What if my Sensei doesn't know enough kata?

[wayneshin]

I am not naive enough to believe that only 11 kata have all of the techniques you would ever need in every single emergency situation (mugging, home protection, random assault, etc).

Thanks for your input, all!

I would suggest from a purely self defence pespective less is more. Mastering and understanding the five Heian kata should give you more than enough from kata. Certainly learning higher kata from a book or CD will only give you the asthetic moves.

[bushido_man96]

I am not naive enough to believe that only 11 kata have all of the techniques you would ever need in every single emergency situation (mugging, home protection, random assault, etc).

Thanks for your input, all!

I would suggest from a purely self defence pespective less is more. Mastering and understanding the five Heian kata should give you more than enough from kata. Certainly learning higher kata from a book or CD will only give you the asthetic moves.

I agree with the less is more ideology. If you overload your brain with 100s of techniques to choose from, it causes problems when its time to react. What you want to do instead is learn tactics that you can apply various techniques to in given situations. Thinking in the terms of tactics will be less binding than thinking in terms of techniques.

[KumitePanda]

Me, I say you fight how you train. How alive is your sparring? Do you really hit each other hard? That's probably going to have more of an effect on how well you learn to defend yourself than learning Pinan 38.

shotokan (depending on where) is basically one hit to kill so unlike many other styles full on contact is not allowed. think of the paperwork!

there are 26 kata and you only need 1 to defend yourself. remember, your sensei is still on his journey...you haven't even started it yet.

[SaiFightsMS]

I remember testing on a kata I had worked on for over 4 years. I was the only one in the dojo deemed ready to test with it. I did it with power, precision the best stances I had ever performed with and the audience was just dropping their mouths open at times. Afterwards I was told by many how impressive the kata was. I was thinking about all the things I could have done better.

[bushido_man96]

I remember testing on a kata I had worked on for over 4 years. I was the only one in the dojo deemed ready to test with it. I did it with power, precision the best stances I had ever performed with and the audience was just dropping their mouths open at times. Afterwards I was told by many how impressive the kata was. I was thinking about all the things I could have done better.

We are often our own worse critic. But, its what drives us to work harder and get better.

[SaiFightsMS]

I remember after I thought I had learned my first kata and how much I wanted to go on and learn another one. But my much wiser teacher knew that it was not time yet for that. It took several years to begin to understand that the number of katas I knew meant little, it was my understanding of the kata and my skills in even the most basic elements that were important.

[honoluludesktop]

Learning the moves of a kata, is not the same as knowing it. While a young person can demonstrate more speed, power, and exact form then a old timer, he will not know the kata as well as someone that has practiced it for 30 plus years.

Kata is as much an expression of the karateka's kumite experience as it is athletic, self defense, or technical form. Eventually your time on the mat will show itself in your kata by timing, and eye.

I have come to believe that it eventually doesn't matter if you know a lot, or a few kata. Eventually, as long as you train by kihon, kata, and kumite, they all blend into each other. Keep in mind that this is not the same as fighting in the street.