kata realism

sunsu8 · Post by **sunsu8** » Mon Apr 15, 2002 4:04 am

What have you found to make your kata feel more effective? More realistic? What do you do to mentally test bunkai? Do you ever do portions of you kata on a heavy duty puching bag to test your technique? I want to make my forms FEEL and look better! And...how much of your kata do you apply to routine sparring? ~SJR

beckyhaworth · Post by **beckyhaworth** » Mon Apr 15, 2002 11:35 pm

My katas are everything to me!! I used to get real bummed out when we had to do kata, but now I love it...I know what they mean!!

I always visualize my opponent while I am doing my katas....then I ask one of the guys in class if I can try a technique on them from the kata that I am working on to see if it will work correctly. Just because you envision that it will work, doesn't mean it does.

Becky

Dana Sheets · Post by **Dana Sheets** » Mon Apr 15, 2002 11:47 pm

A very senior master said last summer:

You should always visualize attacking yourself when you do kata. That way, you will remain humble because you are always being beaten.

Intention is tied to the ability to visualize just what the heck you're doing when you're waving your arms and legs around in a set pattern. Your intention to use those moves as physical attacks on another person will set your "attitude" far apart from those who are just going through the motions.

Accelerate each movement from beginning to end. Mind you, don't rush the form, but make each individual technique exlposive where called for, or make a combination of movements an explosive group.

Power comes from relaxation and proper technique -- which is THEN combined with muscles. Find the proper form, find the use for the form, then find the force to perform the form.

gotta go to class!
Dana

Stryke · Post by **Stryke** » Mon Apr 15, 2002 11:48 pm

toatally agree , the only thing kata is missing is the most important thing ... an opponent .

Get someone and practice the moves with them , personally i beleive kata as bunkai and application , and kata as form teach two different things , learn to diferentiate , nothing can be more confusing than thinking of application while doing form .

my thoughts , good training

stryke

Tony-San · Post by **Tony-San** » Mon Apr 15, 2002 11:56 pm

The most important aspect of kata is expression. if you can overcome yourself, you can overcome anything.

sunsu8 · Post by **sunsu8** » Tue Apr 16, 2002 1:03 am

Thanks to all of you for those replies! I enjoy this forum because you will probably NEVER go without feedback.

Beckyhaworth - Do you pick any guy in class or a larger, more broad-shouldered guy that would probably be more liely to attack you? I used to hate kata too and now I am slowly starting to enjoy it

Dana (still trying to type just that)- I really liked the story of being your own attacker. MAKES SENSE! As for explosive, i need to work on that for sure. And the Accelerating part, can you explain that again plz???? I am unlear. Are you saying to break down kata into force, accuracy, and technique and then all combined your form will be right? Just curious because i want all the information that i can get.
(hope you had fun at class!)

Stryke - i like your post and am empathetic of you when you talk about trying to think of application while doing a form and how confusing it is! I have a lot of trouble with that. Got any ideas to help with focusing? Sometimes,in our class, we try and distract each other while doing kata and i always lose focus... WHAT CAN HELP THAT?

Tonysan- I agree with overcoming yourself. As for expression, do you mean as in facial or spiritually and physically overcoming your fears in a single moment and defending yourself?

YOU CAN ALL HELP WITH QUESTIONS LISTED UNDER OTHERS' NAMES... I just do that because some people (my cousin especially) do not like reading long posts and emails, so i just label them out of courtesy with the chance that the reader will then read SOME of the post instead of none. I appreciate and use all of the information to at least experiment before disreguarding it ~SJR

2Green · Post by **2Green** » Tue Apr 16, 2002 3:32 am

Hi Sunsu8
In our dojo (small group of 8 or 9 max)our Sensei will sometimes take us through a Kata one technique at a time, stopping to drill each technique with a partner.
It's like, the 2 hour Kata by the time we're done! Makes a great class though.
More importantly it makes us remember the feeling of the drill (with the partner) when we're back to doing the Kata alone.
Ever notice by the way, how different it feels to do a Kata in the class lineup, and then alone while the whole class watches?
Big difference! But the drills help for me.

