is kata worth the time

[Shotokan_Fighter]

in my shotokan karate club we dont really spend alot of time on kata but we still do i herd that some shotokan clubs just do kata and barley anything else. i train with a 7th dan (7th degree black belt) who trained in japan and he says that if you were stuck on an island and knew all katas or most of them and did them day in and day out once you would walk of that island you would be the best fighter there is.

[ZeRo]

i dont agree that kata will make you a good fighter. only sparring can make you a good fighter, you need to practise fighting to become a fighter. if you just do kata your just an artist not a martial artist.

[Mayur]

Katas are not necessarry, sparring is.

 

You can do without katas but not without sparring, however they can be a useful in developing your overall abilities.

 

|Mayur|

[Kensai]

Kata, without the understanding of application is just a dance.

 

You must understand what each move is, study it on its own and as a series. Study it with a partner to make sure it works.........

 

It you dont understand the Bunkai, you dont understand the true nature of kata.

 

[Mayur]

BTW, take more notice on Kensai's post

 

|Mayur|

[omnifinite]

Here's one element of kata that I think on its own makes it worthwhile.

 

A person really dedicated to kata will spend hours on a single movement. They'll pay attention to what their body is doing as they go through the movement very very slowly. Is there any antagonistic muscle tension? There's one minor adjustment. Is everything properly aligned? Does anything feel like it's binding slightly? There's another adjustment. Is any part of the body working against the technique in any subtle way? Another adjustment.

 

It sounds obsessive... but when people's lives were on the line they had to be obsessive.

 

Do that for a couple years (not just going through the motions but really doing it), and eventually the perfect lightning-fast technique will come without thought when you need it most. You don't have time to think about all those little factors in combat... you probably won't think much about all those little factors when sparring... and to really give each of those things your full attention I think you have to do things slowly, sometimes mind-numbingly.

 

And if you want to get really obsessive about it switch to Tai Chi . That's part of why it can be so powerful.

[BlueDragon1981]

I agree with Kensai. If you understand the application of the kata then you are wise to choose to practice it. I believe kata and sparring a both needed. Kata will work you techniques and make them second nature (sometimes). Then when you spar those techniques may come into action. (even if they are not exactly the same). Kata and sparring can go hand and hand. Doing and understanding the application of both is what I would say to do.

 

Of course then you get into the debate about sparring. Point Sparring teaches you some things but not near as much as full contact sparring. I am not that great at point sparring, however full contact I am.....I guess a mixture of everything would be the best possible scenario.

[G95champ]

Kata is the life blood of Shotokan. Yeah you only learn to fight by fighting but to fight or spar you have to have someone to practice with. Kata although not really fighting takes it as close as we can get. The balance, speed, timming, etc built in kata is what makes Shotokan and other kata based styles what they are.

[Red J]

To answer your topic, yes it is worth the time. Good comments from all.

[Kirves]

If you are taught the proper application (bunkai) and lots of time is spent training them with a partner, then yes kata is worth every minute. If you don't seem to get that much application training, then I'd limit the kata time and work more on other, more lively stuff with a partner.