Kata is a waste of time

[Guest]

I didn't understand how important applications were until I visited another dojo. The instructor there was a 6th dan. Not that his rank makes a big deal when it comes to his teaching ability, but he definitely earned that 6th dan. I had the pleasure of joining them during thier kata portion of the class. He was teaching a new (new to me) kata and I was amazed. He tought applications on every combination. His technique was perfect. It was blatantly apparent that I was out of my league with his students, because thier skills were better than anyone from my dojo. I wish I could have joined that dojo, but it is about 45 min drive and the instructor is a friend of my instructor, so I am afraid I would offend him.

[JohnnyS]

If you do a style such as TKD or some forms of karate where there is no emphasis on the bunkai (application), then yes, kata is a waste of time. If you spend time doing two-man kata, the application and drilling the applications such as in an art like Okinawan Goju then I think kata does have some benefit.

 

I used to do TKD where there was no bunkai, then I did Goju. The Goju guys did less sparring than a lot of other arts such as kyokushinkai or TKD, but had more emphasis on training drills and bunkai. I found that the Goju guys would actually use the techniques and stances from the kata in their sparring, and would dominate these other arts mentioned when they would come in to spar. So I wouldn't write kata off completely as a training tool.

 

Kata is a training tool. That's it.

[JohnnyS]

BlackDragon777 wrote probably one of the most ignorant posts I've ever seen.

 

Where do you get the "don't know how to position their fingers and end up breaking them 70% of the time in a fight." statistic ?

 

You do know that 79% of statistics are made up don't you ?

 

You say you've never taken any boxing or kickboxing but you've found them the easiest to beat in a fight. How do you know they were boxers or kickboxers ?

 

Perhaps you should go to a good boxing or kickboxing school and try sparring with them before making ridiculous statements about how inferior their art is.

[KaratekaAikidoist]

OK THIS GOT ME REALLY MAD Bunkai if you've heard of it is an application from a kata which can be used in real life. All of my katas have many bunkai and are very effective. A specific Kata called Sanchin does improve breathing, in fact, deep breathing is emphasized. Part of my black belt test is to think of one bunkai from each kata. I occasionally overreact when something I feel strongly about is "threatened" Please pardon the anger. I take goju Ryu to answer any questions about the katas.

[Shotokan_Fighter]

what i gotta say about this topic is BS!!!!!! kata is not a waste of time period kata does teach you breathing balance gives you a basic on a fighting situation if you think they are a waste of time then you havnt ever done a kata anyways cause i just learned tekki shodan last night and i already know all the moves to them and now all i gotta do is fine point the kata

[Beer-monster]

For a forum that is supposed to be for discussion between true karate practitioners, this seems like a stupid topic. Anyone who knows karate properly knows how useful kata are. They are like a zip drive, a lot of information condensed into a little movement, however it is often hard to decode this info, but well worth the effort.

 

Put simply read Iain Abernethy's Bunkai-jutsu book and see the light. And something to think about: Have any of you ever used a low stance and gedan barai to block a kick in free sparring (not competition but more combat orientated with a full power kick). Did it work?

[hobbitbob]

Gedan Barai is an excellent example.

 

If it is a block, where is the block, in the chaber, or in the finshed execution?

 

ARe you more likely to use this movement ot block a kick, or to strike the groin?

 

[Beer-monster]

Personally I find the actual defensive moveemnt for things like gendan barai and soto uke, are not in the chamber or the power, but in the sudden twist performed at the end of the block. This movement teaches you to parry and deflect without having to whack the arm away inefficiently. That said there is a principle called bokkyo, where the block is used offensively to attack the attacking limb. But how often is that used?

 

As fotr kata i think the usual gedan barai (the ones with a sharp 180 turn preceding it as seen often in the pinans) are throws. The preceding movement grabs hold and the twist and gedan is turning and throwing them down. Just my opinion, it seems logical.

[Faunus]

I beg to differ, Kata does help me personally in my fighting, and if your really doing it right you should be sweating afterwards. It can really be a good excerise, at least for me, I do kata in my spare time.

[Shorin Ryuu]

I'm a big fan of kata...

 

"Why?" you ask?

 

Its the only way that you can truly train without holding anything back. If you believe that kata is useless because you aren't fighting a real person, its just kicks and blocks, etc., then you have only a limited understanding of kata. This is understandable, and probably comes from the defeat of many supposed black belts that knew all sorts of kata, but didn't really "know" them.

 

When you practice kata, you should be focused on its application. Is it a punch, a block, or maybe even a throw? How about a pressure point attack? I do not think that karate masters, and don't scoff, spent their time practicing this stuff their entire lives for no reason.

 

I used to be caught up in the whole "Bruce Lee" craze and scoffed at traditional martial arts...but then I had an instructor who told me about "bunkai" or application. This means that every single movement in a kata has numerous applications that are to be ingrained and can be used in a fight.

 

Yes, if you practice kata merely to look flashy or believe that the entire kata was a series of punches and blocks (and some of the non-traditional kata actually do seem that way, unfortunately), then yes, you will be defeated quite easily.

 

Woe be unto him that faces someone who has truly mastered kata, however.

 

And with that, everyone have a nice day and continue your training, whatever that means for each of you.