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I believe that in the beginning of training a student should try not to breath during a movement in kata. This allows them to concentrate on the packing of the breath when still and the actual movement separately. The hope is that they will learn to keep their breathing down at all times. However, once you have obtained some skill at keeping your breathing down, then this loses importance.

As you progress and learn to maintain that protective breathing without conscious thought. You should then, as Van Sensei said, simply breath when you need to. You can also breath to serve a purpose. To breath out deliberately during a movement can harden it. To breath in deliberately during a movement can soften it.

Rick

I try to remain respectful to the integrity of the art as I know that there are elements that I don't understand at this time and assume that later on I will - kind of like my relationship with my Dad. When I was 13 and dying (it felt that way anyhow) for a barbell set, he said "go out and get a job and do hard work and you'll get very strong." I thought this was but another example of how dumb he was, Ha! Now I'm writing about how to get strong doing things like carrying barrels and sand bags around!
The point is this, in the real world violence descends like a summer rain and my breathing is the last thing that I'm worried about. Actually, that's not totally true. I'm hoping that it will continue.

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Good training,
David


[This message has been edited by David Elkins (edited 01-24-99).]