| Gichin Funakoshi reportedly spent the first 10 years of | | | | the first section. I've written about power breathing |
| his karate training practicing nothing but Nianchi | | | | before so I'll not go into it here, but needless to say the |
| (sometimes called Tekki Shodan). Sanshin (or Sam | | | | Kata assisted in building strength in my midsection |
| Chien) appears throughout the southern Chinese | | | | which helped the damaged back repair itself more |
| martial arts as well as Okinawan and Japanese karate | | | | quickly. Because I trained this kata daily, I started to |
| where it is often the first and last thing students | | | | really recognize some of my favorite techniques were |
| practice in their training. To learn Wing Chun Kung Fu | | | | contained within it's moves. |
| you must spend at least one year mastering each of | | | | When I'm not teaching, I work in security. One of my |
| it's three forms. | | | | favorite "come along" holds is a straight arm barred |
| Each of the above examples shows how prevalent | | | | across my chest, the shape I make when applying the |
| Kata is in the martial arts. Yet many today choose to | | | | hold is in the first section of Seisan. This is just one of |
| shun their Kata practice saying it is useless and waste | | | | my applications to this movement, I also have others, |
| of their time. Why is this? If Funakoshi spent 10 years | | | | it's the in-out parry defense, it's a goose neck wrist |
| on one Kata, and Wing Chun insists you master one | | | | lock, it's a sweeping parry with counter strike, it's a |
| form for an entire year before learning the next, there | | | | take down. You may have completely different ones, |
| must be something in it. Are we missing the point? In | | | | dependent on your style of fighting. |
| our wisdom have we lost touch with a valuable, if not | | | | Never the less, Seisan, to me, is a gold mine of |
| vital component of our martial arts? | | | | information and suits my personal style of martial arts. |
| The problem I find is two fold. | | | | As a note, you can see me perform Seisan on the |
| 1 - Ring Sports and combat athletics are the popular | | | | wildgeesma YouTube page, the video is entitled "old |
| front of martial arts, spectators don't want to see a | | | | school core training". One commenter posted regarding |
| flawless solo performance, they want to see a fight. | | | | my stance, another saying I was doing karate a |
| 2 - Instructors so often haven't a clue what it is they | | | | disservice to karate. I asked both to expand their |
| are teaching, martial arts have suffered in a global | | | | comments to get a better idea of their thoughts. Since |
| game of Chinese whispers with more information lost | | | | neither have bothered I can only assume they view |
| every generation. | | | | kata practice in the typical view points prevalent today |
| But what are Kata and what are they for? | | | | and show no understanding of the practice of Kata |
| An individual Kata (or form, Sayaw, pattern, whatever | | | | instead choosing to focus on it's aesthetic properties. |
| the name...) or indeed a sequence of Kata such as in | | | | Fighting is not aesthetically pleasing, it is brutal and |
| Wing Chun or Karate's Pinan (Hein) series, were | | | | violent. |
| originally formulated to assist in the training of a fighting | | | | Do ring sports use kata? Yes, but they call it by a |
| system. Each kata/sequence is in itself a complete | | | | different name, "shadow boxing". Is shadow boxing not |
| system of fighting. Masters would either teach a kata, | | | | kata? Of course it is, practicing a sequence of moves |
| or on occasion the kata would be formulated by the | | | | with perfect execution, this is kata. While most will |
| student, in order for the student to be able to practice | | | | shadow box with random strikes, the champions use it |
| solo and to have a reference for his techniques. | | | | as an opportunity to drill their best combinations. |
| The moves within a kata would be taught in detail and | | | | The inspiration for this article actually came about after |
| applications explored and tested in live sparring. | | | | a conversation with Richie "The Sherriff" Carton. Richie |
| Sections of the kata would be taken and would form | | | | teaches the Tues and Thursday kickboxing at WGMA |
| the core of an entire training session, a particular | | | | HQ. Over the years Richie has himself won several |
| posture would be broken down so that it could be | | | | titles and has trained many fighter to title wins. His |
| trained from the ground up. Is the stance strong, is the | | | | most recent success is Ronan McSweeney who |
| bodies structure properly aligned, how can I generate | | | | came home from Belfast last December after winning |
| maximal power at the beginning, middle and end of the | | | | the World Super Welterweight Title as well as a |
| move. What would be the effects of this on my | | | | couple of other belts from his opponent. |
| training partner (and so how would I expect it to work | | | | While chatting with Richie I discovered that he had |
| in a real scenario). | | | | instructed Ronan in four combinations. It was these |
| No move would have been meaningless. Even the | | | | four combinations that won the fight. It occurred to me |
| smallest of moves would be seen for it's striking, | | | | then that the first Kata in the Carton kickboxing |
| locking, throwing or defensive possibility. Each move | | | | system may have just been created. |
| would have several applications, maybe against a | | | | Think about it, Ronan trains these four combinations |
| charge it's an avoidance, against a grab it's a throw, | | | | over and over until they become ingrained into his |
| against a punch it's a counter attack. Could it be used | | | | personality, he then goes out to fight and without |
| on the ground? Well they'd find out. | | | | having to consciously think about them, they just come |
| Suddenly the kata is no more just an empty dance, it is | | | | out at the right time, reflexively. This is how kata is and |
| a library of real fighting techniques, applicable and | | | | always was meant to work. |
| useful in a real street encounter.So who out there | | | | If Ronan took the time to put the four combinations |
| does this in their own training? Very few of you I | | | | into an easy to remember sequence, I'm sure it would |
| imagine. | | | | soon become the same useless imitation of martial |
| While there are a couple of names that have become | | | | arts that most other katas hae become over time. But |
| synonymous with the rebirth of practical kata training | | | | right now, at least to Ronan (and to his opponent) this |
| (Iain Abernethy being the most prevalent, if you can | | | | kata is alive. |
| get hold of his books and dvd's, I recommend you do | | | | At the beginning of the article I asked if Kata was a |
| so) the majority of instructors just show you the | | | | valuable tool or a waste of time. I don't know if I've |
| moves, you copy them and then you go on and learn | | | | answered the question for you, but I hope I've given |
| another kata, then another. By the time I was awarded | | | | you room to think. |
| my 1st Dan in Wado Ryu I knew around 12 kata, 10 | | | | If you practice kata, I want you to look at it with fresh |
| years later I was up to around 20 or so. Today I only | | | | eyes. Check what moved you use most in your |
| do maybe 5. But I am really getting to know these 5, | | | | sparring/tournaments/real world scenarios, see if you |
| they are no longer empty sequences. | | | | can recognize these shapes in any of your kata. The |
| Take Wado Ryu's Seisan kata for instance. I started | | | | kata that contains the most relevant shapes, that's the |
| back with this one after injuring my back lifting weights | | | | one that represents your style. |
| that were too heavy. The reason I would train Seisan | | | | Keep training and keep learning. |
| was primarily for the breathing and tension involved in | | | | |