Why do experienced Shotokan practicioners love Heian Kata?

[kensei]

Why do we put so much into the Heians?

A few reasons, first off they hold almost all the basic movements in Karate, they also are a complete self defense system as someone said, but the core of Shotokan is in the Heians....much like the core of Goju is said to be in Sanchin. Why do Goju people do sanchin so damn much? Conditioning, focus, learning to fight???? Pretty much the same reasons we do the Heians.

Now I know we dont see eye to eye with Goju guys on training methodology and you guys look at our Heians with raised brows...the same way we wonder if you had to much Bran when doing Sanchin! The thing is that Goju and Shotokan both use different Kata for the same purpose.....Fundamentals.

I could go into how its the utmost of importance to ensure your sword is sharpe (Basics are tight) and how if you let your back stance slip in the Heians you wont ever be able to perform it well in the other Kata or how if you just do Kumite and Advanced Kata your foundation will weaken, but I think we all get that.

The Heians to me are the text book on how to do Karate (Shotokan style of course) and you must review your basics all the time before moving on.

In my dojo lineage we perform the first 7 Kata to get to black belt then we learn the rest of the "basic and intermediate" Katas (total 15 from start to finish) then we pick 3 Kata to focus on for the rest of our journey.

I selected Kanku Dai, Nijushiho and Bassai Sho...but if I dont practice my Heians, Tekki 1 and Bassai Dai regularly even I see a big slacking in form and functionality in my Kata and kumite.

We do the Heians to remind us that the detials of basics are what drive us to be better in general.

[GojuRyu Bahrain]

Kensei,

You make a very good point on the relation to Sanchin Kata (which we Goju karateka should do three times every training). However, after Sanchin we continue training on other topics (e.g., more advanced Kata and their applications) so that Sanchin gets 5-10 % training time. If one would do only Sanchin that's not enough (and nobody does this in Goju Ryu).

Now, in Shotokan (even for experienced Karateka), I noticed that very often a much greater focus is put on basics (50-100% of training time for Kihon & Heian), and I think this hampers progress. As you mention, there should be enough time for the remaining Kata (and various Kumite forms).

Another fact is that most of the techniques in the Heian Kata are derived from older Kata (the techniques off Heian are repeated in more advanced variations). therefore, Kanku, Bassai, Sochin etc.. include the Heian basic techniques (but more divers = more interesting)

[jaypo]

I got another example to share. The other day, a coworker was talking about the movie he was about to perform in. He handed me the script, and after seeing all of the lines he had to perform, I thought that there was no way he could remember all of it. He told me his tecnhique- you learn the first one. Then you say the first one and the second one. Then, the first, second, and third one. Etc. So you practice the first line every time you practice another. That's how you progress. The same can be said for the Heian series. You don't start on Jion before perfecting the techniques in Heian Shodan because some of the moves in Heian Shodan are used in it. And if your foundation is not there, Jion will suck!

Actually, in old Okinawa, a karateka would work on 1 kata for 3 years before being allowed to start on another.

[CredoTe]

jaypo, kensei, sensei8, and others all make good points. In addition to being important to keeping one's fundamentals sharp, the pinan / heian kata have a lot of fighting sense bunkai that beginner and intermediate students can learn. Basic kata aside (beginner / demonstration kata), in a sense of turnaround time, why should it take a student 10 years or more before s/he learns effective techniques to use in self-defense situations? Even if we still followed the old 1-kata-per-3-years regimen, the pinan / heian kata would give beginner / intermediate students a few good fighting sense applications they could use in real situations.

[hawkfish]

One thing that my Sensei shared with me many years ago, in relation to the Heian katas, was to take them out each week and try them on to make sure they still fit. Like clothes in the closet, you try it on and after you see it still fits, you can put it back.

I would guess you are wondering what is this crazy guy talking about , right? The idea behind the Heian katas, in particular, is when you share or teach them to other studnets you have to make sure that what you are teaching is correct in order to carry on our art. If we loose the foundation katas that were taught by Funakoshi Sensei, we will not be able to pass on the art to others and it will die or become something else.

I know that many would argue that the art needs to grow and change as times change and I agree but that is where the application of the movements of the katas come in to play. The movements of the Heian katas themselves should stay the same but how we apply those movements is where the growth comes in. I have been teaching for over seven years now and I learn something new about the Heian katas almost every time I teach or even do them. If you want to try something fun, use the application of a movement or group of movements as your block and counter in one-step sparring. This will open up a whole new world and really make you understand how useful the basic movements in these katas are in self defense applications.

