Kata Education

Not much has been going on. Lots of work and a lot of kata practice. Here is my article from this month's FMK newsletter. Enjoy!!

How to Learn a new Kata

Before I begin I would like to state that the only person in our school who really can teach you a kata the way you should learn it is Sensei. He is the question authority in our school and is the source of knowledge and expertise in this area. The best way to learn a new kata for your belt rank is to GO TO HIS CLASSES!!! That being said, the more classes you attend the more times you will practice the katas that you need to learn for your belt rank.

When performing a kata it should get to the point that it is almost reflexive. You should know what the next move in the kata is before you execute it. Your kata needs to become part of you. Think about this the next time you are executing a white belt kata like Taikyoku Shodan. Let’s take this approach step by step.

Choose a kata to learn. If you need to learn a kata for your belt rank choose one, master it, then move on to the next one. Don’t feel like you have to master everything in one day. Learning a kata takes a lot of time and practice. Do not get discouraged. If you are an upper belt, choose one that you cannot remember or need to review. There is not a student in our dojo that does not need to review or re-learn a kata. We all need practice.

Find resources to help you learn the kata. Use Sensei’s kata DVD’s. These are fantastic resources that are available to you. Videos can help you break a kata down so you can see what each move looks like. You can pause and go back and really look at each move in the kata. Use the videos of sensei performing a kata; they were made with the intention of being study guides.

Another resource that is always available to new students are the Black belt and higher ranking students. It is their job to improve there own abilities by teaching and practicing katas to the students of lower rank. Any student who knows all of the correct movements in a kata can help you. The key is just to dive in and practice.

Break each kata down into sections. This is the best way to learn really long katas. Pick a point that is several steps into the kata. Then repeat the steps over and over until you have them memorized. This method can be applied to any kata regardless of its length. Let’s take the purple belt kata Matsukaze Nidan as an example. It has 46 total movements. Start with the first nine moves of the kata.

Begin in a Natural Stance:
1.) Look left, step out with right foot, turn 90 degrees counterclockwise, into a left sanchin dachi as you left upper block.

2.) Slow right middle punch (exhalation, tension) as you pull the left fist back to the left side.

3.) Take off with right arm (comes across and up; quickly with inhalation).

4.) Slow left middle punch (exhalation, tension).

5.) Look over right shoulder, adjust right foot behind left (on same line as left heel) turn 180 degrees clockwise (face original right) into a right sanchin dachi and right upper block.

6.) Slow left middle punch (exhalation, tension) as you pull the right fist back to the right side.

7.) Take off with left arm (comes across and up; quickly with inhalation).

8.) Slow right middle punch (exhalation, tension).

9.) Arms cross in front above the head level and perform a double down block.

Learn each section; repeat these steps again and again until you have them memorized, then add to what you have learned as you go on. That’s as far as you should go for the first two set of steps. Repeat these over and over until it is in your long term memory and you feel very comfortable. Then add another set of steps and repeat this process until you have memorized the entire kata.

Now go back and look at what areas you need to focus on. Especially in transitional areas where each of the sections in the kata fit together so that it is one seamless form. It is almost necessary that a black belt or sensei go over the kata with you at this point. They can point out areas that need improvement. This is good practice for any student.

Practice the kata all the way through many, many times. .It may take awhile as there are many steps involved and will take lots of practice. This is the point were many students can get discouraged or feel the “ice skating up a hill” state. You may even have to re-learn parts of the kata. This is the process orientated part of learning karate and is quite possibly the most important key to improvement. Just stick with it and do not quit.

Cross check references. Make sure that you go to sensei’s class when you are learning a new kata. When he asks, “Are there any questions?” This should be the point that you ask him about key areas that you are unsure of. Make sure you ask him questions or have him or an advanced student look at your kata and practice it a few times to work out all of the issues.

Once you have it down, continue practicing the kata exclusively for 30-90 days or longer. This should be enough reinforcement so that it is really ingrained into your system. You should be able to literally perform the kata with no problems. The real truth is that you should practice katas as often as you can. It is easy to forget what you have learned. Karate is a discipline that requires constant practice regardless of your rank.

Practice the kata as frequently as you can for as long as you can. You will find that there are details that each person needs to work on. This is the only way to really remember katas that you have learned. The best way to keep your skills up is to practice. Have another student or sensei watch you perform a kata and critique it. The only way to get better is practice as much as you can.

Hopefully some of the key points listed in this article may prove to be helpful to you in the area of learning new katas. Learning a new kata is not easy and takes a lot of time and effort. The most important thing to remember is not to give up. Take time to break down katas into sections. Use the resources that are available to you and above all practice as much as you can. To really know a kata it must be stuck in your long term memory. Karate must exist in the unconscious mind. Once the kata is there it will be part of you forever.