| Like anything you are going to build in life, you need a | | | | effectiveness of the move. There is no point early on |
| great foundation to work from in order to make your | | | | learning to throw your arm out in front of you and |
| construction strong and durable. With Karate - Kata is | | | | calling it a punch without knowing what it takes or |
| the foundation! | | | | what changes you need to make to actually make it |
| Originally back on Okinawa island off the coast of | | | | affective. Early on a great technique to use in training |
| Japan where modern day Karate was born they used | | | | for this is to get one or two partners to hold punch |
| to teach Karate only by Kata, this was to avoid | | | | pads for you and they should position themselves in |
| detection from the authorities who had banned it but | | | | the line of your attack and have you execute it with |
| also as a way of embedding the basics to build a | | | | accuracy, speed and power. They should also give |
| great foundation, without Kata Karate as we know it | | | | you feedback on how effective it was, if you were on |
| would not be around today. | | | | target, if there was enough power etc. As you |
| Kata teaches you the basic movements of Karate in | | | | become more advanced a fun and great way of |
| manner that makes it easy and interesting for people | | | | ensuring your technique works is to get some partners |
| to remember them. It is also a great way of creating | | | | to hold training break boards for you and see can you |
| muscle memory. Muscle memory is created when you | | | | actually break the boards with your technique, if you |
| do the same movement over and over again until it | | | | can and you don't injure yourself then you know you |
| becomes natural when it feels natural and you know | | | | are executing them correctly. |
| longer have to think about it is in your muscle memory, | | | | For blocking you should get a partner to attack with full |
| like holding a pen. | | | | speed, power and determination and you should |
| So by practicing Kata you create muscle memory for | | | | practice your blocking - you won't need feedback |
| your stances and your attacks. As you move up | | | | from them as if it doesn't work you will most likely get |
| through the belts you continue to practice the lower | | | | hit. |
| grade katas which keeps engraving those movements | | | | If you learned and practiced your Kata in this manner |
| into the memory. | | | | how good would your Kata be? if your Kata was this |
| There are 2 very important parts to any Kata that | | | | good you can only imagine how good the rest of your |
| must be given equal attention in order to both master | | | | karate would be. |
| the Kata and to make your karate better. | | | | Imagine if you knew that with every punch in a Kata |
| First is the stances. As I mentioned, by practicing Kata | | | | that you were able to execute it with enough |
| you are creating muscle memory. If taught correctly | | | | speed,power and accuracy to break a board while |
| there should be a lot of emphasis based on the | | | | also knowing that every block was fast enough and |
| stances. If someone tries to make an attack and their | | | | strong enough to block any attack while all being |
| footwork/stance is not correct they will have very little | | | | executed from a rock solid unmovable stance. Doesn't |
| power in their attack, they will be off balance and as a | | | | that excite you? It should because when you learn |
| consequence of these they will not execute an | | | | Kata like this you are on your way to mastering your |
| affective attack. | | | | Karate Kata and only when you master your Kata |
| Think about it, if their stance is only slightly off centre | | | | can you master your Karate. |
| and they are delivering a punch then they will have to | | | | I am not going to go into Kata bunkai today as that is a |
| twist their body further one way or the other in order | | | | whole other topic but is one that needs to be covered |
| to land that punch exactly where they want it. | | | | and learned if you are going to master your Kata. |
| Therefore as a training tip it is a good idea to make | | | | Some Thoughts to help you become the best |
| sure your stances are ending up in the direction you | | | | Karateka you can be: |
| actually want to attack. Mark a line on the matt or floor | | | | - Every time you train and do a Kata, think about each |
| and check if your stances are lining up centre with the | | | | movement and what it could mean. Is it a block? If so |
| line. By taking your time and practicing this early on in | | | | then what is it blocking? Maybe it looks like a block but |
| your Karate career it will feel completely natural as | | | | could actually be used as an attack. |
| move to the higher grades and the katas become | | | | - Could your attack actually break a board? If not then |
| more complex. | | | | why not, what needs to change? |
| The second focus should be on the actual attack | | | | - Are your stances solid, grounded yet light enough to |
| block/hand movements. (Make note how stances | | | | move with speed? |
| should be the first focus when most often it isn't.) The | | | | - For all those who prefer kumite to Kata - Imagine if |
| focus on the attacks should not just be on creating a | | | | you could execute an attack or defense with speed, |
| block or kick in a certain direction and hoping it looks | | | | accuracy and power from a Kata move and then |
| good which again is generally the focus in many Dojo. | | | | tried to apply it to Kumite - how good would your |
| More emphasis should be put on the actual | | | | Kumite become? |