There is a lot hidden inside the Heian katas and if you look at each movement as a separate kata in itself, it might make them more interesting and more relevant.

[wildbourgman]

I'm a new guy here but my take is that one thing that I had overlooked is that beginner Heian katas in Shotokan are taught as somewhat advanced Pinan katas in Shorin ryu as you get closer to black belt.

[SteyrAUG]

Why do experienced Shotokan practitioners (15 or more years experience and advanced dan grades) indulge themselves in practicing the Heian Kata so much? (they love to do that in every Shotokan dojo I know )

I don't understand it - it is simply boring...I mean, in which other style or discipline do people repeat the most basic exercises over and over? To what end? What can be learned that cannot be learned better in the more advanced Kata?

Wouldn't the training time be better spent with something new?

Perfected basics are more useful to advanced / complex moves every time. Black belt is the BEGINNING and not the high water mark. People who abandon basics to move onto more "exciting things" really haven't learned as much as they could have in their time up to black belt.

What mystifies me are people who know 40+ kata and really haven't mastered any of them. I used to be that guy and at one time had a working knowledge of almost 100 forms (including weapons).

These days I tend to occupy my time with no more than four empty hand kata and typically no more than two forms for each weapon I know. Except in cases where there are no authentic traditional kata such as with the nunchaku. And by authentic I mostly mean "pre Meiji."

[CredoTe]

...

These days I tend to occupy my time with no more than four empty hand kata and typically no more than two forms for each weapon I know. Except in cases where there are no authentic traditional kata such as with the nunchaku. And by authentic I mostly mean "pre Meiji."

Which koryu arts do your kata come from, if I may ask?

[ps1]

Training the "basic" kata is about as boring as inspecting and strengthening the foundation of the Golden Gate Bridge.

I walked in on one of my kenjitsu instructors once and all he was doing was the prepatory hip motion required to draw the sword. At the time, i was very novice and just thought it was weird.

Now I know he was ensuring the foundation, on which the rest of his art was built, was strong. That movement is more important than any other in the art.

I had another master instructor who, when he wanted to see you at your best, would request you perform Teikyoko Shodan. He always said, "If you can't do the basics right, the rest will be S**t!"

[SteyrAUG]

...

These days I tend to occupy my time with no more than four empty hand kata and typically no more than two forms for each weapon I know. Except in cases where there are no authentic traditional kata such as with the nunchaku. And by authentic I mostly mean "pre Meiji."

Which koryu arts do your kata come from, if I may ask?

There are many systems that teach many "pre meiji" kata. One simply needs to remember Pinan / Heian kata were developed for the purposes of teaching large groups, especially when karate was introduced into the Okinawan school system and later to the Japanese school system.

Naihanchi is "pre Meiji" but Tekki (especially Nidan and Sandan versions) are post Meiji variations. Originally Tekki Shodan was identical enough to be considered Naihanchi but it soon became very Japanese with deep stances and modified bunkai applications.

All of the original Uechi and Goju kata are "pre Meiji."

Any one of the orthodox Shorin Ryu style is going to have primarily "pre Meiji" kata (except for the Pinan of course).

As for me personally I don't really practice specific styles anymore as I prefer to simply enjoy martial arts without confining myself to specific systems.

I practice Naihanchi (found in too many systems to name them all) quite a bit simply because I enjoy the flow, balance checks (which I need more at my middle age) and other foundation skills.

I enjoy Wansu and it can be found in several Shuri and Tomari based systems, especially Okinawan Shorin Ryu styles. Several changes were made when it was rechristened as Empi for Japanese styles post Meiji.

I've been known to do Sanchin from time to time simply because I've done it so many times I just find myself doing it without really trying.

I will occasionally do Patsai, Sesan, Rohai or Kusanku but sometimes they can be a little rusty and then I end up doing only that kata for months until I feel better about them. I enjoy each of the kata but find trying to maintain all of them at a high level takes more hours than I have to offer. And I just can't pick a favorite so I tend to be "passably effective" at best.

I have generally abandoned my Shotokan kata in favor of the original Okinawan version. Additionally the syllabus of 24 kata became quite a bit for me to manage and retain.

For weapons pretty much Sakugawa no Kon, Chatan Yara no Sai and Hama Higa no Tonfa.

I observe a similar demarcation point when it comes to Chinese forms and typically maintain those that existed prior to the Boxers Rebellion and while I know more than a few that were developed for the Ching Wu schools I keep in mind they are early 20th century creations designed for cultural considerations as much as practical applications.