pace/speed in forms

[bushido_man96]

On 10/7/2025 at 2:15 PM, Zaine said:

I posted this and then had more thoughts. I want to come back to this point, in particular, because doing this really created a lot of growth in my martial arts. As we know, kata is not a choreographed fight. No one with any actual understanding of kata who was unfortunate enough to need to use their training in a real situation would start doing pinan shodan to get out of it. Instead, if they have worked the techniques in pinan shodan with a partner, they might be inclined to use a particular technique from that kata in their attempts to get away from the confrontation.

By adding restrictions to your kata, you open up lines and variations in your technique. You start to ask yourself "how would this work if I couldn't take a step? How would this work if I couldn't extend my arm all the way?" These questions and concepts can then be drilled with a partner. You end up exploring more than the surface level of a kata. It's an incredible way to gain understanding. When I started doing this, I was already a black belt. The growth you experience as you rank up becomes increasingly incremental and you learn to look for the change in different ways. Doing this, on the other hand, was anything but incremental for me. It really pushed me towards growth much faster than I had expected.

That's a great training exercise.  Thanks for sharing your additional thoughts on it.

[bushido_man96]

On 10/7/2025 at 10:42 AM, Spartacus Maximus said:

Is there a some difference between the way you do your forms in the dojo/school and how you practice them by yourself on your own personal time in private?

Personally when practising kata alone it makes sense to do everything step-by-step. Pace and rythm would depend on when the kata was first learned. 

This really depends.  At home, I don't have much room, so I will just walk through the techniques and stances just to get a review in.  If I have room to do them, then it just depends on how warmed up I am and what I'm in the mood to do that day.

[sensei8]

Pace is important; as in everything, it has its place. Moreover, all of the other elements must be considered, especially said the technique being executed. That’s why kata isn’t a dance; it’s elements can be quite effective.

That’s why we drill the tar out of the three K’s; they open other avenues of maturing one’s techniques.

[KarateKen]

24 minutes ago, sensei8 said:

Pace is important; as in everything, it has its place. Moreover, all of the other elements must be considered, especially said the technique being executed. That’s why kata isn’t a dance; it’s elements can be quite effective.

That’s why we drill the tar out of the three K’s; they open other avenues of maturing one’s techniques.

When I first started training kata was my least favorite thing to do.   We used to have M-Thursday class, and I hated it on Thursday night when the last ten minutes was kata, because I knew I wasn't going to get to train anything else until Monday.  As I got older kata became my favorite thing to train.  One of my instructors was talking about forms and said, "students say kata is boring, but that means you are doing it wrong."  That made me rethink it. 

[Spartacus Maximus]

Another often pondered question: Is practicing forms at 100%one’s power, speed every time more or less effective as a training exercise 
 

From personal experience and observation, going 100% speed/power every time is not something that is done often outside of demos, competitions or some kind of performance(as for testing for example). 

[bushido_man96]

On 11/1/2025 at 1:40 PM, Spartacus Maximus said:

Another often pondered question: Is practicing forms at 100%one’s power, speed every time more or less effective as a training exercise 
 

From personal experience and observation, going 100% speed/power every time is not something that is done often outside of demos, competitions or some kind of performance(as for testing for example). 

I would contend that it isn't always the way to do it.  There are benefits to doing forms practice at all kinds of different intensity levels, depending on what you want or need to focus on.  The best thing about it is that you can vary the speed and dynamism of the techniques from a Tai Chi style approach all the way up to full blast.

[sensei8]

As in anything, work up to full speed/power; otherwise one becomes sloppy across the board. Why go full all out right off the bat if it’s being done incorrectly and not being accountable. Rome wasn’t built in a day and by gosh, neither was one’s mature technique.

I hate watching someone go real fast in their kata for whatever reasons because, more often than not, their techniques suffer through their ineffectiveness.

WWSD = What Would Sensei Do [Take that for what it is]

[bushido_man96]

It can be a good training exercise to push your speed in forms to the point that technique breaks down in order to gain some extra speed, so your body at experiences what it is like to move faster than you usually do.  It's also important to finish with a dialed back speed in order to keep the technique clean.  By pushing the higher speeds, your body will start to adapt to it and your technique will get cleaner as you push the speed, along with clean-paced work.

[sensei8]

We’re discussing pace/speed in forms. If I may ask a question within it’s context?!?

How many are familiar with Rika Usami??

In a nutshell she’s won Gold at the 2010 Asian Games, Bronze at the 2010 World Karate Championships, and Gold in the 2012 World Karate Championships. From 2003 to 2012 she won 11 1st places and 1 2nd place in individual Kata.

There’s quite a lot of videos of her executing various kata on-line.

What’s your opinion about Rika Usami’s Kata’s (Forms) pace/speed??

Edited Wednesday at 03:45 AM by sensei8