The Uselessness of Kata

[bushido_man96]

Not bad Bushido.

The only addition I would make is

kata-based sparring should lead to free sparing.

Ah, yes, good addition.

[bushido_man96]

BTW - Elbows and Knees, while BJJ and MT may work on nearly all partner work, Karate, Tae Kwon Do and many similar arts don't work this way.

There are many option for partner drills in arts like TKD and Karate, I just think that they aren't used very much. Olympic TKD stylists do a lot partner work with hogu (chest pad) drills, kicking paddle drills, and include footwork and attack/counter drills.

You are correct Jiffy, stating that Karate and TKD styles don't do all partner drills, but we could do a lot more if we wanted to.

[Jiffy]

Oh very true. It's not that Karate and TKD (for example) don't seem to see the value in partner drills. It's just that to me, many other styles don't seem the see the value in non-partner drills.

[bushido_man96]

Oh very true. It's not that Karate and TKD (for example) don't seem to see the value in partner drills. It's just that to me, many other styles don't seem the see the value in non-partner drills.

I see your point.

[username8517]

Jiffy, Syphax, and bushido_man96--Thank you for the kind words.

For a little clarification on my post I did not mean to insinuate that working drills up and down the dojo floor was useless, I was merely trying to prove the effectiveness of kata.

Just as drilling up and down the floor with a partner is not the end all be all of training just as neither is kata or solo drills. Each one has their own facet of strengths and weaknesses for students.

In class we do go up and down the floor doing basics for approximately 10-15 minutes per class doing mainly solo drills, but occassionally we do live partner drills to help students get down. But regardless of either of these methods, every class utilizes kata.

As it was stated, no one way is better than another, it's just one training method over another and what each art chooses to utilize.

[bushido_man96]

Jiffy, Syphax, and bushido_man96--Thank you for the kind words.

You are welcome.

For a little clarification on my post I did not mean to insinuate that working drills up and down the dojo floor was useless, I was merely trying to prove the effectiveness of kata.

That's cool. I agree with what you are saying.

Just as drilling up and down the floor with a partner is not the end all be all of training just as neither is kata or solo drills. Each one has their own facet of strengths and weaknesses for students.

I think you are right on the money here. However, I have always enjoyed partner drilling more than solo drilling. That is just me, though.

In class we do go up and down the floor doing basics for approximately 10-15 minutes per class doing mainly solo drills.

We do too. These are our basics, the warm-up in class. It is a great warm-up, however it is the same set of basics for every traditional class.

[elbows_and_knees]

BTW - Elbows and Knees, while BJJ and MT may work on nearly all partner work, Karate, Tae Kwon Do and many similar arts don't work this way.

I'm not saying either way is better, just explaining that the training methods are different. I have trained in styles that train both ways and I like various parts of each way.

No, in general, they don't. We did though, and I loved it. Our training consisted mainly of calesthenics, drills and sparring. kata took a backseat.

[Syphax]

BTW - Elbows and Knees, while BJJ and MT may work on nearly all partner work, Karate, Tae Kwon Do and many similar arts don't work this way.

I'm not saying either way is better, just explaining that the training methods are different. I have trained in styles that train both ways and I like various parts of each way.

No, in general, they don't. We did though, and I loved it. Our training consisted mainly of calesthenics, drills and sparring. kata took a backseat.

And that may be just what you need to best train yourself to become whatever you want to become. My, and I believe several others', point is that whether you use kata frequently in training or not, it is useful and is, for many styles, including mine, a critical aspect.

[shogeri]

Kata has a purpose...when no one is available...sparring and bunkai or two partner drills are even better.

later!

[Jiffy]

Jiffy, Syphax, and bushido_man96--Thank you for the kind words.

For a little clarification on my post I did not mean to insinuate that working drills up and down the dojo floor was useless, I was merely trying to prove the effectiveness of kata.

Just as drilling up and down the floor with a partner is not the end all be all of training just as neither is kata or solo drills. Each one has their own facet of strengths and weaknesses for students.

In class we do go up and down the floor doing basics for approximately 10-15 minutes per class doing mainly solo drills, but occassionally we do live partner drills to help students get down. But regardless of either of these methods, every class utilizes kata.

As it was stated, no one way is better than another, it's just one training method over another and what each art chooses to utilize.

I agree completely. Although we don't do Kata every single class, I am trying to do more of it lately.