katas = great workout

[gheinisch]

You should be exhausted after doing your kata if done with the right intensity. It is absolutely a great work out and a great training tool for muscle memory and reacting without thinking. For my shodan testing we had to do 16 empty hand katas and 5 weapons katas. Talk about a tired puppy.

[pineapple]

I always tell people that those that critcize katas have never done one correctly. It is a complete body workout!

[yamesu]

Agreed,

When i hear people critisizing kata, i think the exact same thing.

They prob never done a proper kata in their life.

[pers]

Yes kata is agreat work out .something you can do anywhere . and just a like a good book ,it gets better and meaningful with repetitions.

[Samurai Shotokan]

Yeah Katas are great for people like me who train solo or the only one in the family doing martial arts.Although there is no one to guide me. I like practising in front of a mirror trying to perfect my techniques.Plus once i know or learned a kata. I can at least Practise on my own at my own pace

[Shorin Ryuu]

I do think there is something lost if you try to exert maximum power throughout every single move though. I don't just mean brute strength at the expense of proper form, but I feel that maximum power isn't the point of every move in a kata.

Knowing far too many empty hand and weapons kata, I do feel it is a great workout doing them all once or twice...takes me forever though.

[yamesu]

I do think there is something lost if you try to exert maximum power throughout every single move though. I don't just mean brute strength at the expense of proper form, but I feel that maximum power isn't the point of every move in a kata.

I agree, performing a kata with brute strength alone loses meaning.

But this does not mean that you cant be exerting maximum energy during the kata, or be focusing on correct body tension, etc.

If one hasnt practiced the bunkai for the moves in a kata, how can they possibly perform it to emphasize the correct body kinetics and focus on particular points during a movement in that kata?

Osu.

[karatekid1975]

Yeah Katas are great for people like me who train solo or the only one in the family doing martial arts.Although there is no one to guide me. I like practising in front of a mirror trying to perfect my techniques.Plus once i know or learned a kata. I can at least Practise on my own at my own pace

I totally agree. When I did TSD, I had no one to practice with at home, so that's all I did is kata. It was a great workout, and I got a lot out of it.

[JimmyNewton]

oh yeah, when i do all my katas white belt to black belt, i'm drained and drenched with sweat. more sweaty then after running a couple of miles. i try to go through all of them 3 times a week for practice, and the workout facotr as well.

[Uechi Kid]

Yes Kata can and should be a good work out.

Oh, and keep up the hard work!!!