Tony-San · Post by **Tony-San** » Tue Apr 16, 2002 11:31 am

I mean expression as in "art"... meaning, you take what is stirring inside of you and via your body, manifest it into a form in the physical world. The more resistance you introduce to the expression with your body/mind, the less impact you will have in the physical world and the more distorted the manifestation will be. While these lessons can be learned in Kata practice, their benefits go way...way beyond the realm of martial arts.

sunsu8 · Post by **sunsu8** » Tue Apr 16, 2002 12:40 pm

Hey again!

2Green - once again I like oyur idea. We did that once a long time ago, and it is definately a workout! Our class generally breaks up into like 3 or 4 groups (depending on class size) and the higher ranks quizes the lower rank on what they are using as bunkaii and what is passed down through bunkaii. It uses a lot of brain power to explain what you know and to remember the new stuff! I love those classes though. In a way kind of like working on those Quadratic equations i am doing in Algebra - very timely! lol

TonySan - AWESOME! I get it now. I have been told something along those lines before, but no one ever really explained it so i could understand. THANKS! Guess kata is really useful! Thanks for you input!!!

THANKS! THANKS! THANKS! It will all be useful! ~ SJR

Dana Sheets · Post by **Dana Sheets** » Tue Apr 16, 2002 1:09 pm

SJR - you have a wonderful, positive outlook and enthusiam in your posts. C'est si bon.

Accelerating is like exploding. Don't tighten up your shoulder so much you can't get your arm out, don't tighten up your hips so much you can't get your leg out there.

BOOOM!!! - the strike goes out. As if each strike is a little firecracker.

SAN-DAI-RYU · Post by **SAN-DAI-RYU** » Tue Apr 16, 2002 3:06 pm

sunsu
recuerde estos dos puntos:
1.lo mas importante de su kata es el espiritu que usted le otorgue
2. el kata es tan personal como su ropa, otras personas pueden usarla pero a nadie le luce tan bien como a usted.
Carlos Sensei
sunsu
remembers these two points:
1.lo but important of its kata is espiritu that you grant
2, to him the kata is as personal as your clothes, other people can use it but to anybody it shines to him as well as to you. Carlos Sensei

sunsu8 · Post by **sunsu8** » Tue Apr 16, 2002 9:24 pm

Dana - Thank you for the compliment!

i appreciate it. I am probably going to sound stupid, but what does C'est si bon mean? I do not remember ever hearing that one before. I like the description of your "firecracker" techniques! Pretty Cool

As for the art you wrote about not being to tight in the shoulder/hip so that your arm/leg cannot move... IS THIS anything like a reverse description of only tightening up right before oyu get ready receive a strike (aka.. get hit!!! lol) ???? Just curious.

Carlos, Sensei - I like your post! Good thoughts!

WEll, i am going to town to look for soem martial arts books at the book store and also to spend soem time with my Dad! (we do that every once in a while... just go to town adn have fun) Bye and thanks (i know iknow... it is overly redundany now, but still!) ~SJR

P.S. my signature is SJR, but that is only a nickname. My realy name is Liberty (like the statue) I really do not like 'Liberty' that much as a name so i often go by different nicknames! Just thought you all might want to know.

uechiwoman · Post by **uechiwoman** » Tue Apr 16, 2002 9:38 pm

One of the first things I notice when someone steps on the floor to do kata is the energetic space they take up. Do they fill up the floor with their presence or is their energy pulled in and small? This tells me about a person's spirit and how they feel about themselves. I have seen yellow belts fill the room while doing their kata and I have seen blackbelts who you hardly know are there. I think this also translates to how you greet and view the world.

-Heather

sunsu8 · Post by **sunsu8** » Tue Apr 16, 2002 9:42 pm

Heather- O cool! So their energy is in the air and you can feel it? sense it? Is it in the kiai? the power? there facial expression? This is obviously very interesting to me and i would like to know a bit more in depth exactly what you are talking about. Is this what think look for in tournaments? or am i going 180* the wrong directon? ~Lib

uechiwoman · Post by **uechiwoman** » Tue Apr 16, 2002 10:13 pm

I feel it and see it. It has to do with how big the person's presence is when they are on the floor. It is comprised of the focus and intention in their strikes and how their energy is coming through them from the floor. I see it in their eyes. The person does not need to be flashy or overly loud. I have seen tournaments where there is more "karate-show" than karate-do.

. Is the person quietly confident with a strong spirit rather than making up for technical inequity with strikes that "look" strong but have no true strength behind them.

More later...

-Heather