here his the deal i have done some stuff before,i already trow good combinations,high kicks e.t.c,but 6 months ago i started karate(shito ryu)and i ignored the katas,didnt memorize them e.t.c and i just found out that the reazon that i am not a yellow belt yet its because i absolutely freaking suck at doing katas and i was wondering if you guys coud give me some tips to memorize that crap and being more focused,since i didnt see the point on "fake"movements i didnt pay attention to thembut now i understand

plese respond

If you don't see the point in kata, why are you doing a traditional form of karate?

And if you choose to take a traditional karate class, why not apply yourself to the whole art? It's hard to be good at something you don't care about. If you really don't care about kata, you should find a kickboxing class or something.

Or you could just be glad that you don't have to pretend to be a bird or shoot arrows.

i didnt see it before,i understand the purpose of katas now at less after today i just have a hard time concentrating on those kind of movements and memorizing them,thanks btw and yes i am problably gona kickbox again but not very soon

Learn in short increments. Most kata include a few changes in direction. Do 1 section at a time. Practice the movements until the first time you turn around several time, until it's easy. Then practice up to the second change of direction. Do this until you can go through the whole kata.

thanks brah

Practice is the only way you're going to remember the kata--as mentioned, just practice them in pieces until you can remember the whole thing, then practice the whole thing on a daily basis.

Here's a trick- take it seriously and practice. Then practice some more. Practice until you work up a really good sweat and realize that you are working the muscles that you use for fighting. Practice until you realize that you're learning how to flow from one stance to the next, since stances are fluid, not frozen in place, when fighting. Practice until it becomes a moving meditation.

Break it down into chunks if you need to. See if you can get some videos of the katas done right, watch them, learn from them. Ask an instructor for help after class.

Listen to your instructors and do what they say. They know a lot more about this stuff than you do. That's why they are teaching you.

OSU

Kata is what Karate is about, in Judo they have 9 kata that you have to learn too!!!

If it was life and death situation you'd learn the kata quickly enough then! Dare I say its because you can't be bothered because YOU feel the kata is a waste of time, not the fact that the Pinan kata are a complete fighting system with applications including stand up grappling and basic self defence.

If your Instructor doesn't know how to apply this to the kata then go find one that does.

Or, being the non-traditionalist here , go find someone who will teach the same movements hidden in kata without the use of the kata.

I get that you understand what the kata is about now, but if it does not interest you as a training modality then search around for a system that does not utilize it. Kata is not sacrosanct to learning to fight or defend yourself.

It was a training modality devised over a hundred years ago. Modern, equally valid, methods exist today that might be more to your mindset. And quite frankly, be more efficient in practicality.

Granted, practicality is not the sole reason to study martial arts, but your post would seem to indicate that it might be a concern for you. Just my thoughts on the matter.