Memory

[Samuel]

Im reading here, passing sometime, and just wondering... How on earth do you remember all the kata?

Oh this syllabus it makes out that to get your 8th Kyu you must know Ippon 1-14, 1st and 2nd basic. So thats like 14 short kata's with two mediumish long ones?!

Like okay, I realize that there is only a slight differnce between the Ippon kata but how do you remember each one? and thats just for 8th Kyu!?

Does Constant practive engrave it onto your mind? Or do you just constantly study it flash card style or something?

[Rateh]

Constant practice engraves it.

You might want to try saying the kata as you do it though. My youngest students can never remember the name of anything. So whenever they do blocks I make them yell the name instead of kiahing. When they do kicks I make them say the name of the kick. Maybe with so many to remember, if you have to remember the number, then say the number for every technique in the short forms.

[patusai]

You remember by doing them over and over and over again and not learning the next one until you are ready. Rushing or being rushed through the teaching of kata creates confusion later on. At least that is the way I see it.

[jaymac]

Practice. Once you get used to learning and practicing kata, it will come easier for you, even the more advanced kata. I remember learning Heian Shodan. It took me three classes to get it. Now I learn a new black belt kata in 45 minutes. It is easier when you are already familiar with the different stances, blocks, and strikes. It won't be long and you will be whipping through all the kata you have learned with ease.

[Sohan]

You'd be surprised what you are capable of remembering if you give it a chance. My mother could quote entire books from the Bible and my brother was an actor who had to memorize several pages of dialogue. If you are interested in it, practice it, understand the moves, and recognize patterns of movements, the kata practice will become much easier. Besides, your body will remember kata far longer than your conscious mind will.

Interestingly, I have found that the more kata I learn the easier it is to learn new kata forms.

With respect,

Sohan

[lordtariel]

A lot of the basic katas follow the same types of stepping patterns such as

an I, T or V form or some other variation of those movements.

This is the only way I could get the stepping to draw out.

--------------------                           --------------------
         |                                             /|\
         |                                           /  |  \
         |                                              |
         |                         or                   |
         |                                           \  |  /
         |                                             \|/
--------------------                           --------------------

This cuts down some of what you have to think about. I sometimes draw these out and put numbers at each step, then make a legend to the side on what move that number is. Helps me get it in my head a little better. The rest is just chalked up to practice. Also, if you have two really similar kata, don't practice them back to back, put a different kata inbetween so you don't get confused.

[Samuel]

Thanks for all the advice guys, Im hoping to learn some basic kata on friday and sunday depending on what goes on.

I started learning a Kata last sunday which apparently was a 5th dan kata with its intended purpose to break their arms, snap there neck etc, though theres no need in remembering it, plus there was no way I could do the little spinning jump in the middle of it

[italian_guy]

My advice is... start learning them piece by piece, when you have an idea of the various pieces start to do it in one go, first go slow. Another good advice is practice your kata in your mind whenever you can, train/bus stops, toilets, in bed before sleeping, while you eat alone etc. any moment that your mind is free. Just imagine you going through the movement. The first thing to do is having your kata in your mind before executing with the body.

[cathal]

You will not find it difficult to remember all of the movements. Once you've performed each kata at least 15 times, and performed the bunkai a few times you'll have it down.

[granmasterchen]

and once you've repeated the kata over and over again for a year, it will become almost reflex-like in nature when you go to perform it again later on. It is kind of like how you hear a song on the radio that you haven't heard for 5 yrs or more but your remember the words to it. Somewhere deep in your psyche the information is there, you just have to get in the routine of training your body, muscle memory, to coordinate with idea and you will be executing techniques with out even thinking of them