What do you think is the most important kata to learn?

[Killer Miller]

The most important kata to work on is the basic katas you should be working on for development, or the kata that is going to most improve your greatest weakness at the time (if an advanced karate-ka).

- Killer -

[Hobbes]

This question is like asking: what's more important, the knife, spoon or fork? I think the set is important. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts?

[trustkid1]

All katas, from beginners to advance, are important. Each one have something different to learn, work and practice until master the kata.

[Hobbes]

I think that for me, knowing several kata allows for bunkai possibilities to synergise between kata. This is a hot issue around my neck of the woods since I have 68 kata kihon in my syllabus. I've heard others in my style "brag" to others about this fact which I find ridiculous. More isn't always better. I personally feel that I've reached the maximum number of kata that I find reasonable. that's 28 kata and 9 kihon. How many can I honestly say I have mastered? I don't know if I can say that I've mastered any of them, but I've gotten really good at a half dozen, which I practice on a regular basis. When I was practicing karate full time, I could spend three hours a day doing kata, but in this day and age when we have to work and we get a two hour class three nights a week, its easy to see people get overwhelmed with too much "stuff". I would much rather see students learn a few things really really well than try to cram a lot into a few hours out of every week and get lost in all the stuff they need to know for tests.

I just spent the x-mas holidays training in a friends dojo (shotokan) a style I started in. Its amazing how much your body remembers of the SK kata. Its been 14 years since I practiced any SK kata, but it there and I can only attribute that to my sensei of the day, for drilling a few kata over several years. I have to reluctantly admit that it was this sort of training that allowed me to move into Shito-Ryu as easily as I did

[Takeda Shingen]

Kanku dai is nice. Contains most all elements for good kihon, five Heian, low stance, some long extension...even nidan tobi geri for those who like flashy stuff ..... ?

[unknownstyle]

chinto

[jion]

Every kata has a complete fighting system contained within them and protect against all forms of simple attacks (grabs, punches, kicks, etc). It is important to find one that fits to your way of fighting first. I've been studying Heian Yondan for quite some time, although it's an extremely basic kata it has taught me to defend against a variety of attacks I might encounter. Tekki is another great one. I'm also fond of Gojushiho Sho.

[NidaninNJ]

I think Heian Shodan is the most important to learn because it has all the basics in it but i will get people who disagree with me on this. I know all kata's have different fundementals in them but which one do you think helps you in everything ??

What do you mean by saying Heian Shodan has "all the basics"? It's very good for practicing some things but doesn't have any kicks, only 2 stances... It's definitely not a kata that "helps you in everything". Which is the best for helping you in everything? I don't think that 1 kata can give you everything but most of them are good for practicing many things. I think that all you really need is 1 kata but knowing more is definitely good as long as you don't get confused. For me, I like all the Heian kata. I think with just those 5 kata you have almost all the points of Shotokan. I like lots of the blackbelt kata too but I don't think they really give you all that much new.

[Hobbes]

What do you mean by saying Heian Shodan has "all the basics"? It's very good for practicing some things but doesn't have any kicks, only 2 stances... It's definitely not a kata that "helps you in everything".

Now now NidaninNJ give the youngin' a couple more decades... could be that he's only up to Peian Shodan. I don't know any dan ranks with a decade or more on their blackbelt that would ask the question he did... do you? Heh, I can remember when I was a yellow belt if I practiced every day really hard would I be as good as the blackbelts in 8 months. I had no idea how long it would take for my karate to be integrated into your DNA.

How many of us can remember what it felt like before beginning training?

I can remember asking almost the same question when I was deciding to learn to program computers. heh... Again a good grounding in the basics makes picking up stuff later really easy. Still takes time and effort, but... Karate is more about the learning... its the voyage along the way that's important not the destination... Heck, I don't want the journey to end.

[ninjanurse]

Even the most simple basics contain all you need to know...the essence of technique. I don't know of anyone who has perfectd gedan barai...do you?