sit well with those who have heart attack and stroke in their family history.

[cross]

Thanks for the info patusai, makes good sense.