Kata Training

[cheesefrysamurai]

I do much of my kata practice at home, slow for form, sometimes with a bit more pop.

Any thoughts on this?

Can I hear others methods on practicing kata? Practicing it in pieces, etc

ALSO, i have heard different schools of thought as to continuing after a mistake. I stop and start again or stop and start the last break point.

Is it proper to continue, finish the kata out and apply correction to the next.

Of course my questions only apply to private practice

thanks

[BlackKnight]

That all depends. I'll give you my opinions after 30 years of training and almost just as long teaching.

First question on how to practice. I like to do just like class as far as the count goes. Then I do it with the rhythm the kata requires. For example instead of blocking, pausing, then punching like in a count, the block and punch becomes one. Either way I may first do it slow ala Tai Chi, other times I may do it full power. It all depends on the mood I'm in that day. Either way is good.

Now as far as mistakes. I tell students if there is a particular section that gives them trouble, then break that section down and practice it only. Then try again within the whole kata.

If it's a matter of memorization then break the kata down into sections. Practice as far as you can get without assistance then add to it as you learn.

Good luck and good for you for practicing on your own.

[wagnerk]

I do much of my kata practice at home, slow for form, sometimes with a bit more pop.

Any thoughts on this?

Any sort of practice, provided it helps you is good.

Can I hear others methods on practicing kata? Practicing it in pieces, etc

Sometimes I practice forms slowly to think about the movements (this includes visualising the applications of it when I practice by myself), practicing faster (to improve my techniques with speed), sometimes I practice parts of the form, sometimes the whole thing...

ALSO, i have heard different schools of thought as to continuing after a mistake. I stop and start again or stop and start the last break point.

Is it proper to continue, finish the kata out and apply correction to the next.

Depends on how I feel, sometimes I just continue even if I know that I made a mistake, sometimes I stop and restart... There is no right or wrong, it's just practice, practice, practice

[cheesefrysamurai]

Thanks for the great answers

I am moderately proficient at all the kata I have been given.

The way my Sensei teaches kata is by giving piece by piece, then putting it together, after lots of repetition, and he sees you have it down, he starts picking it apart, stressing where to put the power and where to put the softness inherent in my system, stances, hand positions and other subtitles. He explains some of the movements in practical purpose so to understand the desired effect. But I am at the point where I can do much of the correction myself. My question isnt about learning a kata in the beginning sense, but realizing my thumbs weren't tucked, or I didn't pause in the right place or I lost balance.

Thanks again

[ShotokanMaster]

Its better to practice kata slow because that way you can perfect your stances your moves and strike you can make it pop by putting more power but slow or you can do slow but on the trike you do it hard and fast

[sensei8]

My most favorite drill for kata, I call it the "Yame" drill. Each time that a mistake is made while performing said kata, I call out, YAME (Stop), no matter how small or how big the infraction is. Once Yame is call out, the student(s) have to start said kata all over again. The drill continues until ALL students can finish said kata without me calling out Yame. One makes a mistake, then ALL have to start said kata all over again, and again, and again, so on and so forth!!

Purpose, in my mind, is to be that exacting with every single movement, no matter the importance ratio for said infraction(s), because for said technique(s) to be effective, the entire movement(s) must be as perfect as possible to be effective. Sure, a sloppy technique(s) might be effective! However, I'm trying to eliminate the words "might be" from the technique(s) totality.

Even high ranking Dan karateka's are not able to finish the Yame drill per said kata because I'm just that exacting in my strict opinions/critique of how said kata should be executed in its most optimums to be as effective as possible.

Will students grow a disdain for said kata over time because of the strictness of my gazing eye? I've not experienced that as of yet; they strive for perfection in their technique(s), even though they share my sentiment about the "Perfect technique(s)"; there's no such thing, imho.

[Nidan Melbourne]

In terms of private practice with kata, i have found that it is important to know the pattern first.

I am a 2nd dan but i still practice my basic kata and retrain myself for any mistakes i've made for years.

If you make a mistake it is best to stop practice that small section that your having trouble with and get better at it. Then you can restart the kata with that improvement.

It is up for debate but can take twice as long to correct a mistake if it was ingrained into you to correct it and it to become the norm.

[royaluser0022]

Kata is the best way to train yourself. While training Kata one can wear ankle and wrist weight to improve performance, power, control, speed and precision.

[Wastelander]

Typically, when I practice kata on my own, I will vary the speed. Sometimes, I go with a metronomic pace throughout every kata, but other times I will go faster or slower on certain movements, depending on the applications I'm thinking of. I also like to, occasionally, run through kata as fast as I can, and then go through slowly, with dynamic tension. If I'm having a tough time with a certain section of a kata, then I will break out that section and drill it separately, over and over again. When it comes to mistakes, if I'm by myself, I will usually either repeat the movement I messed up, but if I skipped a section or messed it up very badly, I'll start the kata over.

[CDraper]

If it is a new kata I will go through it slow so I can work on remembering it and building some sort of muscle memory. If it is one I'm pretty familiar with I will work on making the technique more crisp and adding power/timing. Another thing I do is do it in different orientations in the room I practice in so you don't get used to using land marks.

ChuckD