Fast or Slow

[Brandon Fisher]

I still perform my kata very delibirit and strong. Not really fast just explosive.

[bushido_man96]

Ok here's my little problem (well if you can call it that). When the whole class is asked to peform the same kata i tend to be slower than everyone else. I could do it faster but i like to use power and i like to show the technique. I have never recieved complaint by sensei over this but for some reason i am constantly looking at how fast the other students are performing their kata. The faster one's (normally kids at lower grades, and sometimes the higher grade kids) don't tend to show any technique or power.

Obviously in some kata like hangetsu or kanku-dai it requires slow then fast throughout and i don't mind that because thats the way it's meant to be performed. Kata's such as sandan, neidan, yondon ect i like to do slowly but not too slow.

What do you guys think? How do you perform your kata's, fast or slow?

Kez

Hey, man, you sound like me. I am not slender and lithe, but I do feel like I have some speed in my techniques. When I do forms, I typically am not the first to finish, either. However, I am such a stickler about focusing and finishing my techniques, that it causes me to have a little bit of a pause between techniques. This slight pause also allows me to set in the proper stance for just a second, demonstrating another important aspect of all forms.

The best advice I can give you is to focus on technique speed, and not form speed.

[bushido_man96]

Slow until you're confident you're moving to the best form you could, and then go on from there in speed.

1. Technique

2. Power

3. Speed

In that order.

You got it there.

[Shotokan-kez]

Thanks everyone i feel better about it all now. I was reading some of the posts and lots of people are just the same..ie doing it slower to get correct stances and to basically get it right, do it properly. After training on wednesday my sensei said when i performed Jion it was brilliant which gave me a great big smile Maybe doing it a little more slowly isnt so bad after all.

Kez

[RichardHangHong]

parkerlineage summed it up nicely, technique first, then power, then speed. Before all of them though must come spirit.

It depends on what you're trying to show when you are performing a kata. Each movement has it's own individual meaning so it will always vary being slow or fast. For tournament performances, you will often see kata performed faster than usual as it looks more dare I say it, "flashy". Personally, I prefer the all-japan tournaments as you get to see some really good quality kata and they are done with power and precision and more impressive to watch. All katas are subject to an individuals interpretation so of course you will see variations but as you start to understand the kata more through bunkai, henka and oyo your timing and speed will change accordingly.

It's always better, especially at a junior grade (pre-black belt) to be the last one to finish with the best technique than the first one with the worst. You will develop faster than those who try to rush through. Just remember the hare & the tortoise.

Regards,

Richard

[Fish]

I find it helpful to practise the kata in different ways and at different speeds, depending on which aspect I want to focus on. Real slow (to a slow count in my head) to focus on perfecting the stances and techniques, and breathing. Faster if I'm working on getting the techniques right at a higher speed. Or breaking it down and isolating certain techniques, working on making them powerful and explosive.

[patusai]

Speed has it's place in learning kata. Speed is used for learning sequence of moves, not the moves themselves.

I like the way you put that. Nice.

[Triskel]

Kata shouldn't be too fast, It must last somehow a determined time, but as someone already said, Technique is fundamental, add to it power, and you should have a great kata, don't rush in your moves, do the combinations fast, but don't rush.

Please refer to the introduction of M. Nakayama, Superior Karate books, he sais there are 6 important things in kata:

• Order
   
  Start and End
   
  Meaning of the movements
   
  Objective of the movements
   
  Rithm and coordination
   
  Breathing

(I'm translating from a spanish version of the book , you may find them with different names...)

Any way you may try to find videos, and compare...

[P.A.L]

There is a balance for speed , power and technique, if you have good physical strength and powerfull strikes then you should capitalize on that , show powerfull hits with good technique. if you are light and fast then capitalize on good technique and fast striks . in any case technique is a part that can't be scrificed, and each technique needs to show itself without being mixed with the next move. i think you should keep your pace, speed of a kata is different from speed of a fight.

[Shotokan-kez]

Thanks for your input everyone. I continue as i am for now until i am comfortable enough to speed up more

Kez