Fast or Slow

[Sohan]

There is a difference in doing kata as a group and doing it on your own. When doing kata as a group, you should follow the movements of the people around you (who all should be following Sensei's lead), and the movements should be synchronized and appear simultaneous. This provides you with a great sense of awareness of what is occurring around you in a fight and is beautiful to watch when executed well.

Performing kata solo allows you more freedom to incorporate pauses and vary speed of movement, thus imprinting your personal tastes on the kata. That is the time to be creative, but it is not while performing as a group.

With respect,

Sohan

[bushido_man96]

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

Kez

You may have fast moves, it may just be the time between moves. See if you rest a little less between moves if it will speed up the form a little.

[KarateK]

Sorry to lower the tone but I had a whole other post in mind when I read the title!!

[AnonymousOne]

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

Any type of fighting technique needs to be performed in a way that simulates actual conditions of use.

In all sports for example; they train to meet the conditions of actual competition and many spend a lot of time developing over speed capability.

A movement must have correct form and then be applied with as much speed, power and focus as you can humanly muster.

You need to train your muscles and mind to replicate actual battle conditions.

So you have to imagine to yourself what conditions a real battle would require and train to meet those conditions.

[Shotokan-kez]

Sorry to lower the tone but I had a whole other post in mind when I read the title!!

What exactly do you mean by that Karate K? Were you being rude Hehe

Kez xx

[pers]

If you visualize the kata to your vision of realistic application in a fight, then you will know the answer to your question and the true speed...

- Killer -

Excellent reply !

[KamasandSais]

to answer your question answer mine: rather be first to be done with poor technique or slow with excellent technique?