What is the point in learning Tae Kwon Do forms. (Katas)?

Answer 1

Wow. There are a lot of Kata haters around here. There always have and always will be. The point of Kata is to teach you technique, concentration, history of your style, cardiovascular strength and to give you a way to practice at any time and place.

Some say that no competetive fighters or boxers do this, because Kata or whatever you call it in TKD, JKD, Kung-Fu, Aikido, etc. is slow and predetermined. First of all Kata is usually never "slow" per se. It is done with intention. There are fast parts and there are slow parts, hard parts and soft parts.

You have to keep in mind that boxers, box. They have maybe five striking techniques. Aren't they doing a type of Kata when they "shadowbox"? What's the point of shadowboxing? I'm never going to fight a shadow, blah, blah, blah.

If you just do the Kata (form or whatever) in order to get through it, you are doing yourself a diss-service and the Kata is meaningless. If you do it with proper Bunkai (meaning) then you will benefit greatly from these exercises. I do want all who train to know that you do not have to feel obligated to like Kata. I don't personally like it. But I respect the fact that it actually does do some good. Even if you do the silliest technique, in your opinion, that would never realistically work in a real life situation, it is just an exercise. Exercising is good no matter what. It helps you get into shape and to be a good fighter in any situation you need to have good lungs.

I find it very funny that people look down upon certain things, like Kata, yet go out of their way to say that one style is better than the other. News flash....TKD has a ton of kicks. Try them in a fight and you will probally get swept on your backside. BJJ is a ground fighting art, hopefully you aren't being attacked by more than one person. Kung-Fu...please...try any technique you learn in this art and you may be asking for trouble.

Martial Arts becomes what you put into it. You could train in the worst concieveable style and still be a better fighter than Mr. "Perfect Style" , because you trained hard and did it for yourself. Not for belts, trophies or contests.

Answer 2

Exactly... what IS the point! Kata are just mindless routines, patterns for thickies to remember the moves when a teacher is teaching a hundred students, or the whole army is drilling...
On the positive, it's kind of meditative act, it trains the nerves to move in certain patterns, it thickens sinew in the muscles being used, as the muscular contraction is slow but tensed. But in most clubs it's also a huge waste of time.
To fight well, practice at speed and use punch bags, kick bags and live sparring. Learning kicking combos and patterns will get you a lot further the kata. Hardly any of the best performing dojos spend more than a minimum of time on kata. Sparring and punching / kicking at speed will help with aerobic fitness, reflex speeds, punch and kicking.
Likewise, for grappling once you learn the techniques only practice will make them useful.
Kata are an old hangover, from army drilling and teaching little kids the movements. They're justified because they are 'Oriental' and thus mystical and right, even if we Occidentals can't understand they're deeper mysteries. Bollocks, it's just a way of getting money from gradings and ranking the members on seniority and time / money spent supporting the club, Asian style.

There's a lot of bullshitting in the martial arts. How many boxers do you see doing slow punching kata? Mate if boxers do punch slow, it's with weights, specifically to increase speed, strength, muscle endurance, sinew thickness... and it's a minor part of training, mostly for development.

Kata can be fun, relaxing and meditative. If you are looking for that side of the martial arts, great. Enjoy it. But dont believe the hype, use your head and know that if you want to win titles and learn how to spar effectively, then find a club that spars and doesn't bother with kata too much.
Of course, if you're actually looking to learn how to fight, then taekwondo is mostly a waste of time in the first place. Good fun as a sport though.

Answer 3

they are a memory program used for creating mastery of a given technique. just like you read and re-read a speech to become a master of reading the same text without thinking.

BUT...

just like reading a text, you cant rely on the words you read to strengthen you for the real moment of talking. the speech does go out the window and you make it up as best you can given that some parts are remembered but fear, adrenaline and the randomness of the moment take over and it can become messy. it gets easy the more exposed you get at the public speaking, until you can make it all up and get the standing ovation.

Katas are the same, and though they give you the tools of the given style, they are seldomed used to a highly developed degree when the real randomness of fighting hits you.

and it is not your practice that is at fault, it is your training that never taught you about adrenaline, fear, cognitive distortion, and how to better utilize the adrenal flood into your blood.

as your fine motor skills diminish in a matter of seconds, only the gross motor skills remain. and the big swings come to hand.

its true. all the training in a flight simulator will NEVER compare to the real test in a real plane. real wind, real fog, real possibility of death. it is about how you overcome your fears and use adrenaline as a tool for fight, and not flight that counts. many people fight physically but emotionally they are in flight. this contradiction is the killer of fighters.

you must commit to the moment, with kata and preplanned ideals.

sermon over, amen. blah blah

Answer 4

The point in learning kata is to help you practice your technique, you will only gain strength in you punches and kicks by doing so, observer students at different belt ranks, see if you notice a difference in there control, speed, and power. The more you practice proper technique the better you will become

Answer 5

1st off, they are not called kata in Tae Kwon Do. Kata is Japanese & Tae Kwon Do is Korean. In TKD forms are called Hyung or Poomse.
Forms are the core of TKD. It in forms that you learn discipline, concentration & fighting techniques.

Answer 6

Strategy,and worm up my friend.Tae Kwon Do is one of the finest
and popular forms of Martial Arts after Kung Fu.Stick with it,it will change the way you see,and feel about Martial Arts.You will feel skeptical about the kata,but continue to practice it for a while,and believe me you'll understand it.I can't explain the kata forms too well,
I only know how to perform the moves.

Answer 7

Forms are a way of learning and mastering techniques. Also, when done correctly, forms help a person focus. When I practice my forms, I break down the techniques and try to understand the reason for every movement. Every technique in a form has a reason for execution and I try to find that reason. Plus, forms are a good workout. I practice my forms over and over again nonstop till I get worn out. Its a fairly simple way to work on your endurance other than running.

Answer 8

Forms are not unique to Taekwondo. Many styles have forms as part of their curriculum. The point is form within each movement, attempting to show a mastering of each hand or foot technique. It shows discipline and attention to detail. Do they work in the street? I don't know many people that will watch you do a form instead of punch you in the face....

They are tradition and for practice of performing technique only... Watch most fights you see.... then watch technique go RIGHT out the window..... it becomes a throw fest. The idea behind practicing over and over and over again, is so that if one were to need to use theses techniques, they would be applied correctly.

To the guy below me.... WOW... I have some wonderful beach front property to sell you if you are interested.... its in Arizona...

Answer 9

Forms (katas) serve several purposes. First they are a a way of organizing techniques to be more easily remembered. Secondly they are a means of developing stamina. Third they develop speed and balance. Fourth, they teach one to move from one techniques to another more easily. Fifth, they allow one to practice techniques at full strength and speed without having to worry about injuring a training partner.

Answer 10

technique, strength