in what does kata help us? why do we have to do them?

Question

why do we have to learn kata in order for us to get belts?
in what does this help us in?

does it help us in self defense?
or do they just make us do it because its art?

please help me, because seriously i think katas look pretty stupid (in my opinion)

any suggestions ?

Answer 1

kata makes it easier for you to learn and for it to build muscle memory. A old Japanese saying you can do one technique 1000 times and then you will only begin to learn it

Answer 2

Kata has several purposes. First not everyone is a natural athlete so it helps develop your balance, coordination and how to control your body and movement. If you can not do that well and with speed and power then it becomes doubly hard to learn how to do that when you fight or defend yourself. Secondly it helps make some of those motions stronger, literally easier to perform and faster much like a boxer does with shadow boxing. Third, to be good at kata it takes a lot of attention to detail and practice and the discipline to keep practicing it and striving to get it to a higher level. This attention to detail along with the self discipline it takes to develop it to that level is the same attention to detail and self discipline required to train and to be a good fighter.

Not all techniques in kata have a great practical application in this day and age but some still do. Not only that but many instructors do a great job of teaching it, but a poor job of explaining some of the ideas and principles behind some of those moves and techniques. Along with that some instructors still believe that it takes several years to attain black-belt and the learning of twenty-four katas along with everything else. While I would agree that is a little excessive kata does have its place in most peoples training and they just don't know how to relate it to other aspects in that training and instructors do a very poor job of that. I can show you a self-defense technique that is not very effective that involves the use of your hand but unless you move your foot a certain way it won't work near as well. There is a kata where it is taught by the way. So I would try to look at it through new eyes and also do a little reading and expand my knowledge of things and then see if you can relate some of that back to some of your kata. Also your instructor may be able to help you with this as well. In closing I will tell you that I encountered very few fighters on the national tournament circuit that were just good fighters. Most of them were almost or equally as good in kata and they would generally beat the others that were just good fighters most of the time.

Answer 3

Kata is a manual with all the techniques that your particular style is associated with.

I use the term "DNA" also to describe it.

All the techniques that are used in MA's are in the Kata...

...grappling, throws, takedowns, pressure points, Ki development, striking. It is all there.

What ever posture you are in at any moment, the hand and foot placement puts you where you have to be to attack pressure points, locks and armbars, etc.

The people who deem kata as useless were not taught by a knowledgeable teacher. They were taught the movements of kata, but not their interpretation.

The people who use belt colors other than white, green and brown are just charging you more money for belts and certificates and promotions. This is BS.

This is one of the best examples of what kata teaches you if taught by a true Bujutsuka:

http://video.google.com/videosearch?hl=en&q=taika+oyata&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=iv

Go through all these videos and ask yourself if kata is useful or not.

Answer 4

Hi there Basically its all down to which parts of the world the art comes from. History has shaped the forms and how they were practiced. Karate for example comes from Okinawa and its not a Japanese art but more of a chinese one. You find that the chinese arts come from the imitation of animals in battle or a re-enactment of a fight. Bundle this together with the history of banned arts in okinawa and the result is big forms. Japanese arts such as judo and jujutsu come from kobudo or koryu battlefield arts. These schools were mostly formalised after the 1500's when the fighting was all done and dusted in japan. Basically warriors that survived their experiences came back and wrote down techniques that worked for them on scrolls called densho which then became the kata and list of techniques that are practiced today. Theres many views on sequence kata being used to hide its secrets or that it represents a fight sequence? No one other than the founders know for sure. So really its all boils down to history, location and purpose. Theres no real answer other than that. As for the benefits of doing them in sequence rather than singular depends on your opinions and views. Both have benefits and disadvantages but if all you do with them is memorise them and collect them then a kata libarian shall you be. The principles behind the movement are whats important not how they are strung together. Your footwork might be technically correct, your dynamic tension and breathing excellent but if you cant extract it and apply it in a variety of situations then what really is the point? Art for art sake. Yet art is creative by its very nature and not by numbers. Learn it, extract it, use it! Best wishes idai

Answer 5

Kata is extremely important because kata teaches:
speed, endurance, timing, technique application, technique style, muscle memory; technique memory; proper application of technique; a method of demonstrating the characteristics of your 'style'; a method of practicing your style alone (but not Judo); a method of getting a really good workout independently; allows insight into a technique that might be missed in practice; and a way of helping others analyze your chosen system of self-defense.

Kata is a systemized method of maintaining and transferring the unique techniques of your style onto the next generation for learning better than written or videotaped documentation. Kata is the 'DNA' of your style.

When someone states they know a certain style I've never heard of before I simply ask to see their kata. The kata will tell me most of what I need to understand their system.

Kata simply makes a better 'martial ARTIST' rather than a pragmatic brawler.

Answer 6

Don't forget that there are many hidden techniques within the kata. Practice the kata and try breaking it down to see how you can apply it in combat.

Answer 7

If we practice them correctly, they can help us with sparring by helping us flow